A Level History Transition Unit1945-1980
(Personal Study)
“The best
Folder Checklist and Organisation
As this is a two year course, it is imperative you keep your notes organised and in one place so that you have
everything needed for revision. You need to bring your folder with you to every lesson so that you can organise your
resources and so that you have all the guidance with you to use within the lesson.
After each lesson ensure your notes and any resources provided are filed in the relevant section. Within your folder
itself it is wise to have the following divided sections:
General – for everything related to the course overall
Component 1: The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
Component 2: The American Dream: Reality and Illusion, 1945-1980
Component 3: Coursework: Historical Investigation (Personal Study)
Use this checklist to ensure your work is organised and so you can identify what you need:
Do I have…
General Folder Requirements
Truman and Post-war America, 1945–1952
Eisenhower: tranquillity and crisis, 1952–1960 John F Kennedy and the 'New Frontier', 1960–1963
The Johnson Presidency, 1963–1968 Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974 The USA after Nixon, 1974–1980 (A-level only)
Coursework: Historical Investigation
Exam Board: AQA
Key Investigations:
• How effectively did the Tudors restore and develop the powers of the monarchy?
• In what ways and how effectively was England governed during this period?
• How did relations with foreign powers change and how was the succession secured?
• How did English society and economy change and with what effects?
• How far did intellectual and religious ideas change and develop and with what effects?
• How important was the role of key individuals and groups and how were they affected by developments?
Part one: consolidation of the Tudor Dynasty: England, 1485–1547
Henry VII, 1485–1509
• Henry Tudor’s consolidation of power: character and aims; establishing the Tudor dynasty
• Government: councils, parliament, justice, royal finance, domestic policies
• Relationships with Scotland and other foreign powers; securing the succession; marriage alliances
• Society: churchmen, nobles and commoners; regional division; social discontent and rebellions
• Economic development: trade, exploration, prosperity and depression
• Religion; humanism; arts and learning
Henry VIII, 1509–1547
• Henry VIII: character and aims; addressing Henry VII’s legacy
• Government: Crown and Parliament, ministers, domestic policies including the establishment of Royal
Supremacy
• Relationships with Scotland and other foreign powers; securing the succession
• Society: elites and commoners; regional issues and the social impact of religious upheaval; rebellion
• Economic development: trade, exploration, prosperity and depression
• Religion: renaissance ideas; reform of the Church; continuity and change by 1547
Part two: England: turmoil and triumph, 1547–1603 (A-level only)
Instability and consolidation: 'the Mid-Tudor Crisis', 1547–1563 (A-level only)
• Edward VI, Somerset and Northumberland; royal authority; problems of succession; relations with foreign
powers
• The social impact of religious and economic changes under Edward VI; rebellion; intellectual developments;
humanist and religious thought
• Mary I and her ministers; royal authority; problems of succession; relations with foreign powers
• The social impact of religious and economic changes under Mary I; rebellion; intellectual developments;
humanist and religious thought
• Elizabeth I: character and aims; consolidation of power, including the Act of Settlement and relations with
foreign powers
• The impact of economic, social and religious developments in the early years of Elizabeth's rule
The triumph of Elizabeth, 1563–1603 (A-level only)
• Elizabethan government: court, ministers and parliament; factional rivalries
• Foreign affairs: issues of succession; Mary, Queen of Scots; relations with Spain
• Society: continuity and change; problems in the regions; social discontent and rebellions
• Economic development: trade, exploration and colonisation; prosperity and depression
• Religious developments, change and continuity; the English renaissance and ‘the Golden Age’ of art,
literature and music
• The last years of Elizabeth: the state of England politically, economically, religiously and socially by 1603
Component 2: The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980
Part one: prosperity, inequality and Superpower status, 1945–1963
Truman and Post-war America, 1945–1952
• The United States in 1945 and the legacies of the world war: the powers of the presidency; the main political parties;
post-war prosperity; regional, ethnic and social divisions
• The USA as a Superpower: Truman’s character and policies; post-war peace making; the Cold War and ‘containment’
in Europe and Asia; the response to the rise of Communism in Asia
