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Friday, October 30, 2015

Henry VII

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


530 years ago,  today, Henry VII's coronation took place in Westminster Abbey and 2 months after he defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.  After 14 years in exile and two invasion attempts, he was King of England at the age of 28. 
His fiancée, Elizabeth of York, who remained officially illegitimate, did not attend the ceremony but his mother Margaret Stanley (née Beaufort) had pride of place. 
Her conspiracies on behalf of her son had resulted in her house arrest and confiscation of her lands under Richard - she must have feared Henry's cause, and her own, was lost forever. 
Now, in a dramatic turn of fortune, she was Regina, mother of the King, and First Lady of his coronation. They became close after their long separation and Margaret maintained an active political role until Henry's death, as the new King's grandmother. (edited/ Philippa Gregory)

Image: King Henry VII by an unknown Netherlandish artist, 1505, National Portrait Gallery 416

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