why was henry vii called the winter king

Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn - review Detailed Information. Its restoration by the Magnus Intercursus was very much to England's benefit in removing taxation for English merchants and significantly increasing England's wealth. Yet Henry's techniques of power went beyond the needs of surveillance and survival. Henry IV had confirmed Richard IIs legitimation (1397) of the children of this union but had specifically excluded the Beauforts from any claim to the throne (1407). Why is this ambitious? ), The Reign of Henry VII. If you missed the programme then here is the YouTube video for you enjoy! Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII. It was a fantastic programme and I highly recommend Thomas Penns book on Henry VII Winter King. For him, it was never about glory and battle. How did a precariously enthroned ruler, lacking a police force or a standing army, manage to run roughshod over the law? When they married in 1396 they already had four children, including Henry's great-grandfather John Beaufort. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. The usurpation of Richard III (1483), however, split the Yorkist party and gave Henry his opportunity. The reigns of his three predecessors were interrupted or foreshortened. However, with the help of the forces of his step-father, Lord Stanley, he defeated Richard and Richard was killed on the battlefield. A King from upstart usurper to renaissance monarch to Machiavellian schemer. For example, they could replace suspect jurors in accordance with the 1495 act preventing the corruption of juries. Until the death of his wife, the evidence is clear from these accounting books that Henry was a more doting father and husband than was widely known and there is evidence that his outwardly austere personality belied a devotion to his family. [42], The capriciousness and lack of due process that indebted many would tarnish his legacy and were soon ended upon Henry VII's death, after a commission revealed widespread abuses. As his mother was only 14 when he was born and soon married again, Henry was brought up by his uncle Jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke. Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as Little England beyond Wales. Penn pointed out that for over half a century no king had passed on the crown without turmoil and Henry knew that what had happened to Richard could happen to him. [43] According to the contemporary historian Polydore Vergil, simple "greed" underscored the means by which royal control was over-asserted in Henry's final years. Henry VIII - Loss of popularity | Britannica - Encyclopedia Britannica Henry gained the support of the Woodvilles, in-laws of the late Edward IV, and sailed with a small French and Scottish force, landing at Mill Bay near Dale, Pembrokeshire. Not only was . [citation needed] John Cabot, originally from Genoa and Venice, had heard that ships from Bristol had discovered uncharted new found territory far west of Ireland. [67], Henry made half-hearted plans to remarry and beget more heirs, but these never came to anything. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. Penn explained how Henry reworked recent events to suit him. The marriage did not take place during his lifetime. The portly Henry VIII, and the ill-fated destinies of most of his six wives, is one of the first historical figures primary-aged pupils are aware of.. Soon after his fathers burial on 10 May, Henry suddenly declared that he would indeed marry Catherine, leaving unresolved several issues concerning the papal dispensation and a missing part of the marriage portion. I really enjoyed it. [48], Henry later concluded a treaty with France at Etaples that brought money into the coffers of England, and ensured the French would not support pretenders to the English throne, such as Perkin Warbeck. I couldn't even stay awake reading this. Reasonably interesting overview of the reign of Henry VII of England. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death. He died shortly afterwards in Carmarthen Castle. Accordingly, he arranged a papal dispensation from Pope Julius II for Prince Henry to marry his brother's widow Catherine, a relationship that would have otherwise precluded marriage in the Church. And yet this time removed was summer's time, The teeming autumn, big with rich increase, Bearing the wanton burden of the prime, Like widow'd wombs after their lords . [81], Henry VII and Elizabeth had seven children:[b]. Lincoln was killed in battle and Henry was victorious. Who could have expected that he would rule for 24 years, die in his bed, bequeath the first orderly succession to the throne for nearly a century, and found a famous dynasty? Henry himself was clearly a distant figure who governed through his ministers, but this means that it's quite hard to get much of a sense of his character from the few sources available. MP3 CD. His second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became . Penn graphically describes a huge financial racket run by the king and his profiteering advisers. Most often asked questions related to bitcoin. Henry VII died on 21 April 1509, and the 17-year-old Henry succeeded him as king. His first son and heir apparent, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died suddenly at Ludlow Castle, very likely from a viral respiratory illness known at the time as the "English sweating sickness". Alison Weir points out that the Rennes ceremony, two years earlier, was plausible only if Henry and his supporters were certain that the Princes were already dead. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII [ JKMMX ] [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ]. Yorkist malcontents had strength in the north of England and in Ireland and had a powerful ally in Richard IIIs sister Margaret, dowager duchess of Burgundy. Henry showed remarkable clemency to the surviving rebels: he pardoned Kildare and the other Irish nobles, and he made the boy, Simnel, a servant in the royal kitchen where he was in charge of roasting meats on a spit. In response to this threat within his own household, the King instituted more rigid security for access to his person. Having secured financial backing from Florentine bankers in London, Cabot was granted carefully phrased letters patent from Henry in March 1496, permitting him to embark on an exploratory voyage westerly. Shakespeare, drawn to the colour on either side of the reign, skipped it. [68] In 1505 he was sufficiently interested in a potential marriage to Joanna of Naples that he sent ambassadors to Naples to report on the 27-year-old Joanna's physical suitability. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Having established his claim to be king in his own right, he married Elizabeth of York on January 18, 1486. Two themes of his book preside: the permanent vulnerability of Henry's regime, and his ruthless methods of rule. Penn then moved on to how Henry became King. More than a biography of Henry VII, this book is really a highly detailed history of the last ten years of his reign, and how he meticulously and ruthlessly turned England into a police state ruled by what amounted to an organized crime syndicate. They did as much to endanger his throne as to secure it. BBC Two - Henry VII: The Winter King, Backdating Henry's reign Thank you for subscribing. Some of them have more to say than Penn about the constructive sides of the reign, which developed the state-building methods of his Yorkist predecessors. In turn, Antwerp became an extremely important trade entrept (transshipment port), through which, for example, goods from the Baltic, spices from the east and Italian silks were exchanged for English cloth. [13] When the Yorkist Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, Henry fled with other Lancastrians to Brittany. With Elizabeth's death, the possibilities for such family indulgences greatly diminished. What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! Henry VII | Biography & Facts | Britannica Omissions? Henry VII declared himself king by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God in battle, after slaying Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. [22] Thus, anyone who had fought for Richard against him would be guilty of treason and Henry could legally confiscate the lands and property of Richard III, while restoring his own. This is why he named the book the Winter King. While most of us are familiar with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and we probably have a sense of the Wars of the Roses in England, but how many of us are familiar with Henry VII. Dydd Gyl Dewi Hapus! The whole system was ingeniously designed to ensure the unchallenged supremacy of the king while stamping out any challenges to his authority from the nobles, merchants, and commons. Henry started a new policy to recover Guyenne and other lost Plantagenet claims in France. What are the differences between Henry VII and Henry VIII? It was the end of the union of Lancaster and York and many had only accepted Henry as King because of his wifes Yorkist roots, so Henry was once more on shaky ground with his old enemies resurfacing and raising armies. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They were appointed for every shire and served for a year at a time. The Great Debasement (1544-1551) was a currency debasement policy introduced in 1544 England under the order of Henry VIII which saw the amount of precious metal in gold and silver coins reduced and in some cases replaced entirely with cheaper base metals such as copper. Indeed he was born in winter, on January 28th 1457, in Pembroke Castle, in Wales and that is one of the reasons why the Welsh dragon always formed part of his insignia. Stanley was accused of supporting Warbeck's cause, arrested and later executed. Happy St Davids Day! Coinage of Henry VII of England | Mintage World At any rate, the Wars of the Roses had ended with a victory by which the winner took all, and regardless of his somewhat dubious Plantagenet ancestry. Penn explained that the marriage had been one of genuine love and that Henry was shattered by his wifes death. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which marked the end of the Wars of the Roses. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. My obsession is European history from the 12th through 17th centuries - especially British history - so of course, when I was offered the chance to review this book, my interest was piqued immediately. At the same time, Flemish merchants were ejected from England. [66], Henry wanted to maintain the Spanish alliance. The Winter King is also the title of a book by Thomas Penn, and a useful read. [47], Henry VII's policy was to maintain peace and to create economic prosperity. It was presented by historian Thomas Penn, author of Winter King and was an excellent examination of the King who, as Penn pointed out, tend to be eclipsed by Richard III, the glamour and notoriety of Henry VIII and the charisma of Elizabeth I. With the assistance of the Italian merchant banker Lodovico della Fava and the Italian banker Girolamo Frescobaldi, Henry VII became deeply involved in the trade by licensing ships, obtaining alum from the Ottoman Empire, and selling it to the Low Countries and in England. By 1500, Henry felt safer and things were looking good. This definitely was not that. On 7th August 1485, he dropped anchor at Mill Bay, Milford Haven, and when he reached the beach he prayed Judge me, O Lord, and favour my cause. The odds were stacked against him in his quest to take the throne of England. Thomas More hailed the end of "slavery" and the return of "liberty", "the end of sadness, the beginning of joy". Thus, the two warring houses were joined in marriage. When he died, his only surviving son, Henry VIII, succeeded him without a breath of opposition. Henry VIII was spring and Henry VII was winter. He had, Bacon added, much to be suspicious about, "his times" being "full of secret conspiracies and troubles". [17] Now supported by Francis II's prime minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. His claim to the throne was tenuous and permanently contested. [76] He was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII (reigned 150947), who would initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. Prince Arthur was born just eight months after his parents marriage, at Winchester, the seat of King Arthurs Camelot. Henry VIII - Tudor History Thomas Penns Winter King in a brilliant mash-up of gothic horror and political biography. Henry VII: Winter King, BBC Two, review - The Telegraph 'Winter King,' a Portrait of Henry VII - The New York Times His spies and informers were everywhere. 1509. Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death. Their main aim was money. It's difficult to get a handle on Henry VII. BBC Two - Henry VII: The Winter King, Backdating Henry's Reign Anyone perceived to have any potential political power or social capital was rendered deeply indebted to the crown and at risk of complete financial ruin upon the whim of the king and his councillors. From his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, to his secret death and the succession of his son Henry VIII, the film reveals the ruthless tactics . Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII. Poor Henry VII. [24][17][25] He was 29 years old, she was 20. That is, suspicious, insecure and crafty but also determined, patient and fiercely proud of his Lancastrian ancestry. Henry VII comes across as a talented micromanager and financier. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He had finished his palace of Richmond, he was controlling his allies and keeping an eye on his enemies, and now was the time to finalise the marriage agreement between England and Spain. He had a populist touch and his reign started with pardons, reforms and justice. (HIST003) Persecutions, Populations and Politics: Early Modern Britain 1550-1750, (HIST004) Country, Colonies and Culture: Early Modern Britain 1550-1750, (HIST006) The Stuart Court: History Politics and Culture, (HIST010) The Tudors: History, Culture and Religion, (HIST011) The English Country House: History, Architecture and Landscape, (HIST018) The Changing English Countryside, 20th Century Musicals: A Celebration of Song and Dance on the Silver Screen and the Stage. In the late 20th century a model of European state formation was prominent in which Henry less resembles Louis and Ferdinand. Henry was building a myth, the idea that he and his family were the true royal blood of England. For me, history is alive and energizing - not something static and remote. His dynasty was hanging by a thread and all his hopes had to rest on his youngest son, Henry, and Elizabeth of York producing another son, a spare. France, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Hanseatic League all rejected the treaty, which was never in force. I thought the way he controled the nobility was fascinating - keeping them in check as well a raising vast sums of money at the same time. Henry VII shut himself away in Richmond Palace from January 1509 and at 11pm on Saturday 21st April 1509 he died. Thanks largely to the desertion of his stepfather, Lord Stanley, to him, he defeated and slew Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485. This is why he named the book the "Winter King". [28], Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the statute that declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thus legitimising his wife. There's a lot of cloak-and-dagger stuff here, something Henry and certain of his counselors seemed especially skilled at, and it was those parts that I particularly enjoyed. [10] A contemporary writer and Henry's biographer, Bernard Andr, also made much of Henry's Welsh descent. Overall, this was a successful area of policy for Henry, both in terms of efficiency and as a method of reducing the corruption endemic within the nobility of the Middle Ages. Wow, it was like being battered by facts without remission for good intentions. Loyalty was ensured, and the nobility was effectively neuteredand Henry became the richest monarch in Europe. Historians debate the extent of Henry's rapacity. The 6 Main Achievements of Henry VII | History Hit If he trusted anyone, it would be his queen and why not, since both had so much in common both being familiar with being in sanctuary, and pawns in the game of power? The significant role played by bitcoin for businesses! Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his fathers death. By 1600 historians emphasised Henry's wisdom in drawing lessons in statecraft from other monarchs. When Henry VIII and Francis I Spent $19 Million on the Field of Cloth How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! When he met Richard III at Bosworth Field, Henry found that his army of dissidents and mercenaries was completely outnumbered. His first chance came in 1483 when his aid was sought to rally Lancastrians in support of the rebellion of Henry Stafford, duke of Buckingham, but that revolt was defeated before Henry could land in England. Read all Directors Giulia Clark Stuart Elliott Writers Musings on History - Henry VII - Learn for Pleasure Iain Hollingshead reviews Henry VII: Winter King, a BBC Two documentary which examines how the first Tudor monarch came to power and went on to have a 23-year reign. [3] Henry's paternal grandfather, Owen Tudor, originally from the Tudors of Penmynydd, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, had been a page in the court of King Henry V. He rose to become one of the "Squires to the Body to the King" after military service at the Battle of Agincourt. This revived an earlier practice of using a small (and trusted) group of the Privy Council as a personal or Prerogative Court, able to cut through the cumbersome legal system and act swiftly. [63] Despite this, Henry was keen to constrain their power and influence, applying the same principles to the justices of the peace as he did to the nobility: a similar system of bonds and recognisances to that which applied to both the gentry and the nobles who tried to exert their elevated influence over these local officials. With the English economy heavily invested in wool production, Henry VII became involved in the alum trade in 1486. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. His regime was magnificent, yet terrifying and oppressive. Henry then cemented his claim to the throne and his dynastic ambitions by marrying Elizabeth of York and bringing the Houses of Lancaster and York together; the red rose and white rose combined to become the Tudor rose. Castles of . Henry the older was lean and shriveled, rigid with prudence, empty of any hunger other than a desire to secure his throne through the acquisition of cash. In 1494, Henry embargoed trade (mainly in wool) with the Burgundian Netherlands in retaliation for Margaret of Burgundy's support for Perkin Warbeck. The baby died and Elizabeth, herself, died on 11th February 1503, her 37th birthday. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Pembroke Castle, and later the Earldom of Pembroke, were granted to the Yorkist William Herbert, who also assumed the guardianship of Margaret Beaufort and the young Henry. It is a sobering reflection for professional historians that the apparently unpromising territory of Henry's reign has recently produced two memorable books, both of them written outside their ranks: this one, and Ann Wroe's biography of the pretender, Perkin (2003), a longer work on a shorter subject. Henry had only been accepted as King because the Princes in the Tower, the sons of Edward IV, were dead, so when Yorkist exiles groomed Perkin Warbeck to pose as one of the princes and raised an army it was a huge threat. Warbeck won the support of Edward IV's sister Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. After Wolf Hall, I wanted to find out about Henry VII, the lesser-studied father of Henry VIII, who founded the Tudor Dynasty. Before Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or "Your Highness.". Wales was historically a Lancastrian stronghold, and Henry owed the support he gathered to his Welsh birth and ancestry, being agnatically descended from Rhys ap Gruffydd. [25][80], Historians have always compared Henry VII with his continental contemporaries, especially Louis XI of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Only through the deaths of more obvious claimants, and after the accession of Richard III in 1483, when Henry was 26, did he become a leading candidate. Henry VII, grown rich from Morton's Fork and other squeezes, was far from a bumpkin trying to break into the royal circles of western Europe--he was being courted, and he knew very well to play Castile (Hapsburg) and Aragon off against one another after Isabella died (and Catherine might very well have been packed off home to marry someone else, it was common). All the powers of Europe doubted Henrys ability to survive, and most were willing to