Birth: 28 January 1457Henry VII, a member of the house of Lancaster, gained the throne through a rather long and bloody battle called the War of Roses, in which his house and their rival house of York fought for the throne. His father, Edmund Tudor, was a Welshman of Welsh royal lineage, but his claim to the crown was through his mother, Margaret Beaufort. Margaret was a descendent of Edward III though his third son, John of Gaunt, whose mistress bore him several children before he married her. Margaret descended from one of the children born before the marriage, which was legitimized but barred from succession.
The Lancasters finally scored their victory at the Battle of Bosworth in August of 1485, where Henry defeated Richard III and became King Henry VII of England and Wales. Henry was determined to end 85 years of civil war in England and strengthen his throne by marrying Elizabeth of York, combining the two houses within the Tudor lineage in order to eliminate any future disputes about succession.
Henry was a successful king, strengthening and creating a stable monarchy but often at the expense of the nobility. He created the Committee of the Privy Council, which served as an advisory board; he established the Court of the Star Chamber for more active participation in civil and criminal cases; he imposed loans and grants on the nobility instead of having taxes; and his ability to avoid parliament helped him modernize the government. Henry also turned a nearly bankrupted treasury into one of considerable fortune by encouraging trade and subsidizing shipbuilding. Henry transformed a medieval government into a more contemporary one by replacing feudal obligations with law and trade.
Henry also used his political sharpness in foreign affairs. He arranged the marriage of his oldest son, Arthur, to Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Arthur shortly died and Henry arranged for Catherine to marry Arthur’s brother, the future Henry VIII.
However, Henry failed to appeal to the public. He avoided public appearances; he kept a distance between himself and his subjects. Francis Bacon described Henry in these words:
“He was of a high mind, and loved his own will and his own way; as one that revered himself, and would reign indeed. Had he been a private man he would have been termed proud: But in a wise Prince, it was but keeping of distance; which indeed he did towards all; not admitting any near or full approach either to his power or to his secrets. For he was governed by none.”