NAME Henry Tudor, later King Henry VII of England
WHAT FAMOUS FOR Founder of the Tudor dynasty; victor at the Battle of Bosworth Field; the last English king to win his crown in battle; financial reformer who stabilised England after the Wars of the Roses.
BIRTH Henry VII was born on January 28, 1457 at Pembroke Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The castle was located in the English-speaking portion of Pembrokeshire known as "Little England beyond Wales." His birth came nearly three months after his father's death, making him a posthumous child. His mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, was only thirteen years old at the time of his birth.
FAMILY BACKGROUND Henry's lineage was complex and his claim to the throne somewhat tenuous. His father, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, was the half-brother of King Henry VI and a member of the Welsh Tudors of Penmynydd. Edmund died on November 3, 1456, three months before Henry's birth, while imprisoned at Carmarthen Castle after being captured while fighting for Henry VI.
His paternal grandfather, Owen Tudor, was originally from Anglesey in Wales and had been a page in the court of King Henry V before rising to become one of the "Squires to the Body to the King" after military service at Agincourt. Owen Tudor secretly married Catherine of Valois, the widow of King Henry V, giving Henry VII a connection to the royal House of Valois of France.
His mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (the third surviving son of King Edward III), through his liaison and later marriage to Katherine Swynford. The Beaufort line had been legitimised by Parliament but specifically barred from the succession—a bar Henry would later ignore. Margaret Beaufort was thus the "sole inheritrix of the Lancastrian claim to the throne." (1)
Through his father's family, Henry could trace descent from former Welsh royal families, connections reinforced when he married Elizabeth of York, herself a lineal descendant of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.
CHILDHOOD Henry's early childhood was marked by instability and the shifting fortunes of civil war. After his father's death, the infant Henry and his young mother were protected by his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, at Pembroke Castle.
In 1461, when Edward IV became king after the Yorkist victory, Jasper Tudor went into exile abroad. Pembroke Castle was granted to the Yorkist William Herbert, who assumed guardianship of both Margaret Beaufort and the young Henry. Henry was raised in the Herbert household at Raglan Castle, where some historians suggest he had a Welsh-speaking nurse who taught him the language. During this period, Henry saw little of his mother, who remarried in 1464.
His circumstances changed dramatically in 1469 when William Herbert was executed following the Battle of Edgecote. In 1470, Henry VI briefly retook the throne, but in 1471, both Henry VI and his only son, Prince Edward, died. Suddenly, at just fourteen years old, Henry became the principal Lancastrian claimant to the throne—a position of extreme vulnerability.
Recognising the danger, Jasper Tudor arranged for Henry to be sent to the continent for safety. They intended to sail to France but were blown off course by bad weather and landed in Brittany, where they would remain under the protection of Duke Francis II for fourteen years. Edward IV referred to Henry as "the imp" and "the only one left of Henry VI's brood," offering substantial rewards for his capture. (2)
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| Young Henry VII, by a French artist (Musée Calvet, Avignon) |
EDUCATION Henry's education was unconventional due to his disrupted childhood and long exile. According to contemporary sources, Henry was "not devoid of scholarship" and possessed "a most pertinacious memory." (3)
During his time at Raglan Castle in the Herbert household, Henry received education befitting a nobleman, though not the formal preparation expected for a future king. His years in exile in Brittany and France meant he became fluent in French, the language of diplomacy and the aristocracy. Some evidence suggests he may have understood Welsh, particularly given his Welsh-speaking nurse and his later patronage of Welsh bards and harpists.
Henry VII recognised his own educational deficiencies upon becoming king and surrounded himself with competent advisors, including the learned Cardinal John Morton. He later became a patron of humanist scholars and Renaissance artists, following the example of his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who endowed colleges and promoted education. In 1492, he appointed Quentin Poulet, a Frenchman from Lille, as keeper of the Royal Library, demonstrating his interest in books and learning.
