[33], In 1490, a young Fleming, Perkin Warbeck, appeared and claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the "Princes in the Tower". 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. This book is a nonfiction look at King Henry the VII. [4] Owen is said to have secretly married the widow of Henry V, Catherine of Valois. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? Before taking the throne, he was known as Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond. In my never-ending quest to read possibly every single published book on the Tudor monarchy, I spied this little gem a few weeks ago and picked it up. Henry VII (28 January 1457 21 April 1509) was King of England from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. [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. 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. : (April 25, 1883. [10] A contemporary writer and Henry's biographer, Bernard Andr, also made much of Henry's Welsh descent. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. His account of Henry's government is more contentious than he lets on. More wrote that this King is loved and compared Henrys accession to the coming of a new season, a new spring following a winter of repression. Edward, Earl of Warwick, the ten-year-old son of Edward IV's brother George, Duke of Clarence, was the senior surviving male of the House of York. But he leaves us wondering how Henry got away with it. He spent his entire reign fixated on eliminating or disarming his enemies, and stabilizing England after the bloody, seemingly endless War of the Roses. 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. [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. Up to a point, he succeeded. They were third cousins, as both were great-great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt. He rewrote history by backdating his reign to 21st August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth Field. 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. [28], Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the statute that declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thus legitimising his wife. 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. What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! 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. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. He took care not to address the baronage or summon Parliament until after his coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey on 30 October 1485. Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as Little England beyond Wales. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. 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. He was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, and his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville brought together the too sides that were facing off during the Wars of the Roses (the Lancasters and the Yorks) basically uniting the two houses into a single family. Philip died shortly after the negotiations. What are the differences between Henry VII and Henry VIII? Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII [ JKMMX ] [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ]. [3] Henry's paternal grandfather, Owen Tudor, originally from the Tudors of Penmynydd, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, had been a page in the court of King Henry V. He rose to become one of the "Squires to the Body to the King" after military service at the Battle of Agincourt. Henry's original head was cut out of the painting and replaced at some point after the work's creation. On one side of the coin, instead of a profile of his face, there was a full length depiction of Henry sat on his throne with his crown and sceptre. [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. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. [citation needed] Henry had been under the financial and physical protection of the French throne or its vassals for most of his life before becoming king. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. Prince Arthur was born just eight months after his parents marriage, at Winchester, the seat of King Arthurs Camelot. On the debit side, he may have looked a little delicate as he suffered from poor health. This is why he named the book the "Winter King". By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. [54], Henry VII was much enriched by trading alum, which was used in the wool and cloth trades as a chemical fixative for dyeing fabrics. [55] Since alum was mined in only one area in Europe (Tolfa, Italy), it was a scarce commodity and therefore especially valuable to its land holder, the Pope. enry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. In 1502 the death of his heir Arthur left the dynasty's prospects with Arthur's 10-year-old brother, Henry. Royal Collection Trust At the summit, even dinnerware testified to its owner's status. These bonds were enforced by the Council Learned in the Law, a council of legal advisers who were only answerable to the King. The usurpation of Richard III (1483), however, split the Yorkist party and gave Henry his opportunity. Letters to relatives have an affectionate tone not captured by official state business, as evidenced by many written to his mother Margaret. There were too many powerful noblemen and, as a consequence of the system of so-called bastard feudalism, each had what amounted to private armies of indentured retainers (mercenaries masquerading as servants). Before Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or "Your Highness.". [56] This trade made an expensive commodity cheaper, which raised opposition from Pope Julius II, since the Tolfa mine was a part of papal territory and had given the Pope monopoly control over alum. 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. Philip had been shipwrecked on the English coast, and while Henry's guest, was bullied into an agreement so favourable to England at the expense of the Netherlands that it was dubbed the Malus Intercursus ("evil agreement"). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. [citation needed], To secure his hold on the throne, Henry declared himself king by right of conquest retroactively from 21 August 1485, the day before Bosworth Field. 