This document contains in-dpeth revision notes about Henry VII for AQA History A-Level. The specific points from the official AQA specification booklet are clearly marked and answered, thus, everything that the exam requires you to know for Henry VII is in this document. I achieved an A* at History...
Henry VII, 1485–1509
Henry Tudor’s consolidation of power: character and aims; establishing the Tudor dynasty
Consolidation of Power- Henry’s Character and Aims
Insecure grasp on throne
Virtually no discernible claim- couldn’t guarantee loyalty
o Usurper
o Claim came from mother Margret Beaufort- Lancaster
o Victory on battlefield which brought him the throne- proclaimed King by Lord
Stanley – Defeated Richard III at battle of Bosworth- with help of the
Stanley’s
Had many enemies- Yorkists
Unstable monarchy
Had lived in Brittany as a fugitive since the age of 14- people don’t know him- no
land/knowledge of rivals- no trust from nobility
o However, Thomas Penn (historian)- suggested that Henry’s ability to think
like a fugitive proved to be useful political training for his future as a ruler
Under threat of pretenders
Elizabeth of York had sons (del la Poles)- Yorkist house still alive- valid claim
Margret of Burgundy (Ed IV sister, against H7 and Lancaster)
Therefore from 1485 his primary aim was to consolidate his power:
o Backdated his reign to the 21st August 1485, the day before BoB, thus
ensuring that anyone who had fought on the Yorkist side could be designated
a traitor
o Publicly rewarded many of his key supporters for example conferring 11
knighthood, Lord Stanley given title Earl of Derby, Jaspar Tudor- Duke of
Bedford
o Arranged for supporters to detain Elizabeth of York and Earl of Warwick (Ed
IV’s daughter & nephew) each of whom could be seen as having a much
greater claim to the throne
o Arranged his coronation to be on 30th October before the meeting of his first
parliament (7th Nov), thereby demonstrating that his right to the throne was
on hereditary rights and not only because parliament sanctioned it
o Acts of Attainder against Yorkists who fought at BoB- ensured that their
property was forfeit to the Crown- increasing royal income- this was further
enhanced when parliament granted Henry the customs revenues of tonnage
and poundage for life
o Married EoY- by waiting until other steps towards consolidation were made
H7 was able to ensure that his assumption of the Crown was not brought
about by his wife’s claims- also united the rival houses
o Birth of Prince Arthur- secured an heir
o Royal Progress- toured the country when he first claimed the throne
,Laura Mason Henry VII, 1485-1509
Establishing the Tudor Dynasty
Henry’s position= insecure
Viscount Lovell and the Staffords 1486
Minor rising- easily suppressed
Lead by Francis, Viscount Lovell (key supporter or R3) and Humphrey Stafford
Lovell attempted to raise a rebellion in R3’s heartland in Yorkshire
Simultaneously Stafford tried to raise forces against H7, drawing upon Yorkist
support in the midlands
Lovell escaped
Stafford executed
Thomas (accomplice and Stafford’s bro) pardoned
Significant as there was little enthusiasm for Yorkist rising in traditional
heartland
Lacked figure head to use as a claimant to the throne
Lambert Simnel and the Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln
Figurehead was Lambert Simnel
Simnel was being passed off as the Earl of Warwick
The conspiracy was put together by John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln,
himself a potential Yorkist claimant
In response to this hoax H7 had the real Earl of Warwick exhibited in London-
Lincoln fled from H7’s court
They persuaded Margret of Burgundy to financially support Simnel’s claim
She paid for 2,000 mercenaries to invade England
Henry had plenty of notice about the rebellious conspiracy
Given that R3’s main power base was up north, Henry reinstated the
untrustworthy Earl of Northumberland- led a major part of R3’s army at BoB
Helped neutralise R3’s powerbase
Battle of Stoke Field 1487
o Henry gathered a group of advisors
o The 2 armies met at East Stoke
o Henry not confident- R3 had been double crossed at BoB
o However, his army led by effectively by Earl of Oxford held
firm and the Earl of Lincoln was killed in the battle having
crucially been unable to add sufficient followers
o Henry’s victory was very significant- this battle rather than BoB
really brought an end to war of the roses- position became
safer
o H7 had been faced with a crisis which he had overcome by a
combination of his own shrewdness, hard work, the
organisational skills, military leadership of key supporters and
willingness of landowners in many parts of the country to
support
The Perkin Warbeck imposture
Irritant to H7 for over 8 years
Claimed to be Richard, Duke of York
, Laura Mason Henry VII, 1485-1509
His ability to attract patronage from foreign rulers made him dangerous- had
3 major foreign powers (although not 100% of their support)- also
demonstrated how H7 was viewed by foreign rulers
Made an appearance at Charles VIII of France’s court- had to flee after they
made peace with England- Treaty of Etaples
Fled to the court of Margret Burgundy where he began to draw English
courtiers into his conspiracies
Warbeck’s first attempt to land in England= disaster
H7 had previously been informed, Warbeck quickly defeated- fled to court of
James IV of Scotland
Sir William Stanley- accomplice to Warbeck- Traitor?
1496-small Scottish force crossed the border on Warbeck’s behalf- quickly
retreated as H7 offered James his daughter Margret’s hand in marriage
Warbeck made a final attempt to size the throne during the Cornish
rebellion- forces were crushed- forced to surrender to the king- later
executed
o Warbeck’s final attempts allowed H7 to get rid of the Earl of Warwick-
potentially the most obvious Yorkist claimant to the throne
o 1499- having been accused of plotting with Warbeck- executed
It is clear that Henry enjoyed some success in consolidating his power and establishing his
dynasty. How much of this was due to his own actions and qualities and how much was the
consequence of the way in which Yorkists had become demoralised even before the death
of R3 is open to debate.
Government: councils, parliament, justice, royal finance, domestic policies
King
Unofficial advisors
Royal Court The council (e.g. Margret
Beaufort)
Council Learned
Household Chamber Other Comittees
in Law
Council and the Court
The Council
The council under H7 had three main functions:
- To advice the king
- To administer the realm on the King’s behalf
- To make legal judgements
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