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Yale English Monarchs - Henry VII (The English Monarchs Series)

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Professor Chrimes has splendidly captured the life and reign of a sovereign traditionally overlooked in English history. From his bittersweet youth through a climactic battlefield victory against Richard III to nearly a quarter century of stable rule, Henry Tudor's intelligence, cunning and administrative abilities are convincingly and thoughtfully portrayed.
A domestic, tender side of the King is even shown as he comforts Queen Elizabeth after the death of their firstborn son, Prince Arthur.
This is a worthy entry in the Yale Series and a must for any serious Tudor historian.

HENRY VII by S.B. Chrimes is 373 pages long, with 16 pages of glossy black and white photos, a 2-page map of England + Europe, a few smaller maps, and 4 pages of flow charts showing lineages of the Tudor family, Lancaster family, and House of York. In these flow charts, there are plenty of Henrys, Margarets, Edwards, and Johns. Most of the chapters can easily be read by the layperson. Chapters 1-3 (94 pages) will be of interest to everybody. The middle chapters of this book concern details of government, law, and finance. Chapter 9 will require a law degree in order to understand concepts relating to property law, such as "escheat" and "feoffment." Chapters 12 and 14-15 are more colorful, as they concern trade of cloth, expeditions to America, policies towards Germany, Spain, and Italy. Thus, the middle section of the book (pages 97-218) is the "dry" section of the book. From the overall tone of the book, and great care the book takes in not speculating on unknown facts, I would consider this book to be indispensible for any person interested in the history of England, France, and Brittany.

Henry Tudor lived his first 14 years in Wales (1457-1471). His grandmother (Catherine of Valois) had once been married to Henry V (conqueror of France, representing the culmination of the 100 Years War). Cartherine was only 19 when she married Henry V in 1420, and two years later became a widow, and in this time gave birth to Henry VI (whimpy king who lost all of France). Catherine later married Owen Tudor. In the Catherine + Owen Tudor marriage, there were four children, including Edmund (father of Henry VII) and Jasper (Henry VII's uncle and companion).

Owen (Henry VII's grandfather) was in prison in Newgate, escaped, and was caught and put back in prison. In November 1439, Owen was pardoned (but history does not disclose his offense). Owen had a job in the King's Parks in Denbighshire, and later was killed by Yorkists in the Battle of Mortimer's Cross. Edmund only lived to the age 26, his 15 minutes of fame, took the form of marrige to Margaret Beaufort (direct descendent of John of Gaunt, the first in the lineage of Lancastrians). The book seems not to disclose how Catherine (former wife of a very famous king) got introduced to Owen, or why she wanted to marry him.

Edmund and Jasper escaped from England and sought refuge in Brittany, where they stayed for 13 years, and where they were protected by Duke Francis II. Further details are as follows:

CHAPTER ONE. King Edward IV (Yorkist) tricked Duke Francis into sending Henry VII to England for the purpose of marrying one of Edward IV's daughters, but John Chenlet (counsellor of Duke Francis) realized that this was a plot to kill Henry VII, so Chenlet had Henry VII rescued while Henry VII was traveling and still in Frances (while en route in St.Malo). Edward IV died in April 1483, thus removing Henry VII's main adversary. King Richard III's act of putting Edward IV's two young sons in prison also made Henry VII's life easier. The death of Richard III's young son also made Henry VII's life easier.

FURTHER DETAILS FROM CHARLES ROSS to provide orientation regarding Henry VII: Facts of Edward IV can be found in EDWARD IV by Charles Ross. In a nutshell, Henry VI was king (he was the whimpy king who'd lost France). Richard of York (Edward IV's father) wanted to be king, but he was politically inept (aloof and tactless), and he even tried a coup d'etat in 1452. In June 1460, the Yorkists invaded England, invading from Calais and from Ireland, and London was taken without resistance. In October 1460, Richard of York declared himself king, but nobody paid attention to him, and in Dec. 1460, his head got chopped off in a battle with the Lancastrians. In a battle at Mortimer's Cross, the Lancastrians lost, and at the Battle of Towton, the Lancastrians also lost, and Edward IV (Yorkist) took the throne. Henry VI (the whimpy king) escaped to Scotland, and a decade later, Jasper Tudor with Henry VII set sail (in 1471) from Tenby and escaped to Brittany, where they stayed in exile for 14 years. History books tend to be silent, as to why Edward IV became king in June 28, 1461, but it was not until a decade later (1471), that Jasper Tudor with Henry VII escaped from England. In other words, what was it possessed Jasper and Henry VII to escape after hanging around in England for a decade, when England was under Edward IV's rule?

Edward IV's wife, Elizabeth Woodville, was thinking of having one of her daughters, either Elizabeth or Cicely, marry Henry VII (still in Brittany at this time). Elizabeth sent Hugh Conway to Henry VII with money plus advice to plot to take the English crown. Henry VII and Duke of Brittany liked Elizabeth's plan, and sent Conway beack to England, with Henry VII's agreement to return to England. Thus, while this book discloses Henry VII's motivation to return to England and become king, the book also discloses that there is no evidence that Henry VII received any training in governing, during his 13 years in refuge. In other words, there is not much record of what Henry VII did with himself in Brittany during his long period of exile. Henry VII sailed for England on October 10, 1483, with financial aid from Duke of Brittany, but bad weather scattered his ships. On Dec. 25, 1483, Henry VII declared in Rennes that he would marry Elizabeth (Edward IV's oldest daughter), even though Henry VII was still a refugee. In Jan. 1484, Richard III sent death notices (bills of attainer) on Henry VII, Jasper, Henry VII's mother, John Morton, and other friends of Henry VII.

Richard III approached Peter Landois, treasurer of Brittany with a plan to capture Henry VII, and Landois agreed to pass Henry VII to Richard III. But John Morton learned of this plot (while hiding in Flanders) and warned Henry VII. And so, Henry VII who was in Vannes, Brittany, disguised himself as a servant and fled to France (at this time Brittany was a duchy independent of France). Henry VII first stopped in Montargis, then moved to Paris. During this time, Louis XI died (Aug. 1483) and leadership of France fell to Anne of Beaujeu (age 22), her brother Charles VIII, and Pierre de Bourbon of Beaujeu. While in Montargis, Henry VII acquired four allies: John de Vere, James Blount, John Fortescue, Richard Fox (all of these were Lancastrian supporters). France agreed to help Henry VII overthrow Richard III, motivated by the desire to prevent Richard III from aiding Brittany. In July 1485, the French killed Peter Landois (thereby making Henry VII's life easier). In Aug. 1485, Henry VII sailed from Sein with 4000 men, which included 400 refugees from England, and landed at Mill Bay at the far west tip of Wales, marched to Shrewsbury, acquired support from Rhys Thomas (leading Welsch figure). The book does not dwell on the following point, but it seems to me that Henry VII's decision to land in Wales stemms from the fact that he lived in Wales until the age of 14, and that Wales (in addition to Northumberland) had been a Lancastrian stronghold, and that Henry VII might count on support from the Welsh during Henry VII's march. At any rate, this support did materialize. Henry VII acquired more soldiers in Newsport from Gilbert Talbot. In Stafford, William Stanley met Henry VII, but neither helped nor hindered Henry VII's forces. Henry VII's forces were led by John de Vere, Gilbert Talbot, and John Savage. Thus, from Mill Bay, Henry VII's forces reached Richard III's forces, and William Stanley (previously non-committed) rescued Henry VII from Richard III, and Henry VII's side won. Richard III's crown was found on the ground, and Henry VII put it on. And that was the Battle of Bosworth.

CHAPTER TWO. Henry VII circulated a letter shortly after the battle, reading: "Henry, by the grace of God, king of England and of France, prince of Wales and lord of Ireland, strictly chargeth and commandeth, upon pain of death, that no manner of man rob or spoil no manner of commons coming from the field . . . and moreover, Richard duke of Gloucester, lately called King Richard, was lately slain at a place called Sandeford." Then, Henry VII fetched Elizabeth of York, who had been locked in the Tower of London. She was restored to her mother (also named Elizabeth). Henry VII gave money to the villages of Widerly, Aterton, Feny Drayton, Manseter, and Atherstone, as Henry VII's soldiers had taken grain from these towns on the way to the Battle of Bosworth. (It should be noted that much more information on this battle is available in books, such as, The Battle of Bosworth by Michael Bennett, or Bosworth 1485: The Psychology of a Battle (Battles & Campaigns) by Michael K. Jones.) Henry VII rewarded his supporters by appointing Jasper to be duke of Bedford, John de Vere to be admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine, Thomas Lord Stanley (the stepfather of Henry VII) became earl of Derby, and Rhys Thomas was made chamberlain of South Wales, and John Morton became chancellor of South Wales and Archbishop of Canterbury. We learn that Henry VII and Elizabeth were actually distant relatives (though I couldn't figure this out from the flow charts), and special permission had to be acquired from the Pope. The Pope's decree, which was dated March 2, 1485, also threatened excommunication to anybody who rebelled against Henry VII. Please note that this was before the time that Lutheranism swept Europe, and before that time that Henry VIII decided to sever the Pope's influence on the Church of England.)