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. He would learn better as the new reign unfolded. He entertained thoughts of remarriage to renew the alliance with Spain Joanna, Dowager Queen of Naples (a niece of Queen Isabella of Castile), Queen Joanna of Castile, and Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile), were all considered. Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his fathers death. In response to this threat within his own household, the King instituted more rigid security for access to his person. The King was heavily guarded. Herbert was captured fighting for the Yorkists and executed by Warwick. [2] His father died three months before his birth. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. Henry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. He created the sovereign coin to spread the message that he was King. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. He made huge gobs of money binding his subjects to him with loyalty bonds. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. Thomas Penn's Winter King is not really a biography of Henry VII, and more a study of what he was directing his government to do in his name. He created the Tudor dynasty. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. [citation needed] 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. [76] He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (reigned 150947), who would initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. [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. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. 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. Based on the terms of the accord, Henry sent 6000 troops to fight (at the expense of Brittany) under the command of Lord Daubeney. For example, they could replace suspect jurors in accordance with the 1495 act preventing the corruption of juries. I couldn't even stay awake reading this. Not only was . [49] The confused, fractious nature of Breton politics undermined his efforts, which finally failed after three sizeable expeditions, at a cost of 24,000. 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. Edward would have liked to rid himself of Henry, a rival to his throne, but Francis kept Henry safe. By 1500, Henry felt safer and things were looking good. Their powers and numbers steadily increased during the time of the Tudors, never more so than under Henry's reign. 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. For Henry VII, it was all about the money and stability. Penn went on to show Henry VIIs wax funeral effigy, which I saw on my recent trip to London, and which shows his fine-boned features and his crooked eye, but also a face bearing the signs of stress and illness. There were some sections I had to skim because I didn't feel they were relevant to the storyline, but mostly I was hooked into this very complex King. I wasn't disappointed because, as usual, he did a great job with the narration. Henry VII ruled as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do through fear rather than love. [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. Henry VIII had become heir to the throne when his elder brother, Arthur, died in 1502. [36] However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret, who survived until 1541 when she was executed by Henry VIII. Still, as Penn observes, the national sense of relief in 1509 was palpable. Henry VII was also shown, but his black line just traced back to Owen Tudor, a chamber servant. [citation needed] The first was the 1486 rebellion of the Stafford brothers, abetted by Viscount Lovell, which collapsed without fighting. 'Meeting between Francis I and Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520,' a painting by Friedrich August Bouterwek. [citation needed], However, his principal weapon was the Court of Star Chamber. This meant that Henry had been the rightful King in the battle and that Richard had been the usurper, and those who supported him had been traitors. [citation needed], Henry's most successful diplomatic achievement as regards the economy was the Magnus Intercursus ("great agreement") of 1496. 1) The number of books on Henry VII can basically be counted on one hand 2) This is Penns first book. The whole system was ingeniously designed to ensure the unchallenged supremacy of the king while stamping out any challenges to his authority from the nobles, merchants, and commons. Watch for $0.00 with Prime. By this marriage, Henry VII hoped to break the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. One of their sons was Edmund, Henry's father. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. 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 . [32], Next, in 1487, Yorkists led by Lincoln rebelled in support of Lambert Simnel, a boy they claimed to be Edward of Warwick (who was actually a prisoner in the Tower). Henry VII: The Winter King. Henry then consolidated his reign with magnificent architecture, an opulent household and money. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. In 1485 Henry landed at Milford Haven in Wales and advanced toward London. Omissions? Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". He had to pay a 500 fine to save himself, to buy a pardon for the crime. Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. Reasonably interesting overview of the reign of Henry VII of England. The significant role played by bitcoin for businesses! Henry the eighth was a renaissance King. Why is this ambitious? 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. 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. 24th April 2023 - courses open for registrations. [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. You can find out more on the conflicts between England and France, the Wars of the Roses and also the Tudors in our history courses. Backdating Henry's Reign. It's difficult to get a handle on Henry VII. He was the first Tudor king after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. In 1494, Henry embargoed trade (mainly in wool) with the Burgundian Netherlands in retaliation for Margaret of Burgundy's support for Perkin Warbeck. Its inhabitant was once one of England's most exuberant kings, yet his resting place was only re-discovered in 1813. In 1407, Henry IV, Gaunt's son by his first wife, issued new Letters Patent confirming the legitimacy of his half-siblings but also declaring them ineligible for the throne. [14] In November 1476, Francis fell ill and his principal advisers were more amenable to negotiating with King Edward. Henry was thus handed over to English envoys and escorted to the Breton port of Saint-Malo. 