Henry VII of England: The Dawn of the Tudor Era

 

His ascension to the throne of England marked the end of the Wars of the Roses (read about them HERE and HERE). He's the man who finally managed to unify the houses of Lancaster and York.

But let's take it from the top.

Henry Tudor was born in 1457 to Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, who descended from the House of Lancaster. His mother was 13 years old when she gave birth to him and 12 years old when she... ahem... conceived him. Now, by comparison, the sex scenes in the Knock Knock film don't seem that creepy anymore, do they?

Anyway, during the first years of his life, Henry didn't have much hope of getting his hands on the English crown. You see, his mother's great grandmother, Catherine Swynford (the third wife of John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III), had children with her husband before she married him. And although those children were later legitimized by King Richard II, they were excluded from the line of succession.

To make matters worse, due to the Lancastrians' defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury (1471), Henry's family fled to Brittany and the poor lad spent the following 14 years in exile.

And yet, with the Wars of the Roses raging on and the male Lancastrians being slain one after another, Henry was somehow lucky enough to end up being the only male claimant coming from the House of Lancaster!

When Richard III usurped the throne, the future King Henry VII managed to unify the Lancastrians and the Yorkists by promising to marry Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV. Furthermore, due to Richard considering an invasion of France, Henry earnt French support as well (you brought this to yourself, Richie!)

Henry defeated and killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485). Subsequently, he was crowned King Henry VII.

Despite his victory, Henry's reign was mostly tumultuous, with constant rebellions never letting him relax. ('Kill the usurper and become king, they said. It will feel much more secure than living in exile, they said.')

Henry VII was one of the most skilled monarchs that ever ascended the English throne. He found his homeland ruined by prolonged warfare and turned it back into a superpower.

He strengthened the monarchy with laws against feudal private armies.

He improved the country's finances in various ways...

1. Avoiding wars with other countries wherever and whenever possible.

2. Reforming the taxation.

3. Limiting expenses.

4. Supporting and protecting the English trade.

5. Seeking new markets.

His greatest achievement in regard to the above was the Magnus Intercursus (an even greater achievement would be if he also managed to pronounce it correctly first try!) When Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, supported Perkin Warbeck (an impostor pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury, one of Edward IV's sons), Henry answered by embargoing wool trade with the Burgundian Netherlands. And since the Flemish economy was much more dependent on that activity than the English one, Margaret was forced to succumb and signed the aforementioned treaty, which acknowledged the legitimacy of the Tudor dynasty and granted trade privileges to England.

Henry VII was a devoted husband. He never had any mistresses and he never remarried after his beloved Liz died (1503). He remained faithful to her till his own death, in 1509. How sweet! Enjoy a happy eternity together in the afterlife, dear lovebirds!

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