He
established a controversial House that created so much impact in English and
even world history. He ushered an era of stability after almost a century of
conflict. Explore how Henry VII ruled England and secured the reign of his
dynasty – the Tudors.
Early Life
Born
on January 28, 1457 in Pembroke Castle in Wales, Henry Tudor was the son of Edmund
Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beufort. Upon his birth, he missed his
father who passed away 3 months ago.
His
parentage boasted great connections. His father was the grandson of Catherine
of Valois, widow of King Henry V. His mother, on the other hand, was the great-granddaughter
of John Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and son of King Edward III. Thus, Henry was a
descendant of the prominent Lancaster Family as well as has relations to the
Crown of England.
His
Lancaster heritage, however, made him involved in the long bitter civil war
known as the Wars of Roses. The War erupted as 2 contending families the Yorks
and Lancasters bid for the throne. The conflict lasted from 1455 until 1485 and
embroiled 3 generations into the struggle.
In
all of this, Henry seemed distant in becoming the candidate of Lancasters for
the throne; however, with the death of several heirs with stronger claims, he
rose up to become the Lancaster family’s contender.
 |
| Battle of Tewkesbury |
On
May 1471, the Lancasters lose the Battle of Tewkesbury against the Yorks. Henry had to flee the country with the help of
his uncle, Jasper Tudor. An unexpected storm brought them to the Duchy of
Brittany in France. The Yorks assumed the throne with the young Edward V as
King. The King’s ambitious uncle, however, Richard usurped the throne and
imprisoned the young king and his brother to the Tower of London. The
usurpation resulted to the divide of the House of York, which posed as an
opportunity for Henry to return to England.
 |
| Elizabeth of York |
In
1483, Henry supported the rebellion of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham,
against Richard III. It failed. He then sought the support of the Yorkist
factions that opposed Richard by promising to marry Elizabeth of York, eldest
daughter of Edward IV. The promise of marriage joined Henry’s and some Yorkist forces
to overthrow Richard III.
Other
than the Yorks, Henry also received assistance from the French who feared war
with England due to Richard’s incursions to France.
With
much support, Henry sailed with his army to England and made a landing in
Milford Haven in Wales. From there he began his march towards the capital
London. During his march, to London, more supported flock his cause including
his stepfather Lord Thomas Stanley. On August 22, 1485, Henry faced Richard in
the Battle of Bosworth where the throne of England hanged in the balance.
During the battle, Henry defeated Richard who fell in battle. With the death of
Richard, Henry quickly claimed the throne for himself and on October 30, he was
crowned King. Parliament then recognized him on the following month. Keeping
with his promise to the Yorks, on January 18, 1486, he married Elizabeth of
York uniting the 2 feuding families and putting an end to the long bitter Wars
of Roses.
Tudor King
With
his coronation, Henry had established the Tudor dynasty and peace returned to
the realm of England; however, threats loomed against him and plots laid down
to dethrone him. The greatest threat to his throne remained from the Yorkist
factions. Although he married the Yorks, some within the house continued to
plot against the Lancaster descent King. Henry remained vigilant to thwart
these threats to his crown.
Equally
bad for Henry, Europe underestimated him. Many countries remained in doubt over
Henry’s strength to keep his throne, and so many gave refuge to Henry’s enemies
in hope of taking advantage of a civil war.
Looming Yorkist
Threats
The
Yorks their strength in Northern England and Ireland. They also received the
support of Richard III’s sister the Dowager Duchess of Burgundy Margaret of
York.
 |
| Lambert Simnel carried on the shoulder of his supporter |
In
1486 a rebellion rose up led by Lord Francis Lovell who served as the
chamberlain of Richard III. The rebellion, fortunately for Henry, erupted
prematurely and the Tudor army managed to quell the rebellion quickly. The
following year, however, another rebellion started inspired by boy named
Lambert Simnel who pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, and nephew of
Richard III. Henry knew Simnel as a pretender due to the fact the real Earl of
Warwick languished in the Tower of London. Another man who joined Simnel was
John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, and designated heir of the late Richard III
who augmented the rebels with forces of Irish chieftains. The Dowager Duchess
of Burgundy also supported the rebels and sent 2,000 German mercenaries. Henry
fought the rebels in Stoke on June 1487 where he dealt them with a blow that
stopped the rebellion. After the rebellion, he discovered Simnel played only a role
in the rebellion after being duped by Richard III’s supporters. In an act of
mercy, he hired the rebel as a cook in the royal kitchen.
