He fought Richard III to the death in 1485 after 14 years in exile and a tenuous claim to the throne. He was aware that five of the last nine English kings were killed so they could be replaced. Yet he brought stability to the realm, economic solvency to the government and established arguably the most famous dynasty in English history: the Tudors.
Was Henry VII the last medieval king or the first modern king? Did he rule through the laws of the realm or was he an absolute monarch? Did he impede the constitutional monarch or contribute to it? Was his governance based on Continental models or did he follow a purely English course? Were his enemies brutally punished or mercifully treated? At his death was he in great debt or did he die the richest king of England?
A new special issue of the Institute of Historical Research’s prestigious journal, Historical Research, explores and discusses these contradictions.
This special issue of the journal, guest edited by Mark R. Horowitz, is available to buy from the IHR bookshop, priced at just £10 plus postage. You can also read the journal online at the Wiley-Blackwell site.