Henry VII (1485-1509)
Claims to throne:
● His mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a direct descendant of Edward III
● His father, Edmund Tudor, had royal blood
● Victory of Battle of Bosworth against Richard III 1485
Ways Henry VII enhanced his claim to the throne:
● United Lancaster (red rose) & York (white rose) into Tudor rose
● Portrayed Richard III as an illegitimate usurper
● Dated his reign from the day before Battle of Bosworth - Yorkists seen as traitors
● Received Papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York
● Sent those with stronger claims to the throne to the Tower of London (Eg. Earl of
Warwick)
Aims:
● Establish effective government - Eg. Justices of the Peace (JPs) given more power
● Control nobility
● Secure Crown’s finances
● Establish dynasty - Very successful (left Henry VIII a very politically/financially stable
country which was respected by major European powers)
Problems facing Henry:
● Money - debt from Wars of the Roses
● Surviving Yorkists - married Elizabeth of York & united Tudor rose
● Popular risings/pretenders
● Little experience to run large kingdom (employs professionals & splits kingdom up)
Lovel and Stafford rising 1486:
● Lord Francis Lovel, Humphrey & Thomas Stafford in sanctuary
● April 1486 - broke sanctuary
● Lovel went North to ambush king, Staffords went to Wocester to stir rebellion in West
● Henry sent armed forces to offer pardon/reconciliation or death to
● Staffords sought sanctuary again, was removed and arrested in Tower of London
● Humphrey was executed and Thomas was pardoned (calculated mercy)
● Not a threat and little significance
Yorkshire Rebellion 1489:
● Henry planned to aid Brittany 1489 - asked parliament subsidy of £100,000
● Increased income tax - resentment from Yorkshire (suffering from bad harvest)
● Resentment to northern counties exempt from tax (had to fight Scots in invasion)
● Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland) put case against increased income tax to king-
rejected by king and then killed by rebellions
● Earl of Surrey defeated rebels outside York
● King offered calculated mercy to rebels (pardon/reconciliation or death)
● Failed to receive more tax
● Little threat - didn’t threaten his position as king
, Cornish Rebellion 1497:
● Jan 1497 - parliament voted heavy tax - fund expedition North to resist Scot invasion
● Cornish refused to contribute to defence of the North
● May 1497 - started marching through Western counties, led by Lord Audley
● 16 June - 15,000 reached London
● Royal army killed 1,000 and the rest fled
● Lord Audley & 2 other local leaders killed
● Rebellion posed little threat to throne
● Worried as to how far rebellion travelled with little resistance
Perkin Warbeck 1491-9:
● Autumn 1491 - PW moved from France to Ireland
● Townsfolk mistook PW as Earl of Warwick
● PW claimed to be Richard Duke of York
● Charles VIII, Holy Roman Emperor, Margaret of Burgundy supported PW
● Henry cut connections temporarily with Flanders 1493 - damaged English economy
● James IV (Scotland) gave PW refuge/support
● Failed invasion of England - no south border support
● Sep 1497 - 7 year treaty as Henry offered eldest daughter Margaret to James
● PW fled to sanctuary in Hampshire
● Arrested August 1497 & hung 1499
● Significant threat - Support from MoB & Scotland, lasted 8 years
Lambert Simnel Winter 1486:
● Winter 1486 - rumoured that Earl of Warwick died
● Richard Symonds (priest from Oxford) pretended Lambert Simnel is Earl of Warwick
● May 1487 - went to Ireland (Yorkist), made King Edward VI of Dulin
● Supported by Margaret of Burgundy - sent money & 2000 German mercenaries
● Henry VII aware of Simnel New Years 1487
● Earl of Warwick exhibited in London to expose Simnel
● Symonds and Simnel arrested
● Simnel imprisoned in Bishops prison for life
● Simnel given calculated mercy - works in kings kitchen, promoted to falconer
● Weak threat - little support for army & only had support from Margaret of Burgundy
Nobility:
● Great Chain of Being - hierarchy of life
● Didn't trust nobility - unloyal, nobility didn’t rely on the king for power
● Reduced nobility size - easier to control/less to fear
● Promote few - easier to control, made titles valuable, saved money
● Order of the Garter - promotion to show loyalty
● Patronage - loyal service to the crown
● Acts of attainder - confiscate land & gave back for loyalty
● Livery & Maintenance 1487 - Harsh fines