CHAPTER THREE. The first rebellions against Henry VII, during Henry VII's reign, took the form of an uprising by Viscount Lovel in spring 1486 (the plot collapsed) and by a Yorkist imposter (Lambert Simnel). Lambert Simnel pretended to be the earl of Warwick, but Henry VII counteracted Simnel by making the real earl of Warwick speak before the Council. Simnel went as far as to get himself crowned as King Edward VI in Dublin in May 1487. Hence, the concept of "King Edward VI" concerns a fraud. Simnel had 2000 German mercenaries. Simnel's forces landed at Furness on the Lancashire coast in June 1487, and were met by Henry VII. The result was the battle at Stoke in June 1487, regarded the final battle in the Wars of the Roses. (Further details occur in: A Strange Accident of State: Henry VII and the Lambert Simnel Conspiracy by David Beeston (Birchwood Publications)).

In November 1491, Perkin Warbeck pretended to be Richard duke of York (one of the two young brothers imprisoned by Richard III in the Tower of London, way back in 1483). In Cork, the earl of Desmond provided support, and Perkin Warbeck went to France and was welcomed by Charles VIII, but Henry VI in the Treaty of Etaples made Charles VIII agree not to aid the rebels. Perkin Warbeck eventually found support from Archduke Philip and his father Maximilian (Germans) who did not like Henry VII. Later, in November 1493, Warbeck went to Vienna to attend a funeral, and met Maximilian, who acknowledged Warbeck to be King of England. Warbeck attacked at Deal in Kent, but was defeated. Then, he received help from Edward Poynings of Dublin, then he received help from James IV of Scotland. Henry VII spend a great deal of effort in trying to neutralize Warbeck's presence in Scotland and in Nov. 1492, Henry VII succeeded in getting James IV to sign a truce. In further effort to resist Warbeck, but also primarily to promote peace with Scotland, Henry VII arranged for his daughter Margaret to get married to James IV (and they did marry, in Aug. 1503). James IV was king from 1488-1513, and their son became King James V of Scotland. The Treaty of Ayton of Nanuary 1502, was the most important peace treaty with Scotland since 1328. In June 1498, Warbeck confessed his fraud, and a year later was hanged.

CHAPTER FOUR. Under Henry VII, there was a "King's Council." Groups of people selected from time to time met for various types of business. At this time in history, there did not exist the "Star Chamber" (a type of court), but there did exist a room with a star on the ceiling, used as a courtroom. Henry VII's chancellors were Thomas Rotterdam archbishop of York, John alcock bishop of Worcester, John Morton, and William Warham. John Morton was known for fleeing to Flanders, and warning Henry VII of the plot of Peter Landois to deliver Henry VII into the hands of the Yorkists. William Warham is distinguished in that he was chancellor until he was replaced by none other than Wolsey (replaced in 1515). Wolsey is renowned for running England from 1515 to 1529, an era when Henry VIII was still a goof-off playboy.

CHAPTER FIVE is about official seals.

CHAPTER SIX. The Exchequer administered government revenues. Lord Dinham, Thomas Howard, Reginald Bray, Robert Lytton, Thomas Lovell, William Stanley, Richard Edgecombe, John Heron, held positions in finance, e.g., treasurer of England or chancellor Exchequer. Henry VII's men administered the "Jewel House," a private bank for the king, they received revenues of Crown lands, and kept documents (indentures, lists of debts, recognances, obligations), and released money to pay salaries of officials, alms, rewards, for espionage, and for loans.

CHAPTER SEVEN. Henry VII reigned for 23 1/2 years, but did not alter the structure of Parliament. Most of the new statutes during this time were for administrative improvements. At this time, there did not exist separate House of Lords and House of Commons. During Henry VII's reign, Parliament met 7 times and for these meetings, various people were summoned, usually about 21 bishops, 27 abbot and priors, 34-43 lords (dukes, princes, marquis, earls, viscounts, barons) for deciding matters on war, rebellion, and routine legal matters.