• Truman and post-war reconstruction: the economy; political divisions and domestic problems; the rise of
McCarthyism
• African-Americans in North and South: the impact of the Second World War; campaigns for Civil Rights; the
responses of the federal and state authorities
Eisenhower: tranquillity and crisis, 1952–1960
• The presidency: Eisenhower’s personality and the policies of ‘dynamic conservatism’; Nixon as Vice-President; the
Republican Party; the end of McCarthyism
• The growth of the American economy in the 1950s and the impact of the ‘consumer society’
• The USA and the Cold War: Superpower rivalry and conflict with the USSR; responses to developments in Western
and Eastern Europe; reactions to the rise of Communism in Asia; responses to crises in the Middle East
• African-Americans in North and South: the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement; the policies and attitudes of the
main political parties; the responses of the state and federal authorities
John F Kennedy and the 'New Frontier', 1960–1963
• The presidential election of 1960 and reasons for Kennedy’s victory; the policies and personalities of the Kennedy
administration; the ideas behind the ‘New Frontier’
• Challenges to American power: the legacy of crises over Berlin and relations with Khrushchev; the challenge of
Castro’s Cuba; deepening involvement in Vietnam
• African-Americans in North and South: the rise of the Civil Rights Movement; the opponents of Civil Rights, including
within the Democratic Party; Kennedy’s policies in response to the pressures for change
• The United States by 1963: its position as a world power; economic prosperity; the growing pressures for social
change from women and youth
Part two: challenges to the American Dream, 1963–1980
The Johnson Presidency, 1963–1968
• Johnson as President: personality and policies; his pursuit of the ‘Great Society’; the impact of the Kennedy legacy;
economic developments
• Maintaining American world power: escalation of the war in Vietnam; relations between the USA and its Western
allies
• African-Americans in North and South: developments in the Civil Rights Movement; Johnson’s role in passing Civil
Rights legislation; the impact of change including urban riots
• Social divisions and protest movements: education and youth; feminism; radicalisation of African-Americans; anti-
war movements; the role of the media
Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974
• The Presidential election of 1968 and the reasons for Nixon’s victory: divisions within the Democratic Party; the
personalities and policies of the Nixon administration
• The restoration of conservative social policies; the reaction to protest movements and forces of social change;
economic change and the end of the post-war boom
• The limits of American world power: peace negotiations and the continuation of the war in Vietnam and Cambodia;
the influence of Kissinger on US policies towards the USSR, Latin America and China
• The Watergate Affair and its aftermath: the role of Congress; the resignation of the President; Nixon’s political legacy
The USA after Nixon, 1974–1980 (A-level only)
• Ford and Carter as presidents: responses to social divisions; political corruption and the loss of national self-
confidence
• The position of the USA as a world power: the final withdrawal from Vietnam; relations with the USSR and China; the
response to crises in the Middle East; Iran and Afghanistan
• African-Americans in North and South: the impact of civil rights legislation; change and continuity in the ‘New South’
• The USA by 1980: its position as a Superpower; the extent of social and economic change; the reasons for Reagan’s
victory in the presidential election.
Component 3 - Non Examined Assessment (20%)
Students will be required to submit a Historical Investigation based on a development or issue which has been
subject to different historical interpretations.
The Historical Investigation must:
• be independently researched and written by the student
• be presented in the form of a piece of extended writing of between 3000 and 3500 words in length
• draw upon the student's investigation of sources (both primary and secondary) which relate to the
development or issue chosen and the differing interpretations that have been placed on this
• place the issue to be investigated within a context of approximately 100 years
• be an issue which does not duplicate the content of Components 1 and 2.
Assessment Objectives and Weightings
AO1 Demonstrate, organise and communicate knowledge and understanding to analyse and evaluate the key
features related to the periods studied, making substantiated judgements and exploring concepts, as relevant, of
cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance.
AO2 Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within its historical
context.
AO3 Analyse and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, different ways in which aspects of the past have been
interpreted.
