Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, was the first Tudor King. He ended the Wars of the Roses and began the Tudor age when he landed at Milford Haven on 7th August 1485 with 2000 troops. He wanted to get rid of King Richard III and become King of England himself.

Henry believed he had a claim to the throne through both his grandmother, Katherine, daughter of the King of France, and his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from John of Gaunt.

Henry’s grandfather, Owain ap Meredith ap Tewdwr (Owen Tudor), was a Welsh gentleman who had fought in the great battle of Agincourt with Henry V. He was later the bodyguard of the infant King Henry VI, who became King at the age of 9 months when his father, Henry V, died in 1422. Henry V’s widow, the French princess Katherine, became the Queen Mother, aged just 20. She fell in love with Owen Tudor, and they were secretly married. The Duke of Gloucester, the regent of Henry VI, was angry that she had married without his consent, and locked Owen up. Before this, however, Katherine and Owen had had 3 sons and a daughter together.

Richard III became very unpopular and in 1485 Henry Tudor decided the time was right to return to England. His goal was to reach London quickly so that he would gain popular support. But Richard III’s army had already moved into the path of Henry’s small army with 18,000 troops. 8000 of these soldiers were commanded by the Stanley brothers.

When the Battle of Bosworth Field started, to Richard’s surprise and dismay, the Stanleys started fighting on Henry’s side! With 10,000 men on each side, Richard no longer had the advantage. He charged with his bodyguards straight towards Henry, aiming to kill Henry Tudor himself. He very nearly succeeded and killed Henry’s standard bearer. However, Richard’s horse was slain, and he was fighting on foot. Eventually, he was killed, and his stripped body was carried away on a horse. Nobody knows where his body is buried.

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, was crowned Henry VII. He then did a very smart thing; he married Elizabeth of York. Now there could be no conflicts over who had a better claim to the throne, because any new princes would be half Lancastrian, and half Yorkist. As well as combining the white and red rose symbols, Henry and Elizabeth had 7 children, 3 of whom died at a young age. The names of the survivors were Mary, Margaret, Arthur and Henry. We will hear much more about Henry later on.

Henry VII’s challenges were not yet over. Several revolts and minor battles occurred. Even so, Henry finally crushed all his opponents and held the throne of England safely at last.