War of the Roses context. Henry Tudor was the son of Edmund Tudor , Earl of Richmond
and Margaret Beaufort. Edmund died a few months before Henry was born, so brought
up by Mags and his Uncle Jasper. During the Wars of the Roses, leading members of the
House of Lancaster were killed. This meant Henry became the Lancastrian with the
strongest claim to the throne
Sensing danger, Jasper took Henry to Brittany, France where he spent the next 14 years. Henry
lived quietly and posed no threat to Edward IV's reign. However, when Richard III became King,
things changed. Rich was unpopular and there was a rebellion against him, led by the Duke of
Buckingham. During this time, Henry attracted some key supporters and was living in Paris. He
was also receiving financial support from the King of France
August 1485: Henry left France with a small force of French soldiers and landed in South Wales. He soon
gained support from a powerful landowner, Rhys Ap Thomas. Henry gained more soldiers and support as
he marched through Wales and the Midlands. Rich was residing at Nottingham castle and wanted to stop
Henry from reaching London
Battle of Bosworth: August 22nd 1485
Henry's forces were outnumbered and Rich III arrived at the battlefield first, securing a better
position. The Earl of Northumberland and the Stanley brothers were present at the battle but
initially did not take a side and watched the fighting. Rich attempted to reach Henry and kill
him. At this point, Sir William Stanley decided to intervene and his forces attacked Richard's
cavalry. The Earl of Northumberland did not come to Richard's aid and the King was
eventually killed. Once news of the Rich's death spread, the royal forces dispersed and Henry
was crowned on the battlefield by Thomas Stanley
Aims:
Wanted to unite York and Lancaster
Remain King and hand on an unchallenged succession to his descendants-
secure and strengthen his dynasty
Establish effective government, maintain law and order, control the nobility
and secure the crown's finances
Ensure he kept the throne
Henry's claim:
Main claim to the throne was through his mother, Margaret Beaufort
Margaret was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, one
of Edward III's sons anf father of Henry IV. This meant that
Henry Tudor was the great-great-great grandson of Edward III
and a distant cousin of Henry IV. On his father's side, Henry
Tudor was also related to Henry VI
Henry's claim was weak compared to those on the Yorkist side. Elizabeth of York ,
Edmund the Earl of Warwick and the de la Pole brothers all arguably had a stronger claim
to the throne than Henry
Securing the throne
Coronation
30th October 1485: Had his coronation on the day before Parliament
met. This was deliberate as he did not want people to think his power as
King derived from Parliament. Ceremony was important because the
nobilty were required to swear an oath of loyalty. It also required the
approval of the Catholic Church. People believed the monarch was
divinely chosen by God. Therefore, rebelling against Henry was rebelling
against God
Marriage
January 1486: Married Elizabeth of York. He had to ask the permission of
the Pope to marry as they were distant cousins. This symbolised a union
between the Houses of Lancaster and York and an end to the War of the
Roses. He was careful to marry after his coronation as he did not want to
suggest his claim to the throne was via his wife. He created the Tudor rose
as propaganda.
Securing the succession
September 1486, Elizabeth gave birth to Prince
Arthur. This gave Henry a male heir and created
a Tudor dynasty. This would help assure people
that the monarchy was secure and stable
Dating of his reign
21st August: Henry dated his reign the day before Battle of
Bosworth. This meant that anyone who fought for Rich III at
Bosworth would be punished as a traitor. This allowed parliament
and Henry to strip lands and titles from powerful Yorkists and
imprison the Earl of Warwick by using Acts of Attainder
Rewarding supporters
Lord Thomas Stanley was made Earl of Derby. His Uncle
Jaspar Tudor became the Duke of Bedford and was put in
charge of Wales. Sir William Stanley became Lord
Chmaberlain. John de Vere became the Earl of Oxford
Increasing royal income
Seizing Yorkist land by Attainders also
increased royal income. Parliament
also granted Henry tonnage and
poundage for life. These were custom
duties paid of exports and imports.
Royal progress
This was a tour of the kingdom by Henry and his court. Henry would
hear petitions and cases. It gave him the opportunity to deliver justice
and grant favours. It also made his presense felt throughout the
country
Main threats
Lovell Rebellion 1486
Details: Was led by Francis, Viscount Lovell, who had
prospere as a key supporter of Richard III and Humphrey
Stafford. Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in the North
Riding of Yorkshire. Simultaneously, Stafford tried to
forces against Henry drawing upon another area of
Yorkist support.
How did Henry deal with them?
Humphrey Stafford was captured
and executed. His younger brother
and accomplice, Thomas was
pardoned. Lovell managed to
escape
Lambert Simnel 1486-87
Detail: Following the Lovell rebellion, leading Yorkists
realised that a change in strategy was needed if they
were to successfully get rid of Henry VII. Their
figurehead was Lambert Simnel, who was being
passed off as the Earl of Warwick who had been
imprisoned by Henry and was even crowned as King
Edward in Ireland in May 1487. The conspiracy was
put together by John de la Pole, himself a potential
Yorkist claimant. Maragaret of Burgundy funded this.
Battle of Stoke Field, Henry won and Earl of Oxford
helped
How did Henry deal with them?
He was spared and Henry gave him a job in
the royal kitchens. In response to seeing the
Earl of Warwick impersonator, Henry
exhibited the real Earl. Reinstated Earl of
Northumberland. Improved coastal defences.
Lincoln killed in battle
Perkin Warbeck 1491-99
Details: He claimed to be Richard, Duke of York. Began in 1491, impersonated him in Ireland. After a
brief appearance at the court of Charles VIIIof France, the following year he was forced to flee from
France, to the court of Mags of Burgundy, where he was trained as a potential Yorkist prince and began
to draw English courtiers into his conspiracies. Several years after the Battle of Stoke in 1487, Warbeck's
first attempt to land in England in 1495 was a disaster. Henry had been informed by one of his royal
agents, Sir Robert Clifford, Warbeck was quickly defeated and fled to the court of James IV of Scotland.
It could have proved costly because one of the accomplices to the conspirators was Sir William Stanley.
He was Henry's step uncle and Lord Chamberlain, heading the household government.
How did Henry deal with them?
In 1496, a small scottish force on Warbeck's behalf crossed the border but quickly retreated. James then
gave into Henry's offer of marriage to his daughter, Margaret. Warbeck then made a final attempt to
seek the English throne by trying to exploit the uncertainties of the Cornish rebellion, but his forces were
crushed and he was forced to surrender to the King. Henry at first allowed Warbeck to stay at court but
confined him to the tower after he tried to escape. He was accused of treason and himself and the Earl of
Warwick were tried and executed
The De La Poles: 1499-1506
Details: Edmund (Suffolk) had fled to Flanders in
1498. He was persuaded to return after a sort exile,
but once again fed in 1501, this time seeking refuge
at the court of Maximillian. For as long as Mags of
Burgundy was politically opposed to Henry, Suffolk
was safe. Because of friendly relations being
restored, Max agreed to give up Suffolk, who was
duly imprisoned in the Tower of London
How did Henry deal with them?
Henry took no further action against
him, however Henry VIII had him
executed in 1513