How Successful Was Henry Vii in Dealing with Challenges to His Royal Authority in the Years 1489 to 1499?
How successful was Henry VII in dealing with challenges to his royal authority in the years 1489 to 1499?
Between the years 1489 and 1499, Henry received three main threats to his royal authority: the Yorkshire Rebellion in 1489; the pretender, Perkin Warbeck (from 1491 to 1499); and the Cornish uprising in 1497. All of these threats were quelled successfully; however each one presented problems to Henry and highlighted his instability on the throne. I believe that Henry dealt with the challenges successfully, but his policies suffered as a result.
In 1489, the Yorkshire Rebellion arose due to conflict between the Earl of Northumberland and the Commons of Northumberland and Yorkshire, who were reluctant to pay more taxes. The rebellion was sparked after the Earl of Northumberland was killed – when attempting to explain the need for a new set of taxes. It is significant that though his own entourage were present, they stood by as their master was attacked – this highlights the resentment felt by ordinary people over the high tax demands, and explains some of the anger felt. Henry managed to quell the rebellion swiftly after this; the ringleader – John Chamber – was hanged, along with his accomplices. However, following the rebellion Henry did not attempt to raise taxes so significantly in Yorkshire and Northumberland again; this is an example of his policies suffering as a result of the challenges to his throne. Overall, although just a local affair with no significant impact to Henry’s royal authority, the Yorkshire Rebellion highlighted some key issues. Colin Pendrill points out how the whole debacle was “another reason for Henry to feel insecure” and highlights the fact that his country “saw him as a foreign usurper”. In addition, it took the death of the Earl of Northumberland to make Henry pay attention to the whole affair; this suggests that he was out-of-touch and insensitive towards the ordinary people of Britain. Therefore, although Henry
Between the years 1489 and 1499, Henry received three main threats to his royal authority: the Yorkshire Rebellion in 1489; the pretender, Perkin Warbeck (from 1491 to 1499); and the Cornish uprising in 1497. All of these threats were quelled successfully; however each one presented problems to Henry and highlighted his instability on the throne. I believe that Henry dealt with the challenges successfully, but his policies suffered as a result.
In 1489, the Yorkshire Rebellion arose due to conflict between the Earl of Northumberland and the Commons of Northumberland and Yorkshire, who were reluctant to pay more taxes. The rebellion was sparked after the Earl of Northumberland was killed – when attempting to explain the need for a new set of taxes. It is significant that though his own entourage were present, they stood by as their master was attacked – this highlights the resentment felt by ordinary people over the high tax demands, and explains some of the anger felt. Henry managed to quell the rebellion swiftly after this; the ringleader – John Chamber – was hanged, along with his accomplices. However, following the rebellion Henry did not attempt to raise taxes so significantly in Yorkshire and Northumberland again; this is an example of his policies suffering as a result of the challenges to his throne. Overall, although just a local affair with no significant impact to Henry’s royal authority, the Yorkshire Rebellion highlighted some key issues. Colin Pendrill points out how the whole debacle was “another reason for Henry to feel insecure” and highlights the fact that his country “saw him as a foreign usurper”. In addition, it took the death of the Earl of Northumberland to make Henry pay attention to the whole affair; this suggests that he was out-of-touch and insensitive towards the ordinary people of Britain. Therefore, although Henry