Preamble
Preamble
It is the year of our Lord, Fifteen-hundred, and the dawn of a new century. Some fifteen years have passed since Henry VII triumphed over the pretenders of York at Bosworth field, securing the Lancastrian claim to the throne, and cementing his own legitimacy as the King of England and Lord of Ireland by right of conquest. Yet, there was still ever more to contend with. To the North lay the Scotch, who whilst peace had been concluded with three years prior, tensions in the Marches on the frontier remained high, as the occasional clash would still occur, among other more trivial issues such as the frequent evasion and escape of criminals sought by one Kingdom into the other. These issues would have to be dealt with, and not at a pace of leisure. To the South, across the channel, stood the French, who had reclaimed most of the ancient Angevin lands, namely Gascony and Normandie. Henry VII has managed to secure assurances and peace with the French a few years earlier, at Etaples, where the French also offered an indemnity which would aid in augmenting the treasury’s income. The only remaining English foothold on the continent was the port town of Calais, originally captured by Edward III during his Crecy campaign in 1347. The value of this town should not be understated however, as its proximity to the Straits of Dover and Southern England enabled the transport of supplies with ease, and the town itself enjoyed numerous privileges and economic concessions, becoming a hub for all goods entering England from the mainland. The city also boasted a not insignificant ring of fortifications as well as natural defences. When England would invariably make its return to the continent, it would be at Calais where they disembarked. Of lesser concern was the Lordship of Ireland, over which Henry reigned nominally through the King’s Lieutenant and other representatives of the Crown. Some of the Anglo-Irish nobility had earlier sided with Yorkist rebels during the Battle of Stoke, though following their defeat, Henry VII had managed to capture the Earl of Kildare’s heir, and with him remaining as a guest (or rather a hostage) in Henry VII’s court, the King’s Lieutenant in Ireland would remain loyal for fear of the safety and treatment of his son.
At this time, Henry VII had been married to Elizabeth of York for nearly fifteen years (the marriage itself a product of Henry VII’s solidification of right to rule, and détente with elements of the Yorkist faction from the War of the Roses. With her, he had sired eight children, only four of which survived infancy: the eldest was Arthur, the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. He had been married to Catherine of Aragon in 1489 by proxy, having been betrothed since 1487 and followed by the Treaty of Medina del Campo signed in 1489, in which Arthur and Catherine would be married upon Arthur reaching the age of fifteen. Henry VII had arranged this marriage to secure an Anglo-Spanish alliance against the French. Next, there was Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry and Elizabeth; Barely ten years of age- rumours had travelled that during the negotiations over the Treaty of Medina del Campo, the Scottish commissioner had proposed a union between Margaret and the Scotch King, James IV, though Henry VII had remained unconvinced of the merit of such a marriage. Her fate as of then was undetermined, for Henry VII himself had yet to find a suitable match for her, though this would soon change. Following her, there was the middle son, Henry, the Duke of York and Warden of the Scotch Marches. Born in 1491, like Margaret, Henry at the turn of the century was hardly nine years old, and he too had yet to be betrothed. As with most young Princes, he spent much of his time (when he wasn’t being tutored at court) studies the martial arts. He trained frequently with his master-at-arms, honing his skill as both a swordsman and jouster, sparring his peers of similar age. Lastly, the young child and son, was Edmund Tudor, born only in 1499, he had barely been a year old when he was awarded the style of Duke of Somerset, though it would be some time before he was formally invested as a Peer of the realm. With three sons and two daughters, Henry VII finally began to feel a degree of security he had otherwise lacked ever since he claimed the Throne and defeated the Yorkists at Bosworth, and later Stoke. His apparent and presumptive line of succession appeared clearly defined, and his daughters would prove handy in the following years, being married off to secure alliances and other treaties.
Of course, there was the domestic state of affairs; the development and growth of the Yeomen class, leftovers of the Plague, expansion of overland trade in the Isles, and the establishment of numerous academic institutions. Henry VII had focused on tightening his hold on the Crown, by dealing with the number of Yorkist pretenders which still held a claim to the throne, either by attainder or merciful rapprochement. Regardless, he was still intent on hamstringing the nobility, in an effort to curtail their ability to wage another civil war. He would achieve this through passing bills through Parliament limiting the issue of livery to retainers, and later would restrict them further with limits on retainers. There were also fears of the de la Poles returning to England, after John de la Pole, the former Duke now Earl fled to the continent after being indicted for murder (albeit later pardoned). The threat of a bid by the de la Poles to push their Yorkist claim on the throne would remain for over a decade to come, and Henry VII would be astutely aware it. As it stood, the stage was set for what would mark the beginning of what we now refer to as the Tudor Conquest in English history, with its effects being long-lasting and felt throughout not only the British Isles, but across the channel on the continent.
