why was henry vii called the winter king

Penn then went on to talk about the heir to the throne, the young Prince Henry, who seemed very different to the King. Henry VII is also known as Henry Tudor. These bonds were enforced by the Council Learned in the Law, a council of legal advisers who were only answerable to the King. One interesting thing about him is his early youth and the fourteen years he spent in exile in France Brittany to be precise and those, I believe, made him the man he was eventually to become. [5], The descent of Henry's mother, Margaret, through the legitimised House of Beaufort bolstered Henry's claim to the English throne. Thus, Henry Tudor had no choice but to gather together an army including mercenary soldiers as well as his own supporters, and he landed in Wales in August, 1485. More wrote that this King is loved and compared Henrys accession to the coming of a new season, a new spring following a winter of repression. Their powers and numbers steadily increased during the time of the Tudors, never more so than under Henry's reign. In the late 20th century a model of European state formation was prominent in which Henry less resembles Louis and Ferdinand. Henry the eighth was a renaissance King. Why was Henry VII called the "Winter King"? - Quora He was the last king of England to win . Penn went on to show Henry VIIs wax funeral effigy, which I saw on my recent trip to London, and which shows his fine-boned features and his crooked eye, but also a face bearing the signs of stress and illness. This book is a nonfiction look at King Henry the VII. Henry needed an heir to secure his reign and fortunately an heir came quickly. Thus, the two warring houses were joined in marriage. However, with the help of the forces of his step-father, Lord Stanley, he defeated Richard and Richard was killed on the battlefield. The last few years of his reign were ones of repression. To be notified of special offers, news, new courses, and new tutors, please subscribe to our newsletter. Yet Henry's techniques of power went beyond the needs of surveillance and survival. Thomas Penns Winter King in a brilliant mash-up of gothic horror and political biography. It was the end of the union of Lancaster and York and many had only accepted Henry as King because of his wifes Yorkist roots, so Henry was once more on shaky ground with his old enemies resurfacing and raising armies. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. By this marriage, Henry VII hoped to break the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. Henry VIII and the Break with Rome Timeline - History [8], In 1456, Henry's father Edmund Tudor was captured while fighting for Henry VI in South Wales against the Yorkists. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? Yorkist malcontents had strength in the north of England and in Ireland and had a powerful ally in Richard IIIs sister Margaret, dowager duchess of Burgundy. He created the Tudor dynasty. 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. His history plays depicted the dramatic conflicts of the wars of the roses, which Henry's accession after his victory at Bosworth in 1485 brought to an end. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England - Goodreads [49] The confused, fractious nature of Breton politics undermined his efforts, which finally failed after three sizeable expeditions, at a cost of 24,000. By the way, dont forget that Ian Mortimers Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is on tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. Castles of . ||sitemap_index.xml Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . Watch with Prime Henry VII, grown rich from Morton's Fork and other squeezes, was far from a bumpkin trying to break into the royal circles of western Europe--he was being courted, and he knew very well to play Castile (Hapsburg) and Aragon off against one another after Isabella died (and Catherine might very well have been packed off home to marry someone else, it was common). For instance, the Stanley family had control of Lancashire and Cheshire, upholding the peace on the condition that they stayed within the law. Claiming the throne by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God in battle, he was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. Dydd Gyl Dewi Hapus! [72] Immediately afterwards, Henry became very sick and nearly died himself, allowing only his mother Margaret Beaufort near him: "privily departed to a solitary place, and would that no man should resort unto him. When Henry VIII Wrestled the King of Franceand Lost "King Henry VII" redirects here. More than a biography of Henry VII, this book is really a highly detailed history of the last ten years of his reign, and how he meticulously and ruthlessly turned England into a police state ruled by what amounted to an organized crime syndicate. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. In 1622 Francis Bacon published his History of the Reign of King Henry VII. To unite the opponents of Richard III, Henry had promised to marry Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV; and the coalition of Yorkists and Lancastrians continued, helped by French support, since Richard III talked of invading France. [33], In 1490, a young Fleming, Perkin Warbeck, appeared and claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the "Princes in the Tower". Reading this, I got a much better understanding of where Henry VIII came from, and why he was destined to be the colorful ruler he became, as an antidote to his own father. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent. [citation needed] Henry also formed an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (14931519) and persuaded Pope Innocent VIII to issue a papal bull of excommunication against all pretenders to Henry's throne. [54], Henry VII was much enriched by trading alum, which was used in the wool and cloth trades as a chemical fixative for dyeing fabrics. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. With the assistance of the Italian merchant banker Lodovico della Fava and the Italian banker Girolamo Frescobaldi, Henry VII became deeply involved in the trade by licensing ships, obtaining alum from the Ottoman Empire, and selling it to the Low Countries and in England. I've never read much on the reign of Henry VII - mostly because to really get to grips with his policies, you first have to get to grips with his exhaustively complicated financial policies - but Penn provides a wonderful accessibility through his writing, which provides valuable context to the man who founded England's most famous dynasty. [66], Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. Updates? [58], Henry's principal problem was to restore royal authority in a realm recovering from the Wars of the Roses. However, King Henry the VIII was much more self-centered as most of his spending was inappropriate and did not benefit England much. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. Henry had only been accepted as King because the Princes in the Tower, the sons of Edward IV, were dead, so when Yorkist exiles groomed Perkin Warbeck to pose as one of the princes and raised an army it was a huge threat. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of the reign called Henry "a dark prince, and infinitely suspicious". How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? This book was way too focused on what happened, but not so much on the why or why it was important. Story's register still exists and, according to the 19th-century historian W.R.W. Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII [ JKMMX ] [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ]. - and that was only about 50% of the book, it was only about 50% interesting to me. Poor Henry VII. [68] 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. Here was a young man who enjoyed jousting, who enjoyed chatting with the other knights in the tiltyard and with people of low degree. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. Unfortunately, since all I really wanted to know about was learning about Henry the 7th and his family as people - the things that happened to them, what kind of people they were, etc. Henry was a remarkable man. Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. Musings on History - Henry VII - Learn for Pleasure Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle , Wales, on January 28 th, 1457. Sometimes, Penn explained, charges against people were fabricated so that they would have to pay a fine, for example, a man who was charged with murdering a child and who was found guilty because the jury was rigged. [69] 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. In 1621 Francis Bacon's history of. During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI was fighting against Edward IV, a member of the Yorkist Plantagenet branch. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII. BBC Two - Henry VII: The Winter King, Backdating Henry's Reign France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. His legacy was his son, Henry VIII, lucky old England Penn commented. MP3 CD. [63] Despite this, Henry was keen to constrain their power and influence, applying the same principles to the justices of the peace as he did to the nobility: a similar system of bonds and recognisances to that which applied to both the gentry and the nobles who tried to exert their elevated influence over these local officials. Henry responded to this threat by embedding spies into households. He led attempted invasions of Ireland in 1491 and England in 1495, and persuaded James IV of Scotland to invade England in 1496. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In 1502 the death of his heir Arthur left the dynasty's prospects with Arthur's 10-year-old brother, Henry. Claire is going live on YouTube on 11 February! I picked this audiobook up because it was narrated by Simon Vance. There were some sections I had to skim because I didn't feel they were relevant to the storyline, but mostly I was hooked into this very complex King. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. Henry VIII - Loss of popularity | Britannica - Encyclopedia Britannica During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. Here is a rundown of the programme for those who missed it. Penn explained how Henry reworked recent events to suit him. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. After the Holy Roman Emperor . Henry VII ruled from 1485-1509 and had a dubious claim on the throne, spending most of his time before the famous Battle of Bosworth Field in exile and gaining credibility from his marriage to Elizabeth of York. Henry the older was lean and shriveled, rigid with prudence, empty of any hunger other than a desire to secure his throne through the acquisition of cash. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. He stabilised the government's finances by introducing several new taxes. Having secured financial backing from Florentine bankers in London, Cabot was granted carefully phrased letters patent from Henry in March 1496, permitting him to embark on an exploratory voyage westerly. All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. Moneywise, King Henry the VII was frugal and careful with money. He was probably baptised at St Mary's Church, Pembroke,[1] though no documentation of the event exists. Edward, Earl of Warwick, the ten-year-old son of Edward IV's brother George, Duke of Clarence, was the senior surviving male of the House of York. [22] Thus, anyone who had fought for Richard against him would be guilty of treason and Henry could legally confiscate the lands and property of Richard III, while restoring his own. Henry was devastated. 