4. To what extent was the period 1502-3 a turning point in Henry’s reign?

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about the extent the period between April 1502 and February 1503 was a turning point in Henry’s reign, focusing in particular on: (i) the strength of Henry’s position in 1499 (as we have seen in the previous module); (ii) the acceleration of the plans for the marriage of Arthur, Prince of Wales, to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Catholic Monarchs on Spain; (iii) the pomp and spectacle of Arthur’s marriage to Catherine on 14 November 1501 – “the wedding of the century right at the beginning of the century”; (iv) the sudden death of Arthur in April 1502, and the elevation of the younger brother, Henry, to the position of crown prince; (v) the death of Henry’s wife, Elizabeth of York, in February 1503; (vi) the rise of another pretender, Edmund de la Poole; and (vii) the extent to which Henry was a ‘broken man’ by 1503.

Course

In this course, Dr Sean Cunningham (The National Archives) explores the reign of Henry VII through eight key questions: (1) How did Henry Tudor become king of England?; (2) Did Henry rely too heavily on his friends for support?; (3) How secure was Henry’s throne by 1500?; (4) To what extent was the period 1502-3 a turning point in Henry’s reign?; (5) How useful were bonds and recognizances in keeping Henry VII on the throne?; (6) Did Henry VII fail as king of England?; (7) Was Henry VII a miser?; and (8) How innovative was Henry VII?

Lecturer

Dr Sean Cunningham is Head of Medieval Records at the National Archives, with a specialism in the interconnecting processes of government and how they functioned through representative agencies, officials and individuals in the period 1399–1558. He is one of the leading historians on the reign of Henry VII (1485–1509), and has published and lectured widely on many aspects of this reign and the key figures who helped to establish Tudor power in England and Wales before the Reformation.