Tudors Complete Notes
Contents
Henry VII 1485-1509.............................................................................................. 5
Henry Tudor’s character and aims......................................................................5
Wars of the Roses............................................................................................ 5
Consolidation of kingship.................................................................................7
Threats during HVII’s reign................................................................................. 9
Pretenders and rival claimants........................................................................9
Yorkshire Tax Revolt....................................................................................... 12
Cornish Tax Revolt......................................................................................... 13
Government during HVII’s reign........................................................................15
The role and structure of HVII’s government.................................................15
The Royal Court.......................................................................................... 16
The Royal Council (or Privy Council)...........................................................16
The Council Learned in Law........................................................................17
Regional government.................................................................................17
Local government....................................................................................... 18
Controlling the nobility.................................................................................. 18
‘Carrots’...................................................................................................... 19
‘Sticks’........................................................................................................ 20
Legal control............................................................................................... 23
Ordinary and extraordinary revenue.............................................................24
Ordinary revenue........................................................................................ 24
Extraordinary revenue................................................................................25
HVII’s foreign policy.......................................................................................... 27
France and Brittany....................................................................................... 27
Scotland........................................................................................................ 29
, Spain............................................................................................................. 30
Ireland........................................................................................................... 31
The Holy Roman Empire................................................................................ 31
HVII’s overall foreign policy...........................................................................32
The economy, development and trade.............................................................33
Religion............................................................................................................. 37
The final seven years of HVII’s reign.................................................................40
Henry VIII 1509-47............................................................................................... 42
Henry VIII’s ascension and early actions...........................................................42
HVIII’s Government........................................................................................... 43
The role and structure of HVII’s government.................................................43
Wolsey and his policies..................................................................................44
Wolsey’s downfall.......................................................................................... 49
Thomas Cromwell and his ‘Revolution’ in government..................................50
Cromwell’s downfall....................................................................................... 54
A factionalised government...........................................................................55
HVIII’s foreign policy......................................................................................... 56
Foreign policy aims........................................................................................ 56
Early foreign policy........................................................................................ 56
England’s foreign policy in 1509................................................................56
Diplomacy.................................................................................................. 56
France......................................................................................................... 58
Scotland..................................................................................................... 59
HRE............................................................................................................ 60
The turning point in HVIII’s early foreign policy..........................................60
Review and successes/failures of HVIII’s early foreign policy.....................61
Later foreign policy........................................................................................ 63
Context....................................................................................................... 63
Protestant Alliance..................................................................................... 63
Scotland..................................................................................................... 64
France......................................................................................................... 65
Ireland........................................................................................................ 65
Henry VIII’s Divorce and the Religious Settlement............................................66
The King’s Great Matter................................................................................. 66
HVIII’s Break from Rome................................................................................69
HVIII’s Religious Settlement and religious policies.........................................70
Major Protestant reforms............................................................................ 70
, Less Protestant reforms..............................................................................71
HVIII and Cromwell’s dissolution of monasteries...........................................73
The Dissolution........................................................................................... 73
The impact of the dissolution.....................................................................74
Opposition to HVIII’s Religious Settlement.....................................................76
The 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace.......................................................................78
The Legacy of HVIII........................................................................................... 81
Edward VI 1547-53............................................................................................... 83
Edward’s ascension and childhood...................................................................83
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset................................................................84
Somerset’s foreign policies............................................................................85
Somerset’s economic and social policies.......................................................86
The Western Rebellion...................................................................................87
Kett’s Rebellion.............................................................................................. 91
Somerset’s downfall...................................................................................... 94
John Dudley, Earl of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland.............................95
Northumberland’s foreign policy...................................................................95
Northumberland’s social and economic policies............................................96
Edward VI’s religious policies............................................................................98
Somerset’s religious policies.........................................................................98
Northumberland’s religious policies..............................................................99
An evaluation of EVI’s religious policies.......................................................100
Mary I 1553-1558............................................................................................... 103
Mary’s ascension and aims............................................................................. 103
Mary’s government......................................................................................... 104
The traditionalist view.............................................................................. 104
The revisionist view.................................................................................. 105
Mary’s religious policies.................................................................................. 108
Religious legislation.................................................................................. 109
Re-establishing papal supremacy.............................................................111
Suppressing Protestant beliefs.................................................................112
Encouraging people to be Catholic...........................................................114
Overall successes and failures of Mary’s religious policy.........................115
The Wyatt Rebellion........................................................................................ 115
Mary’s foreign policy....................................................................................... 118
The Spanish Marriage...............................................................................118
Tensions with the Pope.............................................................................120
, The war with France.................................................................................120
Successes and failures of Mary’s foreign policy........................................121
Elizabeth I 1558-1603........................................................................................ 122
Elizabeth’s ascension and aims......................................................................122
Elizabeth’s consolidation of power..................................................................123
Elizabeth’s Religious Policies..........................................................................124
The 1559 Religious Settlement.................................................................124
Elizabeth’s early foreign policy.......................................................................127
Elizabeth’s Government..................................................................................129
The Royal Court........................................................................................ 129
Elizabeth’s Ministers................................................................................. 131
Elizabeth’s Privy Council...........................................................................132
Parliament under Elizabeth......................................................................133
Elizabeth’s financial policies.....................................................................136
Local government under Elizabeth...........................................................138
Threats and rebellions.................................................................................... 139
Mary Queen of Scots................................................................................139
1569 Revolt of the Northern Earls............................................................140
Later foreign policy......................................................................................... 141
Relations with Spain.................................................................................141
War with Spain......................................................................................... 143
Involvement in France.............................................................................. 145
Marriage and the succession..........................................................................145
Elizabeth’s final years..................................................................................... 146
Tudor Society and Economy...............................................................................149
, Henry VII 1485-1509
Henry Tudor’s character and aims
Wars of the Roses
Define: Feudal system
1066-1400
Introduced by the Normans
The King, nobility, knights, peasants
The King would give land to the nobility who would give land to knights etc
During wars/battles, the King would lend the nobles' knights to form an army
The King had the most money and power as he could take away land/(hence
power) from the nobles easily
Define: Bastard feudalism
1400-1485
As there was a limited amount of land for the King to give to nobles, the King
began giving money
Nobles now had more money than the King as the King could not take away
money as it was already given to knights
Since the nobles also had more power than the King, nobles could build up
affinities of knights (more loyal to the noble than the King)
Rather than providing armies for the King, they could overthrow the King
When did/did not bastard feudalism work?
If the King was strong (eg Henry V), lords and affinities could work together
with the King If the King was weak (eg Henry VI), lords and affinities could
work against each other and against the King himself
What were the Wars of the Roses?
Civil wars in England from 1455-1485 (30 years)
Causes of WotR (5)
Weak monarchs - Henry VI, Richard III (unpopular)
The defeat from France in the Hundred Year’s War made people unhappy with
the monarch
Powerful nobility
Political rivals against the king
Ambitious individuals (eg Richard Duke of York)
Who did WotR involve? (2)
The monarch and nobility
The House of Lancaster and the House of York
Who was the king when WotR began?
Henry VI
In which ways was Henry VI a weak monarch in 1453 (7)?
, Became king at age 9 months so a regency council ran the country until 1937
Was easily dominated by his advisors/nobility/wife
No male heir until 1453
Main enemy France defeated England in the Hundred Years War - humiliating
Suffered from: Serious mental illness and catatonic schizophrenia
Couldn't communicate with anyone
As a result, he lost control of his government
Who led the Lancaster rebellion against Henry VI in 1455?
Richard Duke of York
Which monarchs ruled during WoTR?
Henry VI - Lancaster
(Richard DoY claimed the throne but died in battle) - York
Edward IV (stable and popular monarch but died of illness) 1461-70, 1471-83
- York
Richard III (unpopular, rumoured for murdering Edward IV's sons) 1483-1485 -
York
Henry Tudor / Henry VII - Lancaster
Name the key battles of WotR
The Battle of Wakefield 1460 - Richard DoY is killed and Edward IV is king
Battle of Tewkesbury 1471 – Henry VI and his potential heir Edward is killed
Battle of Bosworth 1485 - Henry Tudor (VII) kills Richard III
Timeline of HVII's ascension to the English throne:
After the murder of the princes in the tower in 1583, Henry gained some
support:
The Woodvilles - the family of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth Woodville
Nobles unhappy with RIII's distribution of estates
King Charles VIII of France - eager to cause any disruption that limited
England's international power, especially in Brittany
April 1484 - RIII's son and sole heir Edward died
November 1484 - Henry failed in successfully invading England.
Early August 1485 - Henry Tudor landed with an army of mostly French
mercenaries at Milford Haven in South Wales
22 August 1485 - Henry's force met the king's army at Market Bosworth, RIII
having arrived first and waiting at the top of Ambian Hill
After 3 hours of battle, RIII was killed on the battlefield and Henry won the
battle and was crowned Henry VII of England on 30 October 1485.
