Henry VII Chapter 2 - Government

Royal Court

• Where Henry would give rewards and status’

Chamber

• Collected royal revenues e.g. taxes

• Lord Chamberlain (Will Stanley) who often spoke for monarch

Privy Chamber - 1495

• Made after Stanley betrayed him (found out through spy network)

• It was only the king and closest advisors who would meet in there and his spies

• King managed all the countries finances and kept a log and kept some money for himself known as his ready supply of cash

• Received information in his private meetings from spies or his closest advisors

Council Learned

• Made in the second half of his reign

• Made to maintain the kings revenue and to prerogative right

• The people who were involved were:

- Sir Reginald Bray

- Sir Richard Empson

- Edmund Dudley

• The council was seen as corrupt as it could bypass the law to get the money and if you were summoned to the court then you could not appeal and its money would be extracted from peasants who already struggled with money (After Henry VII death Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson were executed as they were charged with corruption in the government)

Privy Council

• Advised the King over matters of the state

• Administered law and order

• 240 people were involved in  the council with 7 people regularly attending meetings

• From the Nobility:

- Lord Daubeney 

- Lord Dynham

• From the Clergy/Churchmen:

- John Morton (Arch Bishop of Canterbury)

- Richard Fox

• From Laymen (Gentry/Lawyers):

- Bray

- Edmund Dudley

Parliament

• Passes laws

• Grant taxation to the crown

• Called 5 times in first 10 years and 2 times in last 14 years of his reign

• They strengthened Henry’s finances through:

- Acts of Attainder

- Tonnage and Poundage

- Extraordinary Revenue 

Nobility

• Henry couldn’t rely on them to carry out of local justice as they would become more powerful and could overthrow him

• He relied on Magnates ( controlled the north) and Stanleys (controlled north west) to control the regions they are in

• He used bonds and recognises to ensure they didn’t have enough money to raise an army

JPs

• Maintained the law in the countryside

• They were made up be volunteers from the gentry and were appointed by landowners

• And they would meet 4 times in a year

• Acts of Parliament made their roles bigger by increasing their power and responsibilities so that they could do tax assessments and manage local complaints

Ordinary Revenue - Collect yearly

• Crown Lands - profits from estates

• Feudal Dues - right for the monarch to demand money from the nobility

• Custom Duties - taxes on goods leaving the country and entering

• Legal Dues - fines and payments form being in front of court

Extraordinary Revenue - Only in emergencies

• Bonds and Recognises - payments made as a guarantee of good behaviour

• Loans and Benevolences - Kings right to ask for financial help in emergencies

• Feudal Dues - demand money from nobility for single, extraordinary occasions

• Clerical Taxes - special taxes which the King could raise from the Church and simony

• Parliamentary Taxes - taxes by  Parliament to pay for royal policies such as military expeditions

Exchequer

• Collect revenue from royal property and taxes and customs

• it worked through a network of royal officials

• it was an accurate system that people in England were already used to

• However was slow and dealt with paper records instead of cash

Chamber

• Developed by the Yorkists under Edward IV and continued under Richard III

• It worked by direct supervision of the King himself

• It was good as it used officials to ensure the most profit from royal estates, the King had direct control over it giving him a ready supply of cash, faster than Exchequer

Economic Facts

• Henry received £30,000 from Parliament in 1504 for the knighthood of Prince Arthur through Extraordinary Revenue

• £48,000 raised in 1491 for the war in Brittany through Loans and Benevolences

• £300 through simony for the post of Archdeacon of Buckingham

• Henry spent £45,700 on military and naval expenses

• £13,155 to deal with Cornish Revolt and Perkin Warbeck but got £14,700 paid in fines by the rebels

• Royal lands revenue increased by 45% from £29K to £42K

• Customs revenues increased by 20% form £33K to £40K

• Chamber brought in £91,000 while the Exchequer brought in £12,500

• In total the total revenue was £113,000