part0008

“By Henry VII, the sword of government was sheathed, the remains of the feudal system at last completely swept away, the undue domination of the nobles set aside to make room for the growing influence of the mighty middle class, in which our modern civilization, with its faults and its merits, has established its stronghold.”

Whether or not Henry VII was a good king has been the subject of discussion amongst scholars for centuries. What appears certain is that Henry was both determined and intelligent—two traits that led him to success in many of his endeavors. Some of these endeavors would benefit and change England for years to come, and remnants of his accomplishments can still be seen today.

One of Henry’s main goals as king was to restore the English economy, which had been depressed during most of the fifteenth century. This he achieved by trade deals, increased taxation, and staying out of expensive wars.

Early on in his reign, Henry entered into the alum trade. Alum was a very valuable commodity in Europe as it was used in the processing of wool and cloth, and it was initially only mined in one small region in Tolfa, Italy. The Pope controlled this region, and therefore alum was an important source of income for the papacy. Henry, wanting to secure a role for England in the alum trade industry, started licensing ships that would source alum from another region: the Ottoman Empire. By importing alum from the Ottoman Empire, Henry was able to offer it to buyers in England and the Low Countries at a much lower cost than the Pope. This enterprising idea did cause a bit of conflict between Henry and Pope Julius II as Tolfa had been the sole provider of alum for many years, but it would be worth it in the end. Through this new source of income, Henry was able to refill the previously empty royal coffers.

Henry also elevated England’s trade stance by subsidizing the shipbuilding industry in his country. Doing that not only opened up England to better trade, but it also made the English Navy stronger. In 1495, Henry commissioned Europe’s very first dry dock at Portsmouth. It remains to this day as the world’s oldest surviving dry dock.

Another success came with an agreement that Henry made in 1496 with the Netherlands. Two years prior to that, Henry had banned trade, specifically in wool, with the Netherlands because of their support of Perkin Warbeck. Henry imposed a trade embargo to show other countries that going against him and showing support for his opposers would not be tolerated and would be to their detriment. In response to the ban, the only company producing Flemish wool moved its operation from Antwerp to Calais, France. England also kicked any merchants from the Netherlands out of the country.

After some time had passed, the government of the Netherlands could see that this trade conflict was severely hurting their economy. Henry took this opportunity to propose the Magnus Intercursus, or the “great agreement,” as a deal between England and the Netherlands that did away with the taxation on goods of English merchants. This deal, which was very favorable to England, brought with it a lot of wealth for Henry and his kingdom upon its implementation in 1496.

Taxation was another key source of income in Henry’s quest to bring back wealth to the monarchy. Early on, Henry tasked his lord chancellor, Archbishop John Morton, with developing a new, more effective tax policy. Morton’s take on tax collection was simple: no-one was to be exempted. He once stated that, “If the subject is seen to live frugally, tell him because he is clearly a money saver of great ability, he can afford to give generously to the King. If, however, the subject lives a life of great extravagance, tell him he, too, can afford to give largely, the proof of his opulence being evident in his expenditure.” Morton’s reasoning on the subject meant that no-one could get out of paying taxes—a policy which greatly benefited the English government.

All of Henry’s work was geared toward re-establishing the authority of the throne. England had been through so much in the past years, and respect for the monarchy had all but disappeared by the time Henry took the crown. The nobility was out of control and had way too much power, so Henry did all he could to bring everyone into line. If nobles could prove their loyalty to the king, Henry allowed them to exert some power in their respective regions. For those that he saw as threats, however, he issued proclamations and new laws that stripped them of some of their power and wealth. To avoid rebellions, Henry limited the nobility’s ability to keep large private armies by enacting laws against livery and maintenance. If nobles were found to break these laws, they were liable to pay heavy fines to the crown, which further diminished their influence.

Yet Henry’s most significant means of control was what he called the Court of Star Chamber. The court, which was held at the Palace of Westminster, consisted of members of the Privy Council and common-law judges. The point of the Star Chamber was to provide additional governance over prominent people in the country. Henry wanted to make sure that if someone of noble stature committed a crime, that person would be dealt with more fairly than they would in the equity and common-law courts. Many times, nobles were pardoned for their crimes based on their status. The establishment of the Court of Star Chamber would change that and help to keep powerful people (and potential threats to the crown) in check.

During his reign, Henry greatly extended the use of Justices of the Peace. These justices, who were appointed on a yearly basis, held the power to enforce the laws of the assigned shire they presided over. They also served to counteract some of the corruption which ran rampant in fifteenth-century England by, among other things, replacing suspect jurors in trials. But as was customary with Henry, he kept the justices on a short leash. No-one was to be more powerful than the king.