War, Rebellion and Diplomacy

The Tudors shared the difficulty of being without standing armed forces, except for a number of small corps such as the Yeomen of the Guard, a body which was formed by Henry VII and reached a peak of six hundred men in 1513. They also had in common the recurring need to have armed forces at their disposal, either for the purposes of internal security — against rebellion or invasion — or for overseas expeditions. Two expedients were available to meet these requirements.