January 28, 1457 - Henry VII
Henry VII's inclusion here rests less on atrocity than on the ruthless pragmatism with which he consolidated power — using attainders, financial penalties, and the suppression of rival claimants to neutralize threats to a dynasty that had no deep roots. He came to the throne through force, having spent much of his early life as a fugitive, and governed with a calculated suspicion that kept potential opponents perpetually off-balance. The machinery of his reign — bonds, recognizances, the work of agents like Empson and Dudley — allowed the crown to extract compliance and wealth in ways that later generations would judge as extortion.
From Wikipedia
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry was the son of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, and Lady Margaret Beaufort. His mother was a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, an English prince who founded the Lancastrian cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet. Henry's father was the half-brother of the Lancastrian king Henry VI. Edmund Tudor died three months before his son was born, and Henry was raised by his uncle Jasper Tudor, a Lancastrian, and William Herbert, a supporter of the Yorkist branch of the House of Plantagenet. During Henry's early years, his uncles and the Lancastrians fought a series of civil wars against the Yorkist claimant, Edward IV. After Edward retook the throne in 1471, Henry spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. He attained the throne when his forces, supported by France and Scotland, defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle, defending it two years later at the Battle of Stoke Field to decisively end the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487).
- Last updated on .