Henry VII: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:42, 24 January 2018

1457-1509. Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. King of England 1485-1509.

Henry VII was the first king of the Tudor dynasty. The son of Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, he was related to John of Gaunt and hence a member of the House of Lancaster. He opposed King Richard III from the House of York, gathering more and more support. Finally, Henry defeated Richard in the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485), the decisive battle in the War of the Roses, in which Richard died. Still on the battlefield, Lord Stanley handed the crown over to Henry, who declared himself King of England. He based his claims on the fact that he was a member of the House of Lancaster, although these claims were rather meagre because the dynasty was inherited by his mother (female line only) and by John of Gaunt's illegitimate son, John Beaufort. Moreover, Henry claimed to have defeated a usurper and a villain, as Richard III was supposed to be responsible for killing his nephews in the Tower in order to become king himself.

After becoming king, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486. She was the daughter of the former King Edward IV and a member of the House of York. The union of the two erstwhile hostile dynasties (Lancaster and York) was celebrated as the start of a new dynasty, the Tudors, and as the beginning of a new peaceful time for England. Most historians nowadays see this as part of the Tudor Myth.

The first son of Henry and Elizabeth was born in 1486, and he was named Arthur in order to create a bond to the mystical king Arthur. In 1489, Henry formed an alliance with Spain, a thriving superpower. The agreement involved the marriage of Arthur with Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the king and queen of Spain. Shortly after the marriage in 1501, Arthur died, and it was determined that Henry's second son, Henry, was to marry Catherine to fulfill the agreement.

Henry VII also had two daughters, Margaret and Mary. They were both strategically married to form further alliances. Margaret married James IV, King of Scotland, and Mary became the wife of Louis XII, King of France. Henry VII was succeeded by his son Henry.

Sources

Eßer, Raingard. Die Tudors und die Stuarts. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. 2004.
Kluxen, Kurt. Geschichte Englands. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Kröner, 1985.

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--1509. Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond; later Henry VII, King of England (1485-1509).
+-1509. Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. King of England 1485-1509.
-Henry VII was the first king of the Tudor dynasty. The son of Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, he was related to [[John of Gaunt]] and hence a member of the House of Lancaster. He opposed King [[Richard III]] from the House of York, gathering more and more support. Finally, Henry defeated Richard in the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]] (1485), the decisive battle in the [[War of the Roses]], in which Richard died. Still on the battlefield, Lord Stanley handed the crown over to Henry, who declared himself King of England. He based his claims on the fact that he was a member of the House of Lancaster, although these claims were rather meagre because the dynasty was inherited by his mother (female line only) and by John of Gaunt's illegitimate son, John Beaufort. Moreover, Henry claimed to have defeated a usurper and a villain, as Richard III was supposed to be responsible for killing his nephews in the Tower in order to become king himself. That is why Henry had a great number of supporters, who also supported his claims to become king.
+Henry VII was the first king of the Tudor dynasty. The son of [[Edmund Tudor]] and [[Margaret Beaufort]], he was related to [[John of Gaunt]] and hence a member of the [[House of Lancaster]]. He opposed King [[Richard III]] from the [[House of York]], gathering more and more support. Finally, Henry defeated Richard in the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]] (1485), the decisive battle in the [[War of the Roses]], in which Richard died. Still on the battlefield, Lord Stanley handed the crown over to Henry, who declared himself King of England. He based his claims on the fact that he was a member of the House of Lancaster, although these claims were rather meagre because the dynasty was inherited by his mother (female line only) and by John of Gaunt's illegitimate son, [[John Beaufort]]. Moreover, Henry claimed to have defeated a usurper and a villain, as Richard III was supposed to be responsible for killing his nephews in the [[Tower of London|Tower]] in order to become king himself.
-After becoming king, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486. She was the daughter of the former King Edward IV and a member of the House of York. The union of the two erstwhile hostile dynasties (Lancaster and York) was celebrated as the start of a new dynasty, the Tudor dynasty, and as the beginning of a new peaceful time for England. Most historians nowadays see this as part of the [[Tudor Myth]].
+After becoming king, Henry VII married [[Elizabeth of York]] in 1486. She was the daughter of the former King [[Edward IV]] and a member of the House of York. The union of the two erstwhile hostile dynasties (Lancaster and York) was celebrated as the start of a new dynasty, the Tudors, and as the beginning of a new peaceful time for England. Most historians nowadays see this as part of the [[Tudor Myth]].
-The first son of Henry and Elizabeth was born in 1486, and he was named [[Arthur]] in order to create a bond to the mystical king Arthur. In 1489, Henry formed an alliance with Spain, a thriving superpower. The agreement involved a marriage of Arthur with Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the king and queen of Spain. Shortly after the marriage in 1501, Arthur died, and it was determined that Henry's second son Henry was to marry Catherine to fulfill the agreement. Henry VII also had two daughters, Margaret and Mary. They were both strategically married to form further alliances. Margaret married James IV, King of Scotland, and Mary became the wife of Louis XII, King of France. Henry VII was succeeded by his son Henry, who became King [[Henry VIII]] of England in 1509 after his father's death.
+The first son of Henry and Elizabeth was born in 1486, and he was named [[Arthur]] in order to create a bond to the mystical king Arthur. In 1489, Henry formed an alliance with Spain, a thriving superpower. The agreement involved the marriage of Arthur with [[Catherine of Aragon]], the daughter of the king and queen of Spain. Shortly after the marriage in 1501, Arthur died, and it was determined that Henry's second son, [[Henry VIII|Henry]], was to marry Catherine to fulfill the agreement.
+Henry VII also had two daughters, [[Margaret Tudor|Margaret]] and [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary]]. They were both strategically married to form further alliances. Margaret married [[James IV]], King of Scotland, and Mary became the wife of Louis XII, King of France. Henry VII was succeeded by his son [[Henry VIII|Henry]].
 == Sources ==
 * Eßer, Raingard. ''Die Tudors und die Stuarts''. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. 2004.
 * Kluxen, Kurt. ''Geschichte Englands. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart''. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Kröner, 1985.