Henry VII: A Tudor Monarch's Power Struggle

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Contention plagued the English monarchy for several decades. The struggle for power was relentless. The War of Roses ran rampant for many years as the Houses of York and Lancaster collided. This all came to an end when Henry VII defeated Richard III at the Battle on Bosworth Field. In order to further solidify himself as King, Henry married Elizabeth of York. This ended a long raging conflict between the two houses, and established the first Tudor monarch. The end of war did not mean that the fight was over. Following his victory, Henry was faced with many issues. The strength of the monarchy, faith from his citizens, and the much depleted treasury. Henry VII, in order to strengthen his kingdom completely overhauled his government. The strongest course of action taken was decreasing power amongst nobility. Henry appointed important government officials based on merit despite their birthright. Decreasing power …show more content…

Like her father Elizabeth took England into a different direction. She would be attributed for many advancements in the English kingdom. Under Elizabeth Arts flourished, exploration heightened, literature increased, and foreign trade succeeded. Elizabeth like her grandfather won the hearts of her subjects. Perhaps one of the more outstanding accomplishments in Elizabeth’s reign is peace. Although she was raised Protestant, unlike her brother she did not condemn and punish Catholics. She took a more peaceful approached and tried to bridge a barrier amongst Protestant and Catholics that allowed them to live in peace. Elizabeth may have had many intelligent advisors, but she did not allow herself to be dominated and repressed. Equally intelligent, Elizabeth was able to further support the suffering of her kingdom. She failed to supply proper income to fund her wars, but she was able to sustain the wealth within her own kingdom. This alone made Elizabeth the final Tudor, a successful

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