Henry VII The Road to the Throne

1. Henry VIIThe Road to the Throne Ian Dawson Thinking History www.thinkinghistory.co.uk ian@thinkinghistory.co.uk

2. Key Issue How did Henry become king?The road to the throne www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

3. The Road to the Throne1457 • 1457 • Henry Tudor born • His father had died several months earlier and his mother was 14 • His mother was distantly related to the Lancastrian royal family but there were plenty of people who had a better claim to the crown www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

4. The Road to the Throne1461 • 1461 • The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, lost the crown to the Yorkist, Edward IV • Henry Tudor, aged 4, was looked after and closely watched by Edward’s friend, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

5. The Road to the Throne1470 • 1470 • Henry VI became king again after a rebellion • 13 year old Henry Tudor was freed but he was still an unimportant member of the royal family because the King had a son www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

6. The Road to the Throne1471 • 1471 • Edward IV won the throne back and killed Henry VI and his son • By now so many people had died that Henry Tudor was the most important Lancastrian • He escaped to Brittany to save his life but Edward was in charge again. There were hardly any Lancastrian supporters left www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

7. The Road to the ThroneApril 1483 • 1483 April • Edward IV died and his 12 year old son became Edward V – until his uncle Richard seized the crown and made himself King Richard III • Henry Tudor was still in Brittany www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

8. The Road to the ThroneAugust 1483 • 1483 August • A group of lords rebelled against Richard because they thought he had stolen the crown and murdered young Edward V. They chose Henry Tudor as their leader • This showed how desperate they were to get rid of Richard because they had been Yorkists and now had a Lancastrian leader • The rebellion failed before Henry arrived in England. Some rebels escaped and lived in exile with Henry www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

9. The Road to the Throne1484 • 1484 • Richard bribed the Duke of Brittany to capture Henry for him • Henry escaped at the last minute, dressed as a servant and rode across the border into France www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

10. The Road to the Throne1485 • 1485 • The King of France wanted to distract Richard from invading France so he gave Henry an army to invade England • Early in August Henry landed in Wales with an army of French and Scottish soldiers and some ex-Yorkists • He hoped Thomas, Lord Stanley (married to Henry’s mother) might join in on his side www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

11. The Road to the Throne1485 • 1485 • Henry faced Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth • Richard charged and battered down Henry’s standard bearer. For a moment Richard and Henry fought each other and then the Stanleys charged in – against Richard! • Henry was king! www.thinkinghistory.co.uk

12. Who was most responsible for Henry VII being king? Richard III King of France Henry Tudor Rebels who Joined Henry Stanleys www.thinkinghistory.co.uk