Fantastic video Nathen! You make some really interesting points about Henry VII. For me personally, whilst Henry VII is not the greatest monarch, he would make it into my top 3. And he is certainly one of the most underrated and under-appreciated monarchs we have ever had. Too many people write him off as a boring miser, and that shouldn’t be the case. He had a very interesting and dramatic life, particularly before he became king. Yes, his reign wasn’t as flashy as Henry VIII’s or Richard III’s, but he got so much right during his reign.
Meant to say above that my pick for our greatest monarch is Henry V. I think out of all our kings, he came closest to fitting the mould of the perfect medieval king. To say nothing of his victory at the Battle of Agincourt. It’s just a pity his reign was so short. Just think what he could have done if he reigned for longer…
A fun teaching exercise that can bring humor into the lesson re Henry VIII’s many wives is to draw on the blackboard a timeline of the ladies, and then draw arrows indicating who is related to whom—not only among the wives’ bloodlines, but their families’ intrigues, too.
I think his marriage to Elizabeth of York deserves some comment, as it symbolised the joining of the Houses of Lancaster and York at the end of the War of the Roses (red and white roses, respectively). A generation later, Henry VIII had a red and white rose bred as a romantic yet symbolic gift to Anne Boleyn. This symbol of union of the families is the heraldic design of the Tudor rose.
The greatest monarchs die in their beds with their succession secure. Many English/British monarchs suffered from either having two few heirs or two many. Some that would be considered successful did not die peacefully. Henry II dies while his heir Richard the Lionheart is rebelling against him yet he arguably controlled the largest territory of any English monarch. We don't get true primogeniture until King John's 9 year old heir, Henry III comes to the throne in the midst of an invastion by the Dauphin of France. Edward III's long reign falls to a 10 year old Richard II leading to the massive upheaval of the 15th century that as you properly argue only ends when the angelic Henry VIII ascends at the age of 17 (and he was a hottie when he was 17). George III has 13 surviving children, doesn't encourage his daughters to marry and his sons only marry under duress to produce a legitimate heir. Victoria leads to stabililty, yet the intermarriages of her children leading her to become the grandmother of Europe ironically leads to European instability thanks to passing down Hemophillia, and the end of a lot of monarchies caused by her beloved grandson Kaiser Wilheim's agresssion in World War I.
So do we reward the military prowess of Edward I who leaves us the disaster of his son Edward II, or Edward III and the hundred years wars or mighty Henry V who leaves the throne to his 9 month old sole heir, the gentle Henry VI? Or to a long life navigating the times as a constitutional monarch whose only power is as a landowner and the driving force for tourism, well and giving assent to laws passed by parliament because while you can say nay you never do. (despite the plot of the interesting recent play King Charles III)
Thank you, Nathen, for a comprehensive video and appraisal of King Henry 7th. He may not have been our greatest monarch, that belongs to Edward I or III, but he certainly did lay the foundations for the modern state and modern Kingship. Henry is up there in the top 3. The first New World settlements and discoveries came in his reign as well through the Cabots. He was a sound administrator. He saw the importance of reaching an alliance with the newly united monarchy of Spain and the old kingdom of Scotland. It was via the Scottish line that the Union of Parliament and Kingdoms would be established. Henry was pragmatic and sensible. He is definitely underestimated as a King.
I vote for Elizabeth II.... she saw the transfer of Empire to Commonwealth, remaking Britain's place in the post war, post cold war, 21st century world. She used new technologies to bring people together, usual social media to speak directly to people, allowing the monarch to speak directly to people without media filters. I just can't say enough about her...
My second vote would be for Henry V, and third for Elizabeth I
I would vote for Elizabeth I. As the first truly successful female monarch (I don't count Mary I as particularly successful due to her poor judgement and blinkers about religion and determination to ally with Spain at all cost). Elizabeth prevailed due to her savvy political instinct and in choosing amazing ministers such as Lord Burleigh. To reign peacefully for almost 45 years and die in her bed is an incredible feat for any monarch, especially a woman in that time period. My second choice would be Edward III.
I would go for Henry II, as he held together a huge kingdom at a time when that meant days in the saddle, and he overcame the shameless ambition and treachery shown by his wife and sons.
