The Problem With the King's Law

After York's failure in Parliament, the balance of power shifted back towards Somerset. In order to maintain his position and redress the problems of Suffolk's rule, Somerset pursued a major programme of reform. This focused on an act of resumption, which cancelled all the royal grants of land and offices that had caused such huge problems for Suffolk. The revenue existed, but it had drained into the pockets of Suffolk's allies instead of royal coffers. With the act of resuming, that revenue returned to the royal household, and Henry was able to live within his means. A bigger problem was the breakdown of law and order out in the counties of England.