Henry's claim to the
throne by inheritance was very weak indeed. His mother,
Margaret Beaufort, was a direct descendent of
Edward III by the marriage of his third son,
John of Gaunt, to
Katherine Sywnford. The children had been born out of
wedlock, but were legitimised by an act of parliament in
Richard III's reign. However, an act in
Henry VI's time forbade them to sit on the throne. Henry took the throne through his victory at the
Battle of Bosworth on the 22
nd august 1485.
Henry's life was marred by the civil war from the very start. He was born in january 1457, his mother just a 14 year old. His father had died 3 months earlier trying to take control of Wales. Henry spent his early years at Pembroke Castle, but when Henry VI was defeated in 1461 the castle was seized by Lord Herbert.
Henry became the ward of Herbert, and was raised as a member of the Herbert household. When Herbert was executed in 1469 and Henry VI restored, there was a brief Lancastrian interlude for Henry. But it would be short-lived, as in 1471 both Henry VI and Prince Edward died, leaving Henry as the main Lancastrian claimant to the throne.
This was bad news. It left Henry extremely vulnerable, and recognising this his uncle, Jasper Tudor, took him across the channel to safety.
Henry spent 14 years in exile, mainly as the guest of Francis II of the Duchy of Brittany. Duke Francis refused to cede Henry to the new English ruler Edward IV, who was extremely keen to have the last Lancastrian claimant brought back for execution. However, he did promise to stop Henry escaping and doing Edward harm. Despite numerous attempts by Edward to coerce Francis into releasing Henry, Henry remained safe for many years.
In 1483, circumstances changed. Richard III took the throne in dubious circumstances, leaving Henry no longer the rival to a secure Yorkist throne, but the rival of an unpopular man of dubious scruples. Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort began a plot to put Henry on the throne of England. To consolidate support from both sides of the traditional Yorkist/Lancastrian divide, Henry solemnly swore to take Elizabeth of York as his Queen if he should gain the throne. As this would unify the two families, it gained a lot of support.
The last crucial event was the side-switching of the Earl of Oxford - along with Jasper Tudor, he provided the money and military expertise needed for an invasion...
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