What was Henry VII’s legacy to his son?

Finance

Henry VII has gained a reputation for having a keen financial mind. Certainly, by the end of his reign, the crown had built up enough annual income to meet its commitments. All money was carefully account for during his reign.

This was partly achieved because Henry VII took a direct, personal interest in the day-to-day affairs of government. He was personally involved in most aspects of government.

o For example, he dealt with administration of finance from his private rooms in the palace: the Chamber and the Privy Chamber.

Henry also improved and developed sources of his income. These included revenue from crown lands, customs duties for goods leaving or entering the country, or legal dues from people appearing before the king’s courts.

o He could also claim money for feudal dues. These were traditional rights held by the crown to demand money. This derived from the principle that the king was the sole owner of all the kingdom’s land and that others held it as his tenants. These dues included:

Relief: paid by an heir when he received his inheritance. Marriage: The king’s right ot arrange marriages for the daughters of

tenants at a profit. Wardship: Control of the estates of heirs under adult age allowed

the king to manage these lands for his own profit. Livery: Payment made by a ward on reaching adulthood and taking

control of his lands.

These are just a few of the many ways Henry VII received money from his subjects, and in particular the nobility. His financial policies were cautious and realistic.

He realised that foreign wars had been the single biggest reason for the poverty of earlier kings, so he largely avoided entering into wars unless he absolutely needed to.

He exploited his rights to feudal dues.

o This was both to bring money into the treasury and to assert his control over the nobility.

Many contemporaries have written that Henry VII was obsessed with hoarding more and more money from every source that he could find. There is some truth in this, particularly in the final decade of his reign.

However, Henry would also spend money extravagantly when he needed to impress nobility or show the power of his kingship.

o He maintained a lavish court with foreign guests, entertainers, scholars, and the best food.

o He used royal funds to patronise philosophers, writers and explorers.

Foreign Relations

Like his financial policy, Henry’s foreign policy was cautious and realistic. It was also dictated by two key issues:

1. Circumstances surrounding his succession:

o In the early years of his reign, Henry needed to gain acceptance of his right to the throne from other important monarchs.

He needed this because rivals to the throne might claim assistance or shelter from other monarchs.

Also, endorsement from another monarch could give him more clout, or credibility, at home.

2. Lack of money.

o Foreign wars were extremely expensive, and therefore Henry VII aimed to build alliances and peace rather than assert his power through wars.

Due to these considerations, Henry build a series of truces and alliances with potentially dangerous neighbours.

1485 with France

1486 with Scotland

1487 with the Habsburg Empire

He also married his eldest daughter Margaret to King James IV of Scotland. Henry VII’s most significant foreign alliance was made with Spain in 1489, which eventually resulted in the wedding of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur, Henry VII’s eldest son in 1501.

Henry did have one significant foreign conflict—the invasion of France in 1491. It was a half-hearted attempt, however, and really designed to achieve three things:

1. To save face after the England failed to help Brittany remain independent from France

2. To attain a payment from the French King

3. To obtain a promise that France would not support Yorkist rebels.

One can see the cautious and diplomatic approach Henry VII took towards all matters concerning domestic and foreign affairs.

Henry’s final years: a decade of insecurity

Things had gone quite well for Henry up to 1502. He had put the nobility in their place and got them under control and defeated key rivals to the throne. He had raised significant amounts of money for the Crown, obtained domestic and international

stability, and produced heirs for his throne. A series of unfortunate events after 1502 led to renewed feelings of insecurity and for Henry to begin to enact much harsher policies. When he died in 1509, his death was greeted with relief.

Renewed instability

By 1500, Henry VII had three sons: Arthur, Henry and Edmund. The succession seemed secure.

o Tragically, in 1500, his youngest son Edmund passed away at only 15 months old of unknown causes.

o Shortly afterwards, in 1502, his eldest son Arthur passed away from a sudden illness.

o Quickly following Arthur’s death, Henry’s beloved wife Elizabeth of York died in early 1503, shortly after childbirth.

This series of losses devastated King Henry both personally and politically. The loss of two sons left the future of the Tudor dynasty fully dependent on Henry. Elizabeth’s death robbed him of some Yorkist loyalty, as well as the possibility of bearing more children from a union of Lancastrians and Yorkists.

Henry was also very worried about his alliance with Spain after the death of Arthur. Henry VII worked very hard to secure a new royal marriage between young Prince Henry (Henry VIII) and Catherine of Aragon. There were some complications with this, however:

The Catholic Church forbade marriage between a man and his brother’s widow—unless there had been no sexual relations between the couple (as then it was not a proper marriage).

o Henry VII had, therefore, to prove that there had been no sexual relations between Catherine and Arthur.

Catherine asserted to the day of her death that, due to their youth, Arthur’s poor health and the fact that they had only been married for five months before he died, she had remained a virgin.

o Henry VII was able to get special permission from the Pope for Catherine to marry Prince Henry.

Harsh policies

The renewed stability of the end of his reign made Henry even more keen to secure his dynasty and his rule. In the final decade of his reign, he therefore inflicted even harsher policies on the nobility to ensure they could not threaten him or his only surviving son. He now used bonds and recognisances more frequently. This inspired a good deal of resentment from the nobility.

Most hated was the Council Learned in Law, and particularly key members Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, who were prominent in enforcing fines from the nobility.