Essay Plan: How Successful was Henry VII in his Treatment of the Nobility?
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Course
AS Unit F961 - British History Period Studies
Institution
OCR
This is a detailed essay plan on the subject of Henry VII and the Nobility. This plan details key examples to support each argument and draws a judgment for each point, as well as including a written introduction and conclusion. This essay plan helped me to achieve 16/20 for this essay.
How Successful was Henry VII in his Treatment of the Nobility?
Intro
When Henry VII came to the throne in 1485, he was faced with an incredibly strong nobility
that would have been able to successfully challenge him. However, through his treatment of
the nobility during his 25-year reign, Henry VII systematically and effectively negated the
threat the nobles posed.
Paragraph 1 – Limiting size of nobility and restoring crown lands
Henry faced an incredibly strong nobility when he came to the throne, as the kings
before him had given out lands and titles to gain the support of nobles.
This meant they had almost as much influence as the king – they were ‘over-mighty’
subjects.
Henry limited the size of the nobility by not giving away lands or titles, and by
limiting the number of people promoted to the peerage.
During his reign, the number of peers dropped from 57 to 44.
He also reclaimed much of the land the crown had given away over the course of the
Wars of the Roses.
In 1486, parliament passed the Act of Resumption, meaning that any lands given
away during the Wars of the Roses was returned.
This was incredibly effective because it reduced the size and power of the nobility
and reduced the influence of individual nobles, whilst simultaneously giving the
crown more power and control.
Counter argument = although Henry dealt with this particular threat effectively, it
could be argued that the size nobility didn’t pose a large threat as so many nobles
died during the Wars of the Roses. However, it is true that many members of the
nobility did die during the conflict, they all seemed to be quickly replaced by new
families, suggesting that the nobility remained a constant power in this period. As
such, the threat they posed to Henry’s rule remained constant, too.
2. Used a reward system
Henry only rewarded loyalty and didn’t give out land/titles in the promise that
someone would be loyal.
Order of the Garter = great honour
However, as no lands or titles were bestowed on recipients, some, like Thomas
Stanley, felt like it was a scant reward for their loyalty.
Patronage = when lands or titles are given out.
Only rewarded to someone after they had shown loyalty.
H made it clear that patronage came as the result of (not in hope of) loyalty and
service.
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