AO1 25 25 10 60
AO2 0 15 5 20
AO3 15 0 5 20
Overall weighting of components 40 40 20 100
Command words
Explain - set out purposes or reasons
Reading and resources list
1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 Key texts for classroom and individual study
• C Lee, Britain, 1483-1529, Nelson Thornes, 2008
• R Carpenter, The Church in England and the Struggle for Supremacy, 1529-1547, Nelson Thornes, 2009
• M Tillbrook, The Triumph of Elizabethan Britain 1547-1603, Nelson Thornes, 2009
• I Dawson, The Tudor Century, Nelson Thornes, 1993
Useful books for students
• N Fellows, Disorder and Rebellion in Tudor England, Hodder, 2009
• R Lockyer & D O’Sullivan, Tudor Britain 1485-1603, Longman, 1993
• K Randall, Henry VIII and the Government of England, Hodder, 2001
• K Randall, Henry VIII and the Reformation in England, Hodder, 2001
• J Warren, Elizabeth I: Meeting the Challenge, Hodder, 2008
Reference books
• C Carpenter, The Wars of the Roses, CUP, 1997
• C S L Davies, Peace, Print and Protestantism, Paladin, 1995 S Doran, Princes, Pastors and People, Routledge, 1991
E Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars, Yale, 1992
G R Elton, England Under the Tudors, Routledge, 1991
• A Fletcher & D MacCulloch, Tudor Rebellions, Longman, 2004
• Griffiths (ed), The Experience of Authority in Early Modern England, Macmillan, 1996
• S Gunn, Early Tudor Government, Macmillan,1995
• J Guy, Tudor England, OUP, 1998 • C Haigh, The Reign of Elizabeth, Macmillan, 1984
• C Haigh, English Reformations, Clarendon Press, 1993
• J Loach, The Mid Tudor Polity 1540-1560, Macmillan, 1980
D Loades, The Mid-Tudor Crisis, 1545-1565, Palgrave, 1992
• D Loades, Politics and the Nation 1450-1660, Blackwell, 1999
• D M Palliser, The Age of Elizabeth, Longman, 1992
• A J Pollard, The Wars of the Roses, Macmillan, 1988
• J Scarisbrick, The Reformation and the English People, Blackwell, 1984
• A G R Smith, Emergence of A Nation State, Pearson, 1997
• P Thomas, Authority and Disorder in Tudor Times 1485-1603, CUP, 1999
Biographies and first-hand accounts
• D Cook, Sixteenth Century England Documents and Debates, Macmillan, 1980
• D Cressy & L Ferrell, Religion and Society in Early modern England A Sourcebook, Routledge, 1996
• R Horrox, Richard III, CUP, 1991
• D Loades, The Reign of Mary Tudor, Longman, 1991
• J Loach, Edward VI, Yale, 1999
• D Starkey & L Wooding, Elizabeth, Vintage, 2001
• L Wooding, Henry VIII, Routledge, 2009
Visual sources and websites
• The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth DVDs – D Starkey
• A History of Britain DVD – S Schama
Component 2: The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980
Key texts for classroom and individual study
• C Bragg, Heinemann Advanced History: Vietnam, Korea and US Foreign Policy 1945-75, Heinemann, 2006
• O Edwards, Access to History: The USA and the Cold War 1945-63, Hodder, 2002
• D Murphy, Flagship History - United States 1917-2008, Collins, 2008
• M Hall, The Vietnam War (Seminar Studies in History), Routledge, 2008
• M Scott-Baumann, Civil Rights and Social Movements in the Americas, CUP, 2012
• V Sanders, Civil Rights in the USA 1945-68, Hodder, 2008
• J de Pennington, Modern America: 1865 to the Present, Hodder, 2005
Useful books for students
• J Patterson, Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974, OUP, 1998
• E Tyler May, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, Basic Books, 2008
• H Higgins, Vietnam, Heinemann, 1982
• D Farber, The Age of Great Dreams: America in the Sixties, Hill & Wang, 1994
• T Riches, The Civil Rights Movement: Struggle and Resistance, Macmillan, 2003
• D Sandbrook, Mad As Hell: The Crisis of the 1970s and the Rise of the Populist Right, Anchor, 2012
• L Cohen, Consumer's Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America by Lizabeth Cohen, Vintage,
2003
• T Anderson, The Movement and the Sixties, OUP, 1995
• C Appy, Vietnam: The Definitive Oral History, Told From All Sides, Ebury Press, 2008
• R Perlstein, Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, Scribner, 2008
• M Halliwell, American Culture in the 1950s, Edinburgh University Press, 2007
• D Halberstam, The Fifties, Fawcett, 1994