Rebellion
continued to plagued Henry’s reign. In 1491 another pretender came forward –
Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck pretended to be Richard, Duke of York and the brother
of the late King Edward V. Edward and Richard disappeared from the Tower of
London when Richard usurped the throne. Warbeck used the disappearance to
pretend to be Richard who escaped from incarceration and to muster support. He
did it under the instigation of the Dowager Duchess of Burgundy and supported
by numerous European countries, like Maximilian I of Austria and James IV of
Scotland. Discontented Lords like
William Stanley pledged their fealty as well to Warbeck.
 |
| Perkin Warbeck |
He
trice attempted to invade England. First he landed in Kent but was dislodged by
a militia army who supported King Henry. The second invasion brought him to
Scotland where he launched an attacked southwards that also ended in disaster.
Lastly, he joined an uprising in Cornwall, known as the Cornish Uprising, in
1497. Warbeck, however, failed with his
rebellion and Henry’s forces captured in Beaulieu in Hampshire. He languished
in the Tower of London for 2 years trying his best to escape. After 2
unsuccessful attempts, Henry decided to execute him by hanging in the Tyburn.
Plots
and resistance against Henry continued well after Warbeck’s rebellion. In 1499
Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, and nephew of Edward IV escaped to the
Netherlands. He plotted against Henry with the support of Maximillian of
Austria. The plot to overthrow Henry came in light of the King’s son Edmund
passing away in 1500 and followed by his eldest son Henry in 1502 as well as
the death of the York Queen Elizabeth in 1503. The plotters, however, failed to
materialize their plans and in 1506 Henry captured the Earl of Suffolk and
threw him to prison in the Tower of London.
Foreign Affairs
Henry
foreign affairs prioritized the security of his crown and the reconstruction of
England. As much as possible he kept peace with his neighbors and dealt with
them to prevent their support to his detractors. He only went to war if it
brought gains to England or to neutralize any threat to his crown.
In
the early years of his reign he resisted France’s annexation of the Duchy of
Brittany, the Duchy that provided refuge to him during the Wars of Roses. He
sided with Spain and the Holy Empire in a war to prevent France from succeeding
as well as in exchange for hefty subsidies. He landed troops in Calais and
besieged Boulogne. In 1492, however, he abandoned the cause of Brittany as the
war drained the resources of his impoverished and war-torn country that might
undermined his capability to prevent any threats to his crown. He successfully
negotiated peace with France that resulted to the Treaty of Etaples and won
France’s recognition of his position and his dynasty along with financial a subsidy
that amounted to 5% of the annual revenue of the government. After the war,
relations with France remained cordial and peaceful.
 |
| Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, then Duke of Burgundy |
Shaky
relations existed also between Henry and Maximilian, Duke of Burgundy, later
Holy Roman Emperor, and James IV of Scotland. The tensed relation came as a
result of the 2 leaders’ support to the rebel leader Perkin Warbeck. Henry used
England’s strong trade position in the economy of the Netherlands (then part of
Maximilian’s domain) to force them to abandon Warbeck’s cause. He succeeded in
making Maximilian drop their support of Warbeck in exchange for greater free
trade between the two countries under the trade agreement called Intercursus
Magnus.
Solving
problems with Scotland, however, proved to be more difficult. Long standing
animosity existed between England and Scotland. Nonetheless, Henry succeeded to
overcome it in 1501 when the Treaty of Ayton was signed between Scotland and
England. It was then followed by a political marriage that tied the House of
Tudor with the House Stuart with the marriage of Henry’s daughter Margaret and
the Scottish Prince James in 1503.
