Expert: Joseph Logue - 9/10/2006

Question
Why was Henry the 7th an unlikely contender to the English throne?

Answer
Hello Thomas,

It's true that Henry Tudor was not the likeliest candidate to become king, but that he attained the throne by right of conquest.  His coronation was the final act of the Wars of the Roses, skirmishes and battles of which had scarred England for much of the 15th century.

King Edward III died in 1377, leaving his grandson as King Richard II.  A boy king, his reign was ostentatious and caused much unrest.  Richard's cousin Henry -- another grandson of Edward III, and son of the Duke of Lancaster -- usurped his throne in 1399 and became Henry IV.  His son was Henry V, the hero of Agincourt.  When Henry V died in 1422, he left his widow Katherine and an infant son, King Henry VI.  Meanwhile, the descendants of Edward III's son the Duke of York began trying to wrest control of the throne away from Henry VI, and succeeded briefly in 1461.  The Lancasters (the three Henrys) had as their symbol a red rose, while the Yorks had a white rose as theirs; hence the Wars of the Roses.

Now, the widow of Henry V, Katherine, married Owen Tudor, a powerful Welsh landowner.  Their son, Edmund, married Margaret Beaufort, yet another descendant of the Duke of Lancaster.  Their son was Henry Tudor, essentially a "double" Lancaster.

The Yorks finally succeeded in removing Henry VI from the throne in 1471.  Edward IV was a York, descended through both his parents from Edward III.  When Edward IV died in 1483 his son reigned briefly as Edward V, but he and his brother disappeared mysteriously, and their uncle, the next surviving brother of Edward IV, became King Richard III.  His reign was contentious and soon the Lancasters, represented by Henry Tudor (by now the Earl of Richmond) sought to reclaim the throne.  In 1485 the two contestants fought on Bosworth Field, with Richard III dying in the battle and Henry emerging victorious.  He became KIng Henry VII and reigned until 1509.

While he was, as you say, an unlikely candidate to become king, he certainly had royal blood and was related to nearly all the other participants in the Wars of the Roses.  To mark the end of these wars, Henry married Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, thus uniting the two great houses of York and Lancaster.  Their two roses became one, the Tudor Rose.  Henry and Elizabeth are direct ancestors of the present queen, Elizabeth II.

Your local library should have plenty of titles on the Wars of the Roses, which has inspired many historians and novelists.  Ask a reference librarian for help in finding books that will help you develop a better understanding of the period.  While I do not normally recommend Web sites, the information found at http://www.royal.gov.uk is both informative and authoritative.  Follow the links from the "History" tab and here you can download family trees that really help the discussion.

Thanks for visiting AllExperts, Thomas.  Come back soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue