Henry VII
Biography
Henry Tudor was a relatively obscure noble with a distant claim to the English throne through the House of Lancaster. He spent much of his early life living in exile in France to avoid being assassinated by Yorkist kings.
When Richard III usurped the throne and divided the Yorkists, Henry seized the opportunity. Supported by French troops and Lancastrian loyalists, he landed in Wales and marched into England. At the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Henry defeated and killed Richard III, becoming King Henry VII.
To heal the deeply divided nation and secure his tenuous claim to the throne, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of the late Edward IV. This marriage symbolically united the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York into the new 'Tudor Rose'. Henry proved to be a shrewd and financially brilliant king, successfully rebuilding the power of the monarchy and establishing a dynasty that would transform England.