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Henry VIIKing of England and Sovereign of Ireland
Date of Birth: 28.01.1457
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Henry VII
Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1485 to 1509. He was the first monarch from the Tudor dynasty. Born as Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, he belonged to an ancient Welsh family that took the name "Tudor" in honor of his great-grandfather, Tudur ap Goronwy.
Early Life
Henry's grandfather, Owen Tudor, served in the household of the widow of King Henry V and the mother of King Henry VI, Catherine of Valois. It is unclear whether their long-term relationship, which produced several acknowledged children, was consecrated by a secret marriage. Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, was the half-brother of King Henry VI and further solidified the family's connection to the House of Lancaster by marrying Margaret Beaufort, the granddaughter of John of Gaunt.
Margaret gave birth to Henry VII two months after the premature death of her husband. She later remarried twice to prominent supporters of the Lancaster cause, with her second husband, Thomas Stanley, ultimately helping Henry in his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
Ascension to the Throne
Despite the shaky legitimacy of Henry Tudor's claim to the throne (the Beaufort family was traditionally considered ineligible for the crown, and the marriage of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois was considered illegitimate), he became one of the few surviving relatives of the Lancastrian dynasty after the deaths of Henry VI and his son Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1471.
Henry lived in exile in Brittany under the protection of Duke Francis II. In 1485, with the support of France, Henry landed in Wales, where he gained many followers due to his Welsh ancestry. He defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485, and was proclaimed king on the battlefield. After entering London, Henry secured his throne through a parliamentary act, which established his right to rule without any explicit justification. He became the King of England by right of conquest, similar to William I.
Reign and Legacy
Henry VII's reign, which lasted 24 years, was one of the most peaceful periods in English history, despite early uprisings by pretenders to the throne like Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck. Henry showed leniency toward his (potential) rivals, sparing the legitimate heir of Richard III, the Earl of Lincoln, who would later lead a rebellion and die in battle. Simnel, who had claimed to be the Earl of Warwick, was kept alive and worked as a kitchen servant at the royal court. Warbeck was held in the Tower of London under good conditions for many years and was executed only after attempting to escape.
Internationally, Henry VII strengthened England's position by arranging marriages for his children. His eldest son, Arthur, Prince of Wales, married Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess. His daughter, Margaret, married King James IV of Scotland, which helped neutralize hostilities between the two kingdoms. The union between their great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, and Margaret's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth I of England, eventually led to the unification of the two countries.
Henry VII was known for his frugality and successfully rebuilt England's treasury, which had been depleted during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses. He established the Court of Star Chamber to handle cases involving nobles.
Henry VII died in 1509 and was buried in Westminster Abbey alongside his wife, Elizabeth of York. He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII.
