why was henry vii called the winter king why was henry vii called the winter king

France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. Henry VII declared himself king by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God in battle, after slaying Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Luther gained support for his ideas and Europe became . He spent his entire reign fixated on eliminating or disarming his enemies, and stabilizing England after the bloody, seemingly endless War of the Roses. [35] In 1499, Henry had the Earl of Warwick executed. [55] Since alum was mined in only one area in Europe (Tolfa, Italy), it was a scarce commodity and therefore especially valuable to its land holder, the Pope. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death. Its restoration by the Magnus Intercursus was very much to England's benefit in removing taxation for English merchants and significantly increasing England's wealth. Henry started a new policy to recover Guyenne and other lost Plantagenet claims in France. He was a ruler to be feared, a ruler to be paid. To strengthen his position, however, he subsidised shipbuilding, so strengthening the navy (he commissioned Europe's first ever and the world's oldest surviving dry dock at Portsmouth in 1495) and improving trading opportunities. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. Henry VII was also shown, but his black line just traced back to Owen Tudor, a chamber servant. It seems that Henry was skilful at extracting money from his subjects on many pretexts, including that of war with France or war with Scotland. His biographer, Professor Chrimes, credits him even before he had become king with "a high degree of personal magnetism, ability to inspire confidence, and a growing reputation for shrewd decisiveness". of course, a large proportion of my opinion is probably due to the fact that i knew a lot about henry vii already, and Penn tried to create quite a thrilling/mysterious feel, which is all well and good if you don't already know how everything plays out. Penn graphically describes a huge financial racket run by the king and his profiteering advisers. Having seen it pop up in a lot of papers' Books of the Year lists, I think I was expecting something altogether more gripping and dramatic, but in the end I thought the story of Henry VII and the Tudor succession was just not an especially thrilling tale. Henry needed an heir to secure his reign and fortunately an heir came quickly. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! It took Henry, who in any case needed to marry her if the expected issue was to solve the succession problem, some six years to achieve their joint purpose. Henry VII shut himself away in Richmond Palace from January 1509 and at 11pm on Saturday 21st April 1509 he died. The King was heavily guarded. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. The house of York then appeared so firmly established that Henry seemed likely to remain in exile for the rest of his life. 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. He had brought the country to the brink of dynastic ambition, but not quite, so his closest advisers kept his death secret until St Georges Day, the annual meeting of the Order of the Garter. [a] Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Its goals, relentlessly pursued until Henry's death in 1509, were the establishment of a royal house, the elimination of opposition, and the steady accumulation of power and wealth. [42], The capriciousness and lack of due process that indebted many would tarnish his legacy and were soon ended upon Henry VII's death, after a commission revealed widespread abuses. Alison Weir points out that the Rennes ceremony, two years earlier, was plausible only if Henry and his supporters were certain that the Princes were already dead. It was presented by historian Thomas Penn, author of Winter King and was an excellent examination of the King who, as Penn pointed out, tend to be eclipsed by Richard III, the glamour and notoriety of Henry VIII and the charisma of Elizabeth I. Through luck, guile and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, had clambered to the top of the heap--a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne. They were appointed for every shire and served for a year at a time. Penn showed a genealogical roll that had belonged to the de la Pole family which showed Henry VI being the end of the Lancastrian line and the Yorkist line continuing on to Richard III. [citation needed], Henry began taking precautions against rebellion while still in Leicester after Bosworth Field. While there, he feigned stomach cramps and delayed his departure long enough to miss the tides. Henry VII: Winter King was aired last night on BBC2 and was the latest programme in BBC2s Tudor Court Season. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. He passed laws against "livery" (the upper classes' flaunting of their adherents by giving them badges and emblems) and "maintenance" (the keeping of too many male "servants"). [76] He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (reigned 150947), who would initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. 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. 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. 1) The number of books on Henry VII can basically be counted on one hand 2) This is Penns first book. 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. Having established his claim to be king in his own right, he married Elizabeth of York on January 18, 1486. By 1500, Henry felt safer and things were looking good. I thought the way he controled the nobility was fascinating - keeping them in check as well a raising vast sums of money at the same time. [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. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. It was 1501. An easy read? [57], In 1506, Henry extorted the Treaty of Windsor from Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy. Why is this ambitious? With the English economy heavily invested in wool production, Henry VII became involved in the alum trade in 1486. 