Lesson I: Henry VII
The Making of a Dynasty
Henry Tudor, born 28 January 1457 in Wales, was never meant to be King of England. In fact, he almost didn't live at all. His father was the Earl of Richmond and his mother was Margaret Beaufort. Though only a countess herself, she was descended from Edward III, and it was mainly her claim to the English throne that her son later fought for. Henry's father died two months before he was born, and the birth was a difficult one, nearly killing both mother and child.
He also grew up during the Wars of the Roses, which is another fascinating time in history (and would need an entirely separate class to explain!), but also a dangerous time. His uncle, Jasper Tudor, was a soldier and taught his nephew something of the art of battle. Because of the wars Henry's life was often chaotic, and he spent several years in exile, mainly in Brittany. The struggle was between the Yorks and the Lancasters, two of the most powerful families in England at the time, and the Tudors eventually ended up on the Lancastrian side.
By 1483, however, both sides were nearly decimated as far as good contenders for the throne went. Edward IV, the Yorkist king, died that year, and his two sons, known as the Princes in the Tower, were probably killed that same year, leaving Edward's brother Richard III as king. But he didn't keep the title long. At the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, the Wars of the Roses ended. Richard died fighting and the Lancastrians seized the crown. Richard had no surviving children.
Doubtful as Henry's claim was, he was the only practical candidate by then. His mother's royal descent was originally through an illegitimate line, though the children were later legitimized by an act of Parliament. Also, he had not spent much time in England and wasn't well-known there. But he was a young man who looked the part of a king, being tall and handsome, and able to fight. The country desperately needed a strong, capable person on the throne to help unite the people after decades of conflict.
To strengthen his position, he married Elizabeth of York, Edward IV's older daughter, though Henry made sure to do this after he was crowned, so no one could say he had the throne only through his wife. She was twenty years old at the time and a renowned beauty, as well as a kind and generous person. The marriage was arranged by their mothers, which was usual, but what was not so usual among royal couples is that Henry and Elizabeth fell very much in love and had a happy marriage. Some of the letters that they exchanged still survive, and they show great affection towards each other.
Statue of Richard III at Leicester
The Princes in the Tower: Edward V and Richard, Duke of York
They had seven children altogether, though three died quite young. Both Henry and Elizabeth seem to have doted on their children. Henry was very careful with money, but despite his usual thrift, records show that his children all received generous allowances and gifts; and Elizabeth seems to have been a thoughtful and doting mother.
Elizabeth died in 1503, on her 38th birthday, just days after her seventh child, Katherine, was born. Several weeks later the baby also died. Henry was devastated, and though he was urged to marry again, and even considered some marriage possibilities for political reasons, in the end he remained a widower until his death six years later.
There was often unrest early on in his reign, and sometimes challenges to his throne. Several times young men pretended to be the Princes in the Tower or other members of the Yorkist royal family, often with help from the rulers of other countries. One such pretender, Lambert Simnel, claimed to be the Earl of Warwick, who was the nephew of Edward IV. Simnel was actually declared king and crowned in Ireland, and the country prepared to invade England and depose Henry.
Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor
Unfortunately for the plotters, the real Earl of Warwick, who had supposedly escaped from the Tower of London where he was imprisoned, had not actually escaped at all. Henry simply allowed the real Earl to appear in public and let people who knew him see him, thus proving Simnel's claims false. The invading Irish expected an uprising, but none of the English joined them. Simnel himself had been drawn into the plot by others who realized that he resembled the Earl, so he received a royal pardon when it was all over. He spent the rest of his life as a servant to the king, working first in the kitchens and later as a falconer.
Henry Tudor was in many ways the right ruler at the right time. Despite his shaky beginning, and the fact that he never felt absolutely safe from possible revolt after gaining the throne through civil war, he was practical at finance and reasonably skilled in diplomacy. He inherited a country that was politically weak and almost bankrupt after years of fighting, and twenty-four years later managed to leave a financially secure kingdom behind, one that had also become a force to be reckoned with by other European countries.
