Henry VII of England
The War of the Roses has been a continuing hostile encounter between two most
influential and potentially strong families in England (York and Lancaster).
It ended up when King Richard III of York has been defeated by Henry Tudor of
Lancaster which brought economic changes to England in the following years under
different monarchies.
Henry Tudor or King Henry VII was born in 1457 at Pembroke Castle, the one
and only son of Lady Margaret Beaufort (widow of Derby) and Edmund Tudor (Earl
of Richmond). Henry VII ruled and exercised his sovereign power a monarch the
England from 1457 to 1509 as the first King of the Tudor monarch.
Two months after he was born, his father his father died which made young Henry
to expend much of his early existence with Jasper Tudor, his uncle. With the
coming of Edward IV to the royal office of sovereign in 1471, Henry was obliged
to run away from danger where he consumed almost fourteen years of his life
after reports and news came to him that Henry Stafford, his second cousin failed
in the revolt of Buckingham. In 1483, he became the direct commander of Lancastrian
rivalry for the sovereign power of England. With the equipments and money lend
to him by the Duke of Brittany, he slip away to France after the first unsuccessful
attack to conquer England and contend against Richard III on the coast of Dorset
by the use of the treaties between Breton forces. Henry was again accepted by
the court of France who fully supported him with troops on his next second attack.
Again, he gathered all his armies to bear and withstand with him in the battle,
moving over Whales and win the victory over King Richard III who died in Bosworth
Field in 1485. In the coming year, he was proclaimed as King Henry VII in London
that ended up Wars of the Roses.
In order to convey the York family closer at same time, he married soon Elizabeth,
heiress of York on January 18, 1486, after he became a King. Nevertheless, York
stays being a threat to him for they don't want any member of the Lancaster
family to become the next King of England. On the other hand, Tudor was hard-to-defeat
opponent and superficially skillful leader dedicated to triumphed and stay holding
his throne. He started to think and plan automatically on how to face the existing
problem with the uprising Yorkist forces and how to take control over them.
Among reported Yorkist revolution was leaded by Lambert Simnel, English pretender
who demands to be the last Yorkist successor to the throne of England but, he
was put into prison by the King at the Tower of London. At same year, another
hostile encounter rise in the leading power of another Walloon pretender Perkin
Warbeck, who also claimed to be the duke of the late Richard. This time, he
already knew what to do. Is that to convey barons to come with him under his
control and power.
Powerful barons are rich noblemen of England having their own particular and
secret armies who have not been faithful to and shows sympathy to either York
or Lancaster forces during the Wars of the Roses. Henry Tudor designs a three
way schemes for barons by banning all existing private armies carrying charges
of treason and death punishment for those who will not follow his royal order.
He also established a law to burden the barons with their taxes for the purpose
of reducing their wealth. Out of this system, he used the money he gathered
to form his own royal and powerful group of soldiers to threaten all the barons.
Another plan is to control the baron in using the Star Chamber, a court run
by Henry VII men in executing any barons who shows anger or revenge with the
King. Because of these successful laws being established to barons, they are
no longer threats to the King otherwise, they became submissive individuals
being savage by his great power.
Compared to other Kings, Henry takes much of his time and focus sharply in
financial aspects of his Kingdom, based on his beliefs that the King becomes
only strong and powerful when he has plenty of wealth and money while the poor
one is considered to be the weakest King in the whole world. He also foresees
that by means of money he could freely extend and stretch-out his allies of
army, the bigger it is the more authoritative and influential he is not only
in the eyes of the noblemen but also to the whole country while keeping them
dedicated and committed to him. He used the power of the Justice of Peace across
the Kingdom by establishing it at every one's country to serve yearly at same
time. There were chiefs who determined and see to it that the laws are well
ensured and obeyed in any area of responsibility.
Despite of his strict behavior with regards to money, he was fond also of occupying
his self with cards and real tennis by putting large amount to his gambling
hobby and giving splendor tips to musicians who regularly entertained him. To
build more relations in other countries abroad and to keep away from costly
external wars, he set up his eldest son Arthur to marry Catherine of Aragon,
a Spanish princess. Both Arthur and Catherine could not refuse the arrangement
although political set-up for marriages were already practiced and adopted among
sovereign families before. Their marriage takes only five months when Arthur
died of a widespread disease at Lodlow Castle but, to keep the friendship intact
he again King Henry VII wanted his second son Henry, the future ruler and King
and England by marrying the widowed wife of his brother.
Normally, this is the stage of marriage being prohibited by the Roman Catholic
Church, including the legality that would permit him self to marry also his
daughter in law in which the husband already died. But, Pope Julius did not
permit this idea taking place in his hand. Henry VII died without witnessing
the matrimonial ceremony of his son.
When King Henry VII died, the throne was succeeded by Henry VIII, his second
son. Margaret, his elder daughter was united in wedlock to the King of Scotland,
James IV hoping to destroy the treaty between France and Scotland.
Original Authors:
Phil Post
Edit Update Authors: None
Updated On: 26/01/2007
