How did Henry Tutor have a claim to the throne?
(1485)
- Henry had a claim through his mothers family, descending from John of Grant (son of Edward 3rd) and Kathrine Stamford.
- He had a claim but it was questionable
What were Henrys Problems 1485-1489?
- Henrys claim to the throne was weaker than some Yorkists
- Spending 14 years in exile in Brittany meant that his family was unknown in England
- No experience in government
- The magnates (nobility) has more land and money than Henry
- Henry was king because he killed a king in battle
- many magnates had large number of retainers
- Henry won the Battle of Bosworth because some nobles remained neutral (unreliable allies)
When was the Lovell and Stafford rebellion?
April 1486
What was the Lovell and Stafford rebellion?
- Francis Lovell was a trusted friend and ally to Richard 2nd. Humphrey and Thomas Stafford opposed Henrys reign
- They hoped to spark uprising among commoners & for revenge as Henry embarked on a royal progress
- Henry had been spying on Yorkist supporters and simply sent his men to apprehend them
- Lovell fled to Margret of Burgundy, Thomas swore loyalty to Henry and Humphrey was executed
Why did Henry backdate his reign to August 21st 1485?
- means when he arrived at the Battle if Bosworth he would be king
- anyone against him would be considered traitors and Henry could pass acts of attainder - gaining their land
- solved his magnates having more money and land than him
Why did Henry arrange for Elizabeth of York and the Earl of Warwick to be taken to London?
- Henry wanted to keep an eye on them to make sure potential pretenders back off
- intends to marry Elizabeth to unite families
- prevent an uprising
Why did Henry appoint loyal friends, anti-Ricardians ans Yorkists who swore loyalty (John de la Pole) to the kings council?
- he wanted to start his reign with mercy
- unite opposing parties to prevent usurpation
Why did Henry arrange an elaborate coronation at Westminster Abbey? (30th October)
- showed he was worthy of the throne
- showed he was rich and able to preform lavish ceremonies
- to gain more support through legitimacy
- shown majesty
- did this due to his weak claim to the throne
Why did Henry make parliament ratified him as king, repeal “Titlus Regius” ans pass 28 Acts of Attainer on Richardian leaders? (7th Nov)
- further adding to his legitimacy - but also saying he doesnt need parliament to be king as he was already king before they declared it (“rubber stamping” it)
- he wanted to marry Elizabeth or York and wanted their kids to be legit
- gained land and could call Richard a traitor
When did Henry marry Elizabeth of York?
- 18th Jan
- delayed it to show his claim was legit and he didnt need to rely on her claim
Why did Henry name his first born son Arthur?
- 29th Sep 1486
- Named after Athur Pendragon story from Wales (prince of wales)
- insinuate a new golden age (propaganda)
When did the Lambert Simmel imposture happen?
- 1486 - 1487
What was the Lambert Simmel imposture?
- Henry had imprisoned Edward but he was now being claimed as an imposter
- these claims were supported by key people in ireland : Gerald Fitzgerald (chancellor), Thomas Fitzgerald (Earl) ans Walter FitzSimons (Archbishop)
- 2nd Feb 1487, Henry paraded Edward around London
- John de la Pole supported Lambert “his cousin” which added legitimacy to the claim
- 24th May 1487, Lambert was crowned King Edward in Dublin and had an army of 8000 heading south
- with an army of 12,000, Henry outnumbered the Yorkists
- the battle only lasted 3 hours as the irish were poorly trained (Battle of Stoke)
- showed how willing some were to support pretenders to get Henry off the throne
When was the Yorshire rising?
- 1489
What happened during the Yorkshire rising?
- resentment building in Yorkshire over increased taxation as Henry funded a military campaign
- dealing with bad harvests as it was (1488)
- Henry sent the Earl of Northumberland to Yorkshire to collect taxes that weren’t paid
- rebels murdered him
- Enraged, Henry sent the Earl of Surrey to deal with the rebels - leader was hanged for treason
- Northumberland heir was left an orphan and in Henrys care and de-propaganded
- Earl of Surrey was now head of council in Yorkshire (broke traditional power)
what was Henry the 7th foreign policy?
- 1485 - 1503
- needed foreign allies to secure his position
- france had aided him in becoming king (indebted to them)
- used alliances and marriage treaties to strengthen position:
- 1485: France - 1 year truce
- 1486: Brittany - commercial treaty
- 1486: Scotland - 3 year truce
- 1487: Holy Roman Empire - renewed treaty for 1 year
What caused the Breton crisis?
- Kingdom of France wanted to incorporate Duchy of Brittany into the country
- Henry indebted to both countries & didn’t want France to own all the coast
- Anne of Brittany was meant to marry Maximilian of the HRE but France sent Charles 7th to marry her to gain the territory (1488)
• Max and Ferdinand of Spain sent 1500 and 1000 troops to defend Brittany against French aggression
• Henry sent 500 volunteers under Lord Scales and apologised to France
• July 1488 France defeated the army
• Henry agreed to send 6000 (but only sent 3000) troops and Anne agreed to not marry until Henry decided
• Anne forced to marry Charles 7th, Yorkshire rebellion and Max made a treaty with Charles
• France gave Henry £159,000 annually (Treaty of Etaples Nov 1492) to leave France & wouldnt support Yorkist pretenders
How successful was Henry in dealing with the Breton Crisis?
- achieved prestige by ‘defeating’ France
- gained a treaty with France but lost treaties with Spain and the Holy Roman Empire
- King of Scotland was considering and alliance with England through marriage
- overall success but not outstanding - HRE, Spain and Netherlands could still be threats
- Yorkshire rebellion