• G Moss, Moving on: The American People Since 1945, Pearson, 2004
• M Dudziak, Cold War Civil Rights, Princeton University Press, 2011
• D Farber, The Age of Great Dreams: America in the Sixties, Hill & Wang, 1994
• T Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–1963, Simon & Schuster, 1998
• M Herr, Dispatches, Picador, 1991
• C Hitchens, The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Atlantic Books, 2002
• M Isserman & M Kazin, America Divided, The Civil War of the 1960s, OUP, 2007
• S Karnow, Vietnam: A History, Pimlico, 1994
• G Kolko, Anatomy of a War, New Press, 1994
• M Dickstein, Gates of Eden: American Culture in the Sixties, Harvard University Press, 1997
• M Marable, Race, Reform and Rebellion 1945-82, Pimlico, 1984
• T Weiner, Enemies: A History of the FBI, Penguin, 2012
• P Biskind, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-drugs-and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Changed Hollywood,
Bloomsbury, 1999
Visual sources and websites
• Thirteen Days
• Frost/Nixon
• 54
• Bobby
Research and Reading Strategies When researching and reading for your course it’s important to have the right conditions, a lot of reading will be assigned to be completed outside of lessons. So, when you are set research and reading to do at home, these are some top tips to help:
• Don’t leave it to the last minute, if you rush the reading you run the risk of not understanding or missing key plot points.
• Any words you don’t understand, be they new to your vocabulary or not in English, Google them or look them up – Don’t live in ignorance – it could be something important.
• If you have any questions, make note of them, you can clarify these with your teachers/ other students to ensure you are comfortable with the information and source text.
• As you read ANNOTATE (so important) have with you a pencil/pen, highlighter, post-it notes so that you can start to make notes about important events, people or interpretations – this will help when it comes to writing essays and preparing for future study.
• Read around the subject – use websites to clarify ideas and ensure you have understood parts of the text correctly.
Recording your wider reading and research
It is important to keep track of the wider reading and research you do, to ensure you are fully engaging
with the course and to record your extended study outside of lesson time.
Consider when reading what the key arguments, ideas and themes are and how these can link to the
other areas of study you are completing.
Text Date Read Key Ideas Links ideas/viewpoints
Component 1 – The Tudors; England 1485-1603
Component 1 Exam lasts 2.5 hours and you have to answer 3 questions
How to master the AQA extracts question:
In section A of your Tudors exam, you will encounter one extracts question that you must answer
1. Look at the question posed – note the topic in relation to which the extracts need to be evaluated. You have
to answer one extracts question on 3 interpretations (worth 30 marks) try to spend about 60 minutes on this
question.
2. Read the first extract carefully – keep the topic in mind. Underline or highlight the parts of the extract that
provide an argument in relation to this topic (remember this will not always be the first sentence). These
parts should give you the ‘overall’ argument. Look again at the extract: see if there are any sub-arguments or
interpretations. Underline or highlight these in a different colour.
3. Begin your evaluation – identify the overall argument of the extract, then evaluate the argument. Refer to
your own knowledge. You should cite material which both supports and challenges the view the extract puts
forward. To provide a fully convincing answer, repeat step 3 for any sub-arguments.
4. Make a judgement – provide some supporting comment on how convincing the argument in the extract is in
relation to the topic of the question.
5. Follow the same steps 2-4 for the next extract or extracts – you DON’T need to make any comparative
judgements and there is no need for an overall conclusion
How to master the AQA essay question:
In section B of your Tudors exam, you will encounter a choice of essay questions.