It is the year of our Lord, Fifteen-hundred, and the dawn of a new century. Some fifteen years have passed since Henry VII triumphed over the pretenders of York at Bosworth field, securing the Lancastrian claim to the throne, and cementing his own legitimacy as the King of England and Lord of Ireland by right of conquest. Yet, there was still ever more to contend with. To the North lay the Scotch, who whilst peace had been concluded with three years prior, tensions in the Marches on the frontier remained high, as the occasional clash would still occur, among other more trivial issues such as the frequent evasion and escape of criminals sought by one Kingdom into the other. These issues would have to be dealt with, and not at a pace of leisure. To the South, across the channel, stood the French, who had reclaimed most of the ancient Angevin lands, namely Gascony and Normandie. Henry VII has managed to secure assurances and peace with the French a few years earlier, at Etaples, where the French also offered an indemnity which would aid in augmenting the treasury’s income. The only remaining English foothold on the continent was the port town of Calais, originally captured by Edward III during his Crecy campaign in 1347. The value of this town should not be understated however, as its proximity to the Straits of Dover and Southern England enabled the transport of supplies with ease, and the town itself enjoyed numerous privileges and economic concessions, becoming a hub for all goods entering England from the mainland. The city also boasted a not insignificant ring of fortifications as well as natural defences. When England would invariably make its return to the continent, it would be at Calais where they disembarked. Of lesser concern was the Lordship of Ireland, over which Henry reigned nominally through the King’s Lieutenant and other representatives of the Crown. Some of the Anglo-Irish nobility had earlier sided with Yorkist rebels during the Battle of Stoke, though following their defeat, Henry VII had managed to capture the Earl of Kildare’s heir, and with him remaining as a guest (or rather a hostage) in Henry VII’s court, the King’s Lieutenant in Ireland would remain loyal for fear of the safety and treatment of his son.
At this time, Henry VII had been married to Elizabeth of York for nearly fifteen years (the marriage itself a product of Henry VII’s solidification of right to rule, and détente with elements of the Yorkist faction from the War of the Roses. With her, he had sired eight children, only four of which survived infancy: the eldest was Arthur, the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. He had been married to Catherine of Aragon in 1489 by proxy, having been betrothed since 1487 and followed by the Treaty of Medina del Campo signed in 1489, in which Arthur and Catherine would be married upon Arthur reaching the age of fifteen. Henry VII had arranged this marriage to secure an Anglo-Spanish alliance against the French. Next, there was Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry and Elizabeth; Barely ten years of age- rumours had travelled that during the negotiations over the Treaty of Medina del Campo, the Scottish commissioner had proposed a union between Margaret and the Scotch King, James IV, though Henry VII had remained unconvinced of the merit of such a marriage. Her fate as of then was undetermined, for Henry VII himself had yet to find a suitable match for her, though this would soon change. Following her, there was the middle son, Henry, the Duke of York and Warden of the Scotch Marches. Born in 1491, like Margaret, Henry at the turn of the century was hardly nine years old, and he too had yet to be betrothed. As with most young Princes, he spent much of his time (when he wasn’t being tutored at court) studies the martial arts. He trained frequently with his master-at-arms, honing his skill as both a swordsman and jouster, sparring his peers of similar age. Lastly, the young child and son, was Edmund Tudor, born only in 1499, he had barely been a year old when he was awarded the style of Duke of Somerset, though it would be some time before he was formally invested as a Peer of the realm. With three sons and two daughters, Henry VII finally began to feel a degree of security he had otherwise lacked ever since he claimed the Throne and defeated the Yorkists at Bosworth, and later Stoke. His apparent and presumptive line of succession appeared clearly defined, and his daughters would prove handy in the following years, being married off to secure alliances and other treaties.
Of course, there was the domestic state of affairs; the development and growth of the Yeomen class, leftovers of the Plague, expansion of overland trade in the Isles, and the establishment of numerous academic institutions. Henry VII had focused on tightening his hold on the Crown, by dealing with the number of Yorkist pretenders which still held a claim to the throne, either by attainder or merciful rapprochement. Regardless, he was still intent on hamstringing the nobility, in an effort to curtail their ability to wage another civil war. He would achieve this through passing bills through Parliament limiting the issue of livery to retainers, and later would restrict them further with limits on retainers. There were also fears of the de la Poles returning to England, after John de la Pole, the former Duke now Earl fled to the continent after being indicted for murder (albeit later pardoned). The threat of a bid by the de la Poles to push their Yorkist claim on the throne would remain for over a decade to come, and Henry VII would be astutely aware it. As it stood, the stage was set for what would mark the beginning of what we now refer to as the Tudor Conquest in English history, with its effects being long-lasting and felt throughout not only the British Isles, but across the channel on the continent.