Old rivalries simmered, however. To unite the opponents of Richard III, Henry had promised to marry Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV; and the coalition of Yorkists and Lancastrians continued, helped by French support, since Richard III talked of invading France. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. Why is this ambitious? For me, history is alive and energizing - not something static and remote. To strengthen his position, however, he subsidised shipbuilding, so strengthening the navy (he commissioned Europe's first ever and the world's oldest surviving dry dock at Portsmouth in 1495) and improving trading opportunities. [40], Henry VII improved tax collection in the realm by introducing ruthlessly efficient mechanisms of taxation. Raised in France, admiring of Italian-trained lawyers (and reaping the reward of the return of a whole generation of educated English commoners who sat out the War of the Roses abroad), with good taste in Renaissance art and advised by his gracious wife and steely mother, Henry VII is a major figure, not a prequel. Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. Author Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. This was accomplished through the targeted imposition of fines and bonds through extrajudicial councils. By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. [30] Before departing for London, Henry sent Robert Willoughby to Sheriff Hutton in Yorkshire, to arrest Warwick and take him to the Tower of London. The Lancastrians triumphed under the leadership of a 28-year-old exile named Henry Tudor. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. 'Meeting between Francis I and Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520,' a painting by Friedrich August Bouterwek. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII. Doubtless the plotters were encouraged by the deaths of Henrys sons in 1500 and 1502 and of his wife in 1503. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. Together, they had seven children. The new prince was the embodiment of the red and white rose, he was the Tudor rose incarnate. I really enjoyed it. All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. Iain Hollingshead reviews Henry VII: Winter King, a BBC Two documentary which examines how the first Tudor monarch came to power and went on to have a 23-year reign. (HIST003) Persecutions, Populations and Politics: Early Modern Britain 1550-1750, (HIST004) Country, Colonies and Culture: Early Modern Britain 1550-1750, (HIST006) The Stuart Court: History Politics and Culture, (HIST010) The Tudors: History, Culture and Religion, (HIST011) The English Country House: History, Architecture and Landscape, (HIST018) The Changing English Countryside, 20th Century Musicals: A Celebration of Song and Dance on the Silver Screen and the Stage. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. Some of them have more to say than Penn about the constructive sides of the reign, which developed the state-building methods of his Yorkist predecessors. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. What are the differences between Henry VII and Henry VIII? [53] Later on, Henry had exchanged letters with Pope Julius II in 1507, in which he encouraged him to establish peace among Christian realms, and to organise an expedition against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. With Elizabeth's death, the possibilities for such family indulgences greatly diminished. [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. It was the end of the union of Lancaster and York and many had only accepted Henry as King because of his wifes Yorkist roots, so Henry was once more on shaky ground with his old enemies resurfacing and raising armies. Henry was devastated. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. [37], For most of Henry VII's reign Edward Story was Bishop of Chichester. [48], Henry later concluded a treaty with France at Etaples that brought money into the coffers of England, and ensured the French would not support pretenders to the English throne, such as Perkin Warbeck. Henry VII is actually a less familiar figure, despite being the same person. Having seen it pop up in a lot of papers' Books of the Year lists, I think I was expecting something altogether more gripping and dramatic, but in the end I thought the story of Henry VII and the Tudor succession was just not an especially thrilling tale. [29] Henry secured his crown principally by dividing and undermining the power of the nobility, especially through the aggressive use of bonds and recognisances to secure loyalty. His first chance came in 1483 when his aid was sought to rally Lancastrians in support of the rebellion of Henry Stafford, duke of Buckingham, but that revolt was defeated before Henry could land in England. After Wolf Hall, I wanted to find out about Henry VII, the lesser-studied father of Henry VIII, who founded the Tudor Dynasty. He had enough of that getting himself to the throne. After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. [51], Henry VII was one of the first European monarchs to recognise the importance of the newly united Spanish kingdom; he concluded the Treaty of Medina del Campo, by which his son Arthur, Prince of Wales, was married to Catherine of Aragon. Wales was historically a Lancastrian stronghold, and Henry owed the support he gathered to his Welsh birth and ancestry, being agnatically descended from Rhys ap Gruffydd. Updates? [39] Despite this, during his reign he became a fiscally prudent monarch who restored the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer. These laws were used shrewdly in levying fines upon those that he perceived as threats. He spent his entire reign fixated on eliminating or disarming his enemies, and stabilizing England after the bloody, seemingly endless War of the Roses. [56] This trade made an expensive commodity cheaper, which raised opposition from Pope Julius II, since the Tolfa mine was a part of papal territory and had given the Pope monopoly control over alum. From his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, to his secret death and the succession of his son Henry VIII, the film reveals the ruthless tactics . The last few years of his reign were ones of repression. His bouts of grave illness brought the question repeatedly to the fore. His account of Henry's government is more contentious than he lets on. Stephens, "affords some illustrations of the avaricious and parsimonious character of the king". Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Yorkist malcontents had strength in the north of England and in Ireland and had a powerful ally in Richard IIIs sister Margaret, dowager duchess of Burgundy. His host was Francis, the Duke of Brittany, who saw Henry Tudor as a pawn in the game between Edward VI and the King of France. Hed achieved the impossible, hed risen from refugee to King of England. [75], Henry VII died of tuberculosis at Richmond Palace on 21 April 1509 and was buried in the chapel he commissioned in Westminster Abbey next to his wife, Elizabeth. [81], Henry VII and Elizabeth had seven children:[b]. [68] In 1505 he was sufficiently interested in a potential marriage to Joanna of Naples that he sent ambassadors to Naples to report on the 27-year-old Joanna's physical suitability. Herbert was captured fighting for the Yorkists and executed by Warwick. Wolf Hall this is not. Henry marries Catherine of Aragon. According to John M. Currin, the treaty redefined Anglo-Breton relations. His father was the son of Owen Tudor, a Welsh squire, and Catherine of France, the widow of King Henry V. His mother was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, whose children by Catherine Swynford were born before he married her. Henry VIII was the first English king to be called "Your Majesty.". Next month find out more on someone known as The Winter Queen! Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Thomas Penn's Winter King is not really a biography of Henry VII, and more a study of what he was directing his government to do in his name. It was a fantastic programme and I highly recommend Thomas Penns book on Henry VII Winter King. February 7 Sir Francis Bryan loses an eye and Henry VIII has a new love, An interview with historical novelist Sandra Byrd, Henry VIII and His Six Wives event open for registration. In turn, Antwerp became an extremely important trade entrept (transshipment port), through which, for example, goods from the Baltic, spices from the east and Italian silks were exchanged for English cloth. Henry was a remarkable man. With the English economy heavily invested in wool production, Henry VII became involved in the alum trade in 1486. Indeed he was born in winter, on January 28th 1457, in Pembroke Castle, in Wales and that is one of the reasons why the Welsh dragon always formed part of his insignia. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of. This is why he named the book the Winter King. Henrys Chamber Accounts show payment to strangers and people across the sea, who appear to have been part of a network of spies and informers who kept an eye on potential troublemakers and alerted the King. If Penn's interpretation can sometimes seem slanted, its exposition would be hard to over-praise. Claiming the throne by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God in battle, he was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. [10] A contemporary writer and Henry's biographer, Bernard Andr, also made much of Henry's Welsh descent. [55] Since alum was mined in only one area in Europe (Tolfa, Italy), it was a scarce commodity and therefore especially valuable to its land holder, the Pope. To be notified of special offers, news, new courses, and new tutors, please subscribe to our newsletter. He likens the beginning of Henry VIII's reign to a metaphorical spring, a second coming of sorts because Henry VIII seemed to be the opposite of his father. [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". He invited artists, musicians and scholars to live at his court. Penn went on to show Henry VIIs wax funeral effigy, which I saw on my recent trip to London, and which shows his fine-boned features and his crooked eye, but also a face bearing the signs of stress and illness. The usual courts and justice system were totally circumvented, and there was no chance of appeal other than purchasing extremely high priced royal pardons. [16] With money and supplies borrowed from his host, Francis II of Brittany, Henry tried to land in England, but his conspiracy unravelled resulting in the execution of his primary co-conspirator, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. He created the sovereign coin to spread the message that he was King. Some of it is due to his personality--he played his cards close to the vest, unlike his son--and some of it is due to Tudor spin--they were, after all trying to bolster up the royal credentials for a man who didn't have that many. He had to pay a 500 fine to save himself, to buy a pardon for the crime. The insurrections fronted by the pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck emerged from wide and formidable networks of conspiracy that drew in foreign rulers and leading English magnates, and infiltrated Henry's court. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. The baby died and Elizabeth, herself, died on 11th February 1503, her 37th birthday. Thus, Henry Tudor had no choice but to gather together an army including mercenary soldiers as well as his own supporters, and he landed in Wales in August, 1485. 