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Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty. His father was Edmund Tudor and his mother Margaret Beaufort. Henry was born in 1457. He married Elizabeth of York in 1486. There were four children, Arthur, Henry (the future Henry VIII), Margaret and Mary. Henry's ancestry descended from John of Gaunt, by an illicit affair with Catherine Swynford. Henry was Lancastrian in the War of the Roses. Henry's army at the Battle of Bosworth (1485) resulted in defeat of the Yorkists and Richard III's death and Henry and the Lancasterians in control of England. His marriage to Elizabeth of York helped to unite the two dynasties in the Tudor line
Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty. He was, however, more closely rlated to the French than the English royal family. Henry's father was Edmund Tudor and his mother Margaret Beaufort. Edmund Tudor (1430- ) was Earl of Richmond. His parents were Sir Owen Tudor and his mother Catherine de Valois (1401- ) of France. Henry VII's mother was Margaret Beaufort (1443- ) Countess of Richmond. Her parents were King Charles VI (1368- ) de Valois of France, the Beloved, King of France. Her mother was sabelle of Bavaria (1369- ) Wittelsbach. Henry's ancestry descended from John of Gaunt, by an illicit affair with Catherine Swynford.
Henry was born in 1457.
Henry was Lancastrian in the War of the Roses. Henry's army at the Battle of Bosworth (1485) resulted in defeat of the Yorkists and Richard III's death and Henry and the Lancasterians in control of England.
After his vistory at Bosworth Field, Henry faced two challenges to his reign from "pretenders" who claimed to have better better dynastic link to the Plantagenets. Lambert Simnel claimed to be the Earl of Warwick. Henry defeated Simnel and put him to work in his kitchen. A more troublesome claim came from Perkin Warbeck who posed as Richard of York (one of the little princes that Richard murdered in the tower). Warbeck obtained foreign help, but after repeated invasion attempts Henry ordered his execution.
Elizabeth was the oldest oldest child of Plantagent (York) King Edward IV of England and ???? . Both her parents had children from earlier marriages. When her father died, his brother Richard III sized the crown after murdering Elizabeth's two beothers ("the Little Princes") in the tower of London. At the time, some believed that Richard would try to marry Elizabeth. His wife Anne Neville was sick and not expected to live. Historians disagree if this was Richard's intention or if Elizabeth was actually involved in negotiations. A papal dispensation would have been necessary to allow Richard to marry his niece.
Elizabeth's mother Elizabeth Woodville arranged to a marriage with Henry Tudor if Henry could depose Richard. This is just what occurred at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485).
Henry before he left France to campaign against Richard had pledged to marry Elizabeth. After his victory at Bosworth and becoming king, Henry semed in no hurry to actually marry Elizabeth. Henry was crowned, but still delayed a wedding. It was Parliament which urged Henry to fulfill his pledge. Finally at the beginnng of the following year, Henry and Elizabeth wed (1486). Their first son Prince Arthur ws brn at the end of the year. It was only after Arthur's birth that Elizabeth was cronwned queen. Henry's marriage to Elizabeth of York helped to unite the two dynasties in the Tudor line. The marriage seems to have been a relatively successful one, although we have few details about the personal relationship between Henry and Elizabeth.
There were four children who survived infancy, Arthur, Henry (the future Henry VIII), Margaret and Mary. The marriage of his children were some of the most important in English history. Henry and Elizabeth had seven chidren (figure 1). Some believe that there were eight. Elizabeth died in childbirth attempting to have another child after Prince Arthur's death. Henry also had some illegitimate childre, but here documentation is scanty.
Arthur was Henry's oldest son. As a diplomatic strategy, Henry arranged for Arthur to marry Catherine of Aragon who was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Arthur's untimely death within months complicated Henry's foreign policy. As a result, Henry secured a papal dispensation to allow his next son Henry to marry Catherine.
Henry married his daughter Margaret to James IV of Scotland. They had seven children, James V inherited the crown from his father. James V was the father of Mary Queen of Scots. The marriage of James IV with Margaret provided a dynastic link between the Tudors and Stuarts. When Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth died childless, the Tudor line became extinct giving the Stuart Scottish King James VII title to the English throne which he assumed as James I, launching the English Stuart dynasty.
Henry was the youngest son, but became the heir apparent upon the death of his brother Arthur. He married Catherine after receiving a papal dispensation. Henry succeded his father as inherited the crown as Henry VIII. Years later when Henry decided to divorce Catherine, he used questions over the papal dispensation as justification for an annulment of his marriage. With the pope unable to annul the marriage, Henry broke from Rome, launching the Protestant Revolution.
Elizabeth died as a todler.
Mary married Louis XII of France (1514). Mary resisted the idea because of Louis' age, but it was important to Wolsey and her brother for diplomatic purposes. Henry promised that Mary could chose her next husband. (It was anticipated that Louis woud die in a few yers, although not as quickly as he did. It was Louis' third marriage, but he died soon after and Mary returned to England soon after. Henry VIII sent Charles to bring her home. The two married secretly without the king's permission. He eventually forgave them. Their chuldren through Mary would have a claim to the throne and were to cause difficulties for both her brother as king as well as Elizabeth as queen. [Lofts, pp. 14-17.]
Edmund was created Duke of Somerset, but he died the next years. Some sources say he died at age 5, suggesting he was born in 1494.
Edward died at a young age, but we have no details.
As a result of Arthur's death, Catherine seems to have tried to have one more child. Given the mortality rates at the time, only having one prince was a danger to the dynasty. As a result, however, te Queen died on her 37th birthday, a few days after Catherine's birth. Catherine died a few days later.
Roland de Velville, Roland, Constable of Beaumaris was a child of Hnry after Elizabth's death. Hhis mother is believed to have been a Breton, and he married a Welsh woman.
Henry was a skilled politician. He managed to establish royal dominance in a country that had been fighting a civil war (The War of the Roses) for nearly a century. He persued a number of policies to gain accendanct over the nobility which as a result of his experience in the War he duistrusted. Rather than a household staff of esentially servants, Henry created some important institutions of royal goverance. Henry establshed the Committee of the Privy Council (a kind of early cabinet) to function as an advisory board. He founded the Court of the Star Chamber to give the Crown more authority in judicual matters. Perhaps most effectively, he imposed forced loans and grants on the nobility so that he would not have to seek funds from Parliament which was controlled by the nobility. Henry took many actions to promote trade and commerce which had been adversely affected by the War of the Roses. He encouraged and subsidized ship building, laying the foundation for the Royal Navy. He negotaited valuable trade agreements. In many ways it was Henry who began the trabsition in England from the Medieval to the modern world. He developed controls on the nobility. He transformed the medieval insitutions that he inherited into efficent instruments of a nation state. He fashioned law and trade to replace feudal obligation.
Henry also skillfully orchestrated foreign affiars. France was England's historical foe. Henry helped neutralize any threat from France by arranging the marriage of Prince, Arthur, to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain
The story of Richard III, the Little Princes, and Henry Tudor is addressed in Shakespere's "Richard III". Popular perceptions of Richard and Henry are very much affected by this play, especially the murder of the Little Princes. Shakespeare of coure takes the Tudor line. And very effective propaganda it was. As a result, Richard is one of the most despised of all English monarchs. Shakespere of course would have been taking his life in his hand had he not done so. Most modern historians do believe that the Little Princes were killed on Richard's orders and their remains have been found in the Tower.
Lofts, Norah. Anne Boleyn (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: New York, 1979), 192p.
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