Who is henry tudor

His father Edmund died before he was born. Edmund was declared legitimate and named Earl of Richmond. Henry's claim came through Margaret Beaufort , his mother, who was descended from John of Gaunt and his mistress later wife Katherine Swynford.

The Beaufort line's claim to the throne was dubious, as Richard II had granted the line legitimacy but Henry IV had declared that they nevertheless could not inherit the crown. When the Yorks took the throne, Henry and his young mother were put into the guardianship of William Herbert until when Warwick the Kingmaker switched sides and executed Herbert during his restoration of Henry VI. Less than a year later, Edward IV regained the throne and Jasper and Henry fled to Brittany where he spent the next 14 years.

Henry was threatened by several rebellions in the next few years and always fearful of threats to his throne by anyone of royal blood. Lambert Simnel, a boy claiming to be the Earl of Warwick who was actually a prisoner in the Tower , was supported in a rebellion by Yorkists but was defeated.

In Warbeck landed in Cornwall with a few thousand troops, but was soon captured and eventually executed. In , Henry had the real Earl of Warwick executed. However, he spared Warwick's elder sister Margaret. Henry arranged the marriage of his eldest son Arthur and the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon. This left his father in a difficult position.

The lack of a male heir old enough to take the throne weakened his rule, particularly given England's bitter recent history of competing claims to the thone. It also meant that the time and effort put into preparing Arthur had been wasted, and that Catherine of Aragon was now without a husband.

Despite his father's concerns, the Tudor dynasty would continue with Henry - he would even marry his brother's widow Catherine after acceding to the throne. Henry VII was the first person to use the red dragon of Cadwaladr as part of his coat arms. This red dragon now features on the Welsh flag. Henry's ancestors included Welsh nobility, and he made use of these links and the symbol of the red dragon in order to gain support against Richard III.

Henry was a nephew of the last Lancastrian king, but his claim to the throne was tenuous. The Tudor rose is made up of the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster, symbolising the unity of the two warring households. Henry did not want to give up the money and suggested that he marry Catherine himself. Together they had at least seven children Arthur, Margaret, Henry, Mary, Elizabeth, Edmund, and Katherine , and there is evidence the marriage was deeply loving.

Though Elizabeth did indeed become pregnant soon after, on 11 February , the queen died from complications arising from childbirth. He never recovered. Henry VII is often viewed as a dour, miserly king devoid of warmth, but this is an unfair assessment based on the historical record. It is certainly true he later descended into the grip of avarice as the reign wore on a conscious decision to protect his dynasty using wealth , but he was also free spending. He invested heavily in jewels and gold for his family, and surviving financial records depict a king content to spend his coin on everything from musicians to mead.

Of his personal character, Henry was affable and gracious, widely regarded as quick-witted and insightful. To his family he appears affectionate, and to his mother in particular he was deferential, though not quite submissive as commonly believed. His resolve in the face of danger was unshakable, and his will to succeed never deserted him.

As king, Henry was known to be vigilant of those around him, a wariness sometimes perceived as paranoia. We recommend. A History of the Tudors in Objects Buy. The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy Buy. The House of Tudor Buy. Discovering Tudor London Buy. Learn more about the Tudors Show more books. Woodsmoke and Sage Buy. King and Collector Buy. The Tudors and Europe Buy.

The Little Book of the Tudors Buy. The Lost Kings Buy.