8 Things You May Not Know About Henry VIII - HISTORY When Richard III became King, Henrys strategy, planned by Margaret Beaufort, the mother whom he had not seen for years, was to declare in public, in Brittanys Rennes Cathedral, that he would marry Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth, then in sanctuary with her mother, and thus bury the enmity between Lancaster and York by making her his queen. [37], For most of Henry VII's reign Edward Story was Bishop of Chichester. [53] Later on, Henry had exchanged letters with Pope Julius II in 1507, in which he encouraged him to establish peace among Christian realms, and to organise an expedition against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. The Field of Cloth of Gold: Royal Revelry. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England. Henry restored power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war. When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. He had to pay a 500 fine to save himself, to buy a pardon for the crime. Some of them have more to say than Penn about the constructive sides of the reign, which developed the state-building methods of his Yorkist predecessors. [citation needed] [11] When Edward IV became King in 1461, Jasper Tudor went into exile abroad. Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. On one side of the coin, instead of a profile of his face, there was a full length depiction of Henry sat on his throne with his crown and sceptre. I'm not giving this a star rating because I suspect it's me at fault not the book. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York. Hidden under the floor in St George's Chapel in Windsor, England where thousands of people walk every day, a forgotten tomb lies. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? The usurpation of Richard III (1483), however, split the Yorkist party and gave Henry his opportunity. His first son and heir apparent, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died suddenly at Ludlow Castle, very likely from a viral respiratory illness known at the time as the "English sweating sickness". Henry VII, also called (145785) Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, (born January 28, 1457, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Walesdied April 21, 1509, Richmond, Surrey, England), king of England (14851509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty . Henry IV had confirmed Richard IIs legitimation (1397) of the children of this union but had specifically excluded the Beauforts from any claim to the throne (1407). I am glad to say that I think it does, for it concentrates on the reign, and court, of Henry VII, giving a different slant to the well known story. Henry VII, also called (1457-85) Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, (born January 28, 1457, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Walesdied April 21, 1509, Richmond, Surrey, England), king of England (1485-1509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty. On the other side of the coin, instead of the cross, was a Tudor rose and the arms of England. Prince Arthur was born just eight months after his parents marriage, at Winchester, the seat of King Arthurs Camelot. Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor , Earl of Richmond , and Margaret Beaufort . With the English economy heavily invested in wool production, Henry VII became involved in the alum trade in 1486. It was no easy feat. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. His account of Henry's government is more contentious than he lets on. [citation needed], Henry began taking precautions against rebellion while still in Leicester after Bosworth Field. However, this treaty came at a price, as Henry mounted a minor invasion of Brittany in November 1492. That is, suspicious, insecure and crafty but also determined, patient and fiercely proud of his Lancastrian ancestry. I'm beginning to wonder if all of the kings beginning with the conquest weren't a little off their rocker in some way. The usual courts and justice system were totally circumvented, and there was no chance of appeal other than purchasing extremely high priced royal pardons. Henry marries Catherine of Aragon. [39] Despite this, during his reign he became a fiscally prudent monarch who restored the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer. The marriage between Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon would be the culmination of everything that Henry VII had fought for at the Battle of Bosworth, so in 1501 there was a fortnight of marriage celebrations and London was in a carnival mood. The King, normally a reserved man who rarely showed much emotion in public unless angry, surprised his courtiers by his intense grief and sobbing at his son's death, while his concern for the Queen is evidence that the marriage was a happy one, as is his reaction to Queen Elizabeth's death the following year, when he shut himself away for several days, refusing to speak to anyone. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. This family took a dim view of Henry and it was John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, who instigated the first rebellion against him. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . He took care not to address the baronage or summon Parliament until after his coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey on 30 October 1485. When Henry VII became king, the royal exchequer was effectively bankrupt. I found this really interesting, but Im a history nut. Until the death of his wife, the evidence is clear from these accounting books that Henry was a more doting father and husband than was widely known and there is evidence that his outwardly austere personality belied a devotion to his family. Since we are in the middle of winter, Ive been thinking of a volume on my shelves on Henry VII, who could be called the Winter King. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. With Elizabeth's death, the possibilities for such family indulgences greatly diminished. "[73] Further compounding Henry's distress, his older daughter Margaret had previously been betrothed to King James IV of Scotland and within months of her mother's death she had to be escorted to the border by her father: he would never see her again. People saw him as being like a traditional king and hoped that his reign would bring positive change. [64] This made Henry VII's second son, Henry, Duke of York, heir apparent to the throne. [70] 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. [29] Henry secured his crown principally by dividing and undermining the power of the nobility, especially through the aggressive use of bonds and recognisances to secure loyalty. [77][78] His mother died two months later on 29 June 1509. The treaty marks a shift from neutrality over the French invasion of Brittany to active intervention against it. 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. Omissions? In that, he was quite successful, but he was neither loved nor admired. Well written and really interesting about an often ignored king. Warbeck won the support of Edward IV's sister Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. Herbert was captured fighting for the Yorkists and executed by Warwick. He likens the beginning of Henry VIII's reign to a metaphorical spring, a second coming of sorts because Henry VIII seemed to be the opposite of his father. Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his fathers death. Henry VII ruled as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do through fear rather than love. [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. [3] 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 rose to become one of the "Squires to the Body to the King" after military service at the Battle of Agincourt. Though this was not achieved during his reign, the marriage eventually led to the union of the English and Scottish crowns under Margaret's great-grandson, James VI and I, following the death of Henry's granddaughter Elizabeth I. Watch for $0.00 with Prime. Pembroke Castle, and later the Earldom of Pembroke, were granted to the Yorkist William Herbert, who also assumed the guardianship of Margaret Beaufort and the young Henry. Henry himself was clearly a distant figure who governed through his ministers, but this means that it's quite hard to get much of a sense of his character from the few sources available. Early life He was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, and his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville brought together the too sides that were facing off during the Wars of the Roses (the Lancasters and the Yorks) basically uniting the two houses into a single family. Corrections? After obtaining the dispensation, Henry had second thoughts about the marriage of his son and Catherine. From 1527 Henry pursued what became known as "the King's great matter": his divorce from Catherine. [citation needed] 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 Marches, Cheshire and Cornwall. Get help and learn more about the design. Wolf Hall this is not. [citation needed], All Acts of Parliament were overseen by the justices of the peace. Iain Hollingshead reviews Henry VII: Winter King, a BBC Two documentary which examines how the first Tudor monarch came to power and went on to have a 23-year reign. Four good reasons to indulge in cryptocurrency! The purpose of the agreement was to prevent France from annexing Brittany. The author does a good job drawing on his sources and bringing the characters to life while staying true to the history, but the subject matter is just not inherently as sexy as Henry VIIIs or Elizabeth Is reigns. Since he was the second son, and not expected to become king, we know little of his childhood until the death of his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. Inadvertently, he provoked a revolution. Why did the nobility accept the curtailment of the military power it had wielded in the wars of the roses and swallow the elevation of upstarts at Henry's court? Henry VII The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful read. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VII-king-of-England, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Henry VII, English Monarchs - Biography of Henry VII, Henry VII - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Henry VII - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [15], By 1483, Henry's mother was actively promoting him as an alternative to Richard III, despite her being married to Lord Stanley, a Yorkist. When he died, his only surviving son, Henry VIII, succeeded him without a breath of opposition. [21], Henry devised a plan to seize the throne by engaging Richard quickly because Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. When Henry VIII and Francis I Spent $19 Million on the Field of Cloth Some of it is due to his personality--he played his cards close to the vest, unlike his son--and some of it is due to Tudor spin--they were, after all trying to bolster up the royal credentials for a man who didn't have that many. Henry VII: Winter King was aired last night on BBC2 and was the latest programme in BBC2s Tudor Court Season. [14] In November 1476, Francis fell ill and his principal advisers were more amenable to negotiating with King Edward. 1509. At any rate, the Wars of the Roses had ended with a victory by which the winner took all, and regardless of his somewhat dubious Plantagenet ancestry. Local gentry saw the office as one of local influence and prestige and were therefore willing to serve.