Henry VIII and the Break with Rome Timeline - History Henry VII is also known as Henry Tudor. Famed British author Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. [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. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle , Wales, on January 28 th, 1457. (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. His second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became . [11] When Edward IV became King in 1461, Jasper Tudor went into exile abroad. Many influential Yorkists had been dispossessed and disappointed by the change of regime, and there had been so many reversals of fortune within living memory that the decision of Bosworth did not appear necessarily final. Based on the terms of the accord, Henry sent 6000 troops to fight (at the expense of Brittany) under the command of Lord Daubeney. For instance, except for the first few months of the reign, the Baron Dynham and the Earl of Surrey were the only Lord High Treasurers throughout his reign. To be notified of special offers, news, new courses, and new tutors, please subscribe to our newsletter. There he found more English fugitives, willing to invade England in support of Henry, and bearing news that Richard III had serious plans to marry the princess Elizabeth himself. The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. However, such a level of paranoia persisted that anyone (John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, for example)[27] with blood ties to the Plantagenets was suspected of coveting the throne. $14.97 1 Used from $14.96 3 New from $14.97. Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as Little England beyond Wales. [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. 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. Thomas Penns Winter King in a brilliant mash-up of gothic horror and political biography. It was 1501. What are the differences between Henry VII and Henry VIII? Years of instability, factionalism and his predecessors' penchant for war had seen royal finances severely battered. Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor , Earl of Richmond , and Margaret Beaufort . The rebellion was defeated and Lincoln killed at the Battle of Stoke. He created the sovereign coin to spread the message that he was King. [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. 'Winter King,' a Portrait of Henry VII - The New York Times Henry, recognizing that Simnel had been a mere dupe, employed him in the royal kitchens. 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. 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. 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. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. [21], Henry devised a plan to seize the throne by engaging Richard quickly because Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. 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. 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. 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). Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. That was to prevent the King of France capturing him and letting him loose on the English as a rival. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [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. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. [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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. 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). [38], Unlike his predecessors, Henry VII came to the throne without personal experience in estate management or financial administration. The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. 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. Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. Hence, the king was plagued with conspiracies until nearly the end of his reign. When they married in 1396 they already had four children, including Henry's great-grandfather John Beaufort. I had an idea Henry VII was a force for stability; in fact he was a terrifying kleptocrat, abusing the law with arbitrary fines and imprisonment, scheming to effectively steal entire estates and wring every penny out of subjects as well as impose political control through financial means. Today is Shrove Tuesday time for pancakes! 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. [58], Henry's principal problem was to restore royal authority in a realm recovering from the Wars of the Roses. Watch Henry VII: The Winter King | Prime Video - amazon.com Thomas More hailed the end of "slavery" and the return of "liberty", "the end of sadness, the beginning of joy". Life at court was merry under Henry 8th, a fresh new beginning likened to springtime. Possession of something the French King wanted also made the Duke of Brittany safer in his own duchy. Four good reasons to indulge in cryptocurrency! For many he remained a usurper, a false king. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. Penn then moved on to how Henry became King. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? Corrections? There's a lot of cloak-and-dagger stuff here, something Henry and certain of his counselors seemed especially skilled at, and it was those parts that I particularly enjoyed. The house of York then appeared so firmly established that Henry seemed likely to remain in exile for the rest of his life. enry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. Stanley placed Richards circlet on Henrys head, he was now King. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. There's a (relatively) brief explanation of Henry's rather tumultuous childhood and his rise to the throne, before Penn really gets into the nitty gritty details during the second half of Henry's reign, focusing on his intricate foreign policy, his increasing use of finance as a means of control over his subjects and, most entertaining to me, the various plots and conspiracies of Henry's enemies. 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. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. The new prince was the embodiment of the red and white rose, he was the Tudor rose incarnate. 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. [citation needed], During his lifetime the nobility often criticised Henry VII for re-centralizing power in London, and later the 16th-century historian Francis Bacon was ruthlessly critical of the methods by which he enforced tax law, but it is equally true that Henry VII was diligent about keeping detailed records of his personal finances, down to the last halfpenny;[71] these and one account book detailing the expenses of his queen survive in the British National Archives, as do accounts of courtiers and many of the king's own letters. Files Welcome Pack of 5 goodies, 28 January 1457 Birth of Henry VII at Pembroke Castle, 30 October 1485 Coronation of Henry VII, Henry VIIIs Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell A Review and Rundown, Henry VII: Winter King A Review and Rundown, 31 May 1533 The Coronation Procession of Queen Anne Boleyn, Why I think Henry VIII was ultimately responsible for Anne Boleyns downfall, 4 March 1522 Anne Boleyn plays Perseverance, The Boleyns of Hever Castle now 99p on Kindle on Amazon UK, YouTube Live 4 March 2023 The Fascinating Background of Henry VIII. The Great Debasement - Wikipedia In other cases, he brought his over-powerful subjects to heel by decree. After the Holy Roman Emperor . In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . Through this, he found that his Lord Chamberlain, Sir William Stanley, was involved in the plot. He entertained thoughts of remarriage to renew the alliance with Spain Joanna, Dowager Queen of Naples (a niece of Queen Isabella of Castile), Queen Joanna of Castile, and Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile), were all considered. 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 VII introduced stability to the financial administration of England by keeping the same financial advisors throughout his reign. Omissions? 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. Henry VII: Winter King, BBC Two, review - The Telegraph Moneywise, King Henry the VII was frugal and careful with money. In 1485 Henry landed at Milford Haven in Wales and advanced toward London. 