Henry VII 1485-1509

• Henry VII


  King of England for around 24 years from 1485 to 1509, the first of the Tudor Kings
• Henry VII overthrew his predecessor Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth
• Tudor period


  Lasted 118 years, bridging the gap between the medieval period and modern times
• Henry VII


  Also known as the father of arguably the most famous King in world history, Henry VIII
• Henry VII was born, when 35-year-old Henry VI sat on the throne of England


  1457
• Henry VI's reign was going badly, with the loss of key territories in France causing him to lose both his mind and control of England</b>
• The wars of the Roses were taking place at the time of Henry VII's birth and throughout his childhood and much of his adult life
• Henry VII


  A seemingly distant member of the extended royal family who eventually ended up on the throne
• By 1483, Henry VII was the last man standing, the last of the Lancastrians
• Wars of the Roses

  A contest between two branches of the descendants of King Edward III to determine who had the right to the crown
• Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother, was the great granddaughter of John of Gaunt, making her and Henry VII Lancastrians
• Henry VII's early life

  1. Brought up by his uncle Jasper, the Earl of Pembroke, at Pembroke Castle in Wales

  2. Considered part of the castle's fixtures and fittings when the Yorkist William Herbert took over the guardianship of the 4-year-old Henry and his mother

  3. Fled with Jasper when the Lancastrians were briefly restored to power, only to be defeated again

  4. Spent the next phase of his life under the protection of the Duke of Brittany
• By 1482, the Lancastrians had seemingly given up hope of ever taking back the crown
• In 1483, Edward IV died, his young son was declared King Edward V, but instead of being crowned, he and his younger brother were hidden away in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard, who then had himself crowned King Richard III
• Richard III's only legitimate heir, his young son, died in 1484, opening an opportunity for the Lancastrians with Henry Tudor as their man to take over
• To reinforce his claim and gain support from the Yorkist side


  Henry Tudor married Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth of York
• Henry Tudor's ascension would potentially unite the rival houses of York and Lancaster, drawing a firm line under the wars of the Roses
• Henry Tudor and his backers had to invade England to carry out their plan, as Richard III was a powerful and experienced military leader backed by a large army
• Despite being outnumbered, Henry Tudor's forces were victorious at the Battle of Bosworth, and he was crowned Henry VII
• Henry VII faced a number of plots and attempts to overthrow him by influential Yorkists, including the Lambert Simnel plot and the Perkin Warbeck plot
• Henry VII spent a lot of energy on planning his succession, with his favorite son Arthur as his pride and joy, appointed as Prince of Wales and married to Catherine of Aragon
• Tragedy struck when Arthur died in 1502, and Henry VII's wife Elizabeth died the following year, compounding his grief
• Henry VII died in 1509 and was succeeded by his son, who wasn't supposed to be the heir, Henry VIII