Henry VII 1457-1509
First Tudor King of England

Born in Pembroke Castle, Wales, he was the son of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, and the grandson of Owen Tudor who married Catherine de Valois, widow of Henry V. His mother, a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, ranked as the lineal descendant of the House of Lancaster. After the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury (1471), he was taken to Brittany, where several Yorkist attempts on his life and liberty were frustrated. On 1 August 1485, Henry landed, unopposed, at Milford Haven and defeated Richard III on Bosworth Field. As king, his undeviating policy was to restore peace and prosperity to a warworn and impoverished land, an aim which his marriage of reconciliation with Elizabeth of York (eldest daughter of Edward IV) materially advanced. Minor Yorkist revolts were firmly dealt with, but Henry's policy in general was mercantilist and pacific, as was demonstrated by his readiness to conclude peace with France for a promised indemnity of �149,000. He also subsidized shipbuilding to expand his mercantile marine while giving him first call on craft speedily convertible into warships. The marriage of Henry's heir, the future Henry VIII, to Catherine of Aragon cemented an alliance with Spain that largely nullified the soaring aspirations of France, while animosity with Scotland ended when James IV of Scotland married Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor. A widower after 1503, Henry's design to further his policy by remarriage was cut short by his death in 1509. His personal fortune of over �1.5 million reflected the commercial prosperity his prudent policy had restored to the realm. He had adopted the policies of Edward IV and had created a situation in which they could succeed.

Bibliography: Michael Van Cleave Alexander, The First of the Tudors: A Study of Henry VII and His Reign (1980)