Lady Margaret Beaufort is the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp. Paternally descended from John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (son of King Edward III) and his mistress, and then third wife, Catharina Swynford. The Beaufort family (children of Lancaster and Swynford) had no succession to the throne, but the suppression of the legitimate Lancastrian line in 1471 made this family the main contenders for leadership in the thinned Scarlet Rose party.
After the flight of her son, Henry of Richmond, and his uncle Jasper Tudor to Brittany (1471), Margarita remained in England. Margaret's fourth husband, Lord Constable Thomas Stanley, played a key role in the outbreak of the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, coming to the aid of his stepson in the decisive Battle of Bosworth.
After the accession of her son (1485), Lady Margaret was surrounded by royal honors, but was not titled queen, but "Her Grace the King's Mother." Henry VII gave his stepfather the title of Earl of Derby; thus the king's mother became the Countess of Derby, but preferred to use the title Countess of Richmond after her late husband. Margarita was an educated and pious woman and had a great influence on her son. She briefly survived him and died already in the reign of her grandson Henry VIII.
marriages
Margaret was first formally married to John de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (1449 - annulled 1452); since she was 6-9 years old at that time, such a marriage was purely political in nature and remained fictitious. In her second marriage, she was the wife of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, half-brother of King Henry VI. The third marriage was with Henry Stafford (died in 1471), and her last husband was Thomas Stanley, the first Earl of Derby, who had the honorary title of "King of the Isle of Man".
Margarita had an only child, from her second marriage - a son, Henry, who later became the king of England, born 2 months after his father's death from the plague. Having given birth to him at the age of 13, Margarita had no children from subsequent husbands.
Lady Margaret Beaufort is the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp. Paternally descended from John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (son of King Edward III) and his mistress, and then third wife, Catharina Swynford. The Beaufort family (children of Lancaster and Swynford) had no succession to the throne, but the suppression of the legitimate Lancastrian line in 1471 made this family the main contenders for leadership in the thinned Scarlet Rose party.
After the flight of her son, Henry of Richmond, and his uncle Jasper Tudor to Brittany (1471), Margarita remained in England. Margaret's fourth husband, Lord Constable Thomas Stanley, played a key role in the outbreak of the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, coming to the aid of his stepson in the decisive Battle of Bosworth.
After the accession of her son (1485), Lady Margaret was surrounded by royal honors, but was not titled queen, but "Her Grace the King's Mother." Henry VII gave his stepfather the title of Earl of Derby; thus the King's mother became the Countess of Derby, but preferred to use the title Countess of Richmond after her late husband. Margarita was an educated and pious woman and had a great influence on her son. She briefly survived him and died already in the reign of her grandson Henry VIII.
marriages
Margaret was first formally married to John de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (1449 - annulled 1452); since she was 6-9 years old at that time, such a marriage was purely political in nature and remained fictitious. In her second marriage, she was the wife of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, half-brother of King Henry VI. The third marriage was with Henry Stafford (died in 1471), and her last husband was Thomas Stanley, the first Earl of Derby, who had the honorary title of "King of the Isle of Man".
Margarita had an only child, from her second marriage - a son, Henry, who later became the king of England, born 2 months after his father's death from the plague. Having given birth to him at the age of 13, Margarita had no children from subsequent husbands.
Henry was the son of the powerful Welsh aristocrat Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, a great-great-granddaughter. This relationship gave him some dubious rights to the English crown.
Heinrich was born two months after his father's death. During the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, he was captured by the Yorks, but was released after a short restoration. At the Battle of Tewkesbury, he miraculously escaped capture and fled to Brittany. After all the Lancasters were killed during the reign, Henry was able to put forward his claims to the throne. In 1483, he was going to take part in the Buckingham uprising, but the rebel army fled prematurely, and Buckingham himself was executed. Henry returned to Brittany, where dissatisfied despotic people began to gather around him.
In early August 1485, Henry landed at Milford Haven in Wales with 2,000 men. During the battle of Bosworth, his stepfather, Lord Stanley, went over to his side. The army was defeated, the king himself was killed, and the crown from his dead head right on the battlefield was put on Henry. In October 1485, Henry was solemnly crowned at Westminster, and at the beginning of the next year he married Elizabeth, daughter, combining scarlet and white roses in his coat of arms and thus restoring the unity of the royal dynasty.
Heinrich was not distinguished by either a powerful physique or good health. According to contemporaries, the king was constantly withdrawn, sad and self-absorbed. He was neither a brave commander nor a cunning politician, but he was hardworking and decent. Henry VII sought to give strength and power to the royal power, severely punished the recalcitrant, but was not cruel or vindictive. Henry saw the stabilization of the political and financial situation in the country as his main goal. To put an end to the lawlessness that had flourished for the past thirty years, a royal court was established - the "Star Chamber", named after the ceiling of the room in the Palace of Westminster, decorated with gilded stars, where meetings were held. The "Star Chamber" dealt with cases concerning the highest nobility. To maintain order in the cities and districts, the powers of justices of the peace were expanded: by the end of Henry's reign, they decided most of the cases on their own. To normalize the financial situation, Heinrich did not disdain any measures. He collected taxes with the utmost severity, using a whole army of spies and scammers. Penalties were introduced for non-payment of taxes, including for long overdue payments. All escheated estates were confiscated. The king carefully monitored all financial transactions and personally endorsed all reports. In fairness, it should be noted that Henry's personal fortune was small, and all income went to the treasury. In the end, the revenues of the treasury became so great that Henry no longer needed to beg money from parliament. Therefore, the value of estates has fallen. In the last 13 years of his reign, the king generally convened parliament only once.
However, throughout his reign, Henry had to fight the unconquered Yorks. In 1487, the Yorkists rose in rebellion, led by Lord Lovell and the Earl of Lincoln (the rightful heir). There was also an impostor in their ranks, a certain Lambert Simnel, posing as the Earl of Warwick. The rebels were defeated at the Battle of Stoke Field. To analyze their cases, the "Star Chamber" was established. It is curious that Heinrich did not punish the impostor Simnel in any way: he first served in the royal kitchen, and then was appointed royal falconer. In 1490, the Fleming Perkin Warbeck declared himself Richard of York, younger brother. His supporters tried to raise an uprising, first in Ireland and then in Cornwall, where they were joined by peasants dissatisfied with high taxes, but failed. Once again, Heinrich dealt graciously with the impostor. He was kept in the Tower in good conditions and was executed only in 1499, along with the real Earl of Warwick, after an unsuccessful escape.
Henry VII spent the rest of his life calmly and died at the age of 54 from tuberculosis, bequeathing the throne to his son. Thanks to his firm and reasonable rule, peace and prosperity were established in England, trade and crafts developed, and the treasury was filled. Henry VII was buried in Westminster Abbey, next to his wife, Elizabeth of York, whom he survived by seven years.
The era and reign of Henry VII, King of England and sovereign of Ireland 1485-1509.
The 15th century is the era of great discoveries, events, intrigues, the formation of dynasties of kings. Knights are fighting in the vastness of Europe, everyone still knows what ROKOSH is, the war of the white and red roses is in full swing.
After the Spaniards conquered the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, the Reconquista was completed. Christopher Columbus is promised, if successful, the appointment of admiral, viceroy and governor-general of all the islands and lands that he will be able to find in the ocean. After that, the last, consisting of three caravels with a team of ninety sailors, for the first time set off from Spain in the direction of the west. As a result, after 70 days, the "New World" was opened. And Vasco Da Gama, having made a sea voyage, landed in India, laying a new route, which became an alternative to the Silk Road. When the first naval battles with the use of cannons thundered.
At that glorious time, the hero of our story, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, ascended the political horizon of England as a bright star, Henry VII, King of England and ruler of Ireland, on the throne. First crowned Tudor dynasty. His long reign began with the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485, which ended the War of the Rose and the White Rose, a struggle for power between the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty, Lancaster and York.
Governing body
There is no need to talk for a long time about his birth, a large number of ancestors, a thorny path leading to the throne. We will briefly cover the course of events in the reign of Henry 7.On November 30, 1485, Henry was crowned. Henry fulfilled his own obligation so that the opposing sides would stop intriguing and fighting over the crown, and married Elizabeth of York, combining scarlet and white roses on his own coat of arms.
He can be described as a person who lacks stars from the sky, but brings everything to the end, scrupulous, pedantic, greedy and does not let anything take its course. According to contemporaries, he looked quite ascetic, painful and was not very handsome. The main character traits that contributed to his long stay on the throne: he was equally present in deceit and firmness of character, perseverance and confidence. Able to quickly respond to challenges, he was not reckless, but carefully considered any plan. In their notes, many noted his wisdom, lively and sharp mind, excellent memory, energy and, which is important for the king, he had charm and the ability to get along with people. As a politician, he maintained good relations not only with his compatriots, but also with foreigners, in particular with the French, who are his enemies.
And, so let's get back to the reign of Henry 7. Immediately after the coronation, he again had to face the complots of the aristocracy seeking power. Some of the supporters of the Yorks wanted to see Margaret of Burgundy, the sister of Edward IV, on the English throne. Warwick's (1487) and Warbeck's (1491) complots were the most dangerous, yet Henry successfully pacified them with military force and cunning.
