Henry VII
Henry VII – the First Tudor King
No king was as lucky as Henry VII. Born posthumously and never considered royal material, he was propelled into that position through the usurpation of Richard III and the presumed murders of King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York. Fortunate to be a virtual unknown, he won the favor of Richard’s enemies but soon after his ascension began to squander the good will of the nation
Celebrating August 22, 1485
On August 19, Henry was cut off from his allies and hiding from Richard’s men with a handful of comrades. Three days later, he was King of England. Since he had so many Yorkist loyalists among his followers, he could have rightly claimed to be the heir to York. After all, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, were dead and Henry had committed to marrying their sister Elizabeth, now Queen in her own right. Henry, however, had no intention of placating his Yorkist allies.
Henry VII
What About Tudor Propaganda?
The idea that a man as secretive as Henry Tudor devised a propaganda campaign against a popular predecessor is preposterous on all counts. No one had to blacken Richard’s reputation, because it was already black enough when Henry became King. If Richard had been popular, Henry would have never gained the throne, and certainly not with Yorkist help. Richard suppressed the placards and bills of his opposition with a proclamation, which suggests that he had reasons to do so. As the Tudor dynasty continued, the official narrative changed to meet its perspective, but from the start, Richard III was never anything but a villain.
The Nobody Who Became King
Historian Michael Hicks remarks that “Henry Tudor….had little to his credit but his obscurity and untarnished reputation. Such a choice bears the marks of desperation. To back his (Henry’s) claim was tantamount to saying that anyone was to be preferred to Richard. It was more important to depose Richard than to choose a candidate to replace him.” When Henry rode into London after Richard was defeated at Bosworth, the city welcomed him as if he were an angel from heaven, says the Croyland Chronicler. Henry wasn’t known, and that was to his advantage; Richard was known, and that was his downfall.
August 21, 1485
Henry’s Parliament used a disingenuous legalism to overturn Richard’s attainders and treat Richard and his supporters as the rebels and insurgents by predating the commencement of Henry’s reign. The Croyland Chronicler wrote: “Oh God, what assurance, from this time forth, are our kings to have, that, in the day of battle, they will not be deprived of the assistance of even their own subjects, when summoned at the dread mandate of their sovereign?”.