CAREER RECORD 1457–1485 Earl of Richmond
1485-1509 King of England and Lord of Ireland. Founder of the Tudor Dynasty: He secured his position by defeating Richard III and subsequently united the houses of Lancaster and York through his marriage.
APPEARANCE The most detailed description of Henry VII's appearance comes from Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia (c.1513):
"His body was slender but well built and strong; his height above the average. His appearance was remarkably attractive and his face was cheerful, especially when speaking; his eyes were small and blue, his teeth few, poor and blackish; his hair was thin and white; his complexion sallow." (3)
By the time of his death, portraits and his funeral effigy (believed to have been created from a death mask) reveal a man who had become quite gaunt and emaciated. Unlike his son Henry VIII, who became famously obese, Henry VII remained lean throughout his life, likely of an ectomorphic build. His mother, Margaret Beaufort, was described as quite slender with a delicate bone structure, traits he appears to have inherited.
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| Henry painted by an unknown Netherlandish artist, 1505 |
FASHION In contrast to his flamboyant son, Henry VIII, the elder Henry preferred a sober, practical, and less lavish style of dress, reflecting his personal character and his policy of thrift. His garments were of good quality but lacked excessive ornamentation, a contrast to the highly fashionable, padded silhouettes favored by the nobility of the time.
CHARACTER Extremely cautious, reserved, and methodical. Henry was a deeply intelligent and careful planner, known for his political prudence and meticulous attention to detail, particularly in financial matters. He was often perceived as cold and aloof, highly suspicious of the nobility, and intensely focused on maintaining order and solvency above all else. He was also a genuinely pious Catholic.
Polydore Vergil recorded that he was "amiable and high-spirited," "friendly if dignified in manner," and "extremely intelligent." (3)
His turbulent childhood appears to have shaped his character significantly. Historians have noted his remarkable resilience and mental fortitude, though some suggest he may have struggled with feelings of inadequacy or impostor syndrome given his tenuous claim to the throne.
SPEAKING VOICE Henry was described as having a face that was "cheerful, especially when speaking," suggesting an engaging speaking manner. His "hospitality was splendidly generous" and he was "easy of access," indicating an approachable conversational style. (3)
Henry VII spoke fluent French, acquired during his fourteen years of exile in Brittany and France. He would have known Latin, the language of diplomacy, the Church, and official documents. Some modern media portrayals have given him a Welsh accent, which is plausible if he did not acquire a French accent during his exile.
SENSE OF HUMOUR Henry VII's personality was overwhelmingly serious, dedicated entirely to the business of kingship, peace, and financial security. Anecdotes often center on his political shrewdness rather than his wit.
His character was noted as "amiable and high-spirited" in his earlier years, though the tragedies of his later reign—the deaths of his son Arthur, his wife, and several children—undoubtedly darkened his temperament.
Henry demonstrated political wit in his use of symbolism and propaganda, particularly in creating the Tudor Rose as a masterful piece of political messaging.
RELATIONSHIPS Henry VII married Elizabeth of York on January 18, 1486 at Westminster Abbey, five months after Bosworth. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, and the marriage united the Houses of Lancaster and York. One court poet noted “great gladness filled all the kingdom” to see the warring houses united. Their marriage appears to have been remarkably successful and loving, despite its political origins. (4)
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| Portrait of Elizabeth, attributed to Meynnart Wewyck |
Elizabeth gave birth to seven children, four of whom survived infancy: Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486-1502), Margaret (1489-1541), later Queen of Scotland, Henry (1491-1547), later Henry VIII, Mary (1496-1533), later briefly queen of France through her marriage to King Louis XII, Elizabeth (1492-1495, died in infancy), Edmund (1499-1500, died in infancy), Catherine (1503, died shortly after birth; Elizabeth died in childbirth). Henry was meticulous in arranging politically advantageous marriages for his children.
