Henry Vii Nobility and government

Acts of Attainder

A severe law in England reserved for the most serious crimes - frequently related to treason

Families lost the right to possess their land leading to social and economic disaster.

Act of Resumption

1486

Where Henry reclaimed all land granted away since the beginning of the wars of the roses. Increased crown lands

Bonds and Recognisances

Agreement that if nobility breached certain conditions, they would have to pay Henry money.

Feudal rights/Feudal dues

Part of his financial policy which allowed him the opportunity to arrange marriages, giving Henry complete control

Great chain of being

All people from all ranks of society had to co-operate and that mere subjugation of those below was not acceptable

Order of the Garter

Appointed 37 people to the order which gave them no land or power. Because the nobility then got smaller, it became easier to control. It also meant he got richer, by absorbing the lands from noble families which had died out.

Magnate

Men who owned huge amounts of land and were very important

When were the Acts of Attainders passed and how many passed?

28 passed in 1486 and 51 in 1504

138 passed in total and 42 reversed

Between 1486 and 1509, how many noble families gave bonds and/or recognisances to Henry?

36 out of 62 noble families. - this compares to only one during yorkist rule.

Feudal dues : how much did wardship and marriage payments increase to between 1487 and 1507?

They increased from £350 to £6,000

Feudal dues: marriage ward ships relief and livery

Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Buckingham was fined around £7000 in 1496 for marrying without a Kings License.

Crown lands

Act of Resumption in 1486 recovered all properties granted away since 1455 - when he did reward people with land, he didn’t use crown lands, but used forfeited land (taken by attainder) from other nobles.

Patronage

Given as a result of loyal service - was highly valued as it happened so rarely - Earl of Oxford - landowner of East Anglia, Jasper Tudor made Earl of Bedford

Retaining

The long held noble practice of recruiting gentry.

Lords and commons had to swear in 1485 they would not retain illegally

In 1504 proclamations ensured that nobles had to obtain special ‘placards’ or licences to retain. The act had a penalty of £5 per month per illegal retainer. In 1506 Lord Burgavenny had a fine of £70,550

Kings council

A position as a kings councillor was a sign of the kings confidence.

Henrys five key councillors all aligned themselves with Henry before Bosworth.

Great council

Meetings of noblemen, called to discuss high matters of state when calling in parliament would’ve taken too long.

There were five meetings of the council.

When were the five meetings of the Great council?

1485: for the calling of parliament and announcement of Henry’s marriage

1487: in response to the Lambert simnel threat

1488: to authorise a subsidy for the campaign in Brittany

1491: to authorise a war against France

1496: to grant a loan of £120,000 for war in Scotland

What was the New men?

They were the ones that enforced royal policy in London and the localities - they were Henry’s eyes and ears in the Shires.

Their power came from their responsibility for the new crown lands Henry had acquired

3 examples of ‘New Men’

Reginald bray - he earned over £1000 a year

Thomas Lovell - military commander, in finance. Earnt the same as an earl

Sir Edward Belknap - made surveyor in the Kings prerogative in 1508 and was the man that helped put down the Cornish rebellion in 1497

What jobs did the ‘new men’ have?

financial administrators

Commissions of the peace - they were to oversee that the ‘Justice of the Peace’ were acting as the king wished

Tax collection

Military leaders

Council learned in the law

• Small professional body of councillors that came into being in 1495

• Became a debt collection agency

• Men in the council

  • Richard Empson

  • Edmund Dudley

Court of Requests

It was within the Kings council and usually made up of ‘new men’

Court of general servers

Made up of new men of the kings council.

Justices of the peace

Chosen from the second rank of land owners to secure loyalty. Henry widened the duties of the role e.g disputing justice in the local courts

Sheriffs

Appointed annually and acted as crowns representative. Closest things to a police officer. Kept the kings peace and responsible for arrest and prosecution of criminals.

Parliament

King had complete control over it and it wasn’t a permanent feature of governments House of Lords.

Used seven times over Henry’s reign - when required to secure his position

What was parliament used for?

• Passing acts of attainders

• To consolidate his position

• Parliamentary tax