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Summary Y106 The Early Tudors revision notes
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Tudor A-Level NotesKey names Key dates Key facts/stats
Henry VII
State of England in 1485
● England had lost lots of lands in France throughout the 15th Century
● They still ruled over Calais
● England's main export was Cloth which was sold in the Netherlands, but custom incomes had
been declining
● The War of the Roses meant England was unstable since 1399 with the throne regularly
changing hands between Yorkists and Lancastarians
● Henry VII had only a weak claim to the throne and had been in exile in France for 14 years so
only had limited knowledge of England
● The Battle of Bosworth took place 22nd August 1485
● It ended the reign of Richard III and lead to Henry VII, who was the first Tudor monarch
● Richard had 12000 men to Henrys 2000
Problems Henry faced upon ascension
● Henry became King with support from the French who were a traditional enemy of England
● The War of Roses had seriously undermined the power of the English crown
● Previous monarchs including Henry VI and Edward IV had been overthrown, and the fact
Henry himself usurped the throne exacerbated his own threat of usurpation because people
could get the idea they themselves could seize the throne
Securing his position on the throne
● Henry set the start date of his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworth so anyone who
fought against him could have their estates seized and were classed as traitors
● Henry deliberately arranged his coronation for the 30 October 1485, before Parliament met so
they were unable to claim that they made him King
● Henry's coronation was very lavish, making him seem more powerful
● Henry called Parliament on 7 November 1485, which in itself was a demonstration of Kingship
● Parliament recognised Henry as King through right of conquest, that God had favoured him in
Battle
● Henry asked for papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York, and the marriage took place in
January 1486 so it could never be said that he owed the crown to his wife
● His marriage to Elizabeth of York satisfied the Yorkists as they now had a Yorkist heir to the
throne
● He had not gained the throne with the aid of an noblemen so did not owe the crown to the
nobility
● Henry inherited the copious lands from the Duke of York, Earl of Warwick and Duke of
Gloucester, and these men, who could've been a significant threat to Henry had been killed in
the Battle of Bosworth
● He had no brothers and only one uncle, which was a great bonus
Lovell and Stafford Rebellion
● Three faithful supporters of Richard III, Francis Lovell and Henry and Thomas Stafford had
been seeking sanctuary in Colchester since the Battle of Bosworth
● Henry had decided to take a Royal Procession of York in April 1486, when the three lords
broke sanctuary and decided to attack the King
● Lovell headed north to ambush the King and the Stafford brothers travelled to Worcester to
stir up a rebellion
, ● Henry was informed of the plans and proceeded with his tour, sending a royal army to meet
the rebels
● The rebels were offered a pardon or face death if they continued
● Lovell fled and escaped to Flanders, and the rebels dispersed
● The Stafford brothers attempted to reclaim sanctuary but Henry refused, and executed Henry
Stafford and pardoned Thomas, who remained loyal to Henry throughout his reign
● Henry's policy of calculated mercy made him be seen as an upholder of peace and justice
● Queen Elizabeth gave birth to a son, Arthur and people began to accept his reign
The Yorkshire Rebellion
● Yorkshire were rising as a result of Henry's attempt to raise £100,000 and aid Brittany in its
struggle against France in 1489
● Yorkshire were already annoyed due to a bad harvest and because other Northern countries
were exempt from paying the tax because they were expected to defend the Northern border
against Scottish attacks
● Yorkshire were less concerned about France than the Southern countries because they were
less likely to be attacked which demonstrated the regionalism
● Despite complaints Henry refused to negotiate
● When the Earl of Nothumberland tried to collect the tax he was murdered
● The rebellion was led by Sir John Egremont who was a Yorkist supporter and illegitimate
member of the percy family
● The rising was easily crushed by a royal army but tax money was not collected
● This showed that ruling the North required compromise because royal authority was weak
and challengeable
● Henry recognised this and appointed the Earl of Surrey as a northern representative
The Cornish Rebellion
● Henry required more money to raise a campaign against the threat from Scotland as James
IV sought to aid Perkin Warbeck and invade northern England in 1497
● Rebels assembled at the Cornish town of Bodmin in May 1497
● Numbers increased as they marched through the County as many people in Cornwall did not
want to pay for northern threats
● As the rebellion continued through Devon little support was attracted, but numbers increased
upon reaching Somerset
● The rebellion attracted 15,000 supporters which was a sign of the unpopularity of the tax
● There was some cross class support amongst the minor gentry but the rebellion only attracted
the support of one noble, Lord Audley
● Numbers declined as the rebellion reached London, maybe fearing the forceful, large royal
force
● The rebels made it clear that their complaints were against counsellors such as Morton and
Bray who were blamed for the tax demands
● Henry assembled an army of 25,000 men which easily crushed the rebel force and
Blackheath in June 1497 where 2,000 rebels were killed
Lambert Simnel
● Simnel claimed to be one of Richard III nephews, the Earl of Warwick
● It is believed that John De La Pole, the Earl of Lincoln was behind the scheme who was the
natural Yorkist leader and Richards chosen successor
● This rising was a major threat to Henry because it came within a year of Henry taking the
throne, forcing the King immediately into battle
● The rising began in Autumn 1486
, ● Simnel was crowned Edward VI in Dublin Cathedral in Ireland, receiving support from
Margaret of Burgundy who was a Yorkist supporter and outraged by the usurpation of Richard
III
● Although Simnel was an imposter, the real Earl of Warwick was alive in the tower, so the
Yorkists did have credible candidates for the throne available
● Margaret sent raised 2000 mercenaries led by Martin Swartz who set sail for Ireland in 1487
● When the rebels landed in Lancashire they attracted little support and their rebel army of
8000 men met the royal army of 12000 in a field near East Stoke