Elizabeth of York died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday, from complications following Catherine's birth. Henry was devastated; upon receiving news of her death, he "privily departed to a solitary place to pass his sorrows and would no man should resort to him." He never remarried, despite considering it for diplomatic purposes. (4)
Remarkably for a medieval king, Henry VII has no recorded mistresses or illegitimate children during his marriage. Some historians have proposed he may have fathered an illegitimate child, Roland de Velville, during his years in exile, but evidence is inconclusive.
Henry was exceptionally close to his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who remained his trusted advisor throughout his reign. She was present at his deathbed and served as chief executor of his will.
MONEY AND FAME During his 24-year reign, Henry VII replenished both the country’s treasury and his own coffers through taxes and fines that were deeply unpopular but undeniably effective. When he seized the throne, the royal exchequer was all but empty after decades of civil war. Yet, as his biographer Stanley B. Chrimes observed, Henry “became solvent quite early in the reign and was able to secure some considerable surplus annually during his later years.” (5)
His success was built on a series of shrewd—and often resented—financial strategies. These included the rigorous improvement of tax collection across all levels of society, the introduction of protective tariffs on imports, the widespread use of bonds and recognizances to enforce loyalty, and the deployment of the Council Learned in the Law, a specialised tribunal tasked with collecting outstanding debts owed to the crown.
Henry introduced England’s first £1 coin in 1489, a symbolic show of strength meant to impress Europe with the rise of the new Tudor dynasty. In 1491 he went even further, extracting £48,000 in “loving contributions” from his subjects despite the practice having been outlawed seven years earlier. This blend of fiscal creativity and coercion became a hallmark of his rule.
His most notorious financial enforcers were Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, whose aggressive methods made them the public face of Tudor oppression. Their unpopularity was so great that Henry VIII, eager to win favour early in his reign, ordered their executions.
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| Henry VII (centre), with his advisors Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley |
By the time Henry VII died, he had accumulated a remarkable personal fortune—around £180,000, mostly in jewels and precious plate—secured carefully within his treasury. Yet despite the stability he brought to England’s finances, his reputation for avarice has lingered. The historian Polydore Vergil remarked that Henry’s later virtues were “obscured... by avarice,” calling it a vice bad enough in a private man, but “in a monarch indeed... the worst vice.” (3)
FOOD AND DRINK Specific details about Henry VII's personal dietary preferences are not extensively documented. However, we know that Tudor royal dining was elaborate and served as a display of monarchical power. Henry VII's dental problems—his teeth described as "few, poor and blackish"—may have affected his eating in later years. His general leanness throughout life suggests he was not an excessive eater, unlike his son Henry VIII who became notorious for his appetite.
MUSIC AND ARTS Henry VII was a significant patron of music and the arts, using cultural patronage to enhance royal prestige and legitimacy. He maintained the Chapel Royal, continuing the tradition of royal religious music that would flourish under subsequent Tudor monarchs. The Chapel Royal under the Tudors would later employ great composers including Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and Henry Purcell.
Notably, when Elizabeth of York died, "the only thing that could calm Henry was the sound of the Welsh harp." He personally paid for the funeral of one of his Welsh harpists, demonstrating genuine affection for music.
His architectural patronage included the magnificent Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, considered "the last great work of medieval English architecture."
LITERATURE Henry VII valued learning and literature. His support for literature and learning took several forms:
In 1492, Henry appointed Quentin Poulet as keeper of the Royal Library. The library contained numerous instructional manuscripts on kingship, demonstrating the belief that princes needed comprehensive knowledge of ancient history to learn lessons "of wisdom, virtue and knightly conduct." (7)
Henry's reign coincided with the growth of English printing. William Caxton had established England's first printing press at Westminster in 1476, and both Henry and his mother Margaret Beaufort were patrons of printed works. Henry mainly received printed book dedications from men who already had his patronage.
Henry commissioned Polydore Vergil, an Italian philosopher and chronicler, to write Anglica Historia (c.1505), a new history of England that would present the Tudor dynasty favourably. Francis Bacon later wrote The Historie of the Reigne of King Henry The Seventh (1622), which became the standard work on Henry VII for centuries.
NATURE Henry's interest in nature was primarily functional, revolving around the royal forests and parks managed for hunting and timber.
Henry VII revived "Swainmotes" (forest courts) for several forests and held Forest Eyres in some of them. He made unauthorised hunting in private forests a felony punishable by death if the offense was committed at night. The royal forests remained important reserves for game animals, protected by forest law.
The area that would become Richmond Park was known as the Manor of Sheen until Henry VII changed the name to Richmond around 1501, to reflect his title as Earl of Richmond. This area would later become one of London's most important royal parks.
Henry's main connection to nature came through hunting—the preeminent recreational pastime of medieval aristocracy. While specific details of his personal hunting activities are limited, he would have participated in the traditional royal sports of his era, including deer hunting and hawking.
PETS The greyhound was particularly significant to Henry VII and the Tudor dynasty. The greyhound was a symbol of the Beaufort family (Henry's mother's line) and became known as the Greyhound of Richmond when Henry VI granted a white greyhound to Edmund Tudor, Henry VII's father.
Henry VII used the greyhound as one of his heraldic supporters, alongside the Welsh dragon. These symbols can be seen carved into the stone of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, where Henry's master mason created "the most lavish display of worldly pomp to be found anywhere in English Gothic." Richard III had used boars in these positions, which Henry VII changed to greyhounds upon taking the throne.
The greyhound represented loyalty and honour, and continued to be used as a royal beast throughout the Tudor period. Evidence suggests the greyhound may have been seen as a symbol of luck and support for Henry VII, particularly in times of battle.
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| King Henry VII's Coat of Arms |
HOBBIES AND SPORTS While Henry VII is less associated with vigorous physical pursuits than his athletic son, hunting was an expected royal activity. He transformed Baynard's Castle into a royal palace and developed Richmond Palace with grounds suitable for sport.
Falconry was a major pursuit for medieval nobility. Henry would have had access to the royal mews and participated in hawking, the "sport of kings."
Henry was genuinely fond of music, particularly Welsh harp music, which could calm him during times of distress.
SCIENCE AND MATHS Henry VII's reign saw England's entry into the Age of Exploration, demonstrating royal interest in geography and navigation.
On March 5, 1496, Henry VII granted letters patent to John Cabot, a Venetian navigator, authorising him "to sail to all parts, regions and coasts of the eastern, western and northern sea... to seek and discover all the islands, countries, regions, or provinces of pagans in whatever part of the world." Cabot's 1497 voyage reached the coast of North America, the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America under English commission.
In February 1498, Henry granted Cabot second letters patent authorising a larger expedition. Henry continued supporting Bristol-based exploration, granting rewards to explorers like William Weston and Hugh Eliot.
Henry VII was keen on the development of artillery. The archaeological survey of the Bosworth battlefield uncovered "the largest group of cannonballs ever found on a medieval battlefield"—34 lead shot of various calibres—indicating the use of artillery in the battle that won Henry his crown.
PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Henry VII was a devout Catholic whose faith shaped both his private life and his public kingship. Contemporary accounts describe a monarch who “daily participated with great piety in religious services,” presenting himself as a ruler whose authority was inseparable from his religious devotion. He was deeply influenced by his mother Margaret Beaufort’s intense piety.. (3)
Henry’s personal religious practices were extensive and often discreet. He was praised as “the most ardent supporter of our faith,” and he frequently gave secret alms to priests he deemed worthy, asking them to pray for his salvation. He showed a particular affinity for the Observant Franciscans, the stricter, reform-minded branch of the order. Henry founded several Observant friaries, including one located next to his beloved Richmond Palace, effectively embedding their spiritual presence into the heart of his royal household. (3)
Under Henry’s rule, the Catholic Church remained the central institution of English life. With around eight thousand parish churches across the realm, it functioned as “the bedrock of spirituality, morality, culture and socio-economic existence.” Rome exercised relatively little direct interference in English ecclesiastical affairs, leaving Henry free to preserve his royal prerogatives while maintaining a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with the papacy. This relationship proved crucial: Henry secured papal backing before the Battle of Bosworth and later obtained dispensations for dynastically significant marriages, including his own to Elizabeth of York, despite their being related within prohibited degrees. (9)
Henry’s religious patronage was both sincere and politically astute. His most enduring legacy is the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, commissioned in 1502 as a grand shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Originally conceived as a monument to Henry VI—whose canonisation Henry championed—it ultimately became the king’s own burial place. The chapel stands today as one of the masterpieces of Tudor architecture and a lasting testament to the depth of Henry VII’s faith.
REIGN Henry’s early “career,” if we can call it that, was less a march toward greatness than an extended exercise in not getting killed. For most of his youth he lived abroad in a sort of long-term, high-stakes gap year, dodging Yorkist armies and hoping England might eventually want him back. His political life didn’t truly begin until August 7, 1485, when he landed at Mill Bay in Pembrokeshire with about 2,000 French mercenaries and a collection of English exiles who, one suspects, had nothing better to do.
What followed was one of the more astonishing recruitment drives in British history. Henry marched through Wales, picking up supporters like a rolling snowball—albeit one convinced it was the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy. Welsh nobles, ever fond of a good destiny, rallied to him enthusiastically. The whole venture came to a head at Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, where Henry’s comparatively modest force of roughly 5,000–8,000 men faced Richard III’s much beefier 10,000–15,000. The battle swung decisively when the Stanleys—masters of the art of strategic dithering—finally chose a side and charged in on Henry’s behalf just as Richard was attempting the rather personal tactic of galloping straight at Henry himself.
Having survived both exile and England’s last great medieval slugfest, Henry VII was crowned on October 30, 1485, at Westminster Abbey. His nearly 24-year reign (1485–1509) was surprisingly calm by the standards of someone whose résumé had previously consisted of “professional fugitive.”
He consolidated power with the patience and precision of someone who’d learned the hard way never to trust a family tree. Strategic marriages, careful alliances, and an unblinking approach to royal authority steadily stripped away potential threats.
Henry restored England’s finances with almost suspicious diligence, implementing prudent fiscal reforms, enforcing taxation, and strengthening the Court of Star Chamber—an institution that sounded friendly but absolutely wasn’t.
Diplomatically, Henry played a shrewd long game. He secured high-value marriages—most famously pairing his son Arthur with Catherine of Aragon and his daughter Margaret with James IV of Scotland—laying foundations for both peace and future dynastic drama.
He put down rebellions with brisk efficiency, dispatching Lambert Simnel in 1487 and then enduring Perkin Warbeck, who impersonated royalty with such persistence between 1491 and 1499 that he practically deserved a title just for effort.
And, not to be overlooked, Henry dipped a cautious toe into the age of exploration. In 1496 he granted John Cabot the patent that led to the first English foray into North America—a small administrative flourish that would, in time, lead to rather large consequences.
For a man who began with little more than a dubious claim and excellent survival instincts, Henry VII turned out to be remarkably good at the whole “king” business.
POLITICS Henry VII emerged from the Wars of the Roses as a shrewd and disciplined political operator, determined to bind a fractured kingdom back together. After decades of civil war, his first priority was consolidating royal authority—and he approached it with a mixture of caution, calculation, and quiet ruthlessness.
Henry governed with the help of roughly 200 councillors drawn from both Lancastrian and Yorkist backgrounds. These men convened in the Court of Star Chamber at Westminster Palace, an institution formally established in 1487. Designed to enforce the law against the great and powerful, the Star Chamber offered a way to hold unruly nobles accountable when traditional courts might have balked. It quickly became an essential tool for curbing aristocratic independence.
