Why Henry Tudor was Successful in Usurping the English Throne in 1485 Henry Tudor had a very weak claim to the English throne. Yet in 1485, after defeating Richard ΙΙΙ at the Battle of Bosworth, he was pronounced King. Henry's claim came from his mother, Margaret Beaufort's side, as her great grand-father, John of Gaunt, was a son of Edward ΙΙΙ. However, at the time the legitimacy of Gaunt's descendants was dubious as it was accused that Catherine Swynford was in fact his mistress condemning their child and Henry's grandfather as illegitimate. Although during Richard ΙΙ reign their son, John Beaufort, was legitimised but did not become king due to a later act of Parliament. Therefore not only was Henry's claim considered to descend through the weaker female side of the family, but it was highly questionable that it was even legitimate. There were also many who had a much stronger claim such as, John Earl of Lincoln and Edmund Earl of Suffolk. Due to the careful, tactful planning and protection of Henry by to his uncle, Jasper Tudor, the right steps were taken from a young age that later enabled Henry to become king. In 1462, guardianship of Henry was sold for £1000 to Lord Herbert, who imprisoned him within his household in Wales yet educated and treated him as though he were a potential son-in-law. This education greatly benefited Henry and most likely added to the success of his usurpation planning. However, in 1489 Herbert was executed and Henry regained power, forcing Henry Tudor into a vulnerable position as the main other Lancastrian claimant to the throne. Giving Henry the opportunity to escape capture, Jaspe... ... middle of paper ... ...moment came when Richard made a direct charge at Henry causing Sir William Stanley's army to rush to his rescue. With the crucial aid of the Stanleys the battle was won, Richard was slaughtered and the remaining Yorkists fled. Sir William Stanley crowned Henry on the conclusion of the battle and Richard's naked body was paraded back to London. It was Henry Tudor's "political wisdom", "notable" experience and his "dealing in time of perils and dangers" with, "great hardiness" (John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester) that greatly contributed to his success in obtaining the English throne. The support, guidance and military expertise form Jasper Tudor along with the financial help from the French king and the support not only from loyal Lancastrians but from the rebel Yorkists, also aided Henry in usurping the throne in 1485.
Henry IV and eventually the throne of England. It is also the attributes that allow him to
...The foreign support that Henry received was pivotal in starting Henry Tudor’s second attempt at invading England as otherwise he would never have been able to land and gather troops and support from domestic sources. However, once in England the support that Henry gained from welsh and English nobles and Barons meant that he was able to face Richard and defeat him at the Battle of Bosworth. Whilst support is vastly important in explaining Richard’s defeat, other factors such as Richard’s mistakes like policies that drained the Treasury (e.g. the war against Scotland) are to blame. This particular mistake prevented Richard from being able to stop Tudor from crossing the channel, and so it was left up to nobles Richard believed to be loyal to resist the invasion, this belief also backfired when Rhys ap Thomas joined Henry when he was promised the Lieutenancy of Wales.
The Challenges to Henry VII Security Between 1487 and the end of 1499 Henry VII faced many challenges to his throne from 1487 to the end of 1499. These included many rebellions and pretenders to his throne. To what extent was the success he dealt with them differs although the overriding answer is that by the end of his reign he had secured his throne and set up a dynasty, with all challengers removed. Lambert Simnel challenged Henry’s security when Richard Symonds passed him off as Warwick. Simnel was taken to Ireland, which had become the centre of Yorkist plotting.
training when he came to power in 1485, had managed in the time he was
After many failed attempts to obtain a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII took momentous steps that led to "The Reformation," a significant occurrence in the history of religion. Prior to the reformation, all of England's inhabitants including King Henry VIII prescribed to Catholicism. In fact, King Henry VIII was such a strong supporter that he was given the title "Defender of the Faith" by the pope for his efforts in protecting Catholicism against the Protestants. However, all these changed upon the pope's denial of Henry's request for a divorce.
When we look at Henry as a king we have to look in the context of
He eventually was weakening the nations funding in huge amounts. Richard had made large mistakes in his previous years, including when he offered the Duke of Brittany a whole legion of British Archers in return for Henry as a prisoner. This event backfired when Henry fled to France after hearing of the plot, he then revealed this offer to the King of France, which enraged him, as the British were cooperating with the Bretons. The King of France gave Henry huge support, including financial backing, and military backing so that he could overthrow Richard III. It is certain that lacking this support Henry Tudors attempted revolt would have been suppressed.
...tect his right to the throne. Ultimately, he stabilized the nation by settling the civil wars, the Wars of Roses, by marrying the apposing York family, to unite the two feuding families, the Yorks and the Lancasters. All together, King Henry VII is a new monarch for displaying all of the required traits.
He reestablished the authority of the crown, reintroducing the idea that he, as head of the monarch, is “Henry, by the grace of God, King of England”. This title places an emphasis on the idea that his power and the power of all royals has been given to them by God Himself, and idea that is demonstrated in the Act for the Confirmation of Henry VII. This act of Parliament illustrates the king’s superiority, his superiority over Parliament, which was given to him by God, and therefore emphasizes his undoubted right to the throne of England and France. In the Act for the Confirmation of Henry VII, Parliament confirmed him and his heirs as the lawful sovereigns of England. There were uncertainties about his claim to the throne to begin with, but by calling Parliament as King, he not only proved his prestige, but also showed that Parliament does not grant him that title, they merely clarify any “ambiguities and questions” about his title. It is clearly stated in the Confirmation that Henry is also the King of France, highlighting the English belief that they have rightful claim to lands outside of Britain. This act clearly established the Tudor’s sovereign
In source 10 it claims … This substantiates that William used Henry to help him survive and regain control and
Henry V is not a simple one as it has many aspects. By looking into
... While Henry VIII was the king of England, he defeated France on many occasions, at the Battle of the Spurs for example. Henry VIII was also responsible for the religious reformation in England and changed the religion of England from the Roman Catholic faith to the Protestant Religion, and established the Church of England. If it weren’t for King Henry VIII, England would not have been as wealthy as it was because of the dissolution of the monasteries. The Act of Appeals aided the constitutional development of England, once again, thanks to Henry VIII.
In the play Henry V written by Shakespeare. Henry was presented as the ideal Christian king. His mercy, wisdom, and other characteristics demonstrated the behavior of a Christian king. Yet at the same time he is shown to be man like any other. The way he behaves in his past is just like an ordinary man. But in Henry’s own mind he describes himself as “the mirror of all Christian kings” and also a “true lover of the holly church.
However, he didn't listen to the duke of york who desperately wanted a say. This could have been another reason for the outbreak of conflict because the people didn't think he always made the right decision and the duke of York didn't like not being listened to. Another problem was with patronage, as Henry was overgenerous, but only to some people, he would give lots of patronage to Somerset and Suffolk but none to York. This was even worse because he had borrowed from York and instead if paying him back, gave patronage to others. He gave away more and more money and land so that there wasn't much left for important times like war and to make people happy or come onto his side.
I side with Loades on this as despite resentment from the nobles, after the Perkin Warbeck imposture there were no more serious uprisings which strongly support the success of Henry’s policies. Whilst most nobles would see his methods as unjust (especially the wide of use bonds and recognisances) Henry succeeded in increasing the crown’s standing at the expense of the nobility, securing his position whilst weakening the nobles. Through most of his policies Henry was successful in limiting the powers of nobility. Henry sought to restrict the noble’s power and yet at the same time needed them to keep order and represent him at local levels, therefore Henry sought not to destroy the nobles but to weaken them enough that they did not pose a threat, he needed a balance of control over the nobles and strong nobility.