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. 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. [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. [39] Despite this, during his reign he became a fiscally prudent monarch who restored the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer. 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. [24][17][25] He was 29 years old, she was 20. 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. His spies and informers were everywhere. All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until her death on February 11th, 1503. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. Catherine's mother Isabella I of Castile had died and Catherine's sister Joanna had succeeded her; Catherine was, therefore, daughter of only one reigning monarch and so less desirable as a spouse for Henry VII's heir-apparent. Unfortunately, since all I really wanted to know about was learning about Henry the 7th and his family as people - the things that happened to them, what kind of people they were, etc. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. "King Henry VII" redirects here. [9] He took it, as well as the standard of St. George, on his procession through London after the victory at Bosworth. He became paranoid and made the decision that if his people couldnt love him then they should fear him. He invited artists, musicians and scholars to live at his court. At the same time, Flemish merchants were ejected from England. But he leaves us wondering how Henry got away with it. Moneywise, King Henry the VII was frugal and careful with money. Philip died shortly after the negotiations. It was not until 1506, when he imprisoned Suffolk in the Tower of London, that Henry could at last feel safe. Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . An ally of Henry's, Viscount Jean du Qulennec[fr], soon arrived, bringing news that Francis had recovered, and in the confusion Henry was able to flee to a monastery. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. 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. However, with the help of the forces of his step-father, Lord Stanley, he defeated Richard and Richard was killed on the battlefield. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. Happy St Davids Day! The Merchant Adventurers, the company which enjoyed the monopoly of the Flemish wool trade, relocated from Antwerp to Calais. [19] He marched toward England accompanied by his uncle Jasper and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. An easy read? 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. My obsession is European history from the 12th through 17th centuries - especially British history - so of course, when I was offered the chance to review this book, my interest was piqued immediately. Otherwise, at the time of his father's arranging of the marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the future Henry VIII was too young to contract the marriage according to Canon Law and would be ineligible until age fourteen. Why is this ambitious? In response to this threat within his own household, the King instituted more rigid security for access to his person. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of the reign called Henry "a dark prince, and infinitely suspicious". His spies and informers were everywhere. I thought the book was well written, even though a bit dry is spots. He had brought the country to the brink of dynastic ambition, but not quite, so his closest advisers kept his death secret until St Georges Day, the annual meeting of the Order of the Garter. 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. Henry VIII Books livestream YouTube 18 February 2023, February 13 A queen and her lady-in-waiting are beheaded. 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. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. enry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. 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. Backdating Henry's Reign. The rest, as we say, is history; Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor had arrived out of nowhere and avenged the death of the little princes in the tower, although there is some debate as to who was actually responsible for their murder. This was accomplished through the targeted imposition of fines and bonds through extrajudicial councils. Next month find out more on someone known as The Winter Queen! His claim to the throne was precarious and he wanted to portray Richard . Thomas Penns Winter King in a brilliant mash-up of gothic horror and political biography. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. By 1900 the "New Monarchy" interpretation stressed the common factors that in each country led to the revival of monarchical power. [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. Thomas Mores coronation poem for Henry VIII contrasted the new Kings reign with the dark days of the past. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VII-king-of-England, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Henry VII, English Monarchs - Biography of Henry VII, Henry VII - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Henry VII - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). On one side of the coin, instead of a profile of his face, there was a full length depiction of Henry sat on his throne with his crown and sceptre. Penn notes something else about the paeans on the son's accession: later in the Tudor period, apologists for the regime would remember Henry VII as the restorer of national peace and unity, but in 1509 it was the king's death, not his rule, that was held to have ended a long era of dark instability. 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 country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. While most of us are familiar with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and we probably have a sense of the Wars of the Roses in England, but how many of us are familiar with Henry VII. Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII [ JKMMX ] [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ]. Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . Henry VII is usually treated as a charmless and thrifty prelude to the big reign of Henry VIII, with the inevitable marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon, and the reversal of his father's bully policies for a golden age of chivalry and, you know, all the crazy shit Henry VIII was about to do. 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. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? He attained the throne when his forces, supported by France, Scotland, and Wales, defeated Edward IV's brother Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? Watch for $0.00 with Prime. : (April 25, 1883. [12], Henry lived in the Herbert household until 1469, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"), went over to the Lancastrians. Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". He died shortly afterwards in Carmarthen Castle. Henry restored power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war. One of their sons was Edmund, Henry's father. 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. [citation needed], Henry honoured his pledge of December 1483 to marry Elizabeth of York and the wedding took place in 1486 at Westminster Abbey. 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. By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. [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. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. Lincoln was killed in battle and Henry was victorious. It was propaganda to spread the message that he was the rightful King. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. His account of Henry's government is more contentious than he lets on. Henry was building a myth, the idea that he and his family were the true royal blood of England. Herbert was captured fighting for the Yorkists and executed by Warwick. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. More than a biography of Henry VII, this book is really a highly detailed history of the last ten years of his reign, and how he meticulously and ruthlessly turned England into a police state ruled by what amounted to an organized crime syndicate. For Henry VII, it was all about the money and stability. Thanks largely to the desertion of his stepfather, Lord Stanley, to him, he defeated and slew Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. [14] In November 1476, Francis fell ill and his principal advisers were more amenable to negotiating with King Edward. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. The marriage between Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon would be the culmination of everything that Henry VII had fought for at the Battle of Bosworth, so in 1501 there was a fortnight of marriage celebrations and London was in a carnival mood. The fact that a Cockney could provide a recognisable representation of him gives away part of his enduring appeal; in national memory, Henry was one of the lads, the only English king to have. The reigns of his three predecessors were interrupted or foreshortened. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.[a]. Old rivalries simmered, however. Henrys throne, however, was far from secure. 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. 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. Not only was . [77][78] His mother died two months later on 29 June 1509. 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. 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. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. [citation needed], After 1503, records show the Tower of London was never again used as a royal residence by Henry VII, and all royal births under Henry VIII took place in palaces. This is why he named the book the Winter King. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Henry VII, grown rich from Morton's Fork and other squeezes, was far from a bumpkin trying to break into the royal circles of western Europe--he was being courted, and he knew very well to play Castile (Hapsburg) and Aragon off against one another after Isabella died (and Catherine might very well have been packed off home to marry someone else, it was common). Henry decided to keep Brittany out of French hands, signed an alliance with Spain to that end, and sent 6,000 troops to France. 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. [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. Inadvertently, he provoked a revolution. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death. this was well-written and i love henry vii for how he managed to a) get the throne of england and b) keep it and make the crown so solvent after the devastating years of the Wars of the Roses, but i can't help but think that a lot of this was rather dry. [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. [45], Henry VII established the pound avoirdupois as a standard of weight; it later became part of the Imperial[46] and customary systems of units. The portly Henry VIII, and the ill-fated destinies of most of his six wives, is one of the first historical figures primary-aged pupils are aware of.. [18] He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion. [28], Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the statute that declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thus legitimising his wife. The Lancastrian Henry and his Yorkist wife Elizabeth strove to reconcile the factions, but unreconciled Yorkists, to whom he was no more than a usurper, harassed his reign. We know that Henry attended the wedding celebrations of Arthur and his bride . Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. Penn then went on to talk about the heir to the throne, the young Prince Henry, who seemed very different to the King. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. It seems that Henry was skilful at extracting money from his subjects on many pretexts, including that of war with France or war with Scotland. [33], In 1490, a young Fleming, Perkin Warbeck, appeared and claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the "Princes in the Tower".
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