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. 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. Up to a point, he succeeded. He had gone from a refugee landing on an isolated beach in Wales to being a great king. In the late 20th century a model of European state formation was prominent in which Henry less resembles Louis and Ferdinand. Overblown prose trumpeting his reign seemed to be the order of the day. For inheriting an unstable throne, holding it for 25 year and leaving England relatively stable, Henry VII deserves his own biography and a lot more credit. The fact that a Cockney could provide a recognisable representation of him gives away part of his enduring appeal; in national memory, Henry was one of the lads, the only English king to have. The father's government was an exercise in discoloration. He invited artists, musicians and scholars to live at his court. You can find out more on the conflicts between England and France, the Wars of the Roses and also the Tudors in our history courses. [30] Before departing for London, Henry sent Robert Willoughby to Sheriff Hutton in Yorkshire, to arrest Warwick and take him to the Tower of London. Stanley placed Richards circlet on Henrys head, he was now King. Blair Worden's The English Civil Wars is published by Phoenix. Through luck, guile, and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, emerged as rulerbut as a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne, he remained a usurper and false king to many, and his hold on power was precarious. He spent most of the next 14 years under the protection of Francis II, Duke of Brittany. The 17 year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII and started a different era. 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. Get help and learn more about the design. 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). Soon after his fathers burial on 10 May, Henry suddenly declared that he would indeed marry Catherine, leaving unresolved several issues concerning the papal dispensation and a missing part of the marriage portion. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [79], Amiable and high-spirited, Henry was friendly if dignified in manner, and it was clear that he was extremely intelligent. From 1527 Henry pursued what became known as "the King's great matter": his divorce from Catherine. [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. Fittingly he dressed in expensive black. To be notified of special offers, news, new courses, and new tutors, please subscribe to our newsletter. It was a fantastic programme and I highly recommend Thomas Penns book on Henry VII Winter King. He married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. There's a lot of cloak-and-dagger stuff here, something Henry and certain of his counselors seemed especially skilled at, and it was those parts that I particularly enjoyed. Both parties realised they were mutually disadvantaged by the reduction in commerce. This definitely was not that. Henry's original head was cut out of the painting and replaced at some point after the work's creation. [citation needed], To secure his hold on the throne, Henry declared himself king by right of conquest retroactively from 21 August 1485, the day before Bosworth Field. Henry the eighth was a renaissance King. Henry VII ruled as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do through fear rather than love. Much of the ruthless machinery of control was designed to deal with ongoing challenged like pretenders and Yorkist sleepers and expats. [65] Henry VII was shattered by the loss of Elizabeth, and her death impacted him severely. Serious disputes involving the use of personal power, or threats to royal authority, were thus dealt with. 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. (1): (April 24, 1883. I have to admit to being a history geek. Indeed he was born in winter, on January 28th 1457, in Pembroke Castle, in Wales and that is one of the reasons why the Welsh dragon always formed part of his insignia. He was the last king of England to win . I really enjoyed it. Here is a rundown of the programme for those who missed it. He was the first Tudor king after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. Even if the king outfaced his enemies in his lifetime, would they not forestall a Tudor succession? 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. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. If you are new the era, this wouldn't the first book I would pick up because it does flip flop around a bit in the beginning-but if you want to understand the players that ultimately have a significant impact on Henry VIII, this is the book for you. [52] He also concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland (the first treaty between England and Scotland for almost two centuries), which betrothed his daughter Margaret Tudor to King James IV of Scotland. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. [24][17][25] He was 29 years old, she was 20. She was Edward's heir since the presumed death of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. Penn pointed out that for over half a century no king had passed on the crown without turmoil and Henry knew that what had happened to Richard could happen to him. enry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. Author Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. When Henry VII became king, the royal exchequer was effectively bankrupt. His bouts of grave illness brought the question repeatedly to the fore. The treaty marks a shift from neutrality over the French invasion of Brittany to active intervention against it. Henry VII is usually treated as a charmless and thrifty prelude to the big reign of Henry VIII, with the inevitable marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon, and the reversal of his father's bully policies for a golden age of chivalry and, you know, all the crazy shit Henry VIII was about to do. 