@johnlewis3891

3 years ago

Henry Tudor was not a minor noble, rank outsider, a rural nobody, nor did he come out of nowhere. Henry Tudor was the Earl of Richmond, a title he inherited from his dad. Earl is the third-highest rank in the English nobility, under that of dukes and marquis. Earldoms were more important back in the medieval ages because up into the 1300s, dukedoms and marquisates were not in use. And even when they were introduced after the 1330s, they were mostly given to members of the royal family. So earls were usually the highest-ranking non-royals. The documentary refers to Henry Tudor's father Edmund as a minor noble, even though he was the half-brother of King Henry VI of England and the nephew of King Charles of France, through his mother, Catherine, Princess of France and queen mother of England. It was Henry VI who created Edmund and his brother, Jasper, as earls of Richmond and Pembroke. Far from being minor nobles, Edmund and Jasper were given precedence over all the nobles save the dukes. Henry's true claim to power came through Margaret Beaufort. Margaret was a descendant of the English prince, John Duke of Lancaster. When Henry VI and his son were killed, Henry Tudor was the next heir in line to the Lancastrian claim. He cemented his claim by marrying Princess Elizabeth of York, thus uniting the two rival houses. So how did Henry Tudor, a minor noble, a rural nobody, an outsider out of nowhere, become king of England? Easy, he wasn't a minor noble or rural nobody. He was a well-born noble who was related to two kings and was of royal lineage on both sides. He had a possible claim to the English throne after his half-uncle died. Henry's royal connections proved useful and he was able to find refuge in Brittany, whose duke was a vassal of his cousin, the king of France. Henry would not be able to become king if he had been a rural nobody. Henry would not have been able to become king without the support of the Lancastrian exiles who were devoted to him because of his royal bloodline. He would not have been able to take the throne without the support of his cousin, the King of France. He wasn't successful in taking the crown until after he pledged his intention of marrying the heiress, Elizabeth of York, thus gaining the support of Yorkist nobility that were unhappy with Richard III. In other words, Henry Tudor came to power because he was a highly born noble with royal lineage and relations, He used a combination of political and military skill, alongside with his birthright, familial connections, and his fortunate marriage, to depose Richard and take the crown.

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