● This was the Battle of Stoke and seen as the final battle of the War of Roses
● The Earl of Lincoln was killed in Battle and Simnel died shortly after
● Henry was uneasy following the incident, and spent the rest of the year travelling his Kingdom
and visiting areas of disaffection, parading the real Earl of Warwick
Perkin Warbeck
● Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Richard, Duke of York who was one of the princes murdered in
the Tower of London
● Henry could not produce the real remained of the Duke so some believe that he was who he
claimed to be
● The origins of the conspiracy are unclear and the rising was not a direct threat of Henry, it
lasted a long time and international support for Warbeck made it significant
● Warbeck first arrived in Ireland as an impersonator, most Irish lords gave Warbeck their
backing
● Warbeck travelled to France in 1492 where Charles VIII received him as a prince
● Henry and Charles signed the Treaty of Etaples in November 1492 which drove Warbeck out
of France
● In 1493 Warbeck was forced to Burgundy, where Margaret tutored him on the Yorkist court
● Warbeck was welcomed by the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximillian
● In 1495 Warbeck arrived in Deal, Kent but was driven away by the militia
● Warbeck fled back to Ireland, enlisting the support of the Earl of Desmont but was driven out
by Sir Edward Poynings
● Warbeck fled to Scotland in 1495 where he was given a royal welcome by James IV and
married his cousin, Lady Catherine Gordon
● Warbeck then invaded from the North, receiving little support and returned to Scotland where
he was abandoned by the King
● Warbeck landed in Cornwall and attempted to coincide a rebellion with the Cornish Rebellion,
but received minimal support and was arrested
● He remained in court but further plotting resulting in his execution 1499
● Lord Fitzwalter (Henry steward) and Sir William Stanley (Henry's Chamberlain) were
executed for supporting Warbeck in 1495, they were trusted servants so their disloyalty and
proximity to the king lead to a heightened fear of assassination
Other threats to Henry
● Even after Warbecks execution, his position was not fully secure
● Edmund De La Pole, the Earl of Suffolk was in exile in the Low Countries and not handed
over to Henry until 1506
● Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham was a minor for most of Henry's reign but was
executed in 1521 for allegedly plotting to seize the throne
● The Tudor succession was in doubt when Henry's son, Prince Arthur died in 1502, Prince
Henry was only 10 at the time which caused uncertainty
Sanctions and Inducements for the Nobility
● The nobility were a threat to Henry because of their power, enabling them to potentially usurp
Henry
, ● A lot of Nobles still owned lots of land which meant they were powerful and able to draw a
large army to fight for them, however there were no ‘overmighty’ subjects remaining after
Bosworth to unseat the King
● Henry used Patronage, the practice of giving nobles positions of power, land and titles as a
result of good service and loyalty such as to men who were loyal to him throughout Bosworth
● The Earl of Oxford became the major landowner in East Anglia
● Jasper Tudor was made the Duke of Bedford and restored to his Welsh estates and rewarded
with extra land
● The Order of the Garter was a significant honour reserved for the Kings closest servants,
Henry created 37 Knights of the Garter which was the ultimate mark of honour
● The Order of the Garter was effective because it gave the recipient prestige but no power or
land
● A position in the King's council was a sign of the Kings confidence and emphasis was on
loyalty, Henry had five key councillors
● The Great Council were magna consillia meetings of noblemen to discuss high matters of
state in moments of emergencies, there were five meetings throughout Henry's reign
● The Great Council met to discuss matters such as Simnel, and authorise war against France
● The Great Council meetings were an effective way of ensuring control because they were a
way of gaining agreement for controversial policies, meaning members were unable to
criticise the policy they were involved in
● Acts of Attainder were the families loss of right to possess and inherit their land, which
resulted in social and economic ruin
● Attainders were able to be reversed as a result of good behaviour, they were allowed to
gradually win titles and land back through loyal service
● Thomas Howard is an example of this, he was imprisoned and attained in March 1486 and
was released after taking an Oath of Allegiance and his title restored in January 1489. In
April, he was put in charge of law and order in the North and in 1492 the remainder of his
attained estates were returned
● Harsh terms were imposed upon reversing attainders, this included payment for reversal such
as Thomas Tyrell who paid £1,738 for the reversal of his attainder
● Henry's attainders increased in severity throughout his reign, with 28 being passed in 1485, 8
being passed in 1489 and 51 being passed in between 1504-1509
● Bonds were written agreements in which people promised to pay a sum of money if they
failed to carry out their promise, with sums reaching up to £10,000
● Recognisances were a formal acknowledgement of a preexisting debt or obligation, with the
understanding to pay money if this was not met
● Henry used Bonds and Recognisances more systematically throughout his reign, showing an
increase in chronic paranoia, he kept men like the Duke of Buckingham enmeshed in financial
constraints
● 1485-1499, 11 peers gave bonds and recognisances, 1502-1509, 36 peers gave bonds and
recognisances
● Lord Mountjoy alone gave 23 bonds
● Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset was never trusted by Henry, so in 1492 he was required to
transfer all of his land except two manors to trustees and give a recognisance of £1000
● Obligations were usually centred around issues of good behaviour and maintaining peace
towards fellow subjects
● Feudal dues sent out numerous commissions of inquiry, including Wardship (where the King
took control of the estates of minors), Marriage (the King received profit from arranged
marriages), Livery (King was paid to recover land from Wardship) Relief (a form of inheritance
tax) and Escheats (payments made when Land was reverted back to the crown)
● Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Buckingham was fined around £7000 in 1496 for marrying
without the Kings licence
● Increase in proceeds from wardship and marriage from £350 in 1487 to £6000 in 1507
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