Law and Order
During the War of the Roses, it was clear that the authority of the English monarchy had constantly been undermined by powerful noblemen-the dukes and earls and barons who ruled parts of England in the King’s name. Henry knew that if he wanted to restore political stability, law and order and ensure his new-found dynasty was to be more long-lived than his predecessors, he would need to control the nobility. Perhaps the most important way to do this was defeat any claimants to the English throne still left alive after the Wars in order to avoid noblemen rallying to them and thus plunging England in yet another civil war. Although Henry had married Elizabeth of York, therefore mingling the blood of the red and white roses, there still remained men who had an arguably more legitimate claim to the throne than he did. However, most of these were held captive, such as the Earl of Warwick and the de la Pole brothers, and so Henry’s enemies manifested themselves as imposters attempting to usurp his throne.
First, there was a boy named Lambert Simnel, whose marked resemblance to the Earl of Warwick made him a valuable pawn of the Yorkists. They had him proclaimed king in Dublin in 1487 and, despite the fact that Henry had the real Warwick paraded in the streets of London to prove the imposture, an army gathered in England to support King Edward VI; and the eldest of the de la Poles, the Earl of Lincoln, fled to join the Yorkist force. The rebels landed in June 1487 but before they had a chance to consolidate their forces. Henry met and defeated them at the battle of Stoke on 16th June (when the Earl of Lincoln was killed). Four years later, however, a new imposter was put forward. A Flemish boy named Perkin Warbeck discovered travelling in the Irish town of Cork wearing expensive garments was hailed as the Duke of York, one of the Princes in the Tower who were believed – though never proved – to have been murdered in the reign of Richard III. There have always been those who believed that Edward V and Richard of York were still alive when Henry VII took the throne, and that he had them killed, to be rid of such potential rivals. Whatever the truth of it, Henry could not produce a live Duke of York to show up Warbeck's imposture. In 1497 Warbeck was captured. He might have been awarded the same mercy as Simnel (who now worked in the Royal Kitchen), had he not tried to escape from his prison in the Tower. Henry could not afford now to let him live, and he was executed in 1499. Warwick, the innocent pawn, was beheaded at the same time, for, as long as he lived, there would certainly be pretensions on his behalf. To further reduce the threat of armed rebellion against his authority, Henry VII outlawed livery, and the maintenance of private armies. The armed bands that, wearing their feudal badges, had overrun the countryside, intimidated sheriffs, and bullied juries, now had their days numbered. Putting an end to the brigandage of the nobility required numerous statutes, since the feudal lords did not readily give up the practice of private war. But, by the end of Henry's reign, the typical English nobleman had been forced into other occupations than the medieval ones of riot and civil war. He raised the crown far above the nobles, and formed an alliance with the middle class, acting through their representatives in the House of Commons, who feared the return of the days of civil war, and realized that their survival and livelihood was dependent on the king's protection. Thus, Henry drew his strength from the loyalty of the common classes, not from the feudal nobility.
Finance
Under Henry VII, England experienced a fundamental shift from feudalism, to a policy of government-directed economic development, based on a conscious design to promote the General Welfare. Henry's reform of the economic system, while not complete, laid the basis for transforming England into a modern nation. He strove to increase the productivity of the population through government-directed improvements in infrastructure, technology, and the living standards and productivity of the population. The treasury of the English monarchy had effectively been bankrupt by Henry’s predecessors and the Wars, and England remained one the poorest European powers. However, Henry restored the fortunes of the exchequer and England’s economy prospered financially- this was achieved by enacting fiscally prudent policies as well as exploiting several sources of income. He ruthlessly exploited the wealth of several noblemen by imposing heavy fines on those who broke the laws well as using his right to appoint senior officials to sell offices. Henry was successful in gaining the assistance of Parliament, which voted for more taxes every time they were called. Furthermore, the concept that diplomacy and trade went in hand in hand was proven true by Henry, as several treaties and trade agreements promoted by him, such as the Treaty of Etaples and the Magnus Intercursus (where taxation was removed from English merchants), further bolstered England’s economic prosperity.
Church
The church was one of the most important institutions in England with influence over the population and politics. Bishops and abbots were representatives in the House of Lords and many clerics held posts in royal government. There were 2 provinces in England, Canterbury and York. Throughout history, relations between the English monarchy and the papacy in Rome had been sporadic and errant. There had been many arguments over past monarchs’ desires to control the church (which was Roman Catholic, same as the pope), which had ended in such incidents like the excommunication of Archbishop Anselm or the gruesome murder of Archbishop Beckett. Religion in the late 15th/early 16th century Europe was supremely important, and so Henry knew if he was to be successful, he must gain the support of religious figures. Henry was orthodox and pious and made notable contributions to the building of churches and religious houses. He founded 3 houses for the Franciscans at Canterbury, Newcastle and Southampton and for the Conventuals at Richmond, Greenwich and Newark. He built Savoy Hospital in London to care for a 100 poor people and planned another at Bath. He was thorough in his religious observances and his respect for saints, and this together with his tactful and respectful relations with the papacy gave him a reputation as a sound churchman. Cordial relations between the papacy and Henry exemplified themselves in ways such as excommunications of Henry’s enemies and other pretenders to the throne, which gave him, increased security.
Status/prestige
This point is perhaps a combination of the previous four paragraphs- the fact that the incredible prestige that should’ve been associated with English monarchy was despoiled by the bloody and tumultuous Wars of the Roses had perhaps led to a great distrust of weak monarchs among the English populace- monarchs who would let rebellion grow unchecked until it grew into a civil war which would ultimately and negatively impact the people as well as the economy and infrastructure. Henry’s ascension not only rid England of a monarch who in many eyes had seized power by murdering his two young nephews, it restored the status and power of the English throne in such a way that people would’ve perhaps respected its authority enough to prevent any more rebellions or civil wars happening again in England. By the beginning of the 16th Century, Henry’s prestige in Europe and his security at home were assured. He had survived the ambitions of pretenders to the throne – and without traces of too much blood on his hands; he was strong in central government and generally obeyed throughout the realm; he was successful in foreign war-albeit not absolutely heroic – in the eyes of his subjects; England was almost unprecedentedly prosperous and growing daily richer in culture, with the extension to England of the arts and scholarship of the European Renaissance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Henry’s reign was mostly successful as it managed to restore stability in England after decades of political turmoil and upheavals caused by the War of the Roses. His fiscally conservative policies repaired the financial state of the English throne, his foreign policies managed to guarantee peace with other European powers as well as forge alliances with them, and due to his assertiveness and leadership he controlled the nobility to ensure national peace during his reign. However, his accomplishments cannot be exaggerated as his reign became increasingly unpopular in its later half as financially prudent policies and the incredibly high taxes and fines he levelled on the nobility caused many to be disaffected and unhappy with his over-reaching power, as well as with his unadventurous and sombre nature and his obsession with government.