Henry VII's Rise to Power in 1485

1. TASK: • Describe how Henry VII was able to take the throne in 1485. In your answer take into consideration: • His upbringing and his experiences in Brittany • The reign of Richard III • The legacy of the war of the Roses • The invasion, march and battle • The support of the nobility (ie. Stanleys) • CHALLENGE: What lessons do you think he might have learned from the War of the Roses and the monarchs who preceded him? • Using page 14-15 of the textbook, answer the following questions: • What difficulties do you think Henry VII faced on acceding the throne? (list them in the order of importance). • What advantages did he have? FLIP LEARNING • At the end of last lesson you were given this independent learning. Its now time to see what you have come up with. • Task: We are now going to discuss the following key questions (make sure you add to your homework if there is anything missing): • What do you feel was the main reason Henry was able to take the throne in 1485? Why? • What were some of the things he would need to consider from both The War of the Roses and the monarchs? • What are some of the disadvantages/advantages he now faced?

2. What king of person was Henry VII and how did he consolidate his power? Good learning: Understand why arguments about Henry VII’s character differ Great learning: Explain how and Henry was able to consolidate his power and in what way some of them link Even better: Evaluate which measure was the most important in terms of consolidating his power. Key Word: How effectively did the Tudors restore and develop the powers of the monarchy?

3. What kind of person was Henry VII? We are now going to spend a bit of time thinking about what kind of person Henry VII was. However, there is less evidence about HVII character in comparison to any other Tudor monarch. As a result of this limited evidence it has led to widely differing opinions on the topic of HVII’s character and to add to this Henry rarely recorded his own thoughts. Therefore, people have had to draw their own conclusion from his actions and his policies. TASK: Each table has been given a sheet with a source about Henry. Your task as a table is to HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE: Identify the conclusion: What is the source trying to convince you overall? Identify the reasons: What does the source say more specifically about his character to make you believe their conclusion? Now move around the other tables and see if you can pull out any information that might have been missed.

4. What kind of person was Henry VII? Let see what things you were able to pull out of a couple of the extracts… 1. Henry reigned 23 years and 7 months. He lived 52 years. By his wife Elizabeth he had 8 children. He was distinguished, wise and prudent in character; and his spirit was so brave and resolute that never, even in moments of greatest danger, did it desert him. In government, he was shrewd and far-seeing, so that none dared to get the better of him by deceit or sharp practice. To those of his subjects who did not do him due honour, he was hard and harsh. He knew well how to maintain his royal dignity and everything belonging to it. He was successful in war, although by nature he preferred peace to war. Above all else, he cherished justice. From the Books of English History (Anglicae Historicae Libri) by Polydore Vergil (1534)

5. What kind of person was Henry VII? 2. He was of a high mind and loved his own way. Had he been a private man he would have been termed ‘proud’; but in a wise prince it was but keeping of distance, which he did towards all, not admitting any near or full approach, neither to his power nor to his secrets For he was governed by none. 3. “Henry’s reign was distinguished by sober statesmanship. Bosworth's victor was a stabiliser: he could be ruthless and severe, but was neither blood thirsty nor egotistical. By comparison with Henry V, Edward IV and Henry VII, he appears shadowy and remove. In fact, he kept his distance…’ John Guy, Tudor England (1988) History of the Reign of King Henry VII by Francis Bacon, written in 1622

6. What kind of person was Henry VII? Now that we have looked through some information about him, have a go at answering the following questions: • What kind of person do you think Henry was based on these extracts? • Which extract do you think is the most convincing and why? (Think back to the work we did last lesson) • How do arguments on Henry VII differ (use the sources to support your answer)

7. How was Henry able to consolidate his power? Now that we understand a little bit more about Henry, we can now go on to look at what he did once he had arrived in London after the Battle of Bosworth. Below are Henry's key aims, write them out again but this time in an ORDER OF IMPORTANCE. Henry VII’s 3 main aims: 1. Secure his right to throne 2. Strengthen the royal government by controlling the nobility 3. Strengthen the government through finances

8. How was Henry able to consolidate his power? You are now going to look at exactly how he was able to do. Using the textbook PAGES 15-16 I would like you to make a copy of the following diagram and label it with as much information as you can find (there is also some information about propaganda on the next slide). Challenge: try to make links between the different categories and explain them.

9. How was Henry able to consolidate the throne? Henry VII: Propaganda Henry VII suppressed and destroyed copies of the "Titilus Regius" identifying his Queen as a bastard and recognizing Richard's title, we are supposed to assume that other documents favourable to Richard were destroyed and thus indulge ourselves in a converse fallacy of accident. Phillip M. Taylor, Munitions of the Mind: A History of Propaganda, (2003)

10. Which was the most important element in Henry’s consolidation of power?

11. TASK: • Complete the sheet which asks you to do the following: • Define the word ‘pretender.’ • Define the word ‘imposter’. • The main threat to Henry came from people who often ‘pretended’ to be someone else. Which people did they pretend to be? (p. 25) • Copy and complete the following diagram with particular emphasis to the points in the box. • Challenge: Highlight the similarities and differences between the rebellions • The page numbers refer to the A level textbook. If you are struggling to get hold of a book then have a look online as there is plenty of information available. Also have another look at the ‘Winter King’ as there is some information on there too. FLIP LEARNING Your tasks for next lesson are as follows: