CHAPTER 1
Henry VII
About the welcome given to Princess Catherine of Aragon: November, 1501:
"Great and cordial rejoicings have taken place; the whole people have taken part."
in a letter to her parents, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22nd August, 1485 until his death on 21st April, 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry won the throne when he 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. Henry cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and niece of Richard III. Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. He founded a long-lasting dynasty and, after a reign of nearly 24 years, was succeeded peacefully by his son, Henry VIII.
Although Henry can be credited with the restoration of political stability in England, and a number of commendable administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives, the latter part of his reign was characterised by a financial rapacity, which stretched the bounds of legality. The capriciousness and lack of due process, which indebted many in England, were soon ended upon Henry VII's death after a commission revealed widespread abuses. Simple "greed", in large part, underscored the means by which royal control had been over-asserted in Henry's final years.
Henry was the only child of Edmund Tudor (1st Earl of Richmond) and half-brother of Henry VI through their mother, Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France, widow of Henry V and subsequently wife of Owen Tudor, Henry's paternal grandfather. His mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, was a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward III, and aged just fourteen at the time of Henry's birth. His father, Edmund Tudor, died in captivity three months before Henry's birth. Henry was born at Pembroke Castle, Wales, on the 6th February, 1457 NS at five-to three in the morning (see Appendix 1, Figure 2). His Epoch (see Appendix 1, Figure 1) occurred on the 3rd May, 1456 NS at twenty-five-to-three in the morning.
Character Portrait
Introduction: Henry's well-integrated nature, being both objective and subjective, comprised several different parts, i.e. the honourable, the wilful, the softened assertive, the studious and the receptive, all interspersed with good and bad points. In short, he was complicated, intelligent, capable and very versatile.
General: As a generous, honourable character that inspired respect, Henry's only drawback was a tendency to be self-righteous and priggish. Pleasurable activities often exerted a great attraction for him, particularly those involving travel or outdoor life. He liked to be "spoilt". Self-expansion was shown in a kind, protective and sympathetic way. Although a kind, courteous and benevolent person, he could not pass by an offence easily, but would, nevertheless, soon be reconciled. He had aspiration, a love of science and of religion that improved his charitable nature somewhat.
Henry was truly the original commander of his life. Self-willed, revolutionary, self-insistent, disruptive, awkward, brusque and precipitate, his ideals were carried into actuality by an unusual power of leadership in practical, scientific and spiritual ways. He had self-confidence, faith in his own ideas, pride and passion, desire to rule, managing ability and dramatic instinct. His strong will made him highly independent, inventive, determined, authoritative, all with spiritual energy, as well as ability to read character. His obsession became megalomania with a compelling need to achieve fully-creative self-expression.
At the same time, Henry could have been assertive, aggressive, vigorous and courageous. He had energy for personal affairs. He was good at starting new enterprises and quick and stirring in action. Confident, argumentative, indignant yet with a constant flow of ideas, Henry had to be first. He was hopeful and optimistic but undertook more than he could accomplish. His determination greatly inclined him to go to extremes. Thus he had a tendency to impulsive action, hasty speech and when provoked said a great deal more than probably was thought, or meant. He tried to make adjustments to difficulties and to by-pass them but rarely without nervous stress. Yet all of these foregoing, fiery characteristics were softened and so seemed less offensive.
Most of the time, Henry had a good disposition. He was well-balanced and understanding with an harmonious temperament that contained much perseverance, carefulness and a liking for study. He was teachable, honest, trustworthy and sensitive but occasionally hasty. He was capable of deep concentration, ambition, tenacity, endurance, defiance, self-discipline and self-denial. There was a tendency to overvalue the practical and inclinations to be harsh, suspicious and avaricious.
There was an unassuming part to Henry's nature that was somewhat retiring, yet agreeable and sociable. He had a strongly artistic side with a particular interest in music. He was inclined to beauty and ease but too irresponsibly and lazily. He had imagination, refinement, sentiment, much charitable feeling and sympathy. Successful interests were possible in psychic, mystical and maritime matters. Strongly intuitive, his dreams and visions could have been precognitive. He may even have been mediumistic, through which he sought fulfilment, mental penetration, inspiration, prophesy and adventure. Unfortunately he suffered from varying moods leading to dual experiences of a contrasting nature so that he was torn between two different emotions, e.g. between inspiration on the one hand and secretiveness coupled with keen receptivity on the other. As a result, selfishness, jealousy, conventionality and the material side of life would have been cultivated. He tended towards the intangible and so to a lack of concreteness. Although he overvalued the practical, in a more refined way he was impractical in that he would concentrate on visions of the future rather than on those of the present. On this basis, all financial matters should, for safety, have been placed into more realistic hands.
Mentality: Henry tended to act at all times under a consideration of opposing views, or of sensitiveness to contrasting and antagonistic possibilities. Thus, he existed mainly in a world of conflicts. He appeared to be indecisive but his final choices and decisions would have been...
