Henry VII - Nobility

• Rewarding Nobility with Land or Titles
• Created the order of the Garter - involved giving no Lands = 37 Peers were created using this throughout Henry's reign - William Stanley wanted rewards for service - recieved a title
• Crown did not give away crown lands has it had done before = crown lands increased sevenfold
• Number of Peers shrunk from 62 in 1485 to 45
• Only Three new peers were actualy created by being given land 
• It therefore reduced a chance of overmighty subjects
• it also ment the Crown was signicantly richer

• Acts Passed to remove lands from a family
• They were reversiable
• Would generaly "restore lands to Nobility after years of Loyal service" - Turvey
• Would force lesser Nobility to pay for reversals
• 1489 - Surrey gained titles and lands back

• Nobility recuriting men in livery and maintence to be servants -  to serve as personal armies
• Henry sought to limit retaining as he saw it as a threat to his throne
• Pass two laws against retaining in 1487 and 1504 based on the original law by Edward IV in 1468 - Turvey "Laws did little more than repeat Edwards"
• However ackknowleges that "Henry paid far greater attetion to the law" Members of both houses of parliament had to swear they would'nt retain
• 1504 act removed reatining being legal with knowldge by the king to having to obtain a licesne from the Privy Seal
• 1506 Lord Abergavenny was fined £70,550
• 1504 Oxford was fined £10,000

Kings rights over lords

• King has accses to childrens lands as a regent
• King has can tax marriages of Peers
• Inheritence tax on lan
• Edward duke of Buckingham becomes Henry ward and pays when he comes of age
• Controls the nobility and keeps them in check
• Annual Income from Feudal Dues rose from £350 in 1487 to £6000 in 1507

Bonds

• Written obligations in which lords promised to be loyal or commit an act of service on pain of paying some money to the King
• late 15th century extented to other indivduals
• 191 bonds collected
• £3000 in 1493 to £35,000 in 1505
• Run by the council Learned in the Law - greatly feared - headed by Empson and Dudley

Recognisances

• formal acknowlegments of actual debts
• Ensured payments to the crown
• £10,000 acknowleged by Westemorland and Powicke each
• £2,000 by Northumberland
• out 62 Noble familes 46 were under Recongisances and some time