

Unlike many kings before him, Henry took a keen interest in financial matters as he knew that a wealthy king was a strong king and a poor king was a weak one. With these three potential punishments against them, the barons, though a threat to Henry VII, were reasonably well tamed by him. This was a court run by men who were loyal to Henry VII and they could be relied on to severely punish any baron who angered the king. The third way of controlling the barons was to use the Court of Star Chamber. A powerful royal army was an obvious threat to the barons. The money raised could be used by Henry to develop his own royal army. Secondly, he heavily taxed the barons to reduce their wealth.
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Any baron who disobeyed this royal command would be committing treason which carried the death penalty. Henry had a three-way plan to bring the barons under his control.įirst, he banned all private armies. During the Wars of the Roses, they had not been loyal to either side - renting out their private armies to the family that paid the most. They were rich and they had their own private armies. He quickly identified the main problem he faced - the powerful barons of England. He was a clever man who was determined not to lose his throne. However, Henry was a very difficult opponent. However, the powerful York family remained a threat to him for years to come as they never recognised their defeat in the Wars of the Roses nor did they want a member of the Lancaster family as king of England. Henry was a member of the Lancaster family and to bring the families closer together he married Elizabeth of York soon after being crowned king. The Wars of the Roses had been a constant battle between two of England's most powerful families - the families of York and Lancaster. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I tend to dominate Tudor history and their lives do overshadow the importance of Henry VII's reign. His second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became Henry VIII. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England. He was the first Tudor king after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. Timeline of the War of Roses with expansion linksĪugust 1450 Return of Richard, Duke of York from Irelandĭecember 1453 Henry VI first bout with mental illnessĪpril 1454 Start of York's first protectorateįebruary 1455 End of York's first protectorateĢ2 August 1485 Richard III is killed at the battle of Bosworth: Battle of Bosworth What were the causes of the War of Roses?
