The Tudors
1485 – 1547
AQA Unit 1C Breadth Study
Revision Guide
, Henry VII: 1485–1509
Important Questions
How did Henry VII come to power and consolidate his rule?
The Battle of Bosworth
Rebellions against his rule
His character and aims
Establishing the Tudor dynasty
How did Henry VII rule the country?
Councils
Parliament
Justice
Royal finance
Domestic policies
What was Henry VII’s foreign policy?
Relationships with Scotland
Relationships with foreign powers
Securing the succession
Marriage alliances
What was society like during Henry VII’s reign?
Churchmen
Nobles and commoners
Regional division
Social discontent and rebellions
What was the economy like during Henry VII’s reign?
Trade
Exploration
Prosperity
Depression
What was religion and the arts like during Henry’s reign?
Religion
Humanism
Arts and learning
, Henry VII Timeline
1457
Born in Pembroke Castle, Wales, the only child of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond and Margaret
Beaufort, a direct descendant of Edward III.
1462
Henry Tudor of Richmond is made a ward of Lord Herbert, a supporter of the newly crowned Yorkist
King Edward IV.
1469
Lord Herbert is defeated by the Lancastrians and executed by the Earl of Warwick, who now sides
with Henry VI.
1470
Henry VI regains the throne and Edward IV flees to Flanders.
1471
Henry VI and his only son Edward die and Edward IV becomes King again. Henry of Richmond
becomes the main Lancastrian claimant to the throne. His uncle Jasper Tudor takes him to safety in
Brittany.
1483
Following the death of Edward IV, his brother Richard claims the crown and Edward’s two sons
disappear mysteriously from the Tower.
Enemies of Richard III begin to plot to replace him with Henry Tudor. Henry swears to marry Edward
IV’s daughter Elizabeth if he is made King.
1485
Henry sails from France, landing in Wales. Henry and Richard meet in battle at Market Bosworth in
Leicestershire, where Henry wins and is crowned King.
1486
Henry marries Elizabeth of York and they have their first child, Arthur.
1487
Lambert Simnel claims to be Edward IV’s nephew Edward of Warwick.
Elizabeth is crowned Queen.
,1489
Yorkshire rebels against a new tax
1491
Perkin Warbeck claims to be Richard Duke of York, Edward IV’s missing son. He makes various
challenges to the throne but is executed in 1499.
Henry VII’s second son, Henry, the future Henry VIII, is born.
1492
The treaty of Étaples is signed, making peace with France
1497
Rebellion breaks out in Cornwall.
1499
Edward Earl of Warwick, the nephew of Richard III, is executed.
1501
Arthur is married to Catherine of Aragon, arranged by the Treaty of Medina del Campo in 1489.
1502
Arthur dies and Henry becomes heir to the throne.
The Treaty of Perpetual Peace is signed with Scotland in an attempt to stop the ongoing warfare
between the two countries.
1503
Elizabeth of York dies in childbirth.
1509
Henry VII dies suddenly from a stroke.
,How did Henry VII come to power and consolidate his rule?
What problems did Henry face having become King?
Henry did not inherit an easy position and his immediate priority had to be to secure his position. Henry
faced many problems. These were:
1. Many important Yorkists that had fought against him (e.g. Francis Lovell) were still at large, and
may challenge him. He also had to decide what to do with the more powerful Yorkist nobles such as
John De La Pole, the Earl of Lincoln.
2. He did not have the support of all the nobility. The nobles were very strong and may try to
overthrow him (The actions of the Stanley’s at Bosworth had shown how much power the nobles
wielded). He would need to secure their loyalty in a way that the previous kings of this period had
failed to do.
3. There was little money available for Henry to fight rebellion with. In the search for money, Henry
would have to be careful not to increase opposition.
4. Henry had a relatively weak claim to the throne. (His mother inherited a weak claim from Edward
III, he also had a claim as his father Edmund married Catherine, who had previously been married
to Henry V of England) Henry’s claim was weaker than those of the Yorkists, and people may decide
not to support him. This posed a problem to Henry later on, with the arrival of the two pretenders,
Simnel and Warbeck.
5. Henry had no experience of government. Previously, future kings would have seen how their
fathers had governed, and would be exposed to the mechanisms of government at a young age. As
Henry had been in exile, he had no experience of this. This may also lead to nobles having a lower
opinion of him.
6. The quick turn over of kings did little to increase people’s confidence in them. People would be
reluctant to support a king who may be overthrown at any moment.
7. Henry had no wife, and no heir. Without either of these he did not look like a particularly strong
king.
8. Henry had received a lot of foreign support. People may be worried that he may give in to the
demands of those that had protected him (this did not turn out to be the case)
But Henry’s position was not entirely hopeless
1. Warwick (the closest Yorkist claimant) was in prison, and Richard III was dead (compare this to the
fact that the yorkist kings had never been able to get rid of henry as he was in exile)
2. Henry was supported by key nobles such as the Stanley’s at Bosworth. Whilst these powerful
nobles could be dangerous if they turned against him, in the shorter term, they offered some
security to Henry
, How did Henry secure his position in the short term?
Henry was in a difficult position, England had been divided, but he realised his best chance of success was
to try and unite the country and its two warring factions. He could however be extremely strict, as shown
by his early policies.
Act of resumption
This put all land that had been given out by the Yorkist kings back under the control of the crown. It was
effectively a way of taking all land that had been given to Yorkists as rewards.
Dated official beginning of reign from before Bosworth
This meant that he could declare anybody who fought against him at Bosworth as traitors (it was not
however in his interests to do this). This allowed him to pass Acts of Attainder against those Yorkists that
had fought against him (although they had been fighting for the anointed King at that point!)
He arranged his coronation (30 Oct) one week before the opening of Parliament (7th Nov). This was
designed to show that he did not owe his position to them.
Applied for papal dispensation (permission from the pope) to marry Elizabeth of York (Edward IV son)
This was in order to unite the two families. Papal dispensation was needed as the two were loosely related.
This arrived in 1486
Negotiated a truce with France which was extended to 1489, and agreed a truce with Scotland in 1486.
He established a commercial treaty with Brittany, and in 1487 he renewed a Treaty with Maximilian (the
Holy Roman Emperor) which had previously been made under Edward IV.
These initial measures were designed to ensure he was on good terms with the various European powers.
Alliances could potentially drag him into other country’s wars, however a series of truces would allow him
to focus on establishing his rule and establishing Yorkist opposition whilst keeping foreign powers out.
HENRY’S EARLY POLICIES WERE GEARED TOWARDS KEEPING THE
CROWN. THIS WAS HIS IMMEDIATE AND MOST PRESSING CONCERN.
How did Henry VII deal with rebellion?
