Henry VII managed to hand on the English throne to his son by being completely driven to the cause of establishing an enduring dynasty. He did not waste any time in making sure the Tudors would have a solid foundation to rule from, which they would do for more than the next century. Around two months after seizing the crown from Richard III, Henry had a parliamentary record state that he was the king during the Battle of Bosworth so that the dynasty’s violent beginnings would be glossed over. His marriage to Elizabeth of York was significant in quelling the majority of tensions following the ‘Wars of the Roses’. Henry’s treatment of the nobility meant that they were starved of the power that they had enjoyed during the reign of Henry VI which had allowed them to mount a serious challenge to the king. Henry also effectively dealt with all challenges to his throne which were mostly made by pretenders who were not reasonable replacements to him in the first place. Above all, he was a significantly more suspicious king than those who that had preceded him, and indeed it was his caution and vigilance that allowed Henry VII to remain on the throne until his death in 1509
Henry VII was fully aware, following his victory over Richard III at Bosworth, that he could be met by the same fate as the late king. This factor coupled with his desire to establish a lasting dynasty, led to Henry putting great efforts into making himself appear to be the rightful king of England. These efforts began at Henry’s first parliament where Henry shrewdly “backdated his reign to the day before Bosworth”.1 In terms of securing the throne, this decision to pre-date his reign before the Battle of Bosworth was very significant. In doing so, Henry made it look like he was the king at the time of the battle and Richard III was the one trying to usurp power. Parliament had little choice but to accept the king’s version of events and as they were a ‘recognised organ of national consent’ this...