Tudor dynasty

The Tudor dynasty

The first king of the Tudor dynasty was Henry VII. He was crowned king of England in 1485, at the end of the War of the Roses, after defeating Richard III during the Battle of Bosworth Field.
During his reign, Henry VII administered England like a business man and made the monarchy supreme and the country a strong modern state that could play a significant role in international affairs. He considered the war to be expensive and although he mercilessly suppressed any attempt to rebellion or claims to the throne, he made is best to avoid it.

In this way he also achieved the consent of the middle and poorer classes and from them he selected his ministers and servants. In the meantime he confiscated royal land back from the Church and all the nobles that had died or had been defeated during the past recent wars. All through his reign he passed laws against nobility and their privileges, upon summoning the parliament. Henry VII made England a strong trading country as well; he invested a lot of money in naval power to built a fleet for merchant purposes (but that could serve also to increase, in need, military power) and he achieved trade agreements with Denmark and Flanders. He also strengthened the bond with Spain and Scotland through dynastic marriages. In fact, Prince Arthur, his eldest son, married the daughter of the king of Spain, Catherine of Aragon, in 1501 and one of his daughters, Margaret, was married to James VI of Scotland in 1503.
During the last part of his reign, his financial greed became remarkable and almost stretched beyond legality. When he died in 1905, Henry VII left a fortune to his successor, Henry VIII.