“‘Henry VII was able to consolidate power and establish a tudor monarchy” asses the extent you agree with
this
Henry V11 ascended to the throne in 1485 , after winning at Bosworth . Despite a very weak blood claim to the
throne , numerous competitors , Yorkist enemies and challenging nobility , he was able to increase the power
of the monarchy through effectively and successfully dealing with each of these issues.
Henry V11 was able to increase the power of the monarchy during his reign through the use of effective
political / military strategies implemented between 1485-1486. This is evidenced through numerous
strategies , among the most important are dating his reign from the 2st August , the day before Bosworth so
that anyone on the opposing side would be considered traitors , uniting the York’s and Lancaster through his
marriage to Elizabeth of York and using royal propaganda e.g. the Tudor rose , arranging his coronation before
meeting parliament and acts of attainders against Yorkists. These political and military strategies were
significant in increasing the power of the monarchy .It increased the political and economic power Henry V11
wielded , while also establishing his right to the throne and giving a sense of permanence through the
important symbolic marriage and coronation . Furthermore, it ruled out and weakened any immediate
enemies from Yorkist opposition whom were likely to rebel against Henry , taking their lands and forcing them
into loyalty increased the economic revenue of the crown while also ensuring some stability. Henry's
monarchy and grasp on power was viewed as precarious , many in the kingdom still regarded him a "usurper" ,
he had many adversaries and a weak hereditary claim to the throne . Therefore, it was critical that his first
priority was to consolidate power , which he did, and which subsequently increased the power of the
monarchy.
Some argue, however, that the actions' effectiveness is reduced by the fact that many Yorkists were still
dissatisfied with the strategies in place, such as the marriage to Elizabeth of York, and refused to accept him as
king, as evidenced by the multiple uprisings by Yorkist claimants who posed a significant threat to the
monarchy.
Henry V11 also increased the power of the monarchy during his reign through successfully removing any
threats from pretenders faced at home. As evidenced from the removal of Lovel and the Stafford (1486)
Lambert Simnel in 1487 and the successful removal of the pretender Perkin Warbeck in 1497. His
regime ,council, effective organisation and the fact that he acted quickly helped to eliminate threats he faced .
The elimination of these pretenders strengthened the monarchy's influence, since stoke field was the final
fight fought on field, indicating that the Yorkists had settled and acknowledged Henry as King of England. This
ensured stability because there were no more conspiracies or rebellions from them, increasing the monarchy's
strength because he could reign without risk of being overthrown. After his win at Stoke Field (1487), he was in
a strong and unchallenged position for a time. England was obliged to recognise Henry as the real king in each
act of suppressing and eliminating the pretenders, which earned him respect. By treating any challenges to his
monarchy seriously, such as Perkin Warbeck, and refusing to trade with the low countries, he demonstrated
the extent to which he was ready to go to protect his monarchy. Henry V11 managed to hold his position as
king and increase the power of the monarchy through doing so.
Some may argue, however, that the threats made later in Henry's reign by Perkin Warbeck in 1497
demonstrate that, as John Guy points out, some still considered the monarchy as weak and "unquestioned"
during his reign. Warbeck's danger arrived considerably later than the previous pretenders, and he received
foreign assistance from minor kingdoms like Burgundy, implying that he hadn't raised the monarchy's power to
the point of absolute security.
Henry V11 was able to increase the power of the monarchy through limiting the power and financial authority
of nobility during his reign. Evidenced through using a number of crippling financial policies such as acts of
attainders and bonds and recognisances that were managed by the council learned in law -e.g. .Thomas Tyrell
was forced to pay £1700 for the reversal of his and his father’s attainders. Henry V11 was aware of and
apprehensive of nobles in England , earlier wars of the roses had proven how power-hungry magnates might
weaken the monarchy and they represented a greater threat to Henry since he was viewed as a "usurper" with
little backing among the nobles in England. These techniques isolated and crippled the power of the English