shelter claimants against him. this was well-written and i love henry vii for how he managed to a) get the throne of england and b) keep it and make the crown so solvent after the devastating years of the Wars of the Roses, but i can't help but think that a lot of this was rather dry. 24th April 2023 - courses open for registrations. Henry Tudor is a familiar name to students of English history, especially the military side of it. His early reign was plagued by pretenders to the throne, giving the new Tudor dynasty a rocky start and a fear of conspiracy which dogged Henry VII throughout his life. [citation needed], However, his principal weapon was the Court of Star Chamber. At Rennes Cathedral on Christmas Day 1483, Henry pledged to marry Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Edward IV. Hed achieved the impossible, hed risen from refugee to King of England. Penn ended the programme by visiting the tombs of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in Henrys chapel at Westminster Abbey, a chapel that remains at the heart of political life. [9] He took it, as well as the standard of St. George, on his procession through London after the victory at Bosworth. Henry VIII | Biography, Wives, Religion, Death, & Facts I wasn't disappointed because, as usual, he did a great job with the narration. If Penn's interpretation can sometimes seem slanted, its exposition would be hard to over-praise. He stabilised the government's finances by introducing several new taxes. Blair Worden's The English Civil Wars is published by Phoenix. [13] When Warwick restored Henry VI in 1470, Jasper Tudor returned from exile and brought Henry to court. Sonnet XCVII - Massachusetts Institute of Technology They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [59][60][61], He was content to allow the nobles their regional influence if they were loyal to him. Why was Henry VII called the "Winter King"? - Quora Letters to relatives have an affectionate tone not captured by official state business, as evidenced by many written to his mother Margaret. [75], Henry VII died of tuberculosis at Richmond Palace on 21 April 1509 and was buried in the chapel he commissioned in Westminster Abbey next to his wife, Elizabeth. Swynford was Gaunt's mistress for about 25 years. [citation needed], Henry began taking precautions against rebellion while still in Leicester after Bosworth Field. Indeed he was born in winter, on January 28th 1457, in Pembroke Castle, in Wales and that is one of the reasons why the Welsh dragon always formed part of his insignia. They were third cousins, as both were great-great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt. Several of Richard's key allies, such as Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, and also Lord Stanley and his brother William, crucially switched sides or left the battlefield. The research was thorough and it was presented well and kept me engaged. The dispute eventually paid off for Henry. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . The rebellion was defeated and Lincoln killed at the Battle of Stoke. Henry responded to this threat by embedding spies into households. The Merchant Adventurers, the company which enjoyed the monopoly of the Flemish wool trade, relocated from Antwerp to Calais. By subscribing you confirm that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy [opens in new window] and the Terms & Conditions [opens in new window]. Henry came to the throne following the death of his father, Henry VII. Elizabeth did get pregnant, but then went into premature labour. [54], Henry VII was much enriched by trading alum, which was used in the wool and cloth trades as a chemical fixative for dyeing fabrics. He spent most of the next 14 years under the protection of Francis II, Duke of Brittany. I don't read a lot of NF because I usually find it to be tedious, but The Winter King certainly wasn't that. During his 23-year reign, Henry had only two Lord High Treasurers, and this continuity helped provide stability. [12], Henry lived in the Herbert household until 1469, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"), went over to the Lancastrians. His father was the son of Owen Tudor, a Welsh squire, and Catherine of France, the widow of King Henry V. His mother was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, whose children by Catherine Swynford were born before he married her. His legacy was his son, Henry VIII, lucky old England Penn commented. But, his enemies didnt agree. For other uses, see, Henry holding a rose and wearing the collar of the, Law enforcement and justices of the peace, the 1486 rebellion of the Stafford brothers, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Cultural depictions of Henry VII of England, "Tudor Pembroke | Ymddiriedolaeth Harri Tudur | Henry Tudor Trust", "BBC Wales History Themes Pembroke The Main Street", "Westminster Abbey website: Coronations, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York", "Calendar of State Papers, Spain: Supplement To Volumes 1 and 2, Queen Katherine; Intended Marriage of King Henry VII To Queen Juana", "Domestic and foreign policy of Henry VII", "Queen Margaret's Arch | York Civic Trust", "Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond", The Reign of Henry VII.