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. The king's own death seven years later had to be kept secret until his nervous entourage had ensured the succession. [50] Henry had pressured the French by laying siege to Boulogne in October 1492. Seriously, got nudged by my partner when I'd nodded off. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I'm not giving this a star rating because I suspect it's me at fault not the book. Together, they had seven children. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York. The rebellion was defeated and Lincoln killed at the Battle of Stoke. They were third cousins, as both were great-great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt. Hed achieved the impossible, hed risen from refugee to King of England. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Stanley was accused of supporting Warbeck's cause, arrested and later executed. Old rivalries simmered, however. [37], For most of Henry VII's reign Edward Story was Bishop of Chichester. How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? Shakespeare later turned to Henry's son and successor Henry VIII, whose rule brought marital sensation, renaissance spectacle and the reformation. [74] Margaret Tudor wrote letters to her father declaring her homesickness, but Henry could do nothing but mourn the loss of his family and honour the terms of the peace treaty he had agreed to with the King of Scotland. Letters to relatives have an affectionate tone not captured by official state business, as evidenced by many written to his mother Margaret. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. This book is a nonfiction look at King Henry the VII. I couldn't even stay awake reading this. Alternate titles: Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Professor of Medieval History, University of Liverpool, 196780. In 1622 Francis Bacon published his History of the Reign of King Henry VII. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. An ally of Henry's, Viscount Jean du Qulennec[fr], soon arrived, bringing news that Francis had recovered, and in the confusion Henry was able to flee to a monastery. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. On the debit side, he may have looked a little delicate as he suffered from poor health. What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! Then in 1491 appeared a still more serious menace: Perkin Warbeck, coached by Margaret to impersonate Richard, the younger son of Edward IV. I would read more by this author. [6] Henry IV's action was of doubtful legality, as the Beauforts were previously legitimised by an Act of Parliament, but it weakened Henry's claim. These bonds were enforced by the Council Learned in the Law, a council of legal advisers who were only answerable to the King. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Stephens, "affords some illustrations of the avaricious and parsimonious character of the king". 3.5 Stars. In many ways, it highlights that Henry VIII was a feckless inheritor of the tools of Machiavellian power, but had no idea to what productive end to put them. When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. In that, he was quite successful, but he was neither loved nor admired. 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. I don't read a lot of NF because I usually find it to be tedious, but The Winter King certainly wasn't that. [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. Henry VIII, (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Englanddied January 28, 1547, London), king of England (1509-47) who presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. Penn ended the programme by visiting the tombs of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in Henrys chapel at Westminster Abbey, a chapel that remains at the heart of political life. [44] Following Henry VII's death, Henry VIII executed Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, his two most hated tax collectors, on trumped-up charges of treason. Henry VII ruled - as Machiavelli, just after his reign, was to advise usurpers to do - through fear rather than love. Prince Arthur was born just eight months after his parents marriage, at Winchester, the seat of King Arthurs Camelot. Henry VII introduced stability to the financial administration of England by keeping the same financial advisors throughout his reign. Read all Directors Giulia Clark Stuart Elliott Writers 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. [citation needed], All Acts of Parliament were overseen by the justices of the peace. On the other side of the coin, instead of the cross, was a Tudor rose and the arms of England. The Lancastrian Henry and his Yorkist wife Elizabeth strove to reconcile the factions, but unreconciled Yorkists, to whom he was no more than a usurper, harassed his reign. 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. Many of the entries show a man who loosened his purse strings generously for his wife and children, and not just on necessities: in spring 1491 he spent a great amount of gold on a lute for his daughter Mary; the following year he spent money on a lion for Elizabeth's menagerie. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. 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. He was crowned on October 30 and secured parliamentary recognition of his title early in November. Hidden under the floor in St George's Chapel in Windsor, England where thousands of people walk every day, a forgotten tomb lies. [39] Despite this, during his reign he became a fiscally prudent monarch who restored the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer. Omissions? It was propaganda to spread the message that he was the rightful King. When he died, his only surviving son, Henry VIII, succeeded him without a breath of opposition. Four good reasons to indulge in cryptocurrency! Thomas Penn's Winter King is not really a biography of Henry VII, and more a study of what he was directing his government to do in his name. Edmund was created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and "formally declared legitimate by Parliament". In 1485, history was about to be changed for ever by a man who was a refugee, a fugitive whod spent half his life on the run and with barely a claim to the throne: Henry Tudor. For many he remained a usurper, a false king. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. He rewrote history by backdating his reign to 21st August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth Field. As his mother was only 14 when he was born and soon married again, Henry was brought up by his uncle Jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke. By this marriage, Henry VII hoped to break the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until her death on February 11th, 1503. [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. 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. 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. [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. Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. He explained how Henry VII had achieved what he set out to do, he had passed on the crown successfully. However, as France was becoming more concerned with the Italian Wars, the French were happy to agree to the Treaty of Etaples. It is not known precisely where Cabot landed, but he was eventually rewarded with a pension from the king; it is presumed that Cabot perished at sea after a later unsuccessful expedition. Watch with Prime The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. He was probably baptised at St Mary's Church, Pembroke,[1] though no documentation of the event exists. Gaunt's nephew Richard II legitimised Gaunt's children by Swynford by Letters Patent in 1397. A King from upstart usurper to renaissance monarch to Machiavellian schemer. Most often asked questions related to bitcoin. Henry VII: The Winter King (95) 59min 2013 PG. But, his enemies didnt agree. I had an idea Henry VII was a force for stability; in fact he was a terrifying kleptocrat, abusing the law with arbitrary fines and imprisonment, scheming to effectively steal entire estates and wring every penny out of subjects as well as impose political control through financial means. A man who rewrote history and rebuilt the crown, but who was paranoid, manipulative and suspicious; a dark prince with a wintery reign. Only through the deaths of more obvious claimants, and after the accession of Richard III in 1483, when Henry was 26, did he become a leading candidate. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Their powers and numbers steadily increased during the time of the Tudors, never more so than under Henry's reign. Henry attained the throne when his forces defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. They were also in charge of various administrative duties, such as the checking of weights and measures. Henry VII is actually a less familiar figure, despite being the same person. Happy 14th Birthday to the Anne Boleyn Files! Annoyingly, much of the most interesting stuff concerns his son, and whenever Penn comments intelligently on how the events here affected the future Henry VIII's reign I found myself perking up such as the suggestion that Henry VII's marriage to Elizabeth was the kind of marriage that their second son, Prince Henry, would spend his whole life trying to find. Watch for $0.00 with Prime. 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. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England. According to John M. Currin, the treaty redefined Anglo-Breton relations. This book was way too focused on what happened, but not so much on the why or why it was important. Yet in the hands of a narrator as accomplished as Penn, the reign acquires its own, troubling fascination. Henry came to the throne following the death of his father, Henry VII. This was excellent. I was disappointed by this it was decent but I think it was somewhat overhyped. [25][80], Historians have always compared Henry VII with his continental contemporaries, especially Louis XI of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The rest, as we say, is history; Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth and Henry Tudor had arrived out of nowhere and avenged the death of the little princes in the tower, although there is some debate as to who was actually responsible for their murder. Penn then moved on to how Henry became King. [56] This trade made an expensive commodity cheaper, which raised opposition from Pope Julius II, since the Tolfa mine was a part of papal territory and had given the Pope monopoly control over alum. Amateur historians Bertram Fields and Sir Clements Markham have claimed that he may have been involved in the murder of the Princes in the Tower, as the repeal of Titulus Regius gave the Princes a stronger claim to the throne than his own. (ROYAL HISTORY) Directors Stuart Elliott Genres Documentary, International Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English. 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. Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited as . Present were exiles from Richards court, friends of Edward IVths queen, but King Richard was able to bribe the ageing Duke of Brittany to relinquish Henry in return for funds to fight an increasingly hostile French king, whereupon Henry Tudor flew to the French court for sanctuary. Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle , Wales, on January 28 th, 1457. Henry VII is known for successfully ending the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and for founding the Tudor dynasty. As we know, Henry VII was true to his word, married Elizabeth and they founded the Tudor dynasty between them. Swynford was Gaunt's mistress for about 25 years. Henry VII can look a dull king, so dull that Thomas Penn's title omits his name. 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. King Henry the VII and King Henry the VIII both feared being invaded by foreign countries. 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.