1. CONSOLIDATION OF POWER
1.1. 18th January: Marriage to Elizabeth of York
1.2. Henry put together the two houses of York and Lancaster in an attempt of unity
1.3. Henry based royal power on good business sense. He firmly believed that war and glory were bad for business.
1.3.1. He made an agreement with the Netherlands which allowed the English to trade again.
1.4. He had more power and money than earlier kings since the old nobility had died or been defeated in the recent wars, so their lands had gone to the king.
1.5. He forbade anyone, except himself, to keep armed men.
2. SOCIAL ISSUES
2.1. Rebellions
2.1.1. 1486 – Lovell Rising – Lord Lovell Francis.
2.1.1.1. Restore the Yorkist monarchy.
2.1.2. 1489 – Yorkshire rising.
2.1.2.1. Taxation forced upon the people to deal with the Breton crisis (they had to pay for 2,000 troops sent over).
2.1.3. 1497 – The first Cornish Rising
2.1.3.1. There was a second Cornish Rising, when Perkin attempted to manipulate the ill feeling of the Cornishmen against London and king's administration.
2.1.4. 1487 – Lambert Simnel claimed to be one of the princes in the tower.
2.1.5. 1495 - 1496 – Perkin Warbeck tried to invade Lancashire.
3. 1486
3.1. 18th January: Marriage to Elizabeth of York.
4. Henry Tudor is crowned King of England on the battlefield at Bosworth after his army defeats and kills Richard III.
5. Government
5.1. Henry diminished the power of the Nobles by making them fight to each other
5.2. Henry used the “Court Star Chamber” to deal with lawless nobles. Moreover, he started using the law again and fixed expensive fines as punishments.
5.3. Henry invited merchants and knights from all over the country to the parliament because they could provide Henry with the money.
5.4. Merchants and lesser gentry classes were favoured by Henry since most of them were made the new noblemen class.
5.5. His government was characterized by marriage alliences that were sought to enhance the economic relationships among wealthy nations.
5.6. He sought to make the Crown economically independent, and he did it by imposing fines and taking lands from the old nobility.
6. Religion
6.1. Strongly Catholic Populace – before the Reformation that went on in Europe a bit later on.
6.2. There were humanist ideas being brought forth by figures like Erasmus, who came to England and visited various places where there were certain movements of change.
6.2.1. England was still quite conservative in its Catholic belief.
6.3. Bishops were changed up a bit by Henry VIII, like Cardinal John Morton who was the head of his spy network.
6.4. Church figures were being used for more political gain during this period.
7. 1485
8. Economic policies
8.1. Council Learned in Law
8.1.1. It was headed by middle class (gentry class) figures like Empson, Dudley and Brae to financially control nobility.
8.2. Bonds and Recognisances
8.2.1. This system enforced goodwill from the nobles, who had to pay a bill if they broke that will.
8.2.2. Retaining licenses, which provided the king with big sum of money.
8.3. Taxes
8.3.1. The king taxed the rebels with a fine, which resulted in Financial gain from military successes (Étaples, Cornish Rebellion).
8.4. Enclosure Commission
8.4.1. The open-field system was replaced by enclosure, a system where land was fenced-off and common rights over land were abolished.
8.4.1.1. Enclosure resulted in better farming practices and on-going productivity, all of which created a surplus of labor. However, those who could not prove the legal ownership of land faced eviction
8.5. Engrossing
8.5.1. Several farms were joined together to make one more profitable to either save money on buildings and simplify the work of estate management.
9. Marriage Alliances
9.1. It was important for continuing the succession and the dynasty – these would help safeguard the new Tudor dynasty in their position.
9.1.1. Treaty of Medina Del Campo
9.1.1.1. It was an arranged marriage in 1489 between Catherine of Aragon (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella from Spain), and Arthur Tudor (Henry VII´s and Elizabeth of York´s son).
9.1.1.1.1. The marriage did not benefit Henry's reign enough because Arthur died.
9.1.1.1.2. Spain and Britain alliances were so important for the King in relation to recogntion, better security, and trade that he suggested that Henry, his other son, married Catherine after Arthur´s death.
9.1.2. Treaty of Perpetual Peace
9.1.2.1. It was an arranged marriage in 1502 between Margaret Tudor (Henry VII´s and Elizabeth of York´s daughter), and James IV of Scotland.
9.1.2.1.1. It was important for the two nations to establish peace for the first time since 1328 and to prevent full-scale war. Similar to the agreed married in 1489, this marriage was partially successful.
9.1.3. Triple Marriage Allience
9.1.3.1. King Henry began negotiations for a triple marriage alliance with Maximilian I in 1507.
9.1.3.1.1. Princess Mary would marry Maximilian’s grandson and heir, Charles.
9.1.3.1.2. Prince Henry would marry Maximilian’s granddaughter, Eleanor.
9.1.3.1.3. Henry would marry Maximilian's daughter, Margaret of Savoy.
10. Foreign Policies
10.1. Henry foreign policies were aimed at having peaceful relations with European countries
10.1.1. Treaty of Redon
10.1.1.1. 1489 He signed the Treaty of Redon with the Bretons. The agreement consisted on sending an army of 6000 men to fight against the French so as to prevent the annexation of Brittany.
10.1.2. In 1492, Columbus discovered the Americas, and Spain and Portugal (having financed Columbus’ journey), had great interests in these new lands: for this reason, Henry VII ensured good trading links with the two European powers, establishing equal trading privileges and low duties.
10.1.3. Treaty of Etaples
10.1.3.1. 3rd November 1492- Henry invaded the Northern part of France as a response of the French support for the pretender Perkin Warbek. The outcome of this invasion was the Treaty of Etaples in which the French committed to expel Warbek from France and the payment of a fine of £159,000.
10.1.4. The Treaty of Perpetual Peace
10.1.4.1. In 1502 a treaty of peace between Scotland and Britain was signed.
10.1.5. Treaty of Windsor
10.1.5.1. 1506- This secret treaty between Henry VII and Philip of Burgundy was concluded. Both parties agreed to ally themselves unconditionally. Henry agreed to allow Philip free passage through the English Channel so that he could easily travel between Spain and the Netherlands. Philip was installed as a Knight of the Garter.
10.1.6. Commercial Treaty with Netherlands
10.1.6.1. 30th of April 1506- The ongoing trade dispute with the Netherlands was settled with this treaty. It was well-received by all those involved in the process of cloth making for it meant that cloth could now be imported without incurring extra tariffs.