Henry VII

Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as Little England beyond Wales. He was the only child of Lady Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. He was probably baptised at St Mary's Church, Pembroke, though no documentation of the event exists. His father died three months before his birth. 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 secretly married Henry V's widow, Catherine of Valois, and was executed by Edward IV after the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461. Henry's mother was a descendant of John of Gaunt, founder of the House of Lancaster and son of King Edward III. She married Edmund Tudor at the age of 12 and gave birth to Henry at the age of 13. She later married twice more and became a patroness of education and learning. During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI was fighting against Edward IV, a member of the Yorkist branch of the House of Plantagenet. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. He attained the throne when his forces, supported by France, Scotland, and Wales, defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and niece of Richard III. Their marriage symbolised the union of the two rival houses and the end of the civil war. Henry restored power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war. He is credited with many administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. He stabilised the government's finances by introducing several new taxes. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. Henry also strengthened his position by making alliances with other European powers through marriage contracts. His eldest daughter Margaret married James IV of Scotland and became the grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots and great-grandmother of James VI and I. His second son Henry succeeded him as king and married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain. His younger daughter Mary married Louis XII of France and later Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Henry faced several rebellions and conspiracies during his reign, mostly from Yorkist claimants or supporters who sought to overthrow him or restore Richard III's line. He dealt with them harshly and ruthlessly, executing many nobles and confiscating their lands and titles. He also suppressed a popular uprising in Cornwall led by Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank in 1497. Henry was a devout Catholic and maintained good relations with the papacy. He supported the cause of his uncle Henry VI's canonisation and obtained a papal dispensation for his marriage to Elizabeth of York, who was his third cousin. He also patronised several religious foundations and institutions, such as the Savoy Hospital and the Observant Franciscans. He commissioned the construction of the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, where he and his wife were buried. Henry died on 21 April 1509 at Richmond Palace in Surrey. His death was due to tuberculosis. He was buried next to his wife, Elizabeth of York, in the chapel he had commissioned in the Abbey. His son Henry VIII succeeded him and became one of the most famous and controversial monarchs in English history. Henry VII is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential kings of England. He founded the Tudor dynasty that would rule for more than 100 years and produce some of the most remarkable figures in English history, such as Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. He also laid the foundations for the modern state and the English Reformation. ¹²