Was King Henry VII He forced people to give him money

Henry made the rich people in his kingdom pay him heavy
Henry dies

a gangster?
When Henry VII died in 1509, the throne was safe, and

-1=1 taxes. He sent ministers around the country looking for

large, expensive houses. If they found one, Henry said they
England was at peace. His son and heir, Henry VIII,
became king without any opposition. He also left Henry
could afford to pay a large tax and forced them to pay. In VIII a fortune! But what do you think? Was Henry VII a
addition, if the officials found nobles who were
bit of a gangster?
Have you ever heard of a 'gangster'? Some of you will not living a lavish
have. Take a moment to think and talk about what lifestyle and were
Investigate the life of Henry VII. ► SOU RC E A
a gangster is and what the word means. Could the being careful with
A painting of
word ever be used to describe an English king? Assess the tactics Henry VII used to their money, Henry
Henry VII dating
become more powerful. assumed they must
from 1505. He sent
be saving money...
his picture to a
so he forced them
possible new wife
to hand over some
after his first wife,
A gangster is usually someone who is powerful. And of their savings in
He made sure he had the best weapons Elizabeth
they are often involved in unfair or criminal activities. tax!
Cannons first appeared in Britain in the I300s. They were of York, died in
They get money from people (sometimes unfairly) and
the most destructive and feared weapons by the time Henry 1503. Notice that
make deals to increase their power. They often live lavish
became king, so he made sure he had the finest He made deals with other countries he is clutching a
lifestyles and enjoy showing off their wealth and power.
cannons in rose in his right
They sometimes use weapons to bully people. Henry once got Parliament to give him money to fight the
the land. hand, one of
French — then got the French king to pay him not to fight!
Henry VII was not a criminal: he was King of England the many Tudor
He also made his eldest son, Arthur, marry a Spanish
and Wales. In 1485, when he was simply Henry Tudor, symbols.
princess called Catherine of Aragon in order to become
he had beaten King Richard 111 in the Battle of Bosworth friendlier with Spain. And when Arthur died, he said his
Field, near Leicester. Richard was killed and Henry Tudor youngest son, Henry, should marry her as well. He even
became the new king — Henry VII. encouraged his I8-year-old daughter Mary to marry Over to You
the 52-year-old King of France, and his other daughter, 1 In your own words, explain what is meant by the
Henry VII, who had become king by fighting, was
Margaret, to marry the King of Scotland. word 'gangster'.
desperate to remain king. So, he had to do things to
keep his position safe. Now that you know what a 2 M Imagine you are Henry VII and have been
gangster is, see if you think Henry VII acted like one. 1
on the throne for several years. A new king in
another country has written you a letter asking how
you have become so powerful, raised
so much money, and made yourself safe and
He married a rival He banned private armies secure. Write him a letter back in reply.
Henry was a member of the Lancaster family. The

N o
Some powerful men in 3 Look again at your answer to question 1.
Lancasters' bitter rivals were the members of the York England had their own He made sure everyone knew he was king
Do you think Henry VII acted like a gangster?
family, who were also keen to rule the country. In 1486, private armies. Henry Henry was very careful with
Explain your opinion.
Henry married a member of the rival family — Elizabeth of knew these armies
IVVATC AWES . money but liked to enjoy himself.
York. She was the daughter of Edward IV and the older
sister of Edward V — the king who had disappeared in
could be used against
him... so he made a ALLOWED He spent huge amounts of money Consequence
the Tower of law that banned them. on lavish parties and 1 Make a brief list of the actions taken by Henry
London in 1483. One rich lord who entertainment. The Tudor rose VII to secure his kingdom.
With Elizabeth of failed to get rid of country — in churches, 2 Explain two of the following:
symbol appeared all over the
York as the new his private army was
paintings, palaces and The importance of banning private armies in
fined D 0,000!
queen, it meant cathedrals. making Henry VII a secure king
that the king was The importance of marrying Elizabeth of Y o r k
a Lancaster and The importance of making lots of money in
the queen was a
order to be a secure king.
York.
In 1486, the same year Henry VII married Elizabeth of
York, the word 'football' was first used to describe a Invasion, Plague and Murder: Britain 1066-1558
game where a ball is kicked (see pages 92-93).

111EDChapter 8: Here come the Tudors