Essay responding to the statement: "Henry was more successful in his domestic affairs rather than his foreign affairs"
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Course
1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
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AQA
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AQA A-level History
Essay examines Henry VII's successes within both his domestic and foreign affairs, arriving at a justified conclusion of which he achieved greater success in. A great resource for recapping Henry VII's foreign and domestic policy, giving a strong insight into the success of Henry's kingship on the ...
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1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
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‘Henry VII was more successful in his domestic affairs rather than his foreign affairs’ How far
do you agree?
Throughout Henry VII’s reign, the monarch faced numerous challenges both within and outside of
the country, yet ultimately managed to secure his dynasty and create stability for his heir, Henry VIII.
Henry’s successful foreign affairs proved extremely beneficial to the country’s position and
authority, however his most prominent successes ultimately derived from domestic affairs such as
regulating the power of the nobility, dealing with the threats of pretenders and rebellions and, lastly,
financial management; all of these factors ensured Tudor England’s security and prosperity.
In attempt to eliminate potential threats to his sovereignty, Henry VII upheld a strong and harsh
sense of authority over his nobility. From his accession, the nobility posed a colossal threat to the
‘Great Chain of Being’, hence why Henry’s suspicion of his nobles saw a significant augmentation. On
the contrary to Edward IV, Henry limited the size and power of the nobility (one earl and five barons)
in order to secure his supremacy and consequently guarantee their loyalty and devotion as it was
deemed a rare privilege to gain a title/symbol of his recognition. Due to his cautious approach, the
nobility was, on the whole, more apprehensive to undermine Henry or oppose him than previous
monarchs, in fear of extremely severe punishments; Henry had apparent control over their social
status, land and wealth which enabled him to reward and punish the nobles when necessary, for
example through patronage. He enforced financial forfeits such as bonds and recognisances to limit
the nobles’ wealth, in addition to the Act of Attainder bringing financial ruin to nobles accused of
treason- these strict implements proved relatively successful as Henry’s power as king was
heightened. Although Henry’s tactical and isolating methods of regulation ensured immense
individual power, some historians critique the king’s methods as too brutal therefore limiting his
success. Nobles, due to the monarch’s limited appreciation and increasing reliance on the gentry,
may have become aggravated and hostile to the king, hence why some joined conspiracies against
him. Unlike many of Henry’s foreign affairs, such as arranging marriages, these methods to constrict
the nobility created tension and factions (in government) and caused antagonistic opinions towards
the king. Overall, Henry was successful in limiting the nobility’s influence/power in order to gain
superiority, as well as benefiting the finance of the kingdom, however there were some
disadvantages to his approach as the nobles may have been unsatisfied and therefore willing to
undermine the king, creating potential opposition to his reign.
Additionally, Henry was relatively successful when defending the throne from various rebellions and
pretenders in England, who sought to undermine and overthrow him as king. The monarch was
arguably successful in trying to unite the overtly divided Houses of York and Lancaster upon his
accession, for example marrying Elizabeth of York in 1486, however Yorkist opposition was still
present in the country such as the Yorkist de la Pole family. Rebellions in Yorkshire and Cornwall
were also formed as a result of widespread discontent of Henry’s ruling and, specifically, financial
demands, emphasising a lack of support he was able to maintain (even though Henry made an
extreme effort to overcome opposition by travelling north to the Yorkist stronghold of Yorkshire).
Having said this, Lovell’s Yorkist rebellion rapidly collapsed in 1486 and only posed a short-term
threat to the Tudor throne, as well as Henry’s powerful army preventing the Cornish Rebellion from
succeeding; 1000 men rebels were killed and many were arrested. Moreover, Henry was further
faced with the challenge of ‘pretenders’, like Simnel and Warbeck, who both had foreign support
from Margaret of Burgundy; this proves how Henry’s foreign affairs weren’t entirely successful as
there were powerful, foreign individuals willing to support others who opposed him. Yet, Henry was
able to challenge both pretenders and dismiss any false claims, for example he produced the real
Earl of Warwick (after a period of difficulty as the threat was centred in Ireland where Henry could
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