Fantastic video Nathen! You make some really interesting points about Henry VII. For me personally, whilst Henry VII is not the greatest monarch, he would make it into my top 3. And he is certainly one of the most underrated and under-appreciated monarchs we have ever had. Too many people write him off as a boring miser, and that shouldn’t be the case. He had a very interesting and dramatic life, particularly before he became king. Yes, his reign wasn’t as flashy as Henry VIII’s or Richard III’s, but he got so much right during his reign.
Meant to say above that my pick for our greatest monarch is Henry V. I think out of all our kings, he came closest to fitting the mould of the perfect medieval king. To say nothing of his victory at the Battle of Agincourt. It’s just a pity his reign was so short. Just think what he could have done if he reigned for longer…
A fun teaching exercise that can bring humor into the lesson re Henry VIII’s many wives is to draw on the blackboard a timeline of the ladies, and then draw arrows indicating who is related to whom—not only among the wives’ bloodlines, but their families’ intrigues, too.
I think his marriage to Elizabeth of York deserves some comment, as it symbolised the joining of the Houses of Lancaster and York at the end of the War of the Roses (red and white roses, respectively). A generation later, Henry VIII had a red and white rose bred as a romantic yet symbolic gift to Anne Boleyn. This symbol of union of the families is the heraldic design of the Tudor rose.
The greatest monarchs die in their beds with their succession secure. Many English/British monarchs suffered from either having two few heirs or two many. Some that would be considered successful did not die peacefully. Henry II dies while his heir Richard the Lionheart is rebelling against him yet he arguably controlled the largest territory of any English monarch. We don't get true primogeniture until King John's 9 year old heir, Henry III comes to the throne in the midst of an invastion by the Dauphin of France. Edward III's long reign falls to a 10 year old Richard II leading to the massive upheaval of the 15th century that as you properly argue only ends when the angelic Henry VIII ascends at the age of 17 (and he was a hottie when he was 17). George III has 13 surviving children, doesn't encourage his daughters to marry and his sons only marry under duress to produce a legitimate heir. Victoria leads to stabililty, yet the intermarriages of her children leading her to become the grandmother of Europe ironically leads to European instability thanks to passing down Hemophillia, and the end of a lot of monarchies caused by her beloved grandson Kaiser Wilheim's agresssion in World War I.
So do we reward the military prowess of Edward I who leaves us the disaster of his son Edward II, or Edward III and the hundred years wars or mighty Henry V who leaves the throne to his 9 month old sole heir, the gentle Henry VI? Or to a long life navigating the times as a constitutional monarch whose only power is as a landowner and the driving force for tourism, well and giving assent to laws passed by parliament because while you can say nay you never do. (despite the plot of the interesting recent play King Charles III)
Thank you, Nathen, for a comprehensive video and appraisal of King Henry 7th. He may not have been our greatest monarch, that belongs to Edward I or III, but he certainly did lay the foundations for the modern state and modern Kingship. Henry is up there in the top 3. The first New World settlements and discoveries came in his reign as well through the Cabots. He was a sound administrator. He saw the importance of reaching an alliance with the newly united monarchy of Spain and the old kingdom of Scotland. It was via the Scottish line that the Union of Parliament and Kingdoms would be established. Henry was pragmatic and sensible. He is definitely underestimated as a King.
Thanks again for sharing.
He was wise to stay out of the way of his military leaders and allow them to do what they were good at.
Excellent video Nathen! Putting forward the case for Henry VII. All of this is explored in your great trilogy of books. Buy them all folks! 🏴
I vote for Elizabeth II.... she saw the transfer of Empire to Commonwealth, remaking Britain's place in the post war, post cold war, 21st century world. She used new technologies to bring people together, usual social media to speak directly to people, allowing the monarch to speak directly to people without media filters. I just can't say enough about her...
My second vote would be for Henry V, and third for Elizabeth I
I would vote for Elizabeth I. As the first truly successful female monarch (I don't count Mary I as particularly successful due to her poor judgement and blinkers about religion and determination to ally with Spain at all cost). Elizabeth prevailed due to her savvy political instinct and in choosing amazing ministers such as Lord Burleigh. To reign peacefully for almost 45 years and die in her bed is an incredible feat for any monarch, especially a woman in that time period. My second choice would be Edward III.
I would go for Henry II, as he held together a huge kingdom at a time when that meant days in the saddle, and he overcame the shameless ambition and treachery shown by his wife and sons.
Fabulous!
Fabulous!