Accessible Art History: The Podcast: Crown and Canvas: Henry VII, Part 2 || Tudor History & Art

welcome back to Crown on canvas the tutors in art and history in this season of accessible art history the podcast we're using portraits to explore the Magnificent and sometimes malign tutor Dynasty from Henry V 7th to Elizabeth the this family ruled England for 118 years and don't forget the Six Wives of Henry the eth will cover them too each episode has an accompanying blog post so make just sure to check it out using the link in the show notes we can't wait to go on this exciting art historical Journey with you welcome back to Crown and canvas the last episode ended with Henry Tudor hearing up to invade England and take the throne away from the generally hated Richard III a bit of a spoiler alert though you could probably tell by the title of this podcast season is that Henry found Victor in the battlefield and was crowned the first king of the tutor Dynasty in this episode I'll explore his Reign and some key events that would drive the history of this illustrious family so to learn more keep on listening as with every episode of this podcast I will showcase a portrait of the ruler to give us an idea about what they looked like and how they wanted to be seen by their people today's portrait dates from 1505 towards the end of Henry VII's Reign according to the National Portrait Gallery it's the oldest painting in their collection it's a bus length portrait meaning it only shows a sitter from the chest up in this work Henry is seated with his hands resting on a Ledge it's a fascinating detail because it appears that he is coming out of the painting and into the viewer space he's wearing clothes fit for a king including a magnificently embroidered coat and a heavy golden chain however despite these details the viewers can still see Henry's age his cheeks are slightly sunken in and his hair has become gray but this is hardly surprising Henry was 48 at the time his portrait was painted he had spent the last 20 years trying to consolidate his power however he does remind viewers that it was the red rose of Lancaster that was Victorious by holding a flower in his hand art historians believe that this was the portrait that Henry VII sent to Holy Roman Emperor maximilan the sadly he sent this painting because his wife had died in childbirth and he was hoping to make a marital alliance with the Holy Roman Empire via maximillian's daughter Margaret of seavoy but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves let's rewind and go back to August 22nd 1485 this day was a pivotal moment in the War of the Roses and is often considered the last major battle of the conflict the battle unfolded near Market Bosworth in lers Shire England with a marshy terrain playing a role in shaping the tactics employed by both sides the yorkis forces led by King Richard III had an estimated 7500 to 12,000 men while the lancastrians led by Henry tutor had between 5 and 8,000 men the Yorks held the advantage of a larger Army and The High Ground positioning themselves on the top of a hill however because of the marshy terrain victory was less certain eventually the lancastrian forces found a dry area from which to take their stand despite their Superior numbers and Equipment this caused the yoris soldiers to panic Richard III decided the only way he could win this battle was to face Henry one-on-one so he and a small number of his Force rode down to meet the would be usurper immediately Henry Loyals followers surrounded him and made it near impossible for Richard II to attack at this crucial moment a nobleman named named Stanley defected and joined the lancastrian forces this spelled the beginning of the end Richard the third was knocked from his horse and was beaten to death by numerous soldiers in fact when his skeleton's remains were discovered in 2012 Anthropologist found aever separate wounds on his head including one that cut part of his skull off with their leader dead the yoris forcus retreated Stanley the man who betrayed Richard III found his crown on the battlefield and gave it to Henry tutor declaring him King of England although Henry was a fourth generation descendant of Edward III most historians mark his reign as being won in Combat versus descent the battle of bossworth Field marked the end of the War of the Roses as far as military engagements go but there was still work to be done in the political Arena next we're going to discuss Henry VII's Reign but first let's take a quick [Music] [Laughter] break hi there my name is anaisa and I'm the founder of accessible art history my goal is to bring art history content to anyone that's curious all my platforms can be accessed for free but there are ways you can support my cause if you enjoy this episode please consider leaving a rate and review on your favorite platform I also have a patreon and buy me a coffee account set up if you feel inclined to support accessible art history monetarily however I commit to always bringing my work for free because I believe that education should be accessible for those who want and need it thank you for listening to today's episode and keep an eye out for more art history content from accessible art [Music] [Laughter] history all right now that we're back let's dive into Henry's Reign almost immediately he had to consolidate power