1. Read the question carefully – note (underline or highlight) key words and dates. You have to answer 2 essay
questions (each worth 25 marks) from a choice of 3 questions. Spend about 45 minutes on each answer.
2. Plan your essay and form a judgement – decide which approach will best enable you to answer the question
– this may be chronological or thematic. Plans can be in the form of columns, spider diagrams, mind-maps,
flow charts and other styles, but should help you to both form a judgment and devise a coherent structure
for your answer.
3. Introduce your argument – state your judgment (viewpoint) in the introduction. The introduction should
also be used to show your understanding of the question, particularly key terms and dates, and to
acknowledge alternative views and factors.
4. Develop your argument – the essay should proceed logically, supporting your balanced argument through
the opening statements of the paragraphs. Remember: comment first, then provide specific and precise
supporting information. Don’t forget to write analytically. Your job is to argue the case and evaluate events,
developments and ideas rather than just telling the story. A good essay will have a balanced argument. You
should examine alternative ideas and factors, and explain why they are less convincing that hose you are
supporting.
5. Conclude your argument – your conclusion should repeat the judgement given in the introduction dn
summarise your argument. A good conclusion will not include any new information and will flow naturally
from what has gone before.
A Level History Mark Scheme
Section A : Extracts Section B: Essays
5 Very good understanding of interpretations. Strong and well supported evaluation of arguments. Very good knowledge, used convincingly (25-30 marks)
Very good understanding of the question and of the issues/concepts. Range of knowledge, with specific and precise supporting information. Full analytical, balanced answer. Good organisation, structured effectively. Well- substantiated (proven) judgement. (21-25 marks)
4 Good understanding of interpretations. Good and mostly well supported evaluation of
Good understanding of the question and of the issues/concepts. Range of knowledge, with specific and
arguments. Good knowledge, used convincingly. (19-24 marks)
precise supporting information. Analytical, balanced answer. Good organisation, structured effectively. Some judgement. (16-20 marks)
3 Reasonable understanding of interpretations. Some evaluation of arguments, may contain some imbalance or lack of depth. Knowledge is present, used accurately. (13-18 marks)
Reasonable understanding of the question, with some awareness of the issues/concepts. Range of knowledge, may contain imprecise supporting information. Answer links to the question and contains some balance. Structured effectively. Partial judgement. (11-15 marks)
2 Partial understanding of interpretations (accurate for at least 2 extracts). Little evaluation of arguments, may contain some generalisations. Some knowledge is present. (7- 12 marks)
Partial understanding of the question, with some awareness of issues/concepts (may contain generalisations). Some knowledge with limited scope. Answer contains limited balance, or is descriptive. There is some structure. Undeveloped judgements. (6- 10 marks)
1 Partial understanding of interpretations (accurate for one extract, or limited accuracy for 2 or 3 extracts). Evaluation of arguments is too general and inaccurate/irrelevant. Limited knowledge is present (1-6 marks).
Limited understanding of the question, with inaccurate or irrelevant understanding of issues/concepts. Limited knowledge. Answer is too vague of too general. Structure is weak. Unsupported judgements. (1-5 marks)
Transition Unit:
Henry VII and the Consolidation of Power
Between 1455 and 1485 England was embroiled in dynastic warfare between the houses of Lancaster and York,
triggered by the disastrous reign and mental instability of Henry VI. There were five violent changes of monarch in
those thirty years. The second reign of the Yorkist king Edward IV bought relative stability to England yet his sudden
death in 1483 and the usurpation of Richard III gave Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond the opportunity to attempt to
seize the crown. Henry landed in Wales on the 7th August, 1487 raising support in his ancestral homeland he then
marched his troops to the town of Market Bosworth, Leicestershire meeting Richard III on the 22nd August, 1485.
Henry relied upon loyal men who had joined him in exile to lead his troops including John de Vere, Earl of Oxford
and his uncle Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke. The powerful Stanley family headed by Henry’s stepfather and step
uncle swung the battle in Henry’s favor by joining his side at the very last minute. After a last-ditch attempt to kill
Henry in hand-to-hand combat Richard was killed when he was surrounded. Henry Tudor was crowned Henry VII
upon the battlefield.
