Henry VII

Henry VII was plagued by a sense of illegitimacy. He focussed on consolidating his rule and securing the Tudor Dynasty.

Henry VII’s character

Henry was respected, efficient, intelligent and shrewd but not popular. He also developed a reputation for greed.
Henry VII understood court politics and did not trust anyone outside a small group of people.
Margaret Beaufort (Henry’s mother), Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Oxford, John Morton and Richard Fox were his closest confidants.
Henry VII loved his wife, Elizabeth of York, but gave her no political influence.

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Henry VII’s approach to government

Henry involved himself in everything, even the details of day-to-day government.
He checked all account entries himself and made the Privy Chamber (the Chamber) the focus of Crown finances.
As his reign progressed, he trusted fewer people and withdrew more into his Privy Chamber.

Popular attitudes to Henry VII

Some historians think that Henry was successful because people were tired of war.
He survived several threats and two rebellions, neither of which gained more than local support.
He used the Tudor rose to symbolise the coming together of York and Lancaster. It can be seen in many places, e.g. carved into the architecture.
Henry VII was very unpopular by 1509. The Council Learned did not only focus on the nobility, but on merchants and other wealthy ‘middling sorts.’

Overview of Henry VII’s reign

Henry VII died solvent, giving Henry VIII a strong foundation for his reign – BUT much money was raised by the Council Learned using very questionable methods.
He quelled the Yorkist threat and controlled the nobility - although his relations with the nobility were poor by 1509.
He greatly increased the importance of the Privy Chamber and focused Crown finances on the Chamber.
Rogerson, Ellsmore & Hudson (2001): "Although Henry did pass on his throne peacefully, it was by the skin of his teeth."

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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