Summary Henry VII: Consolidation of power and establishment of the dynasty
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Course
Henry VII
Institution
AQA
It covers in detail Henry VII's consolidation of power, providing all the evidence you need to answer an analytical and evaluative essay on Henry's consolidation methods, and how successful they were.
Henry Tudor’s consolidation of power: character and aims;
establishing the Tudor dynasty
Character, aims and consolidation of power
Character and aims
Character:
• Little evidence of HVII’s character, so historians make conclusions based off of his portrait (by Sittow, done in 1505) and his policies
and actions
• Kings rarely recorded their thoughts, so there is limited evidence (especially compared to H8 and E1, who were written about at length)
• ‘His actions prove him to have been resourceful in his determination to maintain his grip on power’ – The Tudor Years, Loth
• Traditional view: miserly towards money, cold
• Lotherington: he spent money freely where it suited him to increase his power
Aims:
• Wanted to end political instability of WoR
• Most important aim – to maintain a strong hold on the throne in order to pass it onto his heirs
How to achieve aims:
- Establish his right to the throne – had right of conquest, but his own claim was weak
o Claim was through his mother (descended from a once-illegit. Branch of Lancastrians
o There were other (Yorkists) w/ better claims
o Eliz. Of York – eldest daughter of Edward IV
o Edward, Earl of Warwick – Edward IV’s and Richard III’s nephew
o John, Edmund, and Richard de la Pole – nephews of Edward IV and Richard III
- Control the nobility – WoR was caused by over-mighty nobles and a weak king
- Strengthen Crown’s control of England - needed to build a financially strong Crown to achieve these aims
-
Positives Negatives
Respected and efficient Unpopular – reputation for greed
- John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester @ HVII’s funeral - Polydore Vergil – His ‘virtues were obscured latterly by avarice’
o ‘his politic wisdom in governance was singular’ - Famous nursery rhyme (‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’) – ‘The king was
- Francis Bacon’s 1622 history in his counting house, counting out his money’
, o ‘a wonder for wise men,’ - Devoted a lot of time to increasing Crown wealth
Appeared to have a colourless life
Didn’t trust anyone outside of his inner circle (kept cards close to - Bacon: ‘for his pleasures there is no news of them’
his chest to prevent betrayal, like how Stanley brothers - Remembered as a cold man
betrayed R3)
- Margaret Beaufort (his mother), Jasper Tudor (his uncle), Lord Didn’t trust anyone outside of his inner circle
Stanley (step-father), William Stanley (step-uncle), Earl of Oxford, - Margaret Beaufort (his mother), Jasper Tudor (his uncle), Lord
John Morton and Richard Fox Stanley (step-father), William Stanley (step-uncle), Earl of Oxford,
- Bacon: ‘not admitting any near… to his power…he was governed John Morton and Richard Fox
by none’
Involved himself in everything, even the running of day-to-day
government
- Checked all account entries himself
- Liked to double-check the info he was given
- Neurotic? – weighed all the coins in the treasury
From his portrait:
- Watchful, sharp gaze – intelligent
- Unreadable expression
- Clothes show power and wealth (but not like H8)
- Holds the Tudor Rose – a symbol of unity and control?
- Not portrayed as a warrior (used war only when he needed to in
order to protect himself – ppl of Eng would appreciate this after
WoR)
Intelligent, shrewd, wise:
- Polydore Vergil in ‘Anglica Historia’
o ‘in government, he was shrewd and prudent’
o Likely to be candid as it was written post-1509
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