Henry VII
Henry Tudor was born on 28 January 1457 in Pembroke, Wales. His father, Edmund Tudor, had died two months
earlier and his mother, Margaret Beaufort, was just thirteen.
Henry was born into a country divided by conflict. He belonged to one branch of the Plantagenet Royal Family, the
House of Lancaster, who were fighting another branch, the House of York, for control of the throne – the so-called
Wars of the Roses. Henry’s mother Margaret was a descendant of Edward III, which gave Henry a real, although
tenuous, claim to the throne.
Mindful of Henry's vulnerability, Margaret entrusted her son to the care of his uncle, Jasper Tudor. When Henry was
14, Edward IV won power for the House of York in the Battle of Tewkesbury. Many Lancastrians died or were
executed as a result of the battle. Jasper fled with Henry to France.
Claim to the English Throne
Edward IV died in 1483, leaving his wife, Elizabeth Woodville (the 'White Queen') a widow. His brother Richard
usurped the throne from his 12-year-old nephew Edward V, making himself Richard III. Henry was now the leading
Lancastrian claimant to the English crown, and saw his support grow. He promised his supporters that if he became
king he would marry Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth of York; a move that would unite the warring houses of York
and Lancaster, the opposing sides in the Wars of the Roses.
The Battle of Bosworth
In 1485, Henry landed at Milford Haven. He marched across Wales and England to meet Richard III's forces at the
Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire. In the battle Richard III was killed and Henry was crowned King Henry VII at
the top of Crown Hill, near the village of Stoke Golding.
Having secured parliamentary recognition of his title as King of England he married Elizabeth of York thus uniting the
House of Lancaster and the House of York. He adopted the Tudor rose as the emblem of England, combining the
white rose of York with the red rose of Lancaster to symbolise an end to the dynastic war.
Consolidated Power
Henry VII's grip on power was far from secure. His claim to the throne was shaky and he was plagued by plots and
conspiracies. He consolidated his position with a treaty with France that opened up trade between the two
countries. His most important treaty was the 'Magnus Intercursus' or 'Great Intercourse', signed with the
Netherlands, securing England's textile exports.
In 1503 he arranged the marriage of his daughter, Margaret Tudor, to James IV of Scotland in order to secure peace
between the two countries. The marriage meant that James IV's descendants would have a claim to the English
throne.
Henry also secured a marriage between his eldest son, Arthur, and the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, in
1501. But in 1502 the 15-year-old Arthur Tudor died suddenly at Ludlow Castle, leaving Catherine a widow and
making his younger brother, Henry, the new heir to the throne. It was suggested that Catherine should marry the
young Henry instead, but this wasn't agreed upon during Henry VII's lifetime due to wrangling over Catherine's
dowry.
Tudor State
Henry VII rebuilt the royal finances by avoiding war, promoting trade and enforcing royal taxes to the point of
ruthlessness. This meant he was able to leave a fortune to his son, the future Henry VIII.
Henry VII began the work of building a modern administration. The Royal Council was reborn as the Court of Star
Chamber, set up to deal with judicial matters. Arrangements were made to promote better order in Wales and the
north through the creation of special councils and more powers were entrusted to the justices of the peace.
The combined impact of Henry VII's reforms would increase significantly the power of the King and open the way for
medieval rule, with its local law and customs, to be gradually supplanted by a more centralised Tudor state.
Death
Henry VII died of tuberculosis on 21 April 1509 and was buried at Westminster Abbey. He left a safe throne, a solvent
government and a prosperous and reasonably united country. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII
Issues facing Henry after Bosworth:
Yet all was not rosy after the battle of Bosworth. Henry VII faced many issues:
• Henry held the weakest claim to the throne of England since William the Conqueror. The claim was
matrilineal (came through his mother) and via an illegitimate line back to the third son of Edward III – John
of Gaunt.
• There were many other live claimants to the throne with better claims; Edward Earl of Warwick the nephew
of Richard III and Edward IV (son of their brother George Duke of Clarence), John de la Pole another York
nephew who was also Richard III’s intended heir as well as his brother Edmund de la Pole.
• With no bodies (necessary to stop rumour and rebellion) it could not be proven that Edward IV’s sons Prince
Edward (Edward V) and Richard Duke of York (the Princes in the Tower) were truly dead.
• The treasury was completely empty, the Hundred Years War between England and France and the wars of
the Roses had depleted England’s finances.
• England had slid into being a minor power in foreign policy. Foreign powers could easily back a usurper or
pretender. Trade had suffered terribly.
• Stability, peace and justice had suffered. Nobles had become ‘overmighty’ with private armies (retainers)
and power over their localities.
Actions taken to consolidate his power:
Action: Detail: How did this action aid Henry VII?
Predated the
Henry VII used parliament to pre-date his reign to the
21st August, 1485. The battle of Bosworth took place
upon the 22nd August, 1485.
This meant that Henry VII had the
justification to accuse men who had
fought on Richard III’s side of
treason.
Rewarded
supporters
fought under Henry at Bosworth. Thomas, Lord
Stanley was made the Earl of Derby, Sir Reginald Bray
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Sir William
Stanley was made Chamberlain of Henry’s
Household.
kept them onside. These trusted men
then helped Henry run his new
kingdom replacing RIII’s Yorkist
supporters. Alongside his fairly
also gave a sign that loyalty and
support would be rewarded.
York (Edward IV’s daughter) and the Earl of Warwick
both of whom had a greater claim to the throne.
This stopped any possible rebellions
and uprisings to replace Henry with a
Yorkist heir.
in London on 30th October, 1485. He selected to be
crowned before he opened his first parliament to
make his reign seem more legitimate.
Being crowned before parliament
luxurious procession through London
London.
Parliament passed Acts of Attainders against Yorkists
who had fought at Bosworth allowing Henry to seize
their property. Henry was also awarded the custom
duties of tonnage and poundage.
Henry increased his revenues by
seizing the lands of Yorkists who had
fought for RIII and hadn’t begun to
support him. He was also given
money from custom duties.
for propaganda (creating the Tudor rose). In
September 1489 Prince Arthur was born, named after
the legendary British king.
marrying a Yorkist heir (after he had
been crowned himself) and creating
an heir that held both the royal blood
of the houses of York and Lancaster.
Threats to Henry’s throne:
Threat: Detail: How dangerous was the threat?
Lord Lovell and the
supporter of Richard III) attempted to raise a
rebellion against the new king in Richard’s
heartland of the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Humphrey Stafford also attempted to raise
support in the Midlands. Henry’s troops defeated
the rising Humphrey Stafford was captured and
executed. Thomas Stafford shown clemency
(pardoned). They had gained little support –
though Lovell did manage to escape.
Henry managed to crush these two
uprisings fairly easily. His clemency
(charity) towards Thomas Stafford
fair ruler who would pardon would-
be traitors. The only threat from this
rebellion was that Lovell managed to
escape to Margaret of Burgundy’s
court.
who could pretend to be a Yorkist prince and
secondly a wealthy financier (Margaret of
Burgundy – RIII’s sister). The conspiracy was put
together by John de la Pole and revolved around
a young man from Oxford called Lambert Simnel
who was trained to impersonate a nobleman.
Simnel first pretended to be the Earl of Warwick,
he gained support from the Earl of Kildare and
was crowned King of England in Ireland in May
1487. Henry processed the real Warwick around
London. John de la Pole fled to Margaret of
Burgundy’s court and joined other plotters like
Viscount Lovell. She provided the men and
Simnel a mercenary force of 2,000 men.
Henry sent the previously untrustworthy Earl of
Northumberland to protect the North. As he was
a relative of the powerful Howard family this also
ensured they remained loyal. The rebels failed to
gain support in RIII’s old heartland of the North.
Henry gathered a group of advisors including ex-
Yorkists who had been double-crossed by Richard
III. His army, under the leadership of the Earl of
Oxford crushed Simnel’s army at the battle of
Stoke Field, 1487. Lincoln was killed and Henry
used a mixture of mild treatment of minor rebels
and the use of bonds and recognizances began.
