Author Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent. [40], Henry VII improved tax collection in the realm by introducing ruthlessly efficient mechanisms of taxation. [62], Henry VII used justices of the peace on a large, nationwide scale. Henry marries Catherine of Aragon. The parts on how he abused his position and the law to enrich himself while an entire nation watched helplessly are, frankly, pretty relevant to now. 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 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. 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. An easy read? Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. 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. In 1485, history was about to be changed for ever by a man who was a refugee, a fugitive whod spent half his life on the run and with barely a claim to the throne: Henry Tudor. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. They did as much to endanger his throne as to secure it. Henry VII is known for successfully ending the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and for founding the Tudor dynasty. The expressive and evocative power of his writing, and the union of scholarship with artistry, are rare in modern historical writing. 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. Henry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. Author of, Assistant Master and Professor of History, Selwyn College, University of Cambridge. Yet in the hands of a narrator as accomplished as Penn, the reign acquires its own, troubling fascination. 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. By subscribing you confirm that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy [opens in new window] and the Terms & Conditions [opens in new window]. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. [33], In 1490, a young Fleming, Perkin Warbeck, appeared and claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the "Princes in the Tower". Henry had only been accepted as King because the Princes in the Tower, the sons of Edward IV, were dead, so when Yorkist exiles groomed Perkin Warbeck to pose as one of the princes and raised an army it was a huge threat. 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. [citation needed], Henry honoured his pledge of December 1483 to marry Elizabeth of York and the wedding took place in 1486 at Westminster Abbey. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. 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. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York. 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. 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. Henry came to the throne following the death of his father, Henry VII. [9] He took it, as well as the standard of St. George, on his procession through London after the victory at Bosworth. [citation needed], All Acts of Parliament were overseen by the justices of the peace. Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". Then in 1491 appeared a still more serious menace: Perkin Warbeck, coached by Margaret to impersonate Richard, the younger son of Edward IV. 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. 'Meeting between Francis I and Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520,' a painting by Friedrich August Bouterwek. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. Both were survivors and as united in death as in life, as their tomb in Westminster Abbey illustrates. At any rate, the Wars of the Roses had ended with a victory by which the winner took all, and regardless of his somewhat dubious Plantagenet ancestry. 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. [66], Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Henry's original head was cut out of the painting and replaced at some point after the work's creation. Backdating Henry's Reign. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as Little England beyond Wales. [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. Years of instability, factionalism and his predecessors' penchant for war had seen royal finances severely battered. The Treaty of Redon was signed in February 1489 between Henry and representatives of Brittany. According to John M. Currin, the treaty redefined Anglo-Breton relations. Having established his claim to be king in his own right, he married Elizabeth of York on January 18, 1486. Henry was a remarkable man. [76] He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (reigned 150947), who would initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. [22] Thus, anyone who had fought for Richard against him would be guilty of treason and Henry could legally confiscate the lands and property of Richard III, while restoring his own. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. Next month find out more on someone known as The Winter Queen! 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. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of. He created the Tudor dynasty. The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. Stephens, "affords some illustrations of the avaricious and parsimonious character of the king". He married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. There are an awful lot of books written about the Tudor era, both fiction and non-fiction, so you have to ask whether this book adds anything new. Henry had only been accepted as King because the Princes in the Tower, the sons of Edward IV, were dead, so when Yorkist exiles groomed Perkin Warbeck to pose as one of the princes and raised an army it was a huge threat. I found this really interesting, but Im a history nut. [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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In 1407, Henry IV, Gaunt's son by his first wife, issued new Letters Patent confirming the legitimacy of his half-siblings but also declaring them ineligible for the throne. After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. When they married in 1396 they already had four children, including Henry's great-grandfather John Beaufort. 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. However, this treaty came at a price, as Henry mounted a minor invasion of Brittany in November 1492. A King from upstart usurper to renaissance monarch to Machiavellian schemer. Henry spared Richard's nephew and designated heir, John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, and made the Yorkist heiress Margaret Plantagenet Countess of Salisbury suo jure. He had unified the kingdom, accrued immense wealth and created the most notorious dynasty in English history: the Tudors. 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. 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. [14] In November 1476, Francis fell ill and his principal advisers were more amenable to negotiating with King Edward. For Henry VII, it was all about the money and stability. [69] The wedding never took place, and the physical description Henry sent with his ambassadors of what he desired in a new wife matched the description of his wife Elizabeth. She was Edward's heir since the presumed death of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. Present were exiles from Richards court, friends of Edward IVths queen, but King Richard was able to bribe the ageing Duke of Brittany to relinquish Henry in return for funds to fight an increasingly hostile French king, whereupon Henry Tudor flew to the French court for sanctuary. 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: 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. That is, suspicious, insecure and crafty but also determined, patient and fiercely proud of his Lancastrian ancestry. Story's register still exists and, according to the 19th-century historian W.R.W. But, his enemies didnt agree. 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. 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. Omissions? Happy 14th Birthday to the Anne Boleyn Files! Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. Penn is not one to understate a case. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Still, as Penn observes, the national sense of relief in 1509 was palpable. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Interesting look at the founder of the Tudor dynesty. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. He was the last king of England to win . So Henry was a valuable bargaining tool, whose fate always depended on what relations were between England and France, always tainted by the recent Hundred Years War, and how Brittany sought to ward off threats to its own independence. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. 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. [18] He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion. In 1497 Warbeck landed in Cornwall with a few thousand troops, but was soon captured and executed. Though outnumbered, Henry's Lancastrian forces decisively defeated Richard's Yorkist army at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. Penn graphically describes a huge financial racket run by the king and his profiteering advisers. Castles of . Early life Local gentry saw the office as one of local influence and prestige and were therefore willing to serve. Through luck, guile and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, had clambered to the top of the heap--a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII. In 1622 Francis Bacon published his History of the Reign of King Henry VII. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which marked the end of the Wars of the Roses. 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. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. [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. [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. 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. Henry VII introduced stability to the financial administration of England by keeping the same financial advisors throughout his reign. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. The usurpation of Richard III (1483), however, split the Yorkist party and gave Henry his opportunity. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. [4] Owen is said to have secretly married the widow of Henry V, Catherine of Valois. If Penn's interpretation can sometimes seem slanted, its exposition would be hard to over-praise. Dydd Gyl Dewi Hapus! They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. [citation needed], Henry began taking precautions against rebellion while still in Leicester after Bosworth Field. Henry was thus handed over to English envoys and escorted to the Breton port of Saint-Malo. [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. [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. [25][80], Historians have always compared Henry VII with his continental contemporaries, especially Louis XI of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon. 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. [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. For instance, the Stanley family had control of Lancashire and Cheshire, upholding the peace on the condition that they stayed within the law. Claiming to be Edward, earl of Warwick, the son of Richard IIIs elder brother, George, duke of Clarence, he had the formidable support of John de la Pole, earl of Lincoln, Richard IIIs heir designate, of many Irish chieftains, and of 2,000 German mercenaries paid for by Margaret of Burgundy. [21], Henry devised a plan to seize the throne by engaging Richard quickly because Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. He would learn better as the new reign unfolded. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. [13] When Warwick restored Henry VI in 1470, Jasper Tudor returned from exile and brought Henry to court. 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. Penn then moved on to how Henry became King. Several of Richard's key allies, such as Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, and also Lord Stanley and his brother William, crucially switched sides or left the battlefield. This is why he named the book the "Winter King". His claim to the throne was precarious and he wanted to portray Richard III as a usurper. The future Henry VIII, in contrast,. 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. Warbeck was finally captured in 1497 and executed. It was not until 1506, when he imprisoned Suffolk in the Tower of London, that Henry could at last feel safe. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. 24th April 2023 - courses open for registrations. The treaty marks a shift from neutrality over the French invasion of Brittany to active intervention against it. : (April 25, 1883. Blair Worden's The English Civil Wars is published by Phoenix. 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. [37], For most of Henry VII's reign Edward Story was Bishop of Chichester. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. One of their sons was Edmund, Henry's father. Thomas More hailed the end of "slavery" and the return of "liberty", "the end of sadness, the beginning of joy". [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. It was 1501. Categories: Monarchy, NewsTags: birth of Tudor dynasty, Henry Tudor, Henry VII, Thomas Penn, Tudor dynasty, Winter King, Copyright 2023 The Anne Boleyn Files Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . 1845. The new prince was the embodiment of the red and white rose, he was the Tudor rose incarnate. [54], Henry VII was much enriched by trading alum, which was used in the wool and cloth trades as a chemical fixative for dyeing fabrics. [5], The descent of Henry's mother, Margaret, through the legitimised House of Beaufort bolstered Henry's claim to the English throne. 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. [20] He amassed an army of about 5,0006,000 soldiers. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. The baby died and Elizabeth, herself, died on 11th February 1503, her 37th birthday. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. Until the death of his wife, the evidence is clear from these accounting books that Henry was a more doting father and husband than was widely known and there is evidence that his outwardly austere personality belied a devotion to his family. 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 IV had confirmed Richard IIs legitimation (1397) of the children of this union but had specifically excluded the Beauforts from any claim to the throne (1407).
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