They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [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. 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. [37], For most of Henry VII's reign Edward Story was Bishop of Chichester. How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? Fittingly he dressed in expensive black. He had enough of that getting himself to the throne. Old rivalries simmered, however. Lincoln was killed in battle and Henry was victorious. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? Henry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. MP3 CD. And yet this time removed was summer's time, The teeming autumn, big with rich increase, Bearing the wanton burden of the prime, Like widow'd wombs after their lords . Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. [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. Luther made a protest against the Catholic practice of Indulgences. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. Get help and learn more about the design. Henry VII was also shown, but his black line just traced back to Owen Tudor, a chamber servant. He spent his entire reign fixated on eliminating or disarming his enemies, and stabilizing England after the bloody, seemingly endless War of the Roses. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. Inadvertently, he provoked a revolution. Luther gained support for his ideas and Europe became . His regime was magnificent, yet terrifying and oppressive. Serious disputes involving the use of personal power, or threats to royal authority, were thus dealt with. [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. Poor Henry VII. Overblown prose trumpeting his reign seemed to be the order of the day. Local gentry saw the office as one of local influence and prestige and were therefore willing to serve. [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. In 1502 the death of his heir Arthur left the dynasty's prospects with Arthur's 10-year-old brother, Henry. Edward would have liked to rid himself of Henry, a rival to his throne, but Francis kept Henry safe. However, this treaty came at a price, as Henry mounted a minor invasion of Brittany in November 1492. Warbeck won the support of Edward IV's sister Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. 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. To say the least, Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England is quite an interesting read. [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. The rebellion began in Ireland, where the historically Yorkist nobility, headed by the powerful Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, proclaimed Simnel king and provided troops for his invasion of England. Henry himself was clearly a distant figure who governed through his ministers, but this means that it's quite hard to get much of a sense of his character from the few sources available. [28], Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the statute that declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thus legitimising his wife. Most often asked questions related to bitcoin. Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor , Earl of Richmond , and Margaret Beaufort . 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. [11] When Edward IV became King in 1461, Jasper Tudor went into exile abroad. He rewrote history by backdating his reign to 21st August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth Field. [43] According to the contemporary historian Polydore Vergil, simple "greed" underscored the means by which royal control was over-asserted in Henry's final years. [citation needed], In 1502, Henry VII's life took a difficult and personal turn in which many people he was close to died in quick succession. Henry VIII, (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Englanddied January 28, 1547, London), king of England (1509-47) who presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. [76] He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (reigned 150947), who would initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. 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. [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. He became paranoid and made the decision that if his people couldnt love him then they should fear him. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. Henry, recognizing that Simnel had been a mere dupe, employed him in the royal kitchens. [14] In November 1476, Francis fell ill and his principal advisers were more amenable to negotiating with King Edward. Based on the terms of the accord, Henry sent 6000 troops to fight (at the expense of Brittany) under the command of Lord Daubeney. Henry marries Catherine of Aragon. [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. The Field of Cloth of Gold: Royal Revelry. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. 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. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great 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. However, with the help of the forces of his step-father, Lord Stanley, he defeated Richard and Richard was killed on the battlefield. When he died, his only surviving son, Henry VIII, succeeded him without a breath of opposition. [13] When the Yorkist Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, Henry fled with other Lancastrians to Brittany. That is, suspicious, insecure and crafty but also determined, patient and fiercely proud of his Lancastrian 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. Henrys throne, however, was far from secure. [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. In 1485 Henry landed at Milford Haven in Wales and advanced toward London. The usual courts and justice system were totally circumvented, and there was no chance of appeal other than purchasing extremely high priced royal pardons. On the debit side, he may have looked a little delicate as he suffered from poor health. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. 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. 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. Quite ambitious in nature, Thomas Penn attempts to write a portrait of Henry VII and 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. [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. This book was way too focused on what happened, but not so much on the why or why it was important. In many ways, it highlights that Henry VIII was a feckless inheritor of the tools of Machiavellian power, but had no idea to what productive end to put them. 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. (ROYAL HISTORY) Directors Stuart Elliott Genres Documentary, International Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English. 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. When they married in 1396 they already had four children, including Henry's great-grandfather John Beaufort. Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII [ JKMMX ] [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ]. 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. 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. 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. 4. His legacy was his son, Henry VIII, lucky old England Penn commented. The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful read. Henry was building a myth, the idea that he and his family were the true royal blood of England. Henry VIII, (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Englanddied January 28, 1547, London), king of England (1509-47) who presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. I couldn't even stay awake reading this. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. Henry VII: The Winter King. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. [8], In 1456, Henry's father Edmund Tudor was captured while fighting for Henry VI in South Wales against the Yorkists. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. Both were survivors and as united in death as in life, as their tomb in Westminster Abbey illustrates. Yet Henry's techniques of power went beyond the needs of surveillance and survival. [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. Omissions? For many he remained a usurper, a false king. Penn then went on to talk about the heir to the throne, the young Prince Henry, who seemed very different to the King. 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. Years of instability, factionalism and his predecessors' penchant for war had seen royal finances severely battered. His spies and informers were everywhere. Richard III's death at Bosworth Field effectively ended the Wars of the Roses. All the information is from Thomas Penn. Together, they had seven children. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. The nobility was forced into bonds, legal agreements that they would act as the King wanted or be fined. 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. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! 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. He led attempted invasions of Ireland in 1491 and England in 1495, and persuaded James IV of Scotland to invade England in 1496. In 1494, Henry embargoed trade (mainly in wool) with the Burgundian Netherlands in retaliation for Margaret of Burgundy's support for Perkin Warbeck. Moneywise, King Henry the VII was frugal and careful with money. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.[a]. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In 1622 Francis Bacon published his History of the Reign of King Henry VII. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. [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. But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. In that, he was quite successful, but he was neither loved nor admired. Thus, the two warring houses were joined in marriage. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII. On the other side of the coin, instead of the cross, was a Tudor rose and the arms of England. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of the reign called Henry "a dark prince, and infinitely suspicious". Reasonably interesting overview of the reign of Henry VII of England. Both parties realised they were mutually disadvantaged by the reduction in commerce. Henry was thus handed over to English envoys and escorted to the Breton port of Saint-Malo. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Henry started a new policy to recover Guyenne and other lost Plantagenet claims in France. Henry VII's reign has yielded an evocative study, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, ILLUSTRATION: CLIFFORD HARPER/AGRAPHIA.CO.UK. [75], Henry VII died of tuberculosis at Richmond Palace on 21 April 1509 and was buried in the chapel he commissioned in Westminster Abbey next to his wife, Elizabeth. Letters to relatives have an affectionate tone not captured by official state business, as evidenced by many written to his mother Margaret. It was a fantastic programme and I highly recommend Thomas Penns book on Henry VII Winter King. 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. [citation needed] The first was the 1486 rebellion of the Stafford brothers, abetted by Viscount Lovell, which collapsed without fighting. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. 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. The new prince was the embodiment of the red and white rose, he was the Tudor rose incarnate. [70] Henry VII falls among the minority of British monarchs that never had any known mistresses, and for the times, it is very unusual that he did not remarry: his son Henry was the only male heir left after the death of his wife, thus the death of Arthur created a precarious political position for the House of Tudor. Why did the nobility accept the curtailment of the military power it had wielded in the wars of the roses and swallow the elevation of upstarts at Henry's court? Martin Luther 95 thesis. 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. So 4 stars. Watch for $0.00 with Prime. 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. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. [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. For instance, the Stanley family had control of Lancashire and Cheshire, upholding the peace on the condition that they stayed within the law. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. While there, he feigned stomach cramps and delayed his departure long enough to miss the tides. Updates? [58], Henry's principal problem was to restore royal authority in a realm recovering from the Wars of the Roses. Penn is not one to understate a case. [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. [21], Henry devised a plan to seize the throne by engaging Richard quickly because Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. [citation needed], Henry also made some political capital out of his Welsh ancestry in attracting military support and safeguarding his army's passage through Wales on its way to the Battle of Bosworth. [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. 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. 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. Consultant editor for the. 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. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. 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 . Blair Worden's The English Civil Wars is published by Phoenix. 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. [40], Henry VII improved tax collection in the realm by introducing ruthlessly efficient mechanisms of taxation. It's difficult to get a handle on Henry VII. 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. 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. Penn pointed out that for over half a century no king had passed on the crown without turmoil and Henry knew that what had happened to Richard could happen to him. [citation needed], However, his principal weapon was the Court of Star Chamber. [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. If Penn's interpretation can sometimes seem slanted, its exposition would be hard to over-praise. Henry VII: The Winter King (95) 59min 2013 PG. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. Stanley placed Richards circlet on Henrys head, he was now King. Wolf Hall this is not. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. Who could have expected that he would rule for 24 years, die in his bed, bequeath the first orderly succession to the throne for nearly a century, and found a famous dynasty? At Rennes Cathedral on Christmas Day 1483, Henry pledged to marry Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward IV. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. Effectively an orphan, he had spent wretched years as a fugitive in Brittany. 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.. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. On 7th August 1485, he dropped anchor at Mill Bay, Milford Haven, and when he reached the beach he prayed Judge me, O Lord, and favour my cause. The odds were stacked against him in his quest to take the throne of England. They overrode all the usual legal processed and acted with complete impunity. One of the councils prominent members was Edmund Dudley, a man who helped Henry by enforcing the Kings legal rights, finding old laws to use against people and stretching the law to its limits. Rarely was a father's reign so widely disparaged and disowned on the accession of the son. Thomas Mores coronation poem for Henry VIII contrasted the new Kings reign with the dark days of the past. I would read more by this author. 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. 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. 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.