Early Moves

• Claim to the Throne

  • He was the half nephew to the king of England (Henry VI)
  • henry had support of the pope and the church - in 1486 Pope innocent VII issued a papal bull and recognised Henry as the legitimate king of England
  • Intially he had a very weak claim as he usurped
  • His claim only rested on his victory in the battle of bosworth
• Character

  • he was a cautious, calculated king who was careful with his decisions regarding financing and nobility
  • He was distant and reserved and kept a close knit group of advisors
  • He was a very peaceful king
• General aims

  • He wanted to strengthen the Tudor dynasty
  • Secure his position on the throne
  • Secure a strong foreign policy
  • Control the nobility
  • To have strong finance
• How did he affect the date of the BoB?

  • He changed the begginging of his reign to the 21st of August so he could declare anyone who went against him (Richard III supporters) for treason
  • This also meant that their estates became property of the crown which improved finance
• Properganda

  • He used the symbol of the Tudor rose to declare a symbol of reconciliation between the two houses (Yorkists and Lancastrians)
• Marriage

  • He married Elizabeth which united the two houses. She had 8 children but only 4 survived to adulthood.
• Henrys Coronation

  • The coronation took place on the 30th of October
  • The purple velvet for his robe cost 40 shilling per yard
  • He also made his coronation before the first meeting with parliment so it could not be said that parliament granted his position and that he got on the crown due to succession
• How did he reward his loyalists?

  • He rewarded his loyal servants and knighted 11 men on the battlefield
  • On the 27th October he dined at Lambeth palace with Thomas Bourchier. He then granted titles to loyal servants and dined with them in the kings chamber