King Henry VII: The first Tudor
The Battle Hardened King
Henry VII was born January 28, 1457 to Edmund Tudor, the 1st earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beautfort. His claim to the throne was through his mother. She was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III, and his wife, Katherine Swynford. Although when their children were born Katherine and John were not married. The children were however declared legitmate by Parliament but were barred from inheriting the throne by their half-brother, King Henry IV.
Henry Tudor came to the throne, not only by inheritance, but by conquest. Henry Tudor became the sole heir of the Lancaster family because the War of the Roses killed off the rest of the Lancaster claimants. Henry defeated and killed the current King Richard at the battle of Bosworth and won the throne. He then strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying the heir of the previous King Edward III, the Princess Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth of York, because her brothers were dead, was actually the rightful heir to the throne. The marriage of the house of Lancaster and the house of York unified the country and ended the war of the Roses. Henry Tudor became King Henry VII on August 22 1485 and celebrated his coronation on October 30, 1485.
During his reign, King Henry VII, brought peace back to a land scarred by the War of the Roses. After becoming king he executed those who fought against him except for Richard’s heir John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. This is a decision he would regret because two years later the Earl of Lincoln rebelled and attempted to put Lambert Simnel, a simpleton, on the throne by claiming he was the Earl of Warwick, nephew of Richard. During battle the Earl was killed and Simnel was captured and put to work in the King’s kitchen. Simnel was the first pretender to the throne and it was a plague that haunted King Henry throughout his reign. There were those who pretended to by the Queen’s murdered brothers but the country tired of war did not support them.
King Henry VII built up the treasury of England by taxing but his taxes charged a higher amount to the nobles. A treaty with France brought money because France paid England not to invade, after England sued for peace after attacking France. He strengthed the navy of England and by his death he had a fortune of 1.25 million pounds. Through his children he hoped to secure peace for England. He created marriage alliances with the newly unified Spain, France, and Scotland, a constant thorn in England’s side. The death of his son and heir, Arthur, Prince of Wales in 1502 devasted him and then after trying for another child he lost his wife in childbirth the next year. It is believed this weakened him and although he looked for another bride he did it only half-heartedly. Then on April 21, 1509 he passed away making his son Henry, King Henry VIII.
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