Complete notes for Year 12 potion of the AQA History Couse(Tudors)!! Also serves as the complete course notes for the AS Level,condenses the textbook down into everything that is needed in good detail for the exam! I got an A* in my mocks using these notes,makes revision so much easier by getting r...
Tudor Notes Year 12:
KEY KNOWLEDGE:RED
KEYWORDS:BLUE
SECTION 1:HENRY VII 1485-1509
UNIT 1.1:CONSOLIDATION OF POWER:
SUCCESSION BEFORE 1485(WAR OF THE ROSES)
1. Henry VI(Lancastrian)
2. Edward IV(Yorkist)
3. Henry VI(Lancastrian)
4. Edward IV(Yorkist)
5. Edward V(Yorkist)
6. Richard III(Yorkist)
7. AFTER 1485:Henry VII(Tudor/Lancastrian)
Key Points of Understanding:
● From 1459, England had been split by the War of the Roses between
the Lancastrains and the Yorkists. This caused more destruction to
the lives of the nobility rather than the public.
● The war made the monarchy unstable and the crown had changed
hands 5 times in less than 25 years
● When Edward IV was crowned in 1471, Henry Tudor fled England
only to return in August 1485 (went to Brittany)
● Henry Tudor had a weak claim to the throne:this claim existed
through his mother's side which was seen as weaker and his
grandfather on this side was thought to be illegitimate(John Beaufort)
● Henry's experience in Brittany had prepared him well for the role of
King of England-years in exile had hardened him.
● Henry Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth was only made
possible due to support from a powerful family called the Stanleys
who provided assistance at a crucial point in the battle.
● Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth-
Richard was very unpopular(rumour about the princes in the Tower)
, which is seen as a reason why he was defeated(his soldiers refrained
from fighting and some even deserted and surrendered.
The Battle of Bosworth:
Key Points:
● Henry had 5,000 men while Richard had 10,000-15,000
● Henry relied on support from the Stanleys(powerful family within the
nobility)
● Richard attacked first and was killed in battle
● Henry proclaimed King of England by Lord Stanley on the battlefield
Notes/Summary:
● Richard was in a better position before the battle as he has more
resources as the King of England-however he was very unpopular
with the public and with the nobility
● Henry was able to garner support as he traveled to Bosworth-shows
the extent to which the current king was disliked
● The Stanelys stayed in the middle between the two camps and the
beginning and only stepped in to help Henry later which made him
anxious at the start of the battle
● When Henry appeared to be losing William Stanley stepped in with
3000 men to help
● Richards soldiers surrendered after his death as they didnt feel
loyalty towards their King
● Account of the battle was written by Polydore Vergil for Henry VII:this
may mean the account is slightly biased but is still historically valid as
he talked to people from both sides of the battle when writing his
account.
IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES AND CONSOLIDATION AFTER
BOSWORTH:
Henry started to consolidate his power in a number of ways:
● He dated his reign to a day before the Battle of Bosworth(21st August
1485) so that anyone who fought on Richard’s side would be a
designated traitor
, ● He publically rewarded his supporters(conferred 11 knighthoods) to
show he was a generous king and to secure loyalties with influential
people
● He arranged for members of the York royal family to be detained so
that people who had a stronger claim to the throne wouldn't be in a
position of strength
● He appointed senior people to run his council and his household as
he was unfamiliar with the British court having been away since he
was 14, this made him feel more secure in an unfamiliar environment
● He arranged his coronation of the 30th October 1485, before
parliament could meet, proving his right to the throne wasn't just
because of a parliamentary sanction
● He used Acts of Attainder(this declared a landowner guilty of rebelling
against a monarch and stripped them off their land, title and their
heirs were disinherited) on his Yorkist opponents which made his
enemies weaker, putting him in a position of strength. He was also
granted tonnage and poundage(right to raise revenue from taxing
imports and exports) by Parliament for life
● He married Elizabeth of York(daughter of Edward IV) in January 1486
which allowed him to exploit in political propaganda the union of the
houses of Lancaser and York(by marrying later he made sure his
claim was based on his wife's claim to the throne)
● He had a son in September 1489(boy called ARTHUR) which
secured the Tudor Dynasty by producing a male heir.
CHALLENGES TO POWER AND HOW HENRY OVERCAME THEM:
Yorkist claimants believed that the War of the Roses had not ended after
Bosworth, leaving many to threaten Henry’s power, including two attempts
by imposters to claim the throne.
● EARL OF WARWICK(EDWARD):He was the son of George, Duke of
Clarence-George was the brother of Edward IV and Richard III. This
made him a threat as he was the nephew of two former kings and
had a stronger claim to the throne than Henry. His claim was also
through his father while Henry’s was through his mother. The Earl
, was born in 1475(10 years old during Henry’s ascension in 1485) and
was put in the Tower of London straight after Bosworth.
● EARL OF LINCOLN(JOHN DE LA POLE):He was the son of
Elizabeth of York(sister of Edward IV and Richard III) which made him
the nephew of two previous kings and therefore had a strong claim to
the throne. He was born in 1460, meaning he was 15 when Henry
became king
● MARGARET OF BURGUNDY:She was the sister of Richard III and
Edward IV. This made her extremely influential-she was married to
the Duke of Burgundy (1467-1477 until he died) At the time,
Burgundy was a large state in Europe that covered areas in
France,Belgium and Holland. She never accepted Henry VII as king
and used her influence and wealth to support those who tried to
remove him from the throne on many occasions.
● FRANCIS, VISCOUNT LOVELL:He was a key supporter of Richard
III and was given his title of Viscount in 1483 just before Richard
became King. During his reign, Francis became Lord
Chamberlain-put him in charge of the Royal household which gave
him large amounts of power and influence over the king and the
government(where the king lived was the centre of government at the
time). In 1486, he organised a rebellion against Henry with the
Staffords. However, this failed because he was unable to garner
support for himself that had traditionally supported the Yorkists-he
could not gather enthusiasm for the rebellion meaning it was easily
suppressed. As a result, Humphrey Stafford was executed, Thomas
Stafford pardoned and Lovell managed to escape.
● LAMBERT SIMNEL:He was an imposter who was involved in a plot
designed to overthrow Henry. The plan was to pretend that he was
the Earl of Warick which gave him a strong claim to the throne. The
conspiracy was put together by the Earl of Lincoln and was later
funded by Margaret of Burgundy. In response to Sinmel, Henry VII
had the real Earl of Warick exhibited in London for all to see. From
here, Simnel fled to Burgundy where he met Viscount Lovell and
convinced Margaret to support his claim and provide a force of
mercenaries to invade England. Their forces ultimately failed to
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