Here are some very brief biographies of the big cheeses in Henry VII's reign.
Sir Reginald Bray
Born in Worcester in1440
Was educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester
Was a British courtier, and adviser for Henry VII
Was created as the Knight of Bath at the coronation of
Henry VII, and later a Knight of the Garter. Became Treasurer and the Chacellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Was created as the Steward of the University of Oxford in
1496 and became the Speaker of the House of Commons
Architect of the Henry VII lady chapel in Westeminster
Abbey. Designed St George’s chapel in Windsor Castle and Great Malvern
Priory.
Took a main role in the construction fo Jesus college,
Cambridge, and was friends with its founder, John Alcock.
He died in 1503 and is buried in St George’s Chapel,
Windsor
John
Morton: 1420-1500
John
Morton allied himself with the Yorkists after the battle of Tewkesbury, 1471 (he
had been a Lancastrian until the 1460s.) He became a Royal Councillor under
Edward IV in 1473 and later Bishop of Ely, and was an important figure in
Buckingham’s unsuccessful rebellion against Richard III. After this he fled to
join Henry Tudor in exile and was made Lord Chancellor after the battle of
Bosworth. Morton became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1486 and was made a Cardinal
by the Pope in 1493. John Morton was particularly known for his taxation of the
nobles through benevolences. Edd Blake
Bishop
Richard Fox
Keeper
of the privy seal – 1487-1516. He
was the Bishop of Exeter, then of Bath an Wells, then later on became Bishop of
Durham and Winchester. Lawer
who served Edward IV. Was
with Henry in exile. He
was in the Kings Councils-a sign of the king’s confidence. There was an
emphasis on loyalty. Often
at Council and a frequent ambassador (often only 6/7attend meetings, of which he
was one.) As
he was a legal person he was useful to Henry if he attends as they could insist
on the kings rights. Bishop
Richard Fox and John Morton were Henry’s two most successful ministers. Later
on… He
was chosen to be on the council to help Henry VIII rule It
was him who use Wolsey’s administrative skills and paved the way for
Wolsey’s acceptance into the council. Thomas,
Lord Stanley (1435-1504) English
nobleman. During the Wars of the Roses, Stanley was declaredly
a supporter of the Lancastrian Henry VI, but he had Yorkist sympathies, having
married Eleanor, sister of the Yorkist Richard Neville, earl of Warwick. In the
battle of Blore Heath (1459), Stanley did not use his troops on the king's
behalf; and in 1461, after the Yorkist Edward IV had become king, he was
appointed chief justice of Cheshire. He managed to hold office continuously
under both Edward IV and Richard III, becoming lord steward, a privy councilor,
and constable of England—this despite his support of the brief Lancastrian
restoration in 1471 and his marriage (1482) to Margaret Beaufort, the mother of
Henry Tudor, the Lancastrian claimant to the throne. In the battle of Bosworth
(1485) he took the field nominally in support of Richard III but took no part in
the fighting; after the battle he crowned his stepson Henry VII on the
battlefield. He was created (1485) earl of Derby and remained powerful at court
until his death. Fionna Thomas Lord Stanley Fought
for HVII at Bosworth 1485 (with 3000 troops) Allowed
to exercise considerable local control in Lancashire and Cheshire
on H's behalf H's
step-father, married to Margaret Beaufort One
of the four people closest to H Made
Earl of Derby b.
around 1435 d.1509 Served
as constable Knight
of the garter Had
13 children from first marriage (7 sons and 6 daughters) Began
career as squire to HVI in 1454 Emily
Dewhurst John Riselly [Risley] was one of Henry> '> s five key
councillors. He had joined Henry when he was in exile, long before the battle of
Bosworth. Rachel Bower Sir
James Hobart Sir
James Hobart was Henry’s Attorney General.
This made him the chief legal adviser to Henry.
He represented the King and the Government in court, and had supervisory
powers over prosecutions. He was
assisted by the Solicitor General and represented the Crown in many judicial
proceedings relating to the public interest. He was a barrister, but had presidence over all other
barristers in the English court and he held presidence over the Lord Avocate in
the House of Lords. Megan Lewis. Sir Richard Empson Sir Richard Empson, a lawyer and MP who
sat a number of parliments, dominated the Council Learned (following the death
of Bray in 1503), along with Dudley. He was well known mainly due to his
increasing dislike by many landowning classes, as he enforced strong penalties
and fabricated cases in which people owed money to the king, when in fact they
did not. He was greatly detested because of the way in which he led the council,
and his job of 'royal debt collecter' didn't improve his unpopularity. The
council was in charge of bonds and recognisances, making him particularly
disliked by the nobility. Following the death of Henry VII in 1509, Henry VIII
arrrested Empson on false treason charges (giving the king more
popularity), and sixteen months later, ordered his execution. Katie Reynolds. Sir
Edmund Dudley Afterwards
he studied law at Gray’s Inn He
was made a privy counsellor at the age of 23 Edmund’s
grandfather was good friends with the king which helped his career get of to a
good start In
1492 he was serving the English army in France whilst he was advising the king
to sign the treaty of Boulongue. When
the treaty was finally signed it was classed as Edmunds most significant point
in his political career. In
1494 he became the speaker of the House of Commons He
was them made a member of the Royal council and of the council learned He
was responsible (along with Richard Empson) for overseeing Henry V11 system of
bonds and recognisance. When
Henry died Dudley was falsely accused of treason and executed in 1510. Polly
Barnes