Another, more notorious instrument of power was the Council Learned in the Law. Led by prominent figures such as Reynold Bray, Richard Empson, and Edmund Dudley, this tribunal focused on preserving and expanding the king’s revenue. Its officials aggressively enforced bonds and recognizances—financial penalties that kept nobles firmly in line. The Council was efficient, lucrative, and widely hated, a reminder that Henry valued obedience above popularity.
Financial control was at the heart of his political strategy. The king maintained stability by placing nobles under heavy monetary obligations, levying fines, and pressing legal charges when necessary. This created a system in which loyalty was not merely encouraged but financially ensured. While it produced order, it also left a lingering climate of resentment.
Because his claim to the throne was relatively weak, succession was a constant anxiety. Henry cleverly backdated the start of his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworth, making all who fought for Richard III technically traitors. His marriage to Elizabeth of York united the warring houses, symbolically healing the realm, and he named his firstborn son Arthur—a deliberate echo of mythical British kingship meant to strengthen Tudor legitimacy.
Parliament played a meaningful role during the early years of the reign, meeting frequently while Cardinal Morton was alive. After Morton’s death in 1500, however, Henry summoned Parliament only once. By then he had achieved enough stability and authority to govern without regular parliamentary involvement, a sign of just how thoroughly he had centralised power.
SCANDAL Henry VII's reign was marked by several scandals, primarily involving pretenders to the throne:
Lambert Simnel (1487): Barely a year after Bosworth, a boy named Lambert Simnel was presented as Edward, Earl of Warwick, Richard III's nephew. Despite the real Earl being imprisoned in the Tower, Simnel gathered support in Ireland and was actually crowned "King Edward VI" in Dublin. Henry defeated the rebels at the Battle of Stoke Field, but rather than execute the boy, put him to work in the royal kitchens—a rare display of mercy.
Perkin Warbeck (1491-1499): A more dangerous threat, Warbeck claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York—one of the "Princes in the Tower." For eight years, Warbeck troubled Henry, gaining support from foreign powers including Burgundy, Scotland, and the Holy Roman Empire. The conspiracy implicated even Henry's own chamberlain, Sir William Stanley, who was executed for treason. Warbeck was finally captured in 1497, confessed to being an impostor from Tournai, and was executed in 1499 after an attempted escape.
Financial extortion scandal: Henry's aggressive tax collectors, Empson and Dudley, created a "regime of terror where nobles were frequently fined, faced trumped up charges, or placed under huge financial bonds." Their methods were so unpopular that their execution by Henry VIII was a major "popularity earner" for the new king.
MILITARY RECORD Henry VII's military experience was remarkably limited before Bosworth. The Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485 was considered the first military battle of Henry Tudor's career.
When Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and standard-bearer of the rival House of Lancaster, landed at Milford Haven in Wales, Richard III moved quickly to intercept him. Their forces met at Bosworth Field, near the village of Market Bosworth, about twelve miles west of Leicester—an unassuming patch of Leicestershire countryside destined to become one of the most famous battlefields in English history.
Local Leicester lore adds a touch of ominous theatre to Richard’s departure. Tradition holds that the king consulted a seer before riding out. She warned him, “Where your spur should strike on the ride into battle, your head shall be broken on the return.” Richard is also said to have celebrated Mass at St James’ Church before heading to the field where he would make his last stand.
Richard held the advantage at the outset. He commanded between 11,000 and 12,000 men and occupied the high ground on Ambion Hill. Henry Tudor’s force was smaller—around 5,000 to 7,000—but the wild card was Lord Stanley, whose 5,000-strong contingent waited to the north. When the Stanleys chose to side with Henry, the shift collapsed Richard’s prospects in an instant.