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 . Henry VII is actually a less familiar figure, despite being the same person. Warbeck was finally captured in 1497 and executed. This approach raised puzzling questions about similarities and differences in the development of national states. 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. France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. Their main aim was money. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. I don't read a lot of NF because I usually find it to be tedious, but The Winter King certainly wasn't that. Two themes of his book preside: the permanent vulnerability of Henry's regime, and his ruthless methods of rule. 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. My obsession is European history from the 12th through 17th centuries - especially British history - so of course, when I was offered the chance to review this book, my interest was piqued immediately. [48], Henry later concluded a treaty with France at Etaples that brought money into the coffers of England, and ensured the French would not support pretenders to the English throne, such as Perkin Warbeck. 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. Henry showed remarkable clemency to the surviving rebels: he pardoned Kildare and the other Irish nobles, and he made the boy, Simnel, a servant in the royal kitchen where he was in charge of roasting meats on a spit. Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. Today is Shrove Tuesday time for pancakes! The rebellion was defeated and Lincoln killed at the Battle of Stoke. [52] He also concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland (the first treaty between England and Scotland for almost two centuries), which betrothed his daughter Margaret Tudor to King James IV of Scotland. 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. This revived an earlier practice of using a small (and trusted) group of the Privy Council as a personal or Prerogative Court, able to cut through the cumbersome legal system and act swiftly. It is a sobering reflection for professional historians that the apparently unpromising territory of Henry's reign has recently produced two memorable books, both of them written outside their ranks: this one, and Ann Wroe's biography of the pretender, Perkin (2003), a longer work on a shorter subject. Celebrating the release of The Colour of Bone A London Charnel House. Files Welcome Pack of 5 goodies, 28 January 1457 Birth of Henry VII at Pembroke Castle, 30 October 1485 Coronation of Henry VII, Henry VIIIs Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell A Review and Rundown, Henry VII: Winter King A Review and Rundown, 31 May 1533 The Coronation Procession of Queen Anne Boleyn, Why I think Henry VIII was ultimately responsible for Anne Boleyns downfall, 4 March 1522 Anne Boleyn plays Perseverance, The Boleyns of Hever Castle now 99p on Kindle on Amazon UK, YouTube Live 4 March 2023 The Fascinating Background of Henry VIII. 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. Henry VII ruled from 1485-1509 and had a dubious claim on the throne, spending most of his time before the famous Battle of Bosworth Field in exile and gaining credibility from his marriage to Elizabeth of York. [35] In 1499, Henry had the Earl of Warwick executed. Penn then moved on to how Henry became King. 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. No. 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. But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. He had, Bacon added, much to be suspicious about, "his times" being "full of secret conspiracies and troubles". [72] Immediately afterwards, Henry became very sick and nearly died himself, allowing only his mother Margaret Beaufort near him: "privily departed to a solitary place, and would that no man should resort unto him. The future Henry VIII, in contrast,. Henry Tudor, named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. 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. [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. 4. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Henry, recognizing that Simnel had been a mere dupe, employed him in the royal kitchens. With the assistance of the Italian merchant banker Lodovico della Fava and the Italian banker Girolamo Frescobaldi, Henry VII became deeply involved in the trade by licensing ships, obtaining alum from the Ottoman Empire, and selling it to the Low Countries and in England. Happy 14th Birthday to the Anne Boleyn Files! 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. His biographer, Professor Chrimes, credits him even before he had become king with "a high degree of personal magnetism, ability to inspire confidence, and a growing reputation for shrewd decisiveness". They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. 1509. 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. How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? Stanley was accused of supporting Warbeck's cause, arrested and later executed. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. 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. It was not until 1506, when he imprisoned Suffolk in the Tower of London, that Henry could at last feel safe. We know that Henry attended the wedding celebrations of Arthur and his bride . Henry VII ruled - as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do - through fear rather than love. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. [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. 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. 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. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York. "King Henry VII" redirects here. Thus, Henry Tudor had no choice but to gather together an army including mercenary soldiers as well as his own supporters, and he landed in Wales in August, 1485. His younger brother, Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke, undertook to protect Edmund's widow Margaret, who was 13 years old when she gave birth to Henry. 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.

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