3.5 Stars. I thought the way he controled the nobility was fascinating - keeping them in check as well a raising vast sums of money at the same time. [citation needed] The first was the 1486 rebellion of the Stafford brothers, abetted by Viscount Lovell, which collapsed without fighting. It was not until 1506, when he imprisoned Suffolk in the Tower of London, that Henry could at last feel safe. ), Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_VII_of_England&oldid=1141813382, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from September 2021, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Articles incorporating text from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2021, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Katherine (2 February 1503 10 February 1503), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 23:16. Consultant editor for the. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It is not known precisely where Cabot landed, but he was eventually rewarded with a pension from the king; it is presumed that Cabot perished at sea after a later unsuccessful expedition. Henry VII: The Winter King (95) 59min 2013 PG. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. On 7th August 1485, he dropped anchor at Mill Bay, Milford Haven, and when he reached the beach he prayed Judge me, O Lord, and favour my cause. The odds were stacked against him in his quest to take the throne of England. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. Henry VII The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful read. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England. In other cases, he brought his over-powerful subjects to heel by decree. Philip died shortly after the negotiations. Here was a young man who enjoyed jousting, who enjoyed chatting with the other knights in the tiltyard and with people of low degree. Pembroke Castle, and later the Earldom of Pembroke, were granted to the Yorkist William Herbert, who also assumed the guardianship of Margaret Beaufort and the young Henry. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. [citation needed], All Acts of Parliament were overseen by the justices of the peace. 1509. Since he was the second son, and not expected to become king, we know little of his childhood until the death of his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. Hidden under the floor in St George's Chapel in Windsor, England where thousands of people walk every day, a forgotten tomb lies. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Read all Directors Giulia Clark Stuart Elliott Writers His second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became . For inheriting an unstable throne, holding it for 25 year and leaving England relatively stable, Henry VII deserves his own biography and a lot more credit. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? People saw him as being like a traditional king and hoped that his reign would bring positive change. I couldn't even stay awake reading this. Stanley placed Richards circlet on Henrys head, he was now King. Henry then consolidated his reign with magnificent architecture, an opulent household and money. Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Accordingly, he arranged a papal dispensation from Pope Julius II for Prince Henry to marry his brother's widow Catherine, a relationship that would have otherwise precluded marriage in the Church. Historians debate the extent of Henry's rapacity. Henry VII, also called (145785) Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, (born January 28, 1457, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Walesdied April 21, 1509, Richmond, Surrey, England), king of England (14851509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty . He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. [46] In 1506 he resumed the construction of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, started under Henry VI, guaranteeing finances which would continue even after his death. Penn is not one to understate a case. His history plays depicted the dramatic conflicts of the wars of the roses, which Henry's accession after his victory at Bosworth in 1485 brought to an end. But now, sensitivity readers are pushing back . As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. The purpose of the agreement was to prevent France from annexing Brittany. Hence, the king was plagued with conspiracies until nearly the end of his reign. [66], Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. [12], Henry lived in the Herbert household until 1469, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"), went over to the Lancastrians. Henry the older was lean and shriveled, rigid with prudence, empty of any hunger other than a desire to secure his throne through the acquisition of cash. Alison Weir points out that the Rennes ceremony, two years earlier, was plausible only if Henry and his supporters were certain that the Princes were already dead. That was to prevent the King of France capturing him and letting him loose on the English as a rival. The Field of Cloth of Gold: Royal Revelry. The first rising, that of Lord Lovell, Richard IIIs chamberlain, in 1486 was ill-prepared and unimportant, but in 1487 came the much more serious revolt of Lambert Simnel. Indeed he was born in winter, on January 28th 1457, in Pembroke Castle, in Wales and that is one of the reasons why the Welsh dragon always formed part of his insignia. There were too many powerful noblemen and, as a consequence of the system of so-called bastard feudalism, each had what amounted to private armies of indentured retainers (mercenaries masquerading as servants). Why did the nobility accept the curtailment of the military power it had wielded in the wars of the roses and swallow the elevation of upstarts at Henry's court? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! [77][78] His mother died two months later on 29 June 1509. Penn showed a genealogical roll that had belonged to the de la Pole family which showed Henry VI being the end of the Lancastrian line and the Yorkist line continuing on to Richard III. It was 1501. Reasonably interesting overview of the reign of Henry VII of England. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. He created the Tudor dynasty. Thank you for subscribing. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything.