He spent most of the next 14 years under the protection of Francis II, Duke of Brittany. For instance, the Stanley family had control of Lancashire and Cheshire, upholding the peace on the condition that they stayed within the law. [25][80], Historians have always compared Henry VII with his continental contemporaries, especially Louis XI of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon. His second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became . [34], When the King's agents searched the property of William Stanley (Chamberlain of the Household, with direct access to Henry VII) they found a bag of coins amounting to around 10,000 and a collar of livery with Yorkist garnishings. Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . His spies and informers were everywhere. After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. [81], Henry VII and Elizabeth had seven children:[b]. [6] Henry IV's action was of doubtful legality, as the Beauforts were previously legitimised by an Act of Parliament, but it weakened Henry's claim. Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until her death on February 11th, 1503. I really enjoyed it. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1622 Francis Bacon published his History of the Reign of King Henry VII. You can find out more on the conflicts between England and France, the Wars of the Roses and also the Tudors in our history courses. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. [citation needed], To secure his hold on the throne, Henry declared himself king by right of conquest retroactively from 21 August 1485, the day before Bosworth Field. Penn ended the programme by visiting the tombs of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in Henrys chapel at Westminster Abbey, a chapel that remains at the heart of political life. [9] He took it, as well as the standard of St. George, on his procession through London after the victory at Bosworth. His father, Henry VII, was a cold, calculating man (he wasn't called "the Winter King" for nothing), a greedy monarch who during his last years on the throne had squeezed every last drop. Anyone perceived to have any potential political power or social capital was rendered deeply indebted to the crown and at risk of complete financial ruin upon the whim of the king and his councillors. [35] In 1499, Henry had the Earl of Warwick executed. Yet Henry's techniques of power went beyond the needs of surveillance and survival. The usual courts and justice system were totally circumvented, and there was no chance of appeal other than purchasing extremely high priced royal pardons. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. He was probably baptised at St Mary's Church, Pembroke,[1] though no documentation of the event exists. This was excellent. [citation needed] Nonetheless, by 1483 Henry was the senior male Lancastrian claimant remaining after the deaths in battle, by murder or execution of Henry VI (son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois), his son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, and the other Beaufort line of descent through Lady Margaret's uncle, Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset. For me, history is alive and energizing - not something static and remote. France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 7.1 59min 2013 16+. He was the only child of Lady Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. He stabilised the government's finances by introducing several new taxes. The wedding was a triumph but in April 1502 a messenger brought the King the news that his eldest son had died of sweating sickness. Today is Shrove Tuesday time for pancakes! He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. It was presented by historian Thomas Penn, author of Winter King and was an excellent examination of the King who, as Penn pointed out, tend to be eclipsed by Richard III, the glamour and notoriety of Henry VIII and the charisma of Elizabeth I. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. All the information is from Thomas Penn. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. This approach raised puzzling questions about similarities and differences in the development of national states. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. [citation needed] John Cabot, originally from Genoa and Venice, had heard that ships from Bristol had discovered uncharted new found territory far west of Ireland. Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor , Earl of Richmond , and Margaret Beaufort . Edward would have liked to rid himself of Henry, a rival to his throne, but Francis kept Henry safe. 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. Reading this, I got a much better understanding of where Henry VIII came from, and why he was destined to be the colorful ruler he became, as an antidote to his own father. This is why he named the book the Winter King. [citation needed] Henry also formed an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (14931519) and persuaded Pope Innocent VIII to issue a papal bull of excommunication against all pretenders to Henry's throne. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 'Meeting between Francis I and Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520,' a painting by Friedrich August Bouterwek. Sometimes, Penn explained, charges against people were fabricated so that they would have to pay a fine, for example, a man who was charged with murdering a child and who was found guilty because the jury was rigged. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. Henry was building a myth, the idea that he and his family were the true royal blood of England. Overall, this was a successful area of policy for Henry, both in terms of efficiency and as a method of reducing the corruption endemic within the nobility of the Middle Ages. If Penn's interpretation can sometimes seem slanted, its exposition would be hard to over-praise. Henrys throne, however, was far from secure. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. Backdating Henry's Reign. I am glad to say that I think it does, for it concentrates on the reign, and court, of Henry VII, giving a different slant to the well known story. [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. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. That was to prevent the King of France capturing him and letting him loose on the English as a rival. In that, he was quite successful, but he was neither loved nor admired. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. When he died, his only surviving son, Henry VIII, succeeded him without a breath of opposition. But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. [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. Their powers and numbers steadily increased during the time of the Tudors, never more so than under Henry's reign. On the debit side, he may have looked a little delicate as he suffered from poor health. The nobility was forced into bonds, legal agreements that they would act as the King wanted or be fined. While there, he feigned stomach cramps and delayed his departure long enough to miss the tides. Its goals, relentlessly pursued until Henry's death in 1509, were the establishment of a royal house, the elimination of opposition, and the steady accumulation of power and wealth. He was the last king of England to win . of course, a large proportion of my opinion is probably due to the fact that i knew a lot about henry vii already, and Penn tried to create quite a thrilling/mysterious feel, which is all well and good if you don't already know how everything plays out. Based on the terms of the accord, Henry sent 6000 troops to fight (at the expense of Brittany) under the command of Lord Daubeney. Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. The King, normally a reserved man who rarely showed much emotion in public unless angry, surprised his courtiers by his intense grief and sobbing at his son's death, while his concern for the Queen is evidence that the marriage was a happy one, as is his reaction to Queen Elizabeth's death the following year, when he shut himself away for several days, refusing to speak to anyone. For him, it was never about glory and battle. They did as much to endanger his throne as to secure it. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? [15], By 1483, Henry's mother was actively promoting him as an alternative to Richard III, despite her being married to Lord Stanley, a Yorkist. His early reign was plagued by pretenders to the throne, giving the new Tudor dynasty a rocky start and a fear of conspiracy which dogged Henry VII throughout his life. To be notified of special offers, news, new courses, and new tutors, please subscribe to our newsletter. Henry VII, also called (1457-85) Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, (born January 28, 1457, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Walesdied April 21, 1509, Richmond, Surrey, England), king of England (1485-1509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty. The devastated King became so ill that he was close to death, but then he recovered and Penn explains that when he took control once more, he was remorseless. 1845. Most often asked questions related to bitcoin. He spent money lavishly, held big parties. Old rivalries simmered, however. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. Here is a rundown of the programme for those who missed it. Swynford was Gaunt's mistress for about 25 years. His claim to the throne was precarious and was from an illegitimate line, a family who had been banned from taking the throne, so Henry needed to make the people believe that he was their rightful King and to do that he had to start behaving like one. Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle , Wales, on January 28 th, 1457. Two themes of his book preside: the permanent vulnerability of Henry's regime, and his ruthless methods of rule. Possession of something the French King wanted also made the Duke of Brittany safer in his own duchy. What old December's bareness every where! [18] He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion. [2] His father died three months before his birth. His younger brother, Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke, undertook to protect Edmund's widow Margaret, who was 13 years old when she gave birth to Henry. 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. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. I found this really interesting, but Im a history nut. Richard III's death at Bosworth Field effectively ended the Wars of the Roses. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Up to a point, he succeeded. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which marked the end of the Wars of the Roses. Henry's original head was cut out of the painting and replaced at some point after the work's creation. His spies and informers were everywhere. ||Wordpress installation and design by http://www.MadeGlobal.com, FREE Anne Boleyn This family took a dim view of Henry and it was John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, who instigated the first rebellion against him. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. He was supported in this effort by his chancellor, Archbishop John Morton, whose "Morton's Fork" was a catch-22 method of ensuring that nobles paid increased taxes: those nobles who spent little must have saved much, and thus could afford the increased taxes; in contrast, those nobles who spent much obviously had the means to pay the increased taxes. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . 1) The number of books on Henry VII can basically be counted on one hand 2) This is Penns first book. [citation needed] At Rennes Cathedral on Christmas Day 1483, Henry pledged to marry Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward IV. 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. But now, sensitivity readers are pushing back . [26] Henry married Elizabeth of York with the hope of uniting the Yorkist and Lancastrian sides of the Plantagenet dynastic disputes, and he was largely successful. [57], In 1506, Henry extorted the Treaty of Windsor from Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy. [32], Next, in 1487, Yorkists led by Lincoln rebelled in support of Lambert Simnel, a boy they claimed to be Edward of Warwick (who was actually a prisoner in the Tower). [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. The King was heavily guarded. [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. [13] When the Yorkist Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, Henry fled with other Lancastrians to Brittany. When the Lancastrian cause crashed to disaster at the Battle of Tewkesbury (May 1471), Jasper took the boy out of the country and sought refuge in the duchy of Brittany. In 1494, Henry embargoed trade (mainly in wool) with the Burgundian Netherlands in retaliation for Margaret of Burgundy's support for Perkin Warbeck. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. Watch for $0.00 with Prime. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. Scapegoats were needed for Henry VIIs reign, people to blame for the old regime, so Edmund Dudley was imprisoned and executed on trumped up charges. Luther made a protest against the Catholic practice of Indulgences. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. Henry VII (28 January 1457 21 April 1509) was King of England from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He had unified the kingdom, accrued immense wealth and created the most notorious dynasty in English history: the Tudors. Henry VII ruled from 1485-1509 and had a dubious claim on the throne, spending most of his time before the famous Battle of Bosworth Field in exile and gaining credibility from his marriage to Elizabeth of York. The last few years of his reign were ones of repression. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. He rewrote history by backdating his reign to 21st August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth Field. 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. I don't read a lot of NF because I usually find it to be tedious, but The Winter King certainly wasn't that. The Field of Cloth of Gold: Royal Revelry. Amateur historians Bertram Fields and Sir Clements Markham have claimed that he may have been involved in the murder of the Princes in the Tower, as the repeal of Titulus Regius gave the Princes a stronger claim to the throne than his own. Henry VIII was the first English king to be called "Your Majesty.". He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. [62], Henry VII used justices of the peace on a large, nationwide scale. His bouts of grave illness brought the question repeatedly to the fore. Henry VIII had become heir to the throne when his elder brother, Arthur, died in 1502. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. [28], Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the statute that declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thus legitimising his wife. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of. He led attempted invasions of Ireland in 1491 and England in 1495, and persuaded James IV of Scotland to invade England in 1496. If you are new the era, this wouldn't the first book I would pick up because it does flip flop around a bit in the beginning-but if you want to understand the players that ultimately have a significant impact on Henry VIII, this is the book for you. As his mother was only 14 when he was born and soon married again, Henry was brought up by his uncle Jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Poor Henry VII. Henry VII ruled - as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do - through fear rather than love. Penn is not one to understate a case. 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. [12], Henry lived in the Herbert household until 1469, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"), went over to the Lancastrians. Doubtless the plotters were encouraged by the deaths of Henrys sons in 1500 and 1502 and of his wife in 1503. Next month find out more on someone known as The Winter Queen! [58], Henry's principal problem was to restore royal authority in a realm recovering from the Wars of the Roses. Dydd Gyl Dewi Hapus! By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. Four good reasons to indulge in cryptocurrency! After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York. Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his fathers death. 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. Stanley placed Richards circlet on Henrys head, he was now King. [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. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. ), The Reign of Henry VII. However, as France was becoming more concerned with the Italian Wars, the French were happy to agree to the Treaty of Etaples. [citation needed] Following the example of Edward IV, Henry VII created a Council of Wales and the Marches for his son Arthur, which was intended to govern Wales and the Marches, Cheshire and Cornwall. I wasn't disappointed because, as usual, he did a great job with the narration. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. The future Henry VIII, in contrast,. Penn explained how Henry reworked recent events to suit him. 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. Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death. Consultant editor for the. [8], In 1456, Henry's father Edmund Tudor was captured while fighting for Henry VI in South Wales against the Yorkists. Soon after his fathers burial on 10 May, Henry suddenly declared that he would indeed marry Catherine, leaving unresolved several issues concerning the papal dispensation and a missing part of the marriage portion. A fresh look at the endlessly fascinating Tudorsthe dramatic and overlooked story of Henry VII and his founding of the Tudor Dynastyfilled with spies, plots, counterplots, and an uneasy royal succession to Henry VIII. [23] After his coronation Henry issued an edict that any gentleman who swore fealty to him would, notwithstanding any previous attainder, be secure in his property and person. Rarely was a father's reign so widely disparaged and disowned on the accession of the son. ||sitemap_index.xml This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI was fighting against Edward IV, a member of the Yorkist Plantagenet branch. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? [24][17][25] He was 29 years old, she was 20. 3.5 Stars. He explained how Henry VII had achieved what he set out to do, he had passed on the crown successfully. His first son and heir apparent, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died suddenly at Ludlow Castle, very likely from a viral respiratory illness known at the time as the "English sweating sickness". Through luck, guile, and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, emerged as rulerbut as a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne, he remained a usurper and false king to many, and his hold on power was precarious. [42], The capriciousness and lack of due process that indebted many would tarnish his legacy and were soon ended upon Henry VII's death, after a commission revealed widespread abuses. [77][78] His mother died two months later on 29 June 1509. [a] Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, a half-brother of Henry VI of England and a member of the Welsh Tudors of Penmynydd, died three months before his son Henry was born. When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. (1): (April 24, 1883. [citation needed], Henry honoured his pledge of December 1483 to marry Elizabeth of York and the wedding took place in 1486 at Westminster Abbey. Having secured financial backing from Florentine bankers in London, Cabot was granted carefully phrased letters patent from Henry in March 1496, permitting him to embark on an exploratory voyage westerly. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York. [64] This made Henry VII's second son, Henry, Duke of York, heir apparent to the throne. This meant that Henry had been the rightful King in the battle and that Richard had been the usurper, and those who supported him had been traitors. Henry Tudor, named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. His claim to the throne was precarious and he wanted to portray Richard III as a usurper. It was no easy feat. He passed laws against "livery" (the upper classes' flaunting of their adherents by giving them badges and emblems) and "maintenance" (the keeping of too many male "servants"). Its restoration by the Magnus Intercursus was very much to England's benefit in removing taxation for English merchants and significantly increasing England's wealth. Get help and learn more about the design. 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 . It was propaganda to spread the message that he was the rightful King. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Both parties realised they were mutually disadvantaged by the reduction in commerce. It is a sobering reflection for professional historians that the apparently unpromising territory of Henry's reign has recently produced two memorable books, both of them written outside their ranks: this one, and Ann Wroe's biography of the pretender, Perkin (2003), a longer work on a shorter subject. He created the Tudor dynasty. Penn's picture of a reign of terror carries disturbing echoes of the Roman historian Tacitus's account of the emperor Tiberius, another ruler whose abridgements of liberty followed an era of civil strife. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. [59][60][61], He was content to allow the nobles their regional influence if they were loyal to him. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent. Luther gained support for his ideas and Europe became . He married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. Henry VII introduced stability to the financial administration of England by keeping the same financial advisors throughout his reign. Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. Henry marries Catherine of Aragon. Henry VII is actually a less familiar figure, despite being the same person. [citation needed] Henry had been under the financial and physical protection of the French throne or its vassals for most of his life before becoming king. Seriously, got nudged by my partner when I'd nodded off. He would learn better as the new reign unfolded. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. Henry Tudors claim to the throne was, therefore, weak and of no importance until the deaths in 1471 of Henry VIs only son, Edward, of his own two remaining kinsmen of the Beaufort line, and of Henry VI himself, which suddenly made Henry Tudor the sole surviving male with any ancestral claim to the house of Lancaster. Henry responded to this threat by embedding spies into households. Why is this ambitious? 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. The expressive and evocative power of his writing, and the union of scholarship with artistry, are rare in modern historical writing. Bacon wanted the future Charles I to learn from Henry's reign, but the financial methods that would provoke fatal opposition to Charles look pale beside the exactions levied by Henry from often innocent subjects, who were denied legal process or threatened with trumped-up prosecutions and had to buy their freedom (though at moments of apparently impending death the king would repent of his methods and have the jails cleared and pardons issued). His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. Then in 1491 appeared a still more serious menace: Perkin Warbeck, coached by Margaret to impersonate Richard, the younger son of Edward IV. Historians debate the extent of Henry's rapacity. Henry gained the support of the Woodvilles, in-laws of the late Edward IV, and sailed with a small French and Scottish force, landing at Mill Bay near Dale, Pembrokeshire. [11] When Edward IV became King in 1461, Jasper Tudor went into exile abroad. Fittingly he dressed in expensive black. Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. Prince Arthur was born just eight months after his parents marriage, at Winchester, the seat of King Arthurs Camelot. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. 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.
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