Tudor
Revision
Generic Essay Plans
Jessica Gregory
,Henry VII: Consolidation
"In the years 1485-1509, Henry VII's claim to the throne of
England was never secure." Assess the validity of this view.
What does secure mean? Secure would mean that there were no threats to his
position as King either internally or externally. This means that there was a discernible
lack of rebellions before his death and there was a lack of foreign claimants to the throne
– or that foreign powers were willing to attack.
What factors show that his claim to the throne was secure? On one hand,
there was a lack of rival claimants to the throne in the leadup to his death, with the final
rebellion being the Cornish Rebellion in 1497. Additionally, there was peace amongst
foreign powers in Europe. For example, there was a lack of war with England in the final
years of his reign, which meant that his claim to the throne was more secure.
What factors show that his claim to the throne was insecure? Henry VII
tried to marry off members of his family in order to build European recognition, whereas
Henry VIII achieved this through the military and alliances. Furthermore, Henry VII’s
rebellions had a greater impact on foreign policy, which meant that he had to dictate his
alliances according to this, whereas Henry VIII already was established as a monarch and
there were few rebellions in his reign to worry about. Their approaches differed due to
the different circumstances of their reigns.
Factors Within Theme
Foreign Policy – marriage alliances, battle, military glory
Domestic Policy – rebellions, using the nobility
Finance – secure financial position for Henry VIII
Historiography
“From the very outset, Henry faced challenges to his rule.” Thomas Penn
"In the years 1485-1509, Henry VII's claim to the throne of
England was never secure." Assess the validity of this view.
Conclusion: Overall, it’s clear that the view is only partly valid. At the beginning of
Henry VII’s reign, there was more Yorkist activity, such as pretenders to the throne and
rebellion, which did therefore impact Henry’s foreign relations. However, it’s clear that
these were reduced at the turn of the century, with focuses being primarily on economic
rather than political motivations for rebellion. Additionally, it can be said that Henry was
never totally secure as we can still see Yorkist remnants under Henry VIII, such as the
Duke of Buckingham. However, it’s clear that the overall threat had been minimised by
the end of Henry VII’s reign, as issues with foreign policy weren’t due to his claim to the
throne but rather his mistakes in foreign policy. In addition to this, these remnants of the
Yorkist threat after Henry VII’s death weren’t united enough and large enough to be a
threat to the throne, and therefore, it can be argued that his claim to the throne was
largely secure by 1509. Thus, it’s clear that the view is only partly valid.
Points
Pretenders to the throne
, Perkin Warbeck
o Serious threat
Gathered foreign support e.g. Margaret of Burgundy, James IV
Not everyone though – Earl of Kildare didn’t
o Ultimately easy to defeat, only one man
o But was interfering with foreign policy across Europe
o Involvement of Sir William Stanley (Lord Chamberlain) showed that the
threat was close to central government
Lambert Simnel
o Gathered foreign support
Margaret of Burgundy paid for a force of mercenaries to invade
England
Defeated at the Battle of Stoke Field (June 1487)
Earl of Kildare 1487 – crowned him King
o Earl of Lincoln killed and the threat terminated
o This battle can be viewed as an end to the wars of the Roses, and Henry’s
position became safe – not secure
Rebellions
Lovell and Stafford
o Little support and suppressed easily
Shows there was little support for a Yorkist uprising at this point
Yorkshire and Cornish Rebellions
o Financial causes – not related to claim to the throne
o Shows that his security was never being questioned, more a matter of
economic policy
Foreign Policy
Insecure
o Marriage alliance between Arthur and Catherine put on hold due to threat
of Warbeck
Shows that Isabella considers Warbeck a serious threat, despite
Henry VII not
o Support for rebellions
Margaret of Burgundy and James IV supported Warbeck
Margaret of Burgundy and Earl of Kildare supported Simnel
o Isolation by end of reign
Not due to claim to the throne – Henry VII supported Philip
(supported the wrong side)
More due to foreign weakness than claim to the throne
Secure
o Other marriage alliances are successful
Margaret Tudor and James IV after Peace of Ayton in 1501 – shows
that not all foreign powers consider the claim to be weak
Catherine does actually marry Arthur and Henry
o Treaties
1489 Treaty of Redon – Henry VII was raised in Brittany, so is
guaranteed to have foreign support from here
