<body><p>Array</p></body>
HENRY VII (1457-1509)
Reign : 1485-1509
“...God that day decreed it, for it was done miraculously”,
The Twelve Triumphs of Henry VII, Bernard André, official poet at the court of Henry VII.
Henry Tudor, the first monarch of the dynasty, proclaimed himself King in 1485 at the age of 28 following the battle of Bosworth. His victory over Richard III put an end to the Wars of the Roses. Thanks to Henry, the House of Lancaster defeated King Richard III and, with him, the House of York. The reign of Henry VII at last brought order and stability to the kingdom, beset by thirty years of civil war. Although cautious and thrifty, Henry VII willingly financed prestigious buildings and tournaments that would glorify his court and legitimate his authority. In 1486, the country came together to celebrate the birth of his first son, Arthur. However, with the prince’s sudden death in 1502, all the dynasty’s hopes fell upon his youngest children : Margaret, Henry and Mary.
