©Keith Underwood 2004
July 11, 12 and 13
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| Henry Tudor was born at Pembroke Castle in January 1457. He was the son of Edmund Tudor the Earl of Richmond and Margaret Beaufort. Edmund Tudor was the son of Catherine of France, widow of Henry V, and Owen Tudor, whom Catherine married after Henry V's death. Henry Tudor's real claim to the throne was through his mother, Margaret of Beaufort, who was the great-granddaughter of Edward III's son John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster through his marriage to Catherine Swynford. Henry was therefore considered the future leader of the House of Lancaster. |
| Henry's early years were spent with his uncle Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke. After the Lancastrians were defeated at Tewkesbury in 1471, Henry found himself head of the Lancastrian family. As it was unsafe for him to remain in England, Henry and Jasper Tudor fled to Brittany to wait for a chance to claiming the English throne. |
In August 1485, Henry landed at Milford Haven in West Wales with 2000 supporters, plus 2000 mercenaries recrited from French prisons. By the time he reached England, his army has swelled to 5000. His army faced Richard 111's army at Bosworth in Leicestershire. Richard had only 6000 troops so had ordered Thomas Stanley and Sir William Stanley, two of the most powerful men in England, to bring their 6,000 soldiers to join him. But Lord Stanley had already promised to help Henry Tudor. In order to persuade him to change his mind, Richard arranged for Lord Stanley's eldest son to be kidnapped. When the Stanley brothers arrived they did not join either of the two armies. Instead, Lord Stanley went to the north of the battlefield and Sir William to the south. The four armies now made up the four sides of a square. Without the support of the Stanley brothers, Richard looked certain to be defeated. Richard therefore gave orders for Lord Stanley's son to be brought to the top of the hill. The king then sent a message to Lord Stanley threatening to execute his son unless he immediately sent his troops to join the king on Ambien Hill. Lord Stanley's reply was short: "Sire, I have other sons." The battle quickly went Henry's way. Richard refused to escape, claiming that he could still obtain victory by killing Henry Tudor. So that everyone knew who he was, Richard put on his crown. With a small group of friends, he charged down the hill but he was knocked off his horse before he could get to Henry. Surrounded by the enemy, Richard continued to fight until he was killed. Tradition has it that Richard's crown was found under a gorse bush. Lord Stanley, whose intervention had proved so important, was given the honour of crowning Henry VII the new king of England and Wales. Henry VII died in 1509. His personal fortune of £1.5 million illustrated the success of his foreign policy and the commercial prosperity that England enjoyed under his rule. |
Last updated
June 17, 2006
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