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Overblown prose trumpeting his reign seemed to be the order of the day. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. 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. For him, it was never about glory and battle. 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. Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful read. This is why he named the book the Winter King. Henry the eighth was a renaissance King. 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. Seriously, got nudged by my partner when I'd nodded off. They were appointed for every shire and served for a year at a time. Yorkist malcontents had strength in the north of England and in Ireland and had a powerful ally in Richard IIIs sister Margaret, dowager duchess of Burgundy. 1517. Luther gained support for his ideas and Europe became . Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . For many he remained a usurper, a false king. [18] He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion. [citation needed], Henry's most successful diplomatic achievement as regards the economy was the Magnus Intercursus ("great agreement") of 1496. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. By this marriage, Henry VII hoped to break the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. [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. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which marked the end of the Wars of the Roses. The rebellion was defeated and Lincoln killed at the Battle of Stoke. He was, said Penn, a man who never knew a moments peace during his reign. The insurrections fronted by the pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck emerged from wide and formidable networks of conspiracy that drew in foreign rulers and leading English magnates, and infiltrated Henry's court. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. 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. - and that was only about 50% of the book, it was only about 50% interesting to me. His dynasty was hanging by a thread and all his hopes had to rest on his youngest son, Henry, and Elizabeth of York producing another son, a spare. [21], Henry devised a plan to seize the throne by engaging Richard quickly because Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. 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. What are the differences between Henry VII and Henry VIII? 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. 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. He was a ruler to be feared, a ruler to be paid. "King Henry VII" redirects here. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. Its inhabitant was once one of England's most exuberant kings, yet his resting place was only re-discovered in 1813. 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. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. The nobility was forced into bonds, legal agreements that they would act as the King wanted or be fined. (1): (April 24, 1883. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. His spies and informers were everywhere. The last few years of his reign were ones of repression. I have to admit to being a history geek. All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. 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. [77][78] His mother died two months later on 29 June 1509. Henry VII ruled as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do through fear rather than love. [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. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. The first rising, that of Lord Lovell, Richard IIIs chamberlain, in 1486 was ill-prepared and unimportant, but in 1487 came the much more serious revolt of Lambert Simnel. His spies and informers were everywhere. I've never read much on the reign of Henry VII - mostly because to really get to grips with his policies, you first have to get to grips with his exhaustively complicated financial policies - but Penn provides a wonderful accessibility through his writing, which provides valuable context to the man who founded England's most famous dynasty. He was the first Tudor king after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. 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. 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. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. [citation needed], Henry honoured his pledge of December 1483 to marry Elizabeth of York and the wedding took place in 1486 at Westminster Abbey. 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. I would read more by this author. [7] He came from an old, established Anglesey family that claimed descent from Cadwaladr, in legend, the last ancient British king,[8] and on occasion Henry displayed the red dragon of Cadwaladr. [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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [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. 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. Henry VII declared himself king by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God in battle, after slaying Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Hidden under the floor in St George's Chapel in Windsor, England where thousands of people walk every day, a forgotten tomb lies. Henry then consolidated his reign with magnificent architecture, an opulent household and money. I thought the way he controled the nobility was fascinating - keeping them in check as well a raising vast sums of money at the same time. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. For Henry VII, it was all about the money and stability. 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. 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. His regime was magnificent, yet terrifying and oppressive. 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? Penn then went on to talk about the heir to the throne, the young Prince Henry, who seemed very different to the King. Thus, the two warring houses were joined in marriage. During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI was fighting against Edward IV, a member of the Yorkist Plantagenet branch. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. [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. 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 VII is actually a less familiar figure, despite being the same person. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? 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. Annoyingly, much of the most interesting stuff concerns his son, and whenever Penn comments intelligently on how the events here affected the future Henry VIII's reign I found myself perking up such as the suggestion that Henry VII's marriage to Elizabeth was the kind of marriage that their second son, Prince Henry, would spend his whole life trying to find. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. He had enough of that getting himself to the throne. When they married in 1396 they already had four children, including Henry's great-grandfather John Beaufort. But he leaves us wondering how Henry got away with it. In that, he was quite successful, but he was neither loved nor admired. 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 death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. Henry, recognizing that Simnel had been a mere dupe, employed him in the royal kitchens. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. Thank you for subscribing. [19] He marched toward England accompanied by his uncle Jasper and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. [8], In 1456, Henry's father Edmund Tudor was captured while fighting for Henry VI in South Wales against the Yorkists. Henry VII is also known as Henry Tudor. His claim to the throne was precarious and he wanted to portray Richard . [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. 