Indeed, it could be argued that the intrigues and machinations of the imperial court were the defining characteristics of the Julio-Claudian period. This therefore explains why the discussions of motives behind decisions during the Julio-Claudian era have been so controversial. Due in part to his brother Germanicus being a highly regarded member of the soldiery, Claudius was bestowed the role of Emperor after the assassination of Caligula, despite his perceived feebleness and having limited military or any administrative experience at all. It is furthermore suggested that he was potentially intended to be a ‘puppet emperor’ for the Praetorian Guard’s benefit, “The Praetorian Guard sat at the very heart of Rome, and usually reported only to the emperor of Rome himself and it wasn't long before they started to abuse this power”. Initially considered too incompetent to rule, Claudius arose to the role of emperor in an admirable manner for his condition; he was always ill, and was said to have possessed neither natural dignity nor authority.
In many ways, factional rivalry has threatened the stability of government and one such key individuals that has been a cause of that is Thomas Cromwell. Having been an advocate of financial and religious reformation, Cromwell, as the King’s advisor as well as the Earl of Essex (showing that he had the King’s full support), was in a key position to make these changes, since he often was given permission to initiate these changes. However, these reformations, especially the protestant reformations, have given rise to enemies of Cromwell, the most prominent being the Duke of Norfolk, who represented the conservative faction. Thus came about the factional rivalry between the Conservatives and the Reformists. This struggle eventually led to the execution of Cromwell (1540) following the accusations of allowing heresy in Calais and his failure in handling the Anne of Cleves marriage in a way that pleased Henry.
He is supposed to have the most control, able to keep his people in line however due to his state he was not able to accomplish any of these necessary attributions of a king, therefore this would help contribute to the civil war outbreak, as a weak character in the position of a king isn’t good. In addition, Henry had a trait of having favorites among his nobility. This is shown by he gave out patronage to his favorites, Somerset and Suffolk, they were also made dukes in 1448. This would cause problems inside his nobility. Dukes were usually direct relatives of the king, however Suffolk and Somerset were not, where as Richard of York was.
How accurate is it to say that Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck were both serious threats to Henry VIII's security? Henry became king in 1485 after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. His claim to the throne was weak and he took the crown at a time noblemen were constantly challenging the King's position. In view of these factors, it was no surprise for Henry’s position to be challenged. Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck both posed a threat to Henry's security for several reasons; mainly due to their explicit timing and foreign support.
England was effectively bankrupt and on the edge of internal demise via privet feuds. The battle of St Albans can be pinned as the marking point for the start of the war,, but this would be highly unconventional to blame the conflict on one point such as this, as many other factors had been building up to this event since 1427 such as when Henry VI came of age. He was known as a puppet King, led by the government. It was this governmental rule that caused chaos amongst England and divided it as such, hope for the king to rule England efficiently with an iron hand seemed like an improbable dream. There was a massive loss of resources and income after the recline of land in France, leading to the powerful men of England to take arms in aid of their lords this lead to the battle of St Albans The weakness of royal power can be pin pointed to the king.
Henry 7th was ruthless in securing the Tudor dynasty. Firstly he quickly married Elizabeth of York, which not only united the country, but also gave him two sons, Arthur and Henry, which meant that the Tudor line was secure. Next, to protect the marriage of Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, Henry executed the Earl of Warwick who was in the tower. This was a smart move by Henry because Warwick did have a claim to the throne and could have not only split up the marriage of Arthur and Catherine, but also threaten Henry’s stability as king. Henry also needed to control the nobility because if he didn’t, or only managed to control a minority, he could have a revolution, and Nobles, together, had a lot more money and power than the king himself.
The first Stuart King of England was King James I. He shaped the way between relations of the monarchy and Parliament. Most of these issues faced with Parliament were over finances and where they needed to fund certain things, this created tension between the two. This caused an increase in taxes because the British Empire needed more money to keep itself afloat because it was in war. King James I did however reflect British policy in the colonies by recognizing that Virginia was in fact a royal colony.
Additionally other local rivalries, such as Exeter and Cromwell which led to larger opposing sides to form. Although there were many other rivalries such as over the title of duchy of Cornwall, which caused a local feud between the Bonvilles and the Courtenays, they didn't directly lead to the civil conflicts unlike the Neville and Percy feud. However the most crucial rivalry which was the direct cause of the conflict to end up in battle at St. Albans, was the rivalry between Richard duke of York, an heir presumptive to the throne, and the duke of Somerset, which spurred due to competition over the kings favour. The most significant local rivalry was the rivalry between the Neville family and the Percy family, the feud resulted in a confrontation in 1453, at Heworth Moor, led by the second son of the head of the Percy family, the earl of Northumberland, Lord Egremont. The immediate cause of the feud was land disputes, which led to confrontation as the land at Wressle in Yorkshire which once belonged to the Percies, now through the marriage of Thomas Neville and Maud Stanhope, would be inherited by the Neville family.
Factors suggesting that enemies at Court were important might include: • an understanding of the role of Anne Boleyn and of Norfolk who had made it a matter of personal ambition to be rid of Wolsey • Wolsey had made many enemies whilst in office. Serving the King, and especially increasing his revenue had stirred a bitterness that only waited for an outlet • jealousy may have been a factor. Wolsey had dominated preferment and favour, not only as the distributor but also as the recipient. Hampton Court was the physical reminder of this • many at court opposed Wolsey’s foreign policy reversal – indeed this was key. By 1529 England was diplomatically isolated and this might be considered a consequence of Wolsey’s advances to the French • the increasingly central position of Norfolk, Suffolk and Rochford at Court was recognised even by Wolsey in the Eltham Ordinances.
To what extent were economic forces the principle cause of political change in medieval England? Over the course of the medieval period, politics changed dramatically. Monarchs began to realise that rule by force implied that you always ran the risk of being beaten by a more powerful foe. In response to this change, the monarchy undoubtedly began to use legal systems and Parliament to cement their positions. The age of the absolutist monarch was waning as Parliament’s freedoms and powers increased – their hold over the monarch’s finances was a particular strength.