This rebellion was threatening. Key
Yorkists (John de La Pole, Margaret of
Burgundy and the Irish Earl of Kildare)
backed Simnel and gave him support.
Margaret of Burgundy provided
army and if he had managed to gain
support in the North he very well
could have posed a real threat to
Henry.
and Henry’s army under the Earl of
Oxford crushed Simnel at Stoke. John
de la Pole (Earl of Lincoln) was killed
and Henry used a mixture of mild
treatment and forgiveness of rebels
as well as bonds and recognizances to
show that he was in control. Simnel
was given a job in the king’s kitchens.
Perkin Warbeck,
1491 – 1499
in Flanders who claimed to be Richard, Duke of
York the younger of the Princes in the Tower. In
1491 he began to impersonate the prince in
Ireland, he then appeared at the court of Charles
VIII before moving onto the court of Margaret of
Burgundy. Here he was schooled by Margaret in
the manners of a Yorkist prince and began to
Warbeck was a major threat to Henry
for nearly a decade and gained the
support of foreign leaders such as
Margaret of Burgundy and James IV
he was even provided with a
marriage to a Scottish noblewoman.
Henry VII had to use foreign
diplomacy to weaken Warbeck’s
attract English nobles into his conspiracy.
Warbeck attempted to invade England in 1495.
Henry VII was informed of the invasion. Warbeck
fled to the court of James IV where he was
offered men and a noble Scottish bride. His
troops attempted to invade in 1496 but quickly
retreated back to Scotland. James IV quickly
abandoned Warbeck when he was offered the
hand of Margaret Tudor for withdrawing support
(Treaty of Ayton, 1497). Warbeck attempted to
use the unrest caused by the Cornish Rebellion
(1497) but his forces were crushed and he was
captured. Henry first allowed Warbeck to remain
at his court and was lenient. After an escape
attempt from the Tower of London (possibly with
the real Earl of Warwick) he was executed along
with the Earl of Warwick in 1499.
support from Scotland yet he still
continued to threaten Henry
Cornish Rebellion. Even after capture
Warbeck attempted to escape from
his imprisonment leading to his
eventual execution.
VII. He and his brother had been slippery during
the wars of the Roses – tactically selecting to
always remain on different sides to ensure their
family’s survival. The Stanleys last minute
support at the battle of Bosworth had won Henry
the crown. Sir William Stanley held the post of
Lord Chamberlain. This meant he was the head of
Henry VII’s household and court. In 1495 it was
found that this nobleman at the very heart of
Henry VII’s court, with full access to his rooms
was in support of Perkin Warbeck. He was
accused of treason and beheaded.
This threat cut Henry to the core of
his very own family and the heart of
his government.
Key Questions:
1. How effectively did the Tudors restore and develop the powers of the
monarchy?
You will learn how Henry VII established the Tudor Dynasty.
2. In what ways and how effectively was England governed during this
period?
You will examine how he government of England remained the same, but with
important changes within a system which left the ruling elite with political
power. In the shires of England the nobility were in control, aided by the gentry.
Parliament gained in status through the process of the Reformation.
Transition unit: Introduction to decision making in the USA
How Federal Laws Are Made
The U.S. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and makes laws for the nation. Congress has two legislative bodies or chambers: the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Anyone elected to either body can propose a new law. A proposal for a new law is called a bill.
Steps in making a law:
• A bill can be introduced in either chamber of Congress by a Senator or Representative who sponsors it. • Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make
changes to the bill. • The bill is then put before that chamber to be voted on. • If the bill passes one body of Congress, it is then presented to the other body to go through a similar process
of research, discussion, changes, and voting. • Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then
both chambers vote on the same exact bill and, if it passes, they present it to the President. • The President then considers the bill. The President can approve the bill and sign it into law or not approve
(veto) a bill. • If the President chooses to veto a bill, in most cases Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill
becomes a law.
Key question:
To what extent is the President of the United States the most influential position in
making decisions in the United States?