his first move was to date his Reign to the day before the battle of bodsworth Field this way anyone who fought on the yorc side would be considered a traitor to the crown it also allowed him to confiscate the lands owned by Richard theii and restore his own lands that were taken during the reign of Edward IV however in a smart political move Henry allowed people to swear their loyalty to the new tutor regime and therefore maintain a hold on their own titles another important political move that Henry did was to keep his promise to wet Elizabeth of York the oldest child of Edward IV first He restored her and her sister's legitimacy to ensure that any children born of this Union would have a claim to the throne through both their York as mother's line and his lancastrian line the couple was wed in 1486 and a new emblem the tutor Rose was created to symbolize their line it combines the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York into a single flower Henry I 7th implemented various economic policies um Henry iith implemented various economic policies aimed at stabilizing the Kingdom's finances after Decades of war and strife the treasury was in dire need of funds he introduced a system of fiscal Administration which included the establishment of the court of the Star Chamber to hear cases of financial misconduct he also increased Royal revenues through strict financial management under Henry's rule England prospered financially he made smart trade alliances especially in Industries connected with the world business which helped boost the economy to the prewar of the Roses level the King was also determined to avoid more costly Wars with foreign powers now that England was stable Henry viith could look for ways to Ally himself with other nations in Europe famously he was one of the first monarchs to recognize the United Kingdom of Spain under King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile he betroth his son Arthur to the couple's youngest daughter Katherine Henry iith also sought to improve relations between England and its northern neighbor Scotland by marrying his daughter Margaret to the much older King James the fourth unfortunately there were a few Pretenders to the throne two the most famous Lambert simnel and Perkin warbeck pretended to be members of the York family in order to gain support for Rebellion the latter actually gained the support of Margaret burgundy Edward IV's sister and was able to land in England with troops however Henry's armies were at the ready and Warick was subsequently executed as mentioned earlier in the episode Henry iith wed Elizabeth of York the oldest daughter of Edward iv8 months after the wedding their first child was born they named him Arthur after the legendary King to symbolize that he was the product of a union that had United the kingdom over the years the couple would have a total of seven children with four reaching adulthood Arthur Margaret Henry and Mary historical accounts indicate that the marriage between Henry and Elizabeth was a happy one although it started off as a political Alliance it appears that the two grew to love each other deeply Henry is one of only a handful of Kings to have no known Mistresses during his Reign sadly in 1502 the juner dynasty experienced a devastating blow on April 2nd the Prince of Wales Arthur died of the sweating sickness Henry was devastated at the loss of his Heir less than a year later he lost his beloved Elizabeth in childbirth their newborn daughter died only a few weeks later records show that Henry was inconsolable after Elizabeth's death he would shut himself in his room and not let anyone but his mother come in however Henry did remember his kingly duties and understood that he only had one surviving son so he sent ambassadors to various courts around Europe to help him find a new Queen however nothing came of these Expeditions Henry would live for about six more years after his wife's death records show he became worse auster and sad in these later's years which is hardly surprising after the fact that he lost his wife and oldest son not long after Elizabeth's death his oldest daughter was sent to Scotland to marry King James IV he would never see her again Henry iith would die of tuberculosis on April 9th 1509 with the centuries Henry has over the centuries he has gained a miserly reputation and while he was fiscally responsible to help rebuild the treasury recent discoveries in archives show that he often spent large sums on gift for his family and building projects for a family Palace Henry's foreign policies have been praised for their astuteness and helping to put England on the map as a global pair he was succeeded by his only surviving son also named Henry today Henry viith is viewed as a strong leader who helped bring peace to England after Decades of War while he isn't the most famous tutor Monarch he did set the foundation for a fascinating time in English History well that's a wrap on today's episode make sure to tune in next time when I talk about the early life of the next tutor Monarch Henry VII until then happy listening well that's a wrap on today's episode remember to check out the blog post Linked In the show notes for images and sources new episodes come out on Fridays so make sure to follow at accessible. .t on Instagram for updates until then happy listening