Yorkist opposition was a greater threat to henry VII than popular rebellions. How far do you agree?
Yorkist opposition- Lovell Rebellion, 1486 (They wanted the overthrow of Henry and the replacement
with a Yorkist king) PRETENDERS- Warbeck rebellion, 1497 (persuaded to impersonate first the Earl of
Warwick and then Richard Duke of York as front to their attempt to re-establish Yorkist dominance)
dangerous: in that Warbeck had support at various times from all of the foreign powers he went to. -
Simnel Rebellion 1487 (led to the battle of stoke)- Simnel landed in Lancashire with 2,000 mercenaries
supplied by Margaret of Burgundy.
However- dressed up as a Yorkist threat, but actually was for personal gain + lovell rebellion was not a
threat- had more to do with the general instability of early days than any significant threat from
the rebels (Attracts little support. Lovell escapes, Stafford’s both captured, and Humphrey is
executed. The rebellions gained little traction because there was no Yorkist pretender to rally
around)
Popular rebellions- Yorkist 1489- caused by anger at tax for army to protect Brittany from French invasion,
(parliament wanted to raise £100,000) resentment over Lancastrian king and bad harvests boiled over- The
earl of Northumberland was murdered, and the rebellion began. Cornish 1497- Parliament voted for a
tax to finance the campaign against James IV and Perkin Warbeck. The Cornish refused to
contribute to a tax that was to pay for a campaign in the north. 15,000 of them camped on
Blackheath. They had marched from Bodmin in Cornwall to Blackheath, which was just outside
of London, without anyone challenging them.
Cornish Rebellion hardly threatened Henry’s position on the throne but it did show the fragility
of the whole political and social structure of England at that time.
However- these rebellions were based on tax and bad harvests not Yorkist opposition, resentment at a
Lancastrian king had died down. The murdering of the earl of Northumberland also had to do with Yorkist
anger at the house of Percy for their dealings during the war of the roses- local issues. Both rebellions put
down easily, with over 1,000 killed at the Cornish rebellion.
Nobility – henry saw the threat in nobility- he tackled this through governmental financial reforms.
Attainders were used on men who opposed Henry in the Battle of Bosworth. They lost their titles and
possessions as well as being declared guilty of treason. During Henrys reign 138 attainders were passed 46
of which were reversed, to do this they must show secure gratitude and loyalty towards Henry as well as
paying a large fine. Nobles were challenging for Henry as they often had a good financial status so could
gather men to start a rebellion, nobles had the power of speaking to vast amounts of people and spreading
a message. Henry used bonds and recognizances to ensure good behaviour, a bond was a written contract
compelling a person to behave well (ensuring they didn't step out of line at all in the event of a rebellion,
for example) or to perform a specific task, or else they would lose money specified by their bond. They
grew from earning Henry £3,000 a year in 1493 to £35,000 by 1505. A recognizance was a recognition that
a person owed the crown debt but did not necessarily force them to pay the sum immediately, or at all.
Instead, it was often held against nobility to ensure their compliance.
His dealings with earl of Suffolk- Edmund de la Pole who was not just a noble but a Yorkist claimant. He
was outewardly loyal but was angered by henrys refusal to elevate him to a dukedom, this led to him being
a consistent threat towards henrys latter years.
However- nobility were largely controlled by henrys financial restraints and there was no largely
threatening nobility uprisings throughout his reign. in addition nobility took part in rebellions, which were
Yorkist oppositions e.g. Lovell rebellion aimed to overthrow Henry and replace with a Yorkist. Led by Lovell
and Stafford who were noblemen who fought for Richard at the Battle of Bosworth
Yorkshire rebellion shows how Henry consolidated power as. It was not dynastic- it was tax
Yorkist opposition- Lovell Rebellion, 1486 (They wanted the overthrow of Henry and the replacement
with a Yorkist king) PRETENDERS- Warbeck rebellion, 1497 (persuaded to impersonate first the Earl of
Warwick and then Richard Duke of York as front to their attempt to re-establish Yorkist dominance)
dangerous: in that Warbeck had support at various times from all of the foreign powers he went to. -
Simnel Rebellion 1487 (led to the battle of stoke)- Simnel landed in Lancashire with 2,000 mercenaries
supplied by Margaret of Burgundy.
However- dressed up as a Yorkist threat, but actually was for personal gain + lovell rebellion was not a
threat- had more to do with the general instability of early days than any significant threat from
the rebels (Attracts little support. Lovell escapes, Stafford’s both captured, and Humphrey is
executed. The rebellions gained little traction because there was no Yorkist pretender to rally
around)
Popular rebellions- Yorkist 1489- caused by anger at tax for army to protect Brittany from French invasion,
(parliament wanted to raise £100,000) resentment over Lancastrian king and bad harvests boiled over- The
earl of Northumberland was murdered, and the rebellion began. Cornish 1497- Parliament voted for a
tax to finance the campaign against James IV and Perkin Warbeck. The Cornish refused to
contribute to a tax that was to pay for a campaign in the north. 15,000 of them camped on
Blackheath. They had marched from Bodmin in Cornwall to Blackheath, which was just outside
of London, without anyone challenging them.
Cornish Rebellion hardly threatened Henry’s position on the throne but it did show the fragility
of the whole political and social structure of England at that time.
However- these rebellions were based on tax and bad harvests not Yorkist opposition, resentment at a
Lancastrian king had died down. The murdering of the earl of Northumberland also had to do with Yorkist
anger at the house of Percy for their dealings during the war of the roses- local issues. Both rebellions put
down easily, with over 1,000 killed at the Cornish rebellion.
Nobility – henry saw the threat in nobility- he tackled this through governmental financial reforms.
Attainders were used on men who opposed Henry in the Battle of Bosworth. They lost their titles and
possessions as well as being declared guilty of treason. During Henrys reign 138 attainders were passed 46
of which were reversed, to do this they must show secure gratitude and loyalty towards Henry as well as
paying a large fine. Nobles were challenging for Henry as they often had a good financial status so could
gather men to start a rebellion, nobles had the power of speaking to vast amounts of people and spreading
a message. Henry used bonds and recognizances to ensure good behaviour, a bond was a written contract
compelling a person to behave well (ensuring they didn't step out of line at all in the event of a rebellion,
for example) or to perform a specific task, or else they would lose money specified by their bond. They
grew from earning Henry £3,000 a year in 1493 to £35,000 by 1505. A recognizance was a recognition that
a person owed the crown debt but did not necessarily force them to pay the sum immediately, or at all.
Instead, it was often held against nobility to ensure their compliance.
His dealings with earl of Suffolk- Edmund de la Pole who was not just a noble but a Yorkist claimant. He
was outewardly loyal but was angered by henrys refusal to elevate him to a dukedom, this led to him being
a consistent threat towards henrys latter years.
However- nobility were largely controlled by henrys financial restraints and there was no largely
threatening nobility uprisings throughout his reign. in addition nobility took part in rebellions, which were
Yorkist oppositions e.g. Lovell rebellion aimed to overthrow Henry and replace with a Yorkist. Led by Lovell
and Stafford who were noblemen who fought for Richard at the Battle of Bosworth
Yorkshire rebellion shows how Henry consolidated power as. It was not dynastic- it was tax
