Henry VII - Nobility

Who were they?

• Class of person distinguished by high birth or rank 
• The quality of belonging to the aristocracy 

What did Henry do?

• He put an end to the independent feudal nobility and started the beginning of the service nobility 
• They were no longer independent of the king 

Henry's options?

• Win their support or force them to support him through force 
• Used second option a lot more when dealing with the nobility (had to secure his position as head of England) 
• Reduced all things they relied on - Land, Wealth and Support

What was this?

• Used them to seize titles and possessions of nobles that he suspected of disloyalty
  
• It was a special law that meant an 'attained' family could lose the right to inherit its land and would face social and economic ruin 
  
• It could be reversed though 
• Henry passed 138 attainders and reversed 46 
• This was more than Edward IV 

CSL Davis

• Called it a 'cat and mouse policy' 
  

What was this?

• This granted special favours such as land and possessions to those who were loyal and supported Henry VII 
• He was careful not to over distribute titles 
  
• The nobility didn't really benefit from this 
• Jasper Tudor became the Earl of Oxford due to military support 
• Patronage had to be earned under Henry VII 
• It was not an automatic privilege for the upper class

What was this?

• These were groups of men used by the nobles to help maintain control and enforce law 
• Could be lawless at local and national level (War of The Roses) 
• Used as armed forces in order to defend and threaten anyone who threatened their master 
• Edward IV had passed laws against retaining except for domestic servants and legal advisors but it was not strictly enforced
• Condemned retaining and passed laws in 1487 and 1504
• Recent historians believe that retaining under Henry VII was not eliminated because Henry VII needed it to support him 
• Men could employ retainers for the king's service alone and have to get permission and a licence from the government 
• henry was certainly a lot stricter and punished those that went against the law 

What were these?

• Henry used this if he had suspicions against a noble but could not prove treason 
• Created written agreements whereby if a person offended the king was either forced to pay up front 
• They also promised to pay a certain amount to ensure good behaviour
• Was a method of enforcing loyalty 
• Sums ranged from £400 to £10,000 for a noble 

How were they used?

• Used haphazardly by the other 15th century monarchs
• Henry used them as an integral part of his policy for controlling the nobility by threatening financial ruin to anyone that dare offend him 
• Council Learned in Law was in control of the bonds 

What was this?

• Assumed control over all financial matters relating to the crown 
• Members acted as investigators and judges in cases where there was suspicion  that a nobleman was not paying correct dues to the king 
• Sir Reginald Bray, Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson were in charge 
• It was hated because it collected bonds 
• It was the most important of all Henry's institutions of government because it was involved in the maintenance of law and order 
• Dudley later admitted that he had lied in 80 cases and was executed under Henry VIII

How do they relate to Henry?

• It describes the rights of powers which the monarch could exercise without requiring the consent of parliament 
• Thomas Penn (The Winter King) argued that the Council Learned in Law caused fear, frustration and anger as it bypassed the normal legal system 

Order of the Garter?

• An honour that was bestowed on the most important knights who became the most senior rank of knighthood 
• Henry VII gave out 37 in his lifetime 
• William Stanley receieved this and felt it was a poor reward as their was no financial gain 

Why does Henry keep the nobility small?

• Easier to control like that 
• Rarely elevated anyone to uppoer levels of society as it was a big rewards when he did 
• Creation of peers was loss of money for Henry 

Why did Henry trust the Nobility?

• Henry recognised the importance of the nobles to control the provinces in the abscence of a standing army or an adequate police force
• He never attempted to interfere with their authority in the localities where they continued to dominate local government 
• He gave over lordship to the more disturbed areas of his kingdom to show support and trust to people like Henry Percy who governed the north