Henry VII

The first Tudor King. He started out as Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. By his mother's side he was related to John of Gaunt, and thereby a member of the House of Lancaster. He fought against Richard III in the War of the Roses. After the defeat and death of Richard in the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry was declared king. In spite of the very slim dynastic connections he was accepted as king, married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of the former York king Edward IV. The merging of the two erstwhile hostile dynasties was celebrated as start of a new dynasty, a new peaceful time for England. Most historians nowadays see this as part of the Tudor Myth.