Henry VII's England

How the country, monarchy, and government operated during the reign of Henry VII

What was the Kings Council?

The Kings Council was a very prestigious council which consisted of those who were loyal to the king. Henry also used the council as a way to prevent people from objecting to his ruling and decisions since once people were appointed to the Kings Council, they wanted to maintain their status. However, this wasn’t always effective.

What was the Order of the Garter?

The Order of the Garter was a prestigious reward that was rewarded to families and nobles in England very sparingly - only 35 people received the Order of the Garter. Henry VII often awarded it to those who were loyal to him during the Battle of Bosworth. This was used as a way of pleasing the nobles in the country without granting them land in order to maintain more control of the country.

What was the Bonds and Recognisances system and how did Henry VII use it to his advantage?

Rules were set for noble families and (often extreme) fines were given for breaking those rules. Henry created this system in order to instil fear into the nobility to avoid potential threats to his reign

What were Henry VII’s Acts of Attainder?

Henry VII passed the Act of Resumption and Attainders in 1486, meaning that many nobles had to return much of their land to the crown, as a way to increase Crown lands. It was said that if they pledged their loyalty to the King, their land would be granted back, however the attainders weren’t always reversed. Henry passed 9 attainders and only reversed 5 of them.