Henry VII

Henry VII is also known as Henry Tudor. He was the first Tudor king after defeating Richard III at the
Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had
brought instability to England. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. His second son, also
called Henry, inherited the throne and became Henry VIII.

The Wars of the Roses had been a constant battle between two of England’s most powerful families
– the families of York and Lancaster. Henry was a member of the Lancaster family and to bring the
families closer together he married Elizabeth of York soon after being crowned king.

Despite this, the powerful York family remained a threat to him for years to come as they never
recognised their defeat in the Wars of the Roses nor did they want a member of the Lancaster family
as king of England.

Unlike many kings before him, Henry took a keen interest in financial matters as he knew that a
wealthy king was a strong king and a poor king was a weak one. He also knew that money would
expand his army and the larger his army was, the more powerful he was in the eyes of the barons.
This alone, he believed would keep them loyal.

Though he was very careful with money, he also enjoyed himself. He was keen on playing cards. On
January 8th, 1492, he put aside the large sum of £5 for an evening of gambling. We know that he lost
£40 playing cards on June 30th, 1492. He regularly tipped those who entertained him – especially
musicians – the sum of 33p – not much by our standards, but a good sum of money for an
entertainer in Tudor times. He was also very keen on playing Real Tennis.

To develop better relations abroad, and to avoid costly foreign wars, he had arranged for his eldest
son – Arthur – to marry a Spanish princess called Catherine of Aragon. Aragon is in north-east Spain.
Such political marriages were common among the children of royal families. Neither Arthur nor
Catherine would have had the opportunity to say no to the marriage.

The marriage lasted only five months as Arthur died. To maintain a friendship with Spain, Henry
arranged for Catherine to marry his second son, Henry, the future king of England. Henry VII died
before the marriage took place.

When he died in 1509, the country was by past standards wealthy and the position of the king was
good. The barons by 1509 had been all but tamed. Many barons believed that it was better to work
with the king than against such a powerful man.