England
Royal Finance under Henry VII
Strength of Henry's position
Edward IV inherited all of the Neville properties, and Henry inherited these from Edward. Henry also inherited all the other Yorkist estates. This made him by far the richest man in England. But he went further. He put his lawyers to work and restored all royal properites alienated as far back as the days of Edward III.
Increase in royal revenue
Income from royal land in 1485 totaled £29,000; by 1509 it was up to £42,000. Income from the Duchy of Lancaster rose from £650 to £6,500. Customs revenue rose from £30,000 to £40,000.
Henry was a king with an eye for money. In 1504 he demanded a feudal aid for the knighting of his son Arthur. This was not at all unusual and in fact was very traditional. Except Arthur had been knighted fifteen years previously. And, he had been dead for two years.
Henry systematically went around his kingdom having his lawyers establish precisely the feudal obligations owed him, then enforcing his rights. When a lord violated some law, Henry was more likely to punish him with a fine than with prison—this extended even to treason.
Once Henry visited the Earl of Oxford. The Earl entertained the king lavishly, but Henry saw that many of the Earl's men were armed and dressed in the Earl's colors, a clear violation of the strict laws against livery and maintenance. The King said nothing until he was leaving, when he turned to his host and said: "My lord, I thank you for my good cheer, but I may not endure to have my laws broken in my sight; my attorney must speak with you." The story may be apocryphal, but it is illustrative.
The king asked for "free loans" from wealthy individuals and corporations.
Morton's Fork
If the person lived lavishly, this was proof of his ability to pay. If he lived frugally, this was evidence of savings, a portion of which should be donated to the crown. In other words, no matter how you behaved, the king figured you had the dough.
He also made large chunks of money through marriage arrangements (Arthur and then Henry with Catherine of Aragon), and through clever diplomacy in wars.