Henry VII, 1485-1587
Seizure of power
• Henry Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, became king after defeating Richard III at
Bosworth on 22 August 1485.
• Symbolised the transition from Plantagenet rule to Tudor dynasty.
• Needed to establish his dynasty quickly and securely as there were multiple
enemies who wanted to usurp him.
• Royal blood came from his mothers’ side (Lady Margret Beaufort). The line came
from John of Gaunts’ third wife, however their son, John Beaufort, had been
born before marriage and so was seen as illegitimate.
• Some people supported Henry as they were suspicious of Richard due to
• the disappearances of the ‘Princes in the Tower’.
His upbringing and character
• He had not been brought up to rule.
• Many of his ancestors had been executed under Edward IV.
• Fled to France and lived as a fugitive in the Duchy of Brittany.
• He was astute and clear-thinking, but not sentimental. He was respected, but not
popular.
His aims
• To establish and secure his right to the throne.
• To strengthen royal government by better control of the nobility.
• To strengthen the monarchy and the kingdom for the future by ensuring a
strong financial foundation.
How did he consolidate his power?
• Pre-dated his reign to the 21 August (the day before the Battle of Bosworth), so
anyone who fought on the Yorkist side could be punished as a traitor.
• Publicly rewarded many of his key supporters (11 knighthoods).
• Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward IV), and the Earl of Warwick (nephew of
Edward VI) were detained as they had a bigger claim to the throne.
• Made key appointments/promotions e.g. Lord Stanley was honoured for
deserting Richard at Bosworth with the title of Earl of Derby, and the hand of
Henry’s mother in marriage.
• Coronation took place 30 October before first parliament meeting (7 November)
to show he had a hereditary right to the crown and not that parliament had
sanctioned it.
• Acts of Attainder were enforced, meaning the property of Yorkists’ who fought at
• Bosworth belonged to the crown.
• Married Elizabeth of York in January 1486 to unite the houses and exploit royal
propaganda, as well as to prevent her from taking the throne.
, • Prince Arthur was born in September 1486. His birth helped to establish a greater
sense of permanence about the change that had taken place.
Threats to royal authority
• The ‘Princes in the Tower’ were supposedly dead but many people still
pretended to be them.
• Margaret of Burgundy was the sister of Edward VI and Richard III and was
equipped with the funds to take over.
• Henry was more at risk of being usurped because he himself was a usurper.
Viscount Lovell and the Staffords, 1486 (dynastic-based)
• Eastertime 1486.
• The uprising was led by Viscount Lovell along with Sir Humphrey Stafford and
Thomas Stafford, brothers from Grafton, Worcestershire.
• The conspirations hoped to restore the Yorkist monarchy.
• Lovell attempted raising a rebellion in the North Riding of Yorkshire whilst
Stafford simultaneously summoned troops in the Midlands.
• Lovell escaped and Humphrey Stafford was executed, but younger brother
Thomas Stafford was pardoned.
• There was little enthusiasm for this rebellion.
Lambert Simnel and the rebellion of John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln (dynastic-based)
• Learnt from the previous rebellion that financial support and a figurehead were
prerequisites for success.
• John de la Pole put a conspiracy together stating that Lambert Simnel was the
imprisoned Earl of Warwick (he was even crowned king of Ireland in 1487).
• The plot was amateurish at best, because Henry immediately produced the real
Earl of Warwick to demonstrate the falseness of Simnel’s claims.
• What made it more dangerous was the support offered by Margaret of Burgundy
in the form of 2,000 soldiers, and the flight of John de la Pole to join the rebels.
Lincoln must have known that Simnel was an impostor and may have intended to
use him to further his own claims.
Battle of Stoke field, ‘the last battle of the Wars of the Roses’
• Simnel’s arrival in Ireland in the company of the soldiers was the signal for the
start of an invasion of England in May 1487.
• Henry met them with his army at East Stoke, just outside Newark, and the rebels
were defeated.
• Lincoln and several Yorkist leaders were killed, and Henry showed his ability to
judge the nature of his enemies by sparing Simnel and offering him a job in the
royal kitchens.