Claims to throne:
● His mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a direct descendant of Edward III
● His father, Edmund Tudor, had royal blood
● Victory of Battle of Bosworth against Richard III 1485
Ways Henry VII enhanced his claim to the throne:
● United Lancaster (red rose) & York (white rose) into Tudor rose
● Portrayed Richard III as an illegitimate usurper
● Dated his reign from the day before Battle of Bosworth - Yorkists seen as traitors
● Received Papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York
● Sent those with stronger claims to the throne to the Tower of London (Eg. Earl of
Warwick)
Aims:
● Establish effective government - Eg. Justices of the Peace (JPs) given more power
● Control nobility
● Secure Crown’s finances
● Establish dynasty - Very successful (left Henry VIII a very politically/financially stable
country which was respected by major European powers)
Problems facing Henry:
● Money - debt from Wars of the Roses
● Surviving Yorkists - married Elizabeth of York & united Tudor rose
● Popular risings/pretenders
● Little experience to run large kingdom (employs professionals & splits kingdom up)
Lovel and Stafford rising 1486:
● Lord Francis Lovel, Humphrey & Thomas Stafford in sanctuary
● April 1486 - broke sanctuary
● Lovel went North to ambush king, Staffords went to Wocester to stir rebellion in West
● Henry sent armed forces to offer pardon/reconciliation or death to
● Staffords sought sanctuary again, was removed and arrested in Tower of London
● Humphrey was executed and Thomas was pardoned (calculated mercy)
● Not a threat and little significance
Yorkshire Rebellion 1489:
● Henry planned to aid Brittany 1489 - asked parliament subsidy of £100,000
● Increased income tax - resentment from Yorkshire (suffering from bad harvest)
● Resentment to northern counties exempt from tax (had to fight Scots in invasion)
● Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland) put case against increased income tax to king-
rejected by king and then killed by rebellions
● Earl of Surrey defeated rebels outside York
● King offered calculated mercy to rebels (pardon/reconciliation or death)
● Failed to receive more tax
● Little threat - didn’t threaten his position as king
, Cornish Rebellion 1497:
● Jan 1497 - parliament voted heavy tax - fund expedition North to resist Scot invasion
● Cornish refused to contribute to defence of the North
● May 1497 - started marching through Western counties, led by Lord Audley
● 16 June - 15,000 reached London
● Royal army killed 1,000 and the rest fled
● Lord Audley & 2 other local leaders killed
● Rebellion posed little threat to throne
● Worried as to how far rebellion travelled with little resistance
Perkin Warbeck 1491-9:
● Autumn 1491 - PW moved from France to Ireland
● Townsfolk mistook PW as Earl of Warwick
● PW claimed to be Richard Duke of York
● Charles VIII, Holy Roman Emperor, Margaret of Burgundy supported PW
● Henry cut connections temporarily with Flanders 1493 - damaged English economy
● James IV (Scotland) gave PW refuge/support
● Failed invasion of England - no south border support
● Sep 1497 - 7 year treaty as Henry offered eldest daughter Margaret to James
● PW fled to sanctuary in Hampshire
● Arrested August 1497 & hung 1499
● Significant threat - Support from MoB & Scotland, lasted 8 years
Lambert Simnel Winter 1486:
● Winter 1486 - rumoured that Earl of Warwick died
● Richard Symonds (priest from Oxford) pretended Lambert Simnel is Earl of Warwick
● May 1487 - went to Ireland (Yorkist), made King Edward VI of Dulin
● Supported by Margaret of Burgundy - sent money & 2000 German mercenaries
● Henry VII aware of Simnel New Years 1487
● Earl of Warwick exhibited in London to expose Simnel
● Symonds and Simnel arrested
● Simnel imprisoned in Bishops prison for life
● Simnel given calculated mercy - works in kings kitchen, promoted to falconer
● Weak threat - little support for army & only had support from Margaret of Burgundy
Nobility:
● Great Chain of Being - hierarchy of life
● Didn't trust nobility - unloyal, nobility didn’t rely on the king for power
● Reduced nobility size - easier to control/less to fear
● Promote few - easier to control, made titles valuable, saved money
● Order of the Garter - promotion to show loyalty
● Patronage - loyal service to the crown
● Acts of attainder - confiscate land & gave back for loyalty
● Livery & Maintenance 1487 - Harsh fines