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. [63] Despite this, Henry was keen to constrain their power and influence, applying the same principles to the justices of the peace as he did to the nobility: a similar system of bonds and recognisances to that which applied to both the gentry and the nobles who tried to exert their elevated influence over these local officials. The purpose of the agreement was to prevent France from annexing Brittany. Penn explained how Henry reworked recent events to suit him. 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. 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. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. It was a fantastic programme and I highly recommend Thomas Penns book on Henry VII Winter King. Henry VII. The Winter King HD - YouTube Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. 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. But definitely rewarding! I thought the book was well written, even though a bit dry is spots. [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. He had to pay a 500 fine to save himself, to buy a pardon for the crime. [49] The confused, fractious nature of Breton politics undermined his efforts, which finally failed after three sizeable expeditions, at a cost of 24,000. [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. Thomas Mores coronation poem for Henry VIII contrasted the new Kings reign with the dark days of the past. Henry attained the throne when his forces defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. 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. By 1500, Henry felt safer and things were looking good. The Merchant Adventurers, the company which enjoyed the monopoly of the Flemish wool trade, relocated from Antwerp to Calais. [a] Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. 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. That is, suspicious, insecure and crafty but also determined, patient and fiercely proud of his Lancastrian ancestry. He was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, and his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville brought together the too sides that were facing off during the Wars of the Roses (the Lancasters and the Yorks) basically uniting the two houses into a single family. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. This revived an earlier practice of using a small (and trusted) group of the Privy Council as a personal or Prerogative Court, able to cut through the cumbersome legal system and act swiftly. Richard III's death at Bosworth Field effectively ended the Wars of the Roses. 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. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. His regime was magnificent, yet terrifying and oppressive. I wasn't disappointed because, as usual, he did a great job with the narration. Quite ambitious in nature, Thomas Penn attempts to write a portrait of Henry VII and his reign. Both parties realised they were mutually disadvantaged by the reduction in commerce. [citation needed], However, his principal weapon was the Court of Star Chamber. When Richard III became King, Henrys strategy, planned by Margaret Beaufort, the mother whom he had not seen for years, was to declare in public, in Brittanys Rennes Cathedral, that he would marry Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth, then in sanctuary with her mother, and thus bury the enmity between Lancaster and York by making her his queen. Henry VII The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful 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. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. By 1900 the "New Monarchy" interpretation stressed the common factors that in each country led to the revival of monarchical power. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. Lincoln was killed in battle and Henry was victorious. The Great Debasement (1544-1551) was a currency debasement policy introduced in 1544 England under the order of Henry VIII which saw the amount of precious metal in gold and silver coins reduced and in some cases replaced entirely with cheaper base metals such as copper. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. Though outnumbered, Henry's Lancastrian forces decisively defeated Richard's Yorkist army at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. [2] His father died three months before his birth. 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 union was both symbolic and necessary. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. This approach raised puzzling questions about similarities and differences in the development of national states. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. He took care not to address the baronage or summon Parliament until after his coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey on 30 October 1485. 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. On the debit side, he may have looked a little delicate as he suffered from poor health. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. Henry needed an heir to secure his reign and fortunately an heir came quickly. Henry VII ruled as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do through fear rather than love. Henry Tudor, named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . However, as France was becoming more concerned with the Italian Wars, the French were happy to agree to the Treaty of Etaples. 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. 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. 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. [66], Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. He created the Tudor dynasty. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England These bonds were enforced by the Council Learned in the Law, a council of legal advisers who were only answerable to the King. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. Watch with Prime 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". [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. Henry VII of England - Wikipedia He invited artists, musicians and scholars to live at his court. Sophia Money-Coutts: Sensitivity readers don't want Henry VIII to be Henry VII was the founder of the Tudor dynasty and father of Henry VIII and Ive been doing a bit of digging on this lesser known Tudor. The significant role played by bitcoin for businesses! 1509. Henry then consolidated his reign with magnificent architecture, an opulent household and money. His claim to the throne was tenuous and permanently contested. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. 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. Why is this ambitious? [18] He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion. Here was a young man who enjoyed jousting, who enjoyed chatting with the other knights in the tiltyard and with people of low degree. With Elizabeth's death, the possibilities for such family indulgences greatly diminished. 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. [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. After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. [citation needed], In 1506, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller Emery d'Amboise asked Henry VII to become the protector and patron of the Order, as he had an interest in the crusade. Happy St Davids Day! [13] When Warwick restored Henry VI in 1470, Jasper Tudor returned from exile and brought Henry to court. It was propaganda to spread the message that he was the rightful King. The 6 Main Achievements of Henry VII | History Hit With the assistance of the Italian merchant banker Lodovico della Fava and the Italian banker Girolamo Frescobaldi, Henry VII became deeply involved in the trade by licensing ships, obtaining alum from the Ottoman Empire, and selling it to the Low Countries and in England. He became paranoid and made the decision that if his people couldnt love him then they should fear him. Since we are in the middle of winter, Ive been thinking of a volume on my shelves on Henry VII, who could be called the Winter King. More wrote that this King is loved and compared Henrys accession to the coming of a new season, a new spring following a winter of repression. By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. They were third cousins, as both were great-great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt. 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. [13] When the Yorkist Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, Henry fled with other Lancastrians to Brittany. [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 King was heavily guarded. [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. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent.