There are an awful lot of books written about the Tudor era, both fiction and non-fiction, so you have to ask whether this book adds anything new. Since he was the second son, and not expected to become king, we know little of his childhood until the death of his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. When Henry VII became king, the royal exchequer was effectively bankrupt. When Henry VII called his first parliament he used it as an opportunity to legitimise his reign. Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his fathers death. 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. 'Winter King,' a Portrait of Henry VII - The New York Times The Treaty of Redon was signed in February 1489 between Henry and representatives of Brittany. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? These bonds were enforced by the Council Learned in the Law, a council of legal advisers who were only answerable to the King. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the English economy. Henry VII - History Learning Site She was Edward's heir since the presumed death of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. 7.1 59min 2013 16+. The country was in a perpetual state of emergency and Henrys subjects were scared and resentful. The usurpation of Richard III (1483), however, split the Yorkist party and gave Henry his opportunity. Many influential Yorkists had been dispossessed and disappointed by the change of regime, and there had been so many reversals of fortune within living memory that the decision of Bosworth did not appear necessarily final. Henry VII. The Winter King HD - YouTube [citation needed] Henry also formed an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (14931519) and persuaded Pope Innocent VIII to issue a papal bull of excommunication against all pretenders to Henry's throne. 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. They were appointed for every shire and served for a year at a time. 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. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. There he claimed sanctuary until the envoys were forced to depart. This is why he named the book the "Winter King". Both were survivors and as united in death as in life, as their tomb in Westminster Abbey illustrates. In many ways, it highlights that Henry VIII was a feckless inheritor of the tools of Machiavellian power, but had no idea to what productive end to put them. This was accomplished through the targeted imposition of fines and bonds through extrajudicial councils. Their chief task was to see that the laws of the country were obeyed in their area. Henry VII | Biography & Facts | Britannica Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England [57], In 1506, Henry extorted the Treaty of Windsor from Philip the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy. Henry VIII Books Exploring the Best Books on Englands Most Infamous King, 18 February 1516 The birth of Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. [51], Henry VII was one of the first European monarchs to recognise the importance of the newly united Spanish kingdom; he concluded the Treaty of Medina del Campo, by which his son Arthur, Prince of Wales, was married to Catherine of Aragon. Why was Henry VII called the Winter King? - AnswersAll [47], Henry VII's policy was to maintain peace and to create economic prosperity. [citation needed], By 1509, justices of the peace were key enforcers of law and order for Henry VII. Henry needed an heir to secure his reign and fortunately an heir came quickly. [citation needed], Henry began taking precautions against rebellion while still in Leicester after Bosworth Field. Henry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 to his death. One interesting thing about him is his early youth and the fourteen years he spent in exile in France Brittany to be precise and those, I believe, made him the man he was eventually to become. 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. Two themes of his book preside: the permanent vulnerability of Henry's regime, and his ruthless methods of rule. The purpose of the agreement was to prevent France from annexing Brittany. Their main aim was money. (We certainly can, and do, decide what sort of king Henry was based on what he had his government get up to, however.). - and that was only about 50% of the book, it was only about 50% interesting to me. [62], Henry VII used justices of the peace on a large, nationwide scale. Through luck, guile, and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, emerged as rulerbut as a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne, he remained a usurper and false king to many, and his hold on power was precarious. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England [41] Henry also increased wealth by acquiring land through the act of resumption of 1486 which had been delayed as he focused on defence of the Church, his person and his realm. His father, Henry VII, was a cold, calculating man (he wasn't called "the Winter King" for nothing), a greedy monarch who during his last years on the throne had squeezed every last drop. His history plays depicted the dramatic conflicts of the wars of the roses, which Henry's accession after his victory at Bosworth in 1485 brought to an end. Dydd Gyl Dewi Hapus! 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. Author Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. 3.5 Stars. Sometimes when reading nonfiction of this type, I never know if it is going to be dry and dull or not. Get help and learn more about the design. 1517. He married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. In 1494, Henry embargoed trade (mainly in wool) with the Burgundian Netherlands in retaliation for Margaret of Burgundy's support for Perkin Warbeck. The fact that a Cockney could provide a recognisable representation of him gives away part of his enduring appeal; in national memory, Henry was one of the lads, the only English king to have. Files Welcome Pack of 5 goodies, 28 January 1457 Birth of Henry VII at Pembroke Castle, 30 October 1485 Coronation of Henry VII, Henry VIIIs Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell A Review and Rundown, Henry VII: Winter King A Review and Rundown, 31 May 1533 The Coronation Procession of Queen Anne Boleyn, Why I think Henry VIII was ultimately responsible for Anne Boleyns downfall, 4 March 1522 Anne Boleyn plays Perseverance, The Boleyns of Hever Castle now 99p on Kindle on Amazon UK, YouTube Live 4 March 2023 The Fascinating Background of Henry VIII. A King from upstart usurper to renaissance monarch to Machiavellian schemer. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . 1845. He was the last king of England to win . He was, said Penn, a man who never knew a moments peace during his reign. When Henry VIII Wrestled the King of Franceand Lost Not only was . How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! Luther gained support for his ideas and Europe became . [12], Henry lived in the Herbert household until 1469, when Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"), went over to the Lancastrians. Wolf Hall this is not. Blair Worden's The English Civil Wars is published by Phoenix. Through luck, guile and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, had clambered to the top of the heap--a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England's throne. The expressive and evocative power of his writing, and the union of scholarship with artistry, are rare in modern historical writing. If you are new the era, this wouldn't the first book I would pick up because it does flip flop around a bit in the beginning-but if you want to understand the players that ultimately have a significant impact on Henry VIII, this is the book for you. 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. [39] Despite this, during his reign he became a fiscally prudent monarch who restored the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer. Henry attained the throne when his forces defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. I had an idea Henry VII was a force for stability; in fact he was a terrifying kleptocrat, abusing the law with arbitrary fines and imprisonment, scheming to effectively steal entire estates and wring every penny out of subjects as well as impose political control through financial means. What did the people of England think of Henry VIII? - eNotes.com They overrode all the usual legal processed and acted with complete impunity. One of the councils prominent members was Edmund Dudley, a man who helped Henry by enforcing the Kings legal rights, finding old laws to use against people and stretching the law to its limits. He likens the beginning of Henry VIII's reign to a metaphorical spring, a second coming of sorts because Henry VIII seemed to be the opposite of his father. Henry VII was king of England from 1485 to 1509. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VII-king-of-England, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Henry VII, English Monarchs - Biography of Henry VII, Henry VII - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Henry VII - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 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. Present were exiles from Richards court, friends of Edward IVths queen, but King Richard was able to bribe the ageing Duke of Brittany to relinquish Henry in return for funds to fight an increasingly hostile French king, whereupon Henry Tudor flew to the French court for sanctuary. 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. People saw him as being like a traditional king and hoped that his reign would bring positive change. Henry VIII was spring and Henry VII was winter. [52] He also concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland (the first treaty between England and Scotland for almost two centuries), which betrothed his daughter Margaret Tudor to King James IV of Scotland. [20] He amassed an army of about 5,0006,000 soldiers. They were unpaid, which, in comparison with modern standards, meant a smaller tax bill for law enforcement. 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. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups . Elizabeth had died in childbirth, so Henry had the dispensation also permit him to marry Catherine himself. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York. The Great Debasement - Wikipedia [81], Henry VII and Elizabeth had seven children:[b]. [31] Despite such precautions, Henry faced several rebellions over the next twelve years. However, such a level of paranoia persisted that anyone (John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, for example)[27] with blood ties to the Plantagenets was suspected of coveting the throne. Backdating Henry's Reign. He created the sovereign coin to spread the message that he was King. What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! This is why he named the book the Winter King. England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, violence, murders, coups and countercoups. Henry VIII - Loss of popularity | Britannica - Encyclopedia Britannica