To What Extent Did The Monarch's Power And Influence Increase In The Years 1485-1603 In England?

The power and influence of the monarchy fluctuated significantly with each change of monarch during this period of time due to different factors and each Tudor monarch had different effects over their kingdom. Henry Tudor established the dynasty that contained perhaps the most eminent figures in royal history and his marriage to Elizabeth of York united the opposing houses and protected his position on the throne. It can be said that the Tudor dynasty suffered the most during the mid-Tudor period (1547-1558) as inflation, debasement and poor harvests produced huge economic disruption and the increasing population, epidemics and failed warfare also decreased living standards in Tudor England. There was also political weakness as Henry VIII lost his grip on power during his last years, and was succeeded by young Edward. It can be debated that Elizabeth I’s hold of power and influence was greater than it was at the end of the reign of Henry VII but this does not mean that the monarchical power constantly increased from Henry VII to Elizabeth I as there were moments of decline under the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I. I aim to evaluate the extent to which the monarch’s power and influence increased and come to an overall judgment by studying historical interpretations and sources.

An account recorded in the Anglia Historia stated that Henry VII “knew how to maintain his royal majesty and all which appertains to kingship at every time and in every place” 1.This shows that the king was very skillful in controlling his status and power. However, he did not do this all by himself. Henry VII had the help of Cardinal Wolsey who was his lord chancellor. Wolsey served Henry VII from 1515 to 1529 and he was unquestionably a large and important part of Henry VII’s reign as he aided him in nearly all matters concerning the Tudor monarchy and so was given increasingly more state business, including nearly all of the control over England's foreign policy. This source is useful because we can begin to understand people’s opinions of Henry VII and his reign but I do not think that it is very reliable because it was written by Polydore Vergil who was a renaissance scholar and was encouraged to write the Anglia Historia by Henry VII. Therefore, it will certainly be profoundly biased to favor Henry VII as he lived under the Tudor monarchy and was greeted generously by Henry VII. An interpretation by Penry Williams references the rule of Mary I. The interpretation states that Mary I “had little experience of government or of politics”2. This was due to the fact that she had not been raised to rule a kingdom and her royal aides did not have adequate knowledge of how to run a successful government so they could not effectively help her to secure her power and influence. Once Mary I became queen, she was determined to re-impose Catholicism in England and to marry Philip II of Spain but neither policy was popular amongst the government or her royal subjects. It can be argued that Mary I’s reign was significantly weaker than that of her father Henry VII’s reign due to many reasons. One reason was due to the fact that many councilors strongly opposed her accession to the throne so she was often given poor and inadequate advice from them or she was overthrown and cast aside from within her own council. This drove Mary to take “outside advice, and informed her councilors of her settled decisions, rather than involving them in discussion”.

This shows that the monarch’s power had declined from Henry VII to Mary I. Mary I had little trust in her council to help her make educated decisions on any matter as they did not favor her or her policies so she was not given the same amount of help and support as her father who fully trusted and believed in his council. Therefore I think that the monarch’s power and influence decreased from Henry VII’s reign to Mary I’s reign.