In the hope of putting a limit to the influence of the highest aristocracy and preventing it from playing political games, Henry 7 founded an emergency state body - the Star Chamber, where the trial of the nobles was carried out. Thus, Henry VII fought conspiracies - pursued a constant policy of reducing the independence of the barons and strengthened his power. In order to limit the influence of the nobility, he confiscated land holdings for his own benefit, forbade the maintenance of private armies, and destroyed castles. At the same time, land ownership and the importance of the middle aristocracy, which had an interest in expanding the powers of the Tudors, grew.
During the reign of Henry 7, strengthening the financial condition in the state, very often applied not very recognized measures, such as raising and increasing tax collections. He was unreasonably stingy, but most likely this quality, which forced him to recalculate and check state and personal accounts, restored the gaps in the financial sector of England, tired of long wars, and allowed him not to turn to parliament, reducing its role.
In the sphere of foreign political activity, Henry eschewed direct clashes, preferring a bad quarrel to a good war. Personal enemies - King James IV of Scotland, Spain - he secured by diplomatic efforts and dynastic alliances.
In order to expand domestic production, he put a lot of effort into the development of his own industry, took care of shipbuilding and shipping, helping pioneer merchants. To this end, he called to serve the navigator J. Cabot, who became a pioneer in the development of the colonies of North America and discovered Newfoundland.
Under him, the "History of England" began to be written by such a famous historian as Polydor Virgil.
Despite the fact that he was known as an exceptional miser who did not like to spend money on excesses, the first stream of the Renaissance in the art of the country was captured during the reign of Henry 7. This was expressed in the fact that he began to invite Italian masters to the court.
During the reign of Henry 7, England enjoyed peace and prosperity, and the crown acquired strong ground under itself. His second son, Henry VIII, became his heir. Thus, his reign marked the end of the straightforward and costly policy of the Plantagenets and gave rise to the "Jesuit" policy of the Tudors. Where in the first place, by any means, were the interests of Britain, which for many years became the basis of "England has no partners or friends, but only interests."
Henry the Seventh, born in Pembroke in 1457, was the first Tudor king of England. After the war between the Lancasters and Yorks for the English throne, he was a candidate "for kings" from the Lancasters. In principle, the Tudors really had reason to take the English throne.
The fact is that the grandfather of Henry the Seventh was a Welsh aristocrat who married the widow of King Henry the Fifth of Lancaster,. So, Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, aka the Earl of Richmond, was the son of a French princess and in the past an English queen. In his youth, while he was walking, the life of the future king was repeatedly exposed to dangers. The Yorks captured the young pretender and held him hostage, then, however, they released him when the advantage in the war temporarily passed into the hands of Henry the Sixth.
In the battle of Tewkesbury, he, again, miraculously managed to avoid death. Henry fled by sea and ended up in Brittany, where the Duke of Brittany took him under his protection. After the extermination of all members of the Lancaster clan, Henry Tudor claimed his rights to the English throne. In Brittany, people began to unite around him, who were dissatisfied with the rule of Richard III, famous for his cruelty. Having gathered an army of 1500 mercenaries with money provided by the French king, Henry moved to England. On the way he was joined by another five hundred people of English emigrants. On August 22, 1485, the decisive Battle of Bosworth took place, during which Richard III was killed. The crown was immediately removed from the head of the corpse and placed on the head of Henry Tudor.
Later, in October of the same year, King Henry was, as expected, crowned at Westminster. Later, he had to marry a representative of the York family in order to unite the royal dynasty and secure his rule, which, however, did not save him from the claims of the conceited clan. Several times during his reign, he had to uncover the conspiracies that the Yorks wove, still hoping to seat their representative on the English throne.
King Henry the Seventh, according to eyewitnesses of that time, was rather frail, very sickly and ugly. However, his disposition was meek and humble. He did not get involved in military conflicts, did not rush into battle, did not seek glory. He strengthened the economic position in the country, sometimes using unpopular measures in the form of tax increases. He was extremely stingy, but perhaps it was precisely this quality of his, which forced him to recalculate and recheck all state and personal accounts, patched up all the gaps in the country's economy, exhausted by long wars. He married Elizabeth of York and had two sons.
The heir to the throne, Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Harry, who was destined for a career as a clergyman. But it just so happened that Prince Arthur died of a cold, just six months after his marriage to Catalina of Aragon, the daughter of the illustrious rulers of Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. And the youngest son, Harry, who later married his brother's widow, became the heir. Henry the Seventh died at the age of 54 incomplete years. And if this king did not accomplish great deeds, then he accomplished everything that he had planned. during his reign, she enjoyed peace and prosperity, and the royal power found solid ground under her feet.