Political
marriage seemed to be Henry’s best weapon to secure the Tudor Dynasty. He had
his daughter Mary married to King Louis XII of France, thereby securing the
support of one of Europe’s superpowers. He also gained the support of another
continental superpower Spain by having his eldest son Arthur married to the
Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon in 1501 and under the Treaty of Medina del
Campo. Even with the death of Arthur, Henry made sure the marital relation with
Spain remained by having the widow Catherine marry his next eldest son, Henry
(the later King Henry VIII). As a result of the marital union between the House
of Aragon and Tudor, Henry secured the recognition and support of one of
Europe’s superpower Spain.
 |
| Catherine of Aragon |
In
most of Henry’s reign, he knew England’s weakness against neighboring countries
and his precarious situation, he kept out of war as much as possible. This
allowed him to secure his country internally and to provide a time for the
tired England to rest and to rebuild itself.
Internal Stability
and Prosperity
Henry
knew he needed to secure the crown by matching if not surpass the nobility in
wealth and project power greater than that of Parliament. In order to do so, he
needed money, which he planned to derive from customs duties. To increase
customs duties, he needed to create a prosperous trading economy. As a result
he promoted trade with other countries as exemplified by the Intercursus
Magnus. He also developed England’s industries to prevent trade deficits and
reliance on imported goods that might undermine England’s self-sufficiency,
hence his position as well.
He
also initiated navigation acts that promoted English shipping which enhanced
the country’s seamanship skills. He also supported the exploration of new
markets through patronage of explorers such as Joh Cabot.
Henry
himself was rich already. His inheritance as the sole heir of the Lancaster
gave him substantial lands. More came as he confiscated the lands of Lords who
rebelled against him. As a result, he greatly expanded the crown lands that
offered great income to the Crown.
Henry
made tax and government revenue collection efficient. He made sure right taxes,
fees, and dues especially from the nobility flowed smoothly into government
coffers. He did this by keeping the Yorkist method of collection through
servants under the supervision of the King himself rather than the Chancellor
of Exchequer. As a result of his efficient administration of government
finance, he left government coffers overflowing with coins.
To
balance power with the powerful nobility, he empowered the sectors of lawyers,
clerics, and lesser gentry to the Court of Star Chamber. The Council served as
judicial council chaired by the King himself and presided over trials which
lesser courts failed to fairly judge due to corruption.
Furthermore,
he also secured the support of the small-landed gentry by giving them security
of property. It meant that any gentry who pledge allegiance to the King who sat
on the throne would have security of their lives and property making their
ownership unalienable.
He
also ceased the nobility in raising private armies through the Court of the
King’s Bench. This council of justices also served as a judicial court that
brought justice in special cases especially in Wales and Northern England. It
became also responsible in sentencing of nobles suspected of raising illegal
private armies.
Many
men outside the prominent nobility rose to great importance. These men included
his Chief Minister, Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, Richard Empson, Edmund
Dudley, and John Stile, who contributed to English diplomacy by inventing the 1st
diplomatic cipher. But Empson and Dudley greatly help to fill Henry coffers
with ruthless efficiency. Their sometimes forceful ways led to their
unpopularity and eventual execution in 1510.
In
all of this, Henry placed intelligence as his strongest weapon in keeping
internal security. He created an extensive network of spies and informants both
home and abroad that kept him informed of developments and plots. This made him
secure and his people especially his enemies anxious.
To
his courtiers, he also showed great deal of wealth to intimidate and show
confidence of his new position. Although characterized as frugal, it did not
stop him from wearing exquisite clothing and magnificent jewels. He moved in
the palace grounds with a canopy and great retinue following him. Jesters,
minstrels, and leopards kept him entertained while he dined in opulent style in
view of the nobility and courtiers.
End of Reign
On
April 21, 1509, Henry VII passed away. He left England in peace and financial
well-off. He passed this England to his son the controversial King Henry VIII.
He also left a Tudor Dynasty that spawned a Golden Age during the reign of his granddaughter
Elizabeth.
See also:
Bibliography:
Churchill,
Winston. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Volume II: The New World.
London: Cassell and Company Ltd., 1956.
“Henry
VII.” In Encyclopedia of Tudor England. By John Wagner and Susan Schmid. Santa
Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2012.
Myers,
Alexander Reginald. “Henry VII.” In Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on June
11, 2017. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VII-king-of-England
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