Reaction to Henry VII's style of kingship and its contribution to the emergence of constitutional monarchy in England

Abstract

London was no exception to the general tendency for the cities of ancient and medieval Europe to serve, at least sporadically, as forcing houses for radical political ideas and constitutional experiments. By 1485 the city had developed a constitution in which the rights of the governed were recognized and there were clearly-articulated notions about what constituted ‘proper’ government. Consequently, Henry VII's ‘arbitrary’ style of kingship – in particular a tendency for his ministers not only to share roles among themselves but to usurp other men's, and the serious challenge this posed to the authority of London's governors – generated a strong reaction at his death which found a voice in the writings of Londoners such as Thomas More. These writings were not only part of an ancient debate about how to bridle the essentially ungovernable wills of English kings, but helped to move the debate on from attempts to persuade kings to exercise self-control to attempts to deprive them of real power.