Henry VII of England: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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* [[Arthur, Prince of Wales]]

* [[Margaret Tudor|Margaret, Queen of Scots]]

* [[Henry VIII]], King of England]]

* [[Elizabeth Tudor (1492–1495)|Elizabeth Tudor]]

* [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary, Queen of France]]

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'''Henry VII''' (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was [[King of England]] and [[Lord of Ireland]] 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]].{{Efn|a [[Royal house]] of Welsh-French origin}}

Henry's mother, [[Margaret Beaufort]], was a descendant of [[John of Gaunt]], founder of the [[House of Lancaster]] and son of [[King Edward III]]. 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. During Henry's early years, he supported his uncle Henry VI and the Lancastrian cause in fighting [[War of Roses|the civil wars]] 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 [[Duchy of Brittany|Brittany]]. He attained the throne when his forces, supported by [[Kingdom of France|France]], [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] and [[Wales in the late Middle Ages|Wales]], defeated [[Richard III of England|Richard III]] at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]]. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle, defending it two years later at the [[Battle of Stoke Field]] to decisively end the [[Wars of the Roses]] (1455–1487). Vindicating the Lancastrian cause, he cemented his claim by marrying the Yorkist heiress, [[Elizabeth of York]], daughter of Edward IV.

Henry restored power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war. He is credited with many administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives. His [[#Trade agreements|supportive policy]] toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the [[Low Countries]] had long-lasting benefits 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 reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, [[Henry VIII]].

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===Law enforcement and justices of the peace===

Henry's principal problem was to restore royal authority in a realm recovering from the Wars of the Roses. 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 ([[mercenary|mercenaries]] masquerading as servants).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Bastard Feudalism, Overmighty Subjects and Idols of the Multitude during the Wars of the Roses|first=Michael|last=Hicks|journal=History|date=2000|volume=85|issue=279 |pages=386–403|doi=10.1111/1468-229X.00153 }}</ref> Following the example of Edward IV, Henry VII created a [[Council of Wales and the Marches]] for his son Arthur, which was intended to govern [[Wales]] and the [[Welsh Marches|Marches]], Cheshire and [[Duchy of Cornwall|Cornwall]].<ref name="odnb">{{cite ODNB | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/705 | title=Arthur, prince of Wales (1486–1502) | year=2004 | access-date=7 October 2013 | last=Horrox |first=Rosemary | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/705}} {{Subscription required}}</ref><ref name="griffiths">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Wales and the Marches in the Fifteenth Century |encyclopedia=Fifteenth Century England, 1399–1509: Studies in Politics and Society |publisher=Sutton Publishing |location=Bristol |last=Griffiths |first=Ralph |date=1972 |author-link=Ralph A. Griffiths |editor-last=Chrimes |editor-first=Stanley |pages=145–172 |isbn=978-0064911269 |editor1-link=S B Chrimes |editor2-last=Ross |editor2-first=Charles |editor2-link=Charles Ross (historian) |editor3-last=Griffiths |editor3-first=Ralph |editor3-link=Ralph A. Griffiths}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Chrimes|1999|pp=249–256}}</ref>

[[File:King Henry VII from NPG.jpg|thumb|left|Late 16th-century copy of a portrait of Henry VII]]

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Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. 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. Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. Catherine's mother [[Isabella I of Castile]] had died and Catherine's sister [[Joanna of Castile|Joanna]] had succeeded her; Catherine was, therefore, daughter of only one reigning monarch and so less desirable as a spouse for Henry VII's heir-apparent. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. Otherwise, at the time of his father's arranging of the marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the future Henry VIII was too young to contract the marriage according to Canon Law and would be ineligible until age fourteen.{{Sfn|Penn|2013|p=204}}

Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. He entertained thoughts of remarriage to renew the alliance with Spain – [[Joanna of Naples (1478–1518)|Joanna, Dowager Queen of Naples]] (a niece of Queen Isabella of Castile), [[Joanna of Castile|Queen Joanna of Castile]], and [[Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy|Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy]] (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile), were all considered.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergenroth |first=G A |title=Calendar of State Papers, Spain: Supplement To Volumes 1 and 2, Queen Katherine; Intended Marriage of King Henry VII To Queen Juana |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/supp/vols1-2 |access-date=7 August 2020 |website=British History Online}}</ref> In 1505 he was sufficiently interested in a potential marriage to Joanna of Naples that he sent ambassadors to Naples to report on the 27-year-old Joanna's physical suitability.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schwarz |first=Arthur L. |title=VIVAT REX! An Exhibition Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII |publisher=The Grolier Club |year=2009 |isbn=978-1605830179 |page=58 |chapter=Henry's Father Searches for a New Wife}}</ref> 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.

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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Herman |first=Peter C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBEPoST7-ooC&q=henry+vii+shattered+by+death&pg=PT52 |title=A Short History of Early Modern England |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2011 |isbn=978-1444394993}}{{page needed|date=August 2021}}</ref> 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.

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{{More citations needed|section|date=October 2020}}

[[File:The Family of Henry VII with St George and the Dragon (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Henry VII (centre left) with his family, as depicted at [[Hampton Court Palace]]]]

Henry VII and Elizabeth had seven children:{{Efn|[[Roland de Velville]] (or Veleville), who was [[knight]]ed in 1497 and was Constable of [[Beaumaris Castle]], is sometimes presented as the clear "[[Legitimacy (family law) |illegitimate]] issue"son of Henry VII of England by "a [[Bretons|Breton]] lady whose name is not known". The possibility this was Henry's illegitimate son is baseless.<ref>{{harvnb|Chrimes|1999|p=67 n3}}</ref>}}

* [[Arthur, Prince of Wales|Arthur]] (19 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), [[Prince of Wales]], [[heir apparent]] from birth to death (named after the legendary [[King Arthur]]){{sfn|Wagner|Schmid|2011|p=1104}}

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{{S-hou|[[House of Tudor]]|28 January|1457|21 April|1509}}

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{{S-bef|before=[[Richard III of England|Richard III]]}}

{{S-ttl|title=[[List of English monarchs|King of England]]<br />[[Lordship of Ireland|Lord of Ireland]]|years=1485–1509}}

{{S-aft|after=[[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]}}

{{S-reg|en}}

{{S-bef|before=[[Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond|Edmund Tudor]]}}