As desertions thinned his ranks, Richard’s companions pleaded with him to flee, but he refused. He launched a furious, last-ditch charge aimed directly at Henry. Unhorsed in a marsh, surrounded, and struck down by Welsh pikemen, Richard fought to the end. As he fell, mortally wounded, his crown was retrieved and placed on Henry Tudor’s head—an improvised coronation on the battlefield.
Richard III would be the final English king to die in combat. His body, slung ignominiously over a horse, was carried back to Leicester. In a grim fulfilment of the seer’s prophecy, his spur had struck the stone of Bow Bridge on his way out; on his return, his head struck the same spot and split open. Some accounts claim his naked body was dragged through the streets before being buried at Greyfriars Church. His horse at Bosworth, according to tradition, was named White Surrey.
Henry’s victory ended Plantagenet rule. By marrying Elizabeth of York, he united the warring houses and secured the Tudor succession as Henry VII. Richard’s fall at Bosworth is often seen as the symbolic end of the Middle Ages.
Interestingly, the name “Battle of Bosworth Field” didn’t become standard until about 1510. Before then, it was known as Redemore—“the place of the reeds”—as well as Brownheath or Sandeford. (11)
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| Battle of Bosworth Field. Wikipedia Commons |
Henry launched a brief invasion of France in 1492, aimed at coercing the French into a favourable peace treaty rather than serious conquest. The resulting Treaty of Étaples brought him £149,000 (paid in instalments) and ended French support for Perkin Warbeck.
Henry effectively avoided large-scale foreign wars, preferring diplomacy (e.g., the Treaty of Etaples with France) and alliances. Polydore Vergil noted that Henry was "most fortunate in war, although he was constitutionally more inclined to peace than to war." (3)
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Henry VII’s health declined markedly in his final years, a stark contrast to the vigorous young man he had once been. Early descriptions portray him as “slender but well built and strong,” and he remained lean throughout his life—very unlike his son, Henry VIII, who developed a famously heavy physique. But behind Henry VII’s wiry frame, a catalogue of chronic ailments gradually took hold.
His eyesight began failing in his thirties, prompting him to try an array of herbal remedies—fennel water, rosewater, and celandine—but none brought improvement. His dental health was equally troubling. Contemporary observers described his teeth as “few, poor and blackish,” a detail that suggests years of discomfort. Gout also plagued him, and he likely suffered from long-term respiratory damage, possibly emphysema. By the end of his life, he showed clear signs of tuberculosis, which is now considered the most probable cause of his terminal illness.
Henry’s health worsened significantly in late 1508. He withdrew to Richmond Palace in February 1509, and by March he had largely stopped eating, and on April20, he summoned his confessor to administer last rites. He died the following day after a prolonged final struggle lasting twenty-seven hours.
His funeral effigy—believed to be modelled from a death mask—presents a haunting final image: a king who appeared gaunt, hollowed, and profoundly worn down by years of pain and illness.
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| Tomb effigies of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, by Pietro Torrigiano, Westminster Abbey |
Richmond Palace: His primary residence, rebuilt after the former Palace of Sheen was destroyed by fire in 1497. Henry renamed it Richmond after his earldom and transformed it into a magnificent Tudor palace with innovative "stacked" lodging arrangements derived from Continental models. A friary of Observant Franciscans was founded adjacent to the palace. Both Henry VII and his granddaughter Elizabeth I died here.
Baynard's Castle: A London residence of symbolic significance, as this house had been granted to Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, in 1453. Henry "transformed the fortified mansion into a royal palace at the start of the 16th century—adding a series of towers."
Greenwich Palace: A preferred residence where Henry often spent Christmas.
Windsor Castle: Continued as a royal residence, though less associated with Henry VII than later Tudors.