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. [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. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! In other cases, he brought his over-powerful subjects to heel by decree. The author does a good job drawing on his sources and bringing the characters to life while staying true to the history, but the subject matter is just not inherently as sexy as Henry VIIIs or Elizabeth Is reigns. Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. [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. He became paranoid and made the decision that if his people couldnt love him then they should fear him. He likens the beginning of Henry VIIIs reign to a metaphorical spring, a second coming of sorts because Henry VIII seemed to be the opposite of his father. 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. 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. How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! Hed achieved the impossible, hed risen from refugee to King of England. While there, he feigned stomach cramps and delayed his departure long enough to miss the tides. 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. In the late 20th century a model of European state formation was prominent in which Henry less resembles Louis and Ferdinand. 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. He invited artists, musicians and scholars to live at his court. enry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. [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. 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. Up to a point, he succeeded. Accordingly, he arranged a papal dispensation from Pope Julius II for Prince Henry to marry his brother's widow Catherine, a relationship that would have otherwise precluded marriage in the Church. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. Henry VII: Winter King was aired last night on BBC2 and was the latest programme in BBC2s Tudor Court Season. Letters to relatives have an affectionate tone not captured by official state business, as evidenced by many written to his mother Margaret. [a] Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. [25][80], Historians have always compared Henry VII with his continental contemporaries, especially Louis XI of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon. 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. 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. 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. He stabilised the government's finances by introducing several new taxes. [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. [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. Henry was building a myth, the idea that he and his family were the true royal blood of England. However, with the help of the forces of his step-father, Lord Stanley, he defeated Richard and Richard was killed on the battlefield. [4] Owen is said to have secretly married the widow of Henry V, Catherine of Valois. One of their sons was Edmund, Henry's father. 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. 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. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. The reigns of his three predecessors were interrupted or foreshortened. Inadvertently, he provoked a revolution. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Henry VII was also shown, but his black line just traced back to Owen Tudor, a chamber servant. After Wolf Hall, I wanted to find out about Henry VII, the lesser-studied father of Henry VIII, who founded the Tudor Dynasty. 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. 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. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. Its restoration by the Magnus Intercursus was very much to England's benefit in removing taxation for English merchants and significantly increasing England's wealth. I don't read a lot of NF because I usually find it to be tedious, but The Winter King certainly wasn't that. Before Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or "Your Highness.". The future Henry VIII, in contrast,. 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. Today is Shrove Tuesday time for pancakes! What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! What old December's bareness every where! [64] This made Henry VII's second son, Henry, Duke of York, heir apparent to the throne. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Celebrating the release of The Colour of Bone A London Charnel House. He had a populist touch and his reign started with pardons, reforms and justice. 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. Hence, the king was plagued with conspiracies until nearly the end of his reign. 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. Why is this ambitious? Here was a young man who enjoyed jousting, who enjoyed chatting with the other knights in the tiltyard and with people of low degree. ), Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_VII_of_England&oldid=1141813382, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from September 2021, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Articles incorporating text from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2021, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Katherine (2 February 1503 10 February 1503), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 23:16. The Treaty of Redon was signed in February 1489 between Henry and representatives of Brittany. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. 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. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. The rebels were defeated (June 1487) in a hard-fought battle at Stoke (East Stoke, near Newark in Nottinghamshire), where the doubtful loyalty of some of the royal troops was reminiscent of Richard IIIs difficulties at Bosworth. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? An easy read? According to John M. Currin, the treaty redefined Anglo-Breton relations. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. For me, history is alive and energizing - not something static and remote. "[73] Further compounding Henry's distress, his older daughter Margaret had previously been betrothed to King James IV of Scotland and within months of her mother's death she had to be escorted to the border by her father: he would never see her again. It was 1501. Local gentry saw the office as one of local influence and prestige and were therefore willing to serve. Quite ambitious in nature, Thomas Penn attempts to write a portrait of Henry VII and his reign. For inheriting an unstable throne, holding it for 25 year and leaving England relatively stable, Henry VII deserves his own biography and a lot more credit. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The devastated King became so ill that he was close to death, but then he recovered and Penn explains that when he took control once more, he was remorseless. In 1837 Henry VIII's tomb was eventually marked in the chapel with a commemorative marble slab. 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. 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. Poor Henry VII. 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. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. Read all Directors Giulia Clark Stuart Elliott Writers 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. We know that Henry attended the wedding celebrations of Arthur and his bride . He had, Bacon added, much to be suspicious about, "his times" being "full of secret conspiracies and troubles". [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. Get help and learn more about the design. 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. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII.