A major aspect of Henry VII plans for the Crown involved re-establishing respect for the law and strong government. The monarchy had been undermined by the War of the Roses, and monarch power
“Using all the sources above and the information in this chapter, explain how successful you think Henry VII was in re-establishing respect for the law and strong government in England between 1485 and 1509.”
A major aspect of Henry VII plans for the Crown involved re-establishing respect for the law and strong government. The monarchy had been undermined by the War of the Roses, and monarch power had been gradually decreasing because of this. Henry set out to rectify this, and was determined to establish royal control over the growing, and potentially dangerous, nobility. Henry also realised the importance in crown wealth and took personal interest in this matter. By the end of his reign, England had a very solvent crown. He knew that a wealthy king was a strong king and a poor king was a weak one. He also knew that money would expand his army and the larger his army was, the more powerful he was in the eyes of the barons. This alone, he believed would keep them loyal. Foreign recognition and respect was very important to Henry as well, reflecting his reluctance to go to war (also due to monetary reasons) and his decision to marry his first son Arthur with Catherine of Aragon, building relations with Spain.