TRAVEL Henry VII’s travel experiences were defined less by royal pageantry and more by the extraordinary circumstances of his long exile. After the Lancastrian collapse in 1471, the young Henry fled Wales with his uncle Jasper Tudor, hoping to reach the safety of France. Instead, storms blew their ship off course and forced them to land in Brittany—a twist of fate that would shape the next fourteen years of his life. He lived largely under the protection of Duke Francis II of Brittany, moving between various Breton households and châteaux, always under the shadow of Yorkist demands for his extradition. When Brittany’s political situation grew unstable, Henry was quietly moved to France, where he received support from the French court for his eventual attempt to reclaim the English crown.
That attempt began when he sailed from France on August 1, 1485. He landed at Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, a week later and marched through Wales, gathering supporters in a symbolic homecoming that culminated in his victory at the Battle of Bosworth. This march—half military campaign, half personal odyssey—became the defining journey of his life.
As king, Henry VII travelled far less dramatically. His movements were generally confined to royal progresses between his palaces in London and the Thames Valley, along with appearances at major ceremonies and sessions of Parliament. Even during the 1492 expedition to France, he avoided the front-line involvement that characterised later warrior kings.
DEATH Henry VII died on April 21, 1509 at Richmond Palace, aged 52. His final illness was likely tuberculosis, following years of declining health including failing eyesight, dental problems, gout, and respiratory issues. He stopped receiving visitors on state business after moving to Richmond in February 1509 and seems to have undergone a steady decline.
On April 20, Henry summoned his confessor to administer last rites. He died surrounded by clerics including Bishop Richard Fox, ushers, members of his household, and three doctors.
News of Henry's death was kept secret for two days until April 23, when seventeen-year-old Henry was proclaimed Henry VIII. This secrecy ensured a smooth transition of government, given continuing concerns about Yorkist plots.
Henry's funeral service was held at St Paul's Cathedral on May 10, 1509, with Bishop Fisher delivering an hour-long oration. The following day, May 11, 1509, he was buried beside Elizabeth of York in the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey—the magnificent chapel he had commissioned himself.
The Latin inscription surrounding his tomb reads as a testament to the king who had requested his funeral be performed without "dampnable pompe and oterageous superfluities." King James I was later buried in the same vault.
APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Henry VII has been portrayed numerous times in popular culture, though less frequently than his more dramatic son:
(1)Television: James Maxwell in The Shadow of the Tower (BBC, 1972) in a 13-episode series devoted to his reign
John Woodnutt in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (BBC, 1970)
Peter Benson in The Black Adder (1983)
Jacob Collins-Levy in The White Princess (2017)
Hennie Scott and Jerome Willis in An Age of Kings (BBC, 1960)
(2) Film: Stanley Baker in Richard III (1955) with Laurence Olivier
Dominic West in Richard III (1995) with Ian McKellen
Aidan Quinn in Looking for Richard (1996) with Al Pacino
(3) Documentary: Henry VII: Winter King (2013)—documentary based on Thomas Penn's book
(4) Literature: Featured as a character in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III
Hero of Jean Stubbs' historical novel An Unknown Welshman (1972)
Appears in multiple Philippa Gregory novels including The Red Queen, The White Princess, and The White Queen
As one commentator noted: "We have never had any piece of media solely dedicated to Henry VII's story. He is always the side character of his predecessor and successor's [stories]." (14)
ACHIEVEMENTS Founded the Tudor dynasty.
Ended the Wars of the Roses.
Rebuilt royal finances.
Established long-lasting administrative reforms.
Strengthened England’s international standing.
United York and Lancaster through marriage.
Introduced the first £1 coin.
Created a stable platform for the Renaissance-era flowering under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
Sources: (1) Dictionary of Welsh Biography (2) History Learning Site (3) Tudorhistory.org (4) History Extra (5) The Collector (6) London Tickets (7) Melanievtaylor.co.uk (8) Battlefields Hub (9) Yellowboxhistory (10) Rotten Books (11) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (12) Henry VIII Houses (13) Exploring London (14) Reddit
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