CHAPTER EIGHT. The King's Council, held in "the Star Chamber," served as a court of appeals. The plaintiff submitted a bill or petition to seek redress from wrongs, because of deficiencies in the common law, because of undue influence of the other party, or because of poverty. These disputes involved, e.g., rioting or trade disputes. The Act of 1487 (Procamera stellate act) set up a tribunal, distinct from the King's Council, and distinct from common law courts, to act more quickly than possible with common law courts. This tribunal heard cases relating to corrupt conduct of sheriffs, embracery, bribe-taking by juries, and riots. Cases heard by the King's justices are reported in "Select cases in the Exchequer chamber before all the justices of England 1377-1461."

CHAPTER NINE. There were two kinds of laws: statutes and proclamations. Henry VII issued 62 proclamations, where 25 related to mustering troops, surrendering of rebels, distraint of knighthood, spread of false news, coinage, regulating trade, treaties, truces, and pardons. Henry VII's Parliament enacted 192 statutes, relating to trade, prices, wages, and statutes relevant to only specific individuals, statutes about alien merchants. Some statutes concerned coroners, improved procedures for people accused of murder, the making of a felony the abduction of women, the making a felony marrying a woman against her will.

Most of this book is not a biography as usually thought of today. It rarely tries to interpret what the king is thinking at any point unless there is exceptionally solid evidence for it and the "story line" is limited except in the first part. The book has three divisions. The first part, "The Establishment of the Dynasty," is mostly a chronological narrative of Henry's life up to the early 1500's and emphasizes his almost paranoid fears for security, most of which were justified. The narrative here is well done. In this part there is a definite story to tell and Chrimes does it in an easily readable and understandable fashion. The strange stories of the two pretenders, Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, are clearly developed. Warbeck's life especially seems like material ready-made for a movie. Part 2, "The Personnel and Machinery of Government," studies the structures of Henry's government. It covers some of the same time period as Part 1 but focuses on how the King's Council was set up, his structures of law, finance, etc. In doing this it eventually covers most of the reign in its analysis. This is the toughest part of the book to get through. I found the writing in the chapter on "Financial Administration" sleep-inducing but the chapter called "Judicature" was much more interesting because it shows how Henry dealt with the widespread problems of law and order in England at the time. Chrimes does a fine job of describing the different levels of judicial administration that the people faced and how these "courts" and "councils" sometimes helped and sometimes complicated the problem of keeping order. The third part of the book called "Statecraft" is an analysis of Henry's actions through the structures laid out in Part 2. It also is a close and careful historical analysis, in no way a narrative, but I found most of it well done and readable. The chapter on "Fiscal and Financial Policy," which is the "action" counterpart to the earlier chapter on financial structures that gave me grounds for napping, is important to understanding why Henry became increasingly unpopular with the people. It also goes a long way toward explaining why his flamboyant son could get so popular by promising reform while at the same time having so much money available to him to make his court and life style what it was. Despite having many real strengths, Henry VIII's father was avaricious; Chrimes comes right out and calls him rapacious and has plenty of evidence for that. He put the financial screws on the people, often very unfairly. This section of the book on Statecraft is critical for understanding the later Tudors, especially his enormously famous, or infamous, son. Following this section is an excellent Epilogue which uses several interesting sources to get at who Henry was as a person. Chrimes has a great line when he says that the avarice of Henry VII "was a mild failing compared with his son's addiction to more savage methods of solving his problems." However, what the book shows is that the avarice of the father set the table for the son.

The book has a lot of names and dates but always uses them with much surrounding context. It also has a great deal of unfamiliar terminology that is sometimes explained in parentheses, sometimes in the notes, and sometimes in context. Nevertheless, I went to the dictionary several times. That's OK. This is a book with substance. While it is not a "popular" read, it is an outstanding foundation for understanding one of the most important epochs in English history, the Tudor dynasty.

Like all the Yale series, it bored me to death. Chocked full of info that's served on the most boring platter ever made. I wanted to know more about this guy, and the book gave it to me, but it was so dryly delivered that I can't remember any of it. This book is for scholars, I hope. It has to be for someone, because being a lover of Tudor england is not enough to make it interesting. Writing this review bored me.