Timeline of Henry's supporters in the Battle of Bosworth 22nd August 1485:
2,000-3,000 men - when Henry landed at Milford Haven in early August
Only 400-500 Englishmen
Henry's army grew as they marched through Wales, Shrewsbury, Coventry
and around Leicester: +800 men - Welsh baron Rhys ap Thomas provided
more soldiers because if Henry won, he would receive the Lieutenancy of
Wales
+500 men - William ap Gruffudd from north Wales
+500 men - Gilbert Talbot, uncle of the Earl of Shrewsbury
Now, Henry had ~5,000 men
Contents
Henry VII 1485-1509.............................................................................................. 5
Henry Tudor’s character and aims......................................................................5
Wars of the Roses............................................................................................ 5
Consolidation of kingship.................................................................................7
Threats during HVII’s reign................................................................................. 9
Pretenders and rival claimants........................................................................9
Yorkshire Tax Revolt....................................................................................... 12
Cornish Tax Revolt......................................................................................... 13
Government during HVII’s reign........................................................................15
The role and structure of HVII’s government.................................................15
The Royal Court.......................................................................................... 16
The Royal Council (or Privy Council)...........................................................16
The Council Learned in Law........................................................................17
Regional government.................................................................................17
Local government....................................................................................... 18
Controlling the nobility.................................................................................. 18
‘Carrots’...................................................................................................... 19
‘Sticks’........................................................................................................ 20
Legal control............................................................................................... 23
Ordinary and extraordinary revenue.............................................................24
Ordinary revenue........................................................................................ 24
Extraordinary revenue................................................................................25
HVII’s foreign policy.......................................................................................... 27
France and Brittany....................................................................................... 27
Scotland........................................................................................................ 29
, Spain............................................................................................................. 30
Ireland........................................................................................................... 31
The Holy Roman Empire................................................................................ 31
HVII’s overall foreign policy...........................................................................32
The economy, development and trade.............................................................33
Religion............................................................................................................. 37
The final seven years of HVII’s reign.................................................................40
Henry VIII 1509-47............................................................................................... 42
Henry VIII’s ascension and early actions...........................................................42
HVIII’s Government........................................................................................... 43
The role and structure of HVII’s government.................................................43
Wolsey and his policies..................................................................................44
Wolsey’s downfall.......................................................................................... 49
Thomas Cromwell and his ‘Revolution’ in government..................................50
Cromwell’s downfall....................................................................................... 54
A factionalised government...........................................................................55
HVIII’s foreign policy......................................................................................... 56
Foreign policy aims........................................................................................ 56
Early foreign policy........................................................................................ 56
England’s foreign policy in 1509................................................................56
Diplomacy.................................................................................................. 56
France......................................................................................................... 58
Scotland..................................................................................................... 59
HRE............................................................................................................ 60
The turning point in HVIII’s early foreign policy..........................................60
Review and successes/failures of HVIII’s early foreign policy.....................61
Later foreign policy........................................................................................ 63
Context....................................................................................................... 63
Protestant Alliance..................................................................................... 63
Scotland..................................................................................................... 64
France......................................................................................................... 65
Ireland........................................................................................................ 65
Henry VIII’s Divorce and the Religious Settlement............................................66
The King’s Great Matter................................................................................. 66
HVIII’s Break from Rome................................................................................69
HVIII’s Religious Settlement and religious policies.........................................70
Major Protestant reforms............................................................................ 70
, Less Protestant reforms..............................................................................71
HVIII and Cromwell’s dissolution of monasteries...........................................73
The Dissolution........................................................................................... 73
The impact of the dissolution.....................................................................74
Opposition to HVIII’s Religious Settlement.....................................................76
The 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace.......................................................................78
The Legacy of HVIII........................................................................................... 81
Edward VI 1547-53............................................................................................... 83
Edward’s ascension and childhood...................................................................83
Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset................................................................84
Somerset’s foreign policies............................................................................85
Somerset’s economic and social policies.......................................................86
The Western Rebellion...................................................................................87
Kett’s Rebellion.............................................................................................. 91
Somerset’s downfall...................................................................................... 94
John Dudley, Earl of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland.............................95
