Henry VII

• Claim

  His claim through his mother - Margaret Beaufort (decreases legitimacy)
• Claim

  Other possible claimants e.g. Edmund de la Pole
• Claim

  H7 backdated his reign to the 22nd Aug 1485 the day before the Battle of Bosworth = he was the usurped not usurper
• Exilement

  H7 spent 14 years in exile - host by Francis II (Duke of Brittany)
• Exilement

  Edward VI referred to H7 as ‘the imp’ - E4 offered a great reward for the capture of H7 but Francis stood by his guest
• Exilement

  After Battle of Bosworth H7 gained more popularity; but from being in exile - Pembroke Castle in Wales - he had few enemies + he was an only child
• Exilement

  After Battle of Bosworth H7 gained more popularity; but from being in exile - Pembroke Castle in Wales - he had few enemies + he was an only child
• Rewarding the Lancastrians; despite having limited resources

  Order of the Garter - honours reserved for Kings closest associated - 37; Giles Daubeney & Reginald Bray
• Rewarding the Lancastrians; despite having limited resources

  Patronage - Jasper Tudor = Duke of Bedford & Reginald Bray = Chancellor
• Rewarding the Lancastrians; despite having limited resources

  It did not directly reward the Lancastrians - it just gave them symbolic value - meant that they were not being sufficiently rewarded
• Uniting the Yorkist & Lancastrians

  Marrying Elizabeth of York - by advice from his parliament, in January 1486 they married - uniting both houses
• Uniting the Yorkist & Lancastrians

  Tudor Rose - combined the white rose (York) with red rose (Lancaster) to form the symbolic unitement of Tudor Rose
• Uniting the Yorkist & Lancastrians

  Tudor Rose & marriage could not have unified all the Lancastrians & Yorkist given that they have had latent divide since the start of the War of the Roses (1455-1487)
• Yorkist challenges; wanted to punish but not be to harsh

  Backdated his reign - the day before the BoB so he was not longer usurper but the usurped - 22nd Aug 1485
• Yorkist challenges; wanted to punish but not be to harsh

  Potential threats like John de la Pole (Duke of Suffolk) swore his loyalty and then joined the council - showing how Yorkist challenge is suppressed
• Yorkist challenges; wanted to punish but not be to harsh

  1 in 4 nobles fought against him in BoB & Earl of Warwick was locked in Tower of London but lived in comfort = still potential threat
• Yorkist Plots

  • Lovell Conspiracy (1486)  - Lord Lovell & Humphrey Stafford began to conspire against H7
  • Lovell fled to Flanders under protection of Margaret of Burgundy
• Yorkist Plots

  Lovell Conspiracy 1486

  • Stafford brothers led the rebellion in Worcester while King was on Northern Progress
  • Yet, Humphrey, the older brother was executed
• Yorkist Plots

  Lovell Conspiracy 1486

  However, the brothers fled to Culham Abbey as soon as Henry advanced towards Worcester - showing they were scared
• Pretenders

  Lambert Simnel (Claimed to be Ear of Warwick) - supported by Margaret of Burgundy - sent him 2,000 mercenaries
• Pretenders

  Lambert Simnel was ‘crowned’ as Edward in Dublin Cathedral - his forced landed in Lancashire in June 1487 - he struggled to get support
• Pretenders - Lambert Simnel

  • H7 paraded the real Earl of Warwick through London 
  • Simnel’s 8,000 men defeated by H7 12,000
  • But H7 gave him a job as a falconer
• Rebellions

  • Yorkshire Rebellion (1489) - sparked by parliamentarian tax to fund H7 expedition to Brittany 
  • Most northern cities expected to pay - but those further north were not expected to pay since they had to fight off the Scotts
  • It took 8000 troops led by Earl of Surrey to defeat the rebels outside York
• Rebellions - Yorkshire Rebellion 1489

  Egremont fled to Flanders but the other rebels were not punished - H7 did not get any more tax