Henry VII

Not to be confused with Henry VIII.

The majority of the following article contains the fictional portrayal of one or more historical figures. Details in this article may differ from real world facts. For more information on the historical figure(s), consult the links provided within or at the bottom of the article.

Henry VII
Characteristics
Also known as	Henry Tudor
Title	King of England
Born	1457
Died	21 April 1509
Nationality	English Welsh
Gender	Male
Personal information
Family	Margaret Beaufort (mother) Arthur (son) † Margaret Tudor (daughter) Henry VIII (son) Mary Tudor (daughter) Katherine (daughter) † Catherine of Aragon (daughter-in-law) Mary I (granddaughter) Henry Fitzroy (grandson) Elizabeth I (granddaughter) Edward VI (grandson) Mary, Queen of Scots (great-granddaughter) Lady Jane Grey (great-granddaughter)
Romances	Elizabeth of York (wife) †
Religion	Catholicism
Book information
Appears in	My Tudor Queen
Locations	England
Timeline	November 1501 – April 1509

"The crown was put on his head in all the blood and confusion of a battle fought at Bosworth Field, and they say it was retrieved from a thorn bush, where it had rolled from the head of the dead Richard III. Since then, Henry has tried throughout the reign to keep the peace, and he has succeeded in this–but his real battle is to win the respect of Europe's ancient royal families and he goes about that with the energy and determination of a soldier."

—Eva De Puebla

Henry VII (1457 – 21 April 1509) was the King of England from 1485 to 1509. He was married to Elizabeth of York, with whom he had four children. Following his death, his son succeeded him as King Henry VIII. Three of his grandchildren, namely Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I went on to ascend the throne.

Biography

Early life

Henry was born in 1457. His mother, Margaret Beaufort, was very young when she gave birth to him, which left her unable to bear more children. Henry's mother was of "royal stock" and his father's family were Welsh landowners.

In 1485, his men defeated the forces of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry was then crowned King Henry VII, starting the Tudor dynasty. He married Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. They had four children together, including Arthur, Margaret, Henry "Harry", and Mary.

1501 – 1509

Henry forged an alliance with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain with the betrothal of his son Arthur to their daughter, Catherine of Aragon. He met Catherine shortly after her arrival in England in November 1501. Catherine and Arthur were married not long after. In January 1502, Henry's daughter Margaret was officially betrothed to King James IV of Scotland. On 2 April of that year, Arthur passed away suddenly of illness. Henry's second son, Harry, then became his new heir apparent. Following Arthur's passing, Henry had disputes with King Ferdinand over Catherine's dowry. In response, he refused to pay the promised income to Catherine, leaving her unable to pay her retainers.

In February 1503, Henry's wife Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, Katherine. Elizabeth soon fell ill of childbed fever and died. Their newborn daughter lived for just a few days. The following June, Margaret left England to marry the King of Scotland. Shortly after, Henry consented to a betrothal between his son Harry and Catherine. He later granted her an allowance. Unfortunately, the death of Queen Isabella in December 1504 made the alliance with Spain unstable. Henry began secluding his son and subsequently had him rescind his engagement with Catherine in June 1505. By the end of the year, Henry had withdrawn her allowance and dismissed many of her retainers.

In January 1506, Catherine's sister Juana and her husband Philip were shipwrecked on the coast of England while on their way to claim Isabella's throne. Henry permitted them to visit his court. He took a liking to Philip and signed a treaty of friendship with him. Additionally, one of Henry's candidates for his remarriage was Philip's sister. However, his plans with Philip came to abrupt end following the latter's death later that year. In late 1507, Henry considered marrying Juana to forge ties with Spain again. By early 1508, Catherine was finally in Henry's favor once more. He passed away on 21 April 1509 after falling ill, leaving the throne to his son who was crowned King Henry VIII.

Personality and traits

Henry desired to legitimize his reign since the Tudor dynasty began with him. Furthermore, he wanted to gain the respect of the other European rulers. To achieve his means, Henry arranged advantageous betrothals for his children. He was also characterized as having a "penny-pinching meanness" and that he counted every candle and refused to have a fire lit in his room.

Family tree

See also: Category:House of Tudor

The Tudor Family Tree
(including Stuart and Grey relatives)

Edmund Tudor

Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509)

♛Henry VII (1457-1509)

Elizabeth of York (1465-1503)

Arthur (1486-1502)

(1) Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)

♛Henry VIII (1491-1547)

(2) Anne Boleyn (1501-1536)

(1) ♚James IV (1473-1513)

Margaret Tudor (1489-1541)

(2) Archibald Douglas (1489-1557)

(3) Mary Tudor (1496-1533)

Charles Brandon (1484-1545)

(4) Catherine Brandon

Philip II of Spain

♛Mary I (1516-1558)

♛Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

(3) Jane Seymour (1509-1537)

Mary of Guise (1515-1560)

♚James V (1512-1542)

Margaret Douglas (d. 1578)

Matthew Stuart (1516-1571)

Frances Brandon (d. 1559)

Sir Henry Grey (d. 1554)

♛Edward VI (1537-1553)

(4) Anne of Cleves (1515-1557)

♚Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567)

Lord Guildford Dudley (d. 1554)

♛Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554)

Lady Catherine Grey

Lady Mary Grey

(5) Catherine Howard (1520-1542)

♚♛James VI and I (1566-1625)

(6) Catherine Parr (1512-1548)

Key:
♛ - King or Queen of England
♚ - King or Queen of Scotland

Behind the scenes

• Henry VII is a supporting character in My Tudor Queen.

Appearances

In chronological order:

• My Tudor Queen
• Anne Boleyn and Me (Mentioned in the Historical Note)
• Henry VIII's Wives (Mentioned only)
• Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (Mentioned in the Historical Note)
• Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country (Mentioned in the Historical Note)

Further reading

• Henry VII at Tudor Place
• Henry VII at The Royal Family
• Henry VII on Wikipedia