And so tomorrow, let us all remember the founder of the Tudor Dynasty, King Henry VII, who died peacefully of tuberculosis six years after his faithful and beautiful wife died in childbirth. Thanks for creating the Tudor dynasty for us, Henry!!!
So I'm actually a bit early with this post for once, but I couldn't help myself. It's the perfect day for a bit of Tudor blogging! So, tomorrow is the 503rd anniversary of good ol' King Henry VII's death at Richmond Palace. While in my opinion Henry VII is a bit of a dull figure in Tudor history (at least when compared to the other monarchs of the dynasty), he is without a doubt one of the most important. Why? Well, because he started the whole dynasty, if you'll remember the Battle of Bosworth and his exciting victory over Richard III! Here is the Tudor coat of arms, which is really interesting to look at, because it so beautifully merges the two houses that were fighting for the English crown - the Lancastrians (winners) and the Yorkists. Here's a quick recap, in case you didn't read my post about the Battle of Bosworth several months ago: Henry Tudor led the Lancastrians into battle against the Yorkists, who were led by Richard III, and who had been King of England for two years. However, as royal/noble families are naturally ambitious, Henry Tudor's family felt that he had a much better claim on the throne than Richard did, and so England was divided into those two houses. Well, ultimately the Lancastrians won (although they were the underdogs), and Henry was the last King in English history to win the crown while fighting on the battlefield! Henry was crowned King of England, and the Plantaganet dynasty officially came to an end. This was the start of the Tudors, and the end of the Wars of the Roses, which had caused England to fall into economic turmoil. In this sense, Henry VII was really an important figure for England, because he not only corrected the financial problems plaguing the country - he also married a Yorkist woman, Elizabeth of York, in an effort to bring the two houses together and avoid further problems. This is where we can see the cleverness of the Tudor coat of arms, because the Lancastrians' symbol was the red rose, and the Yorkists' was the white rose. (See the red and white roses on the bottom of the coat of arms? - That would be the Tudor Rose, combining the two houses!) The red dragon and white greyhound are also important symbols that Henry felt should be included, and represent the two houses as well. Once Henry married his Yorkist Elizabeth, he was a pretty average King with a relatively uneventful reign. The thing Henry had to worry about the most were people who were trying to take his throne, and who weren't too happy about him forcing himself into the English monarchy. However, Henry was ultimately successful and set up a fantastic dynasty for the rest of us to read about and enjoy! The next 118 years would be known as the Tudor Dynasty, although it wouldn't continue on exactly as Henry would expect. Of course, his first son, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, would die young, and his younger brother Henry would take the crown when his father died. Although this wasn't the original plan, I think things worked out quite well! - Well, depending on who's perspective you're looking from, I suppose. ;)
And so tomorrow, let us all remember the founder of the Tudor Dynasty, King Henry VII, who died peacefully of tuberculosis six years after his faithful and beautiful wife died in childbirth. Thanks for creating the Tudor dynasty for us, Henry!!!
1 Comment
Aingeal
2/4/2017 08:48:24 am
Would you have any idea how long Henry VII suffered with tuberculosis? Do you think the loss of Catherine of York hastened his own demise?
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