Northumberland’s foreign policy...................................................................95
Northumberland’s social and economic policies............................................96
Edward VI’s religious policies............................................................................98
Somerset’s religious policies.........................................................................98
Northumberland’s religious policies..............................................................99
An evaluation of EVI’s religious policies.......................................................100
Mary I 1553-1558............................................................................................... 103
Mary’s ascension and aims............................................................................. 103
Mary’s government......................................................................................... 104
The traditionalist view.............................................................................. 104
The revisionist view.................................................................................. 105
Mary’s religious policies.................................................................................. 108
Religious legislation.................................................................................. 109
Re-establishing papal supremacy.............................................................111
Suppressing Protestant beliefs.................................................................112
Encouraging people to be Catholic...........................................................114
Overall successes and failures of Mary’s religious policy.........................115
The Wyatt Rebellion........................................................................................ 115
Mary’s foreign policy....................................................................................... 118
The Spanish Marriage...............................................................................118
Tensions with the Pope.............................................................................120
, The war with France.................................................................................120
Successes and failures of Mary’s foreign policy........................................121
Elizabeth I 1558-1603........................................................................................ 122
Elizabeth’s ascension and aims......................................................................122
Elizabeth’s consolidation of power..................................................................123
Elizabeth’s Religious Policies..........................................................................124
The 1559 Religious Settlement.................................................................124
Elizabeth’s early foreign policy.......................................................................127
Elizabeth’s Government..................................................................................129
The Royal Court........................................................................................ 129
Elizabeth’s Ministers................................................................................. 131
Elizabeth’s Privy Council...........................................................................132
Parliament under Elizabeth......................................................................133
Elizabeth’s financial policies.....................................................................136
Local government under Elizabeth...........................................................138
Threats and rebellions.................................................................................... 139
Mary Queen of Scots................................................................................139
1569 Revolt of the Northern Earls............................................................140
Later foreign policy......................................................................................... 141
Relations with Spain.................................................................................141
War with Spain......................................................................................... 143
Involvement in France.............................................................................. 145
Marriage and the succession..........................................................................145
Elizabeth’s final years..................................................................................... 146
Tudor Society and Economy...............................................................................149
, Henry VII 1485-1509
Henry Tudor’s character and aims
Wars of the Roses
Define: Feudal system
1066-1400
Introduced by the Normans
The King, nobility, knights, peasants
The King would give land to the nobility who would give land to knights etc
During wars/battles, the King would lend the nobles' knights to form an army
The King had the most money and power as he could take away land/(hence
power) from the nobles easily
Define: Bastard feudalism
1400-1485
As there was a limited amount of land for the King to give to nobles, the King
began giving money
Nobles now had more money than the King as the King could not take away
money as it was already given to knights
Since the nobles also had more power than the King, nobles could build up
affinities of knights (more loyal to the noble than the King)
Rather than providing armies for the King, they could overthrow the King
When did/did not bastard feudalism work?
If the King was strong (eg Henry V), lords and affinities could work together
with the King If the King was weak (eg Henry VI), lords and affinities could
work against each other and against the King himself
What were the Wars of the Roses?
Civil wars in England from 1455-1485 (30 years)
Causes of WotR (5)
Weak monarchs - Henry VI, Richard III (unpopular)
The defeat from France in the Hundred Year’s War made people unhappy with
the monarch
Powerful nobility
Political rivals against the king
Ambitious individuals (eg Richard Duke of York)
Who did WotR involve? (2)
The monarch and nobility
The House of Lancaster and the House of York
Who was the king when WotR began?
Henry VI
In which ways was Henry VI a weak monarch in 1453 (7)?
, Became king at age 9 months so a regency council ran the country until 1937
Was easily dominated by his advisors/nobility/wife
No male heir until 1453
Main enemy France defeated England in the Hundred Years War - humiliating
Suffered from: Serious mental illness and catatonic schizophrenia
Couldn't communicate with anyone
As a result, he lost control of his government
Who led the Lancaster rebellion against Henry VI in 1455?
Richard Duke of York
Which monarchs ruled during WoTR?
Henry VI - Lancaster
(Richard DoY claimed the throne but died in battle) - York
Edward IV (stable and popular monarch but died of illness) 1461-70, 1471-83
- York
Richard III (unpopular, rumoured for murdering Edward IV's sons) 1483-1485 -
York
Henry Tudor / Henry VII - Lancaster
Name the key battles of WotR
The Battle of Wakefield 1460 - Richard DoY is killed and Edward IV is king
Battle of Tewkesbury 1471 – Henry VI and his potential heir Edward is killed
Battle of Bosworth 1485 - Henry Tudor (VII) kills Richard III
Timeline of HVII's ascension to the English throne:
After the murder of the princes in the tower in 1583, Henry gained some
support:
The Woodvilles - the family of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth Woodville
Nobles unhappy with RIII's distribution of estates
King Charles VIII of France - eager to cause any disruption that limited
England's international power, especially in Brittany
April 1484 - RIII's son and sole heir Edward died
November 1484 - Henry failed in successfully invading England.
Early August 1485 - Henry Tudor landed with an army of mostly French
mercenaries at Milford Haven in South Wales
22 August 1485 - Henry's force met the king's army at Market Bosworth, RIII
having arrived first and waiting at the top of Ambian Hill
After 3 hours of battle, RIII was killed on the battlefield and Henry won the
battle and was crowned Henry VII of England on 30 October 1485.
Timeline of Henry's supporters in the Battle of Bosworth 22nd August 1485:
2,000-3,000 men - when Henry landed at Milford Haven in early August
Only 400-500 Englishmen
Henry's army grew as they marched through Wales, Shrewsbury, Coventry
and around Leicester: +800 men - Welsh baron Rhys ap Thomas provided
more soldiers because if Henry won, he would receive the Lieutenancy of
Wales
+500 men - William ap Gruffudd from north Wales
+500 men - Gilbert Talbot, uncle of the Earl of Shrewsbury
Now, Henry had ~5,000 men
