Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Art gallery

Similarities Between Henry VII and VIII of England

September 24, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

A discussion of some similarities between Henry VII and Henry VIII

Question

What are the similarities between Henry VII and Henry VIII?

Answer

Among the similarities between Henry VII and his successor son Henry VIII, the initial observable one is that both ruled England and its territories in a state of internal peace, for the most part. The combined eras of their rule (1457-1547) are thus greatly distinct from the reigns that immediately preceded it, when England was plagued by the ‘Wars of the Roses’ and rulership went back and forth between Lancastrian and Yorkist royal houses, the changes propelled by numerous civil conflicts. It was Henry VII, a Lancastrian claimant, who effectively ended this feud with his victory at the Battle of Bosworth. Although both kings contended with some degree of internal strife, no serious threat was ever mounted to their royal dynasty, the House of Tudor, which peacefully passed from Henry VII to Henry VIII, and from Henry VIII to his three children in turn.

Nonetheless, there was an apparent anxiety in both kings about maintaining this internal peace, which was still in a tenuous state several years into Henry VIII’s reign. Both maintained an intense interest in patrilineal succession for this reason. Henry VII was keen to invest his eldest son, Arthur, with clear authority and heirship: Arthur was installed as Prince of Wales and directly governed this principality in his own right (this was partly to vindicate the prophecy of Y Mab Darogan – the messianic light in which many of the Welsh people viewed Henry Tudor even prior to his accession), although he did not survive to inherit the kingship. Henry VIII’s much more troubled efforts to produce male heirs were the driving force behind his breakaway from the Roman Papacy and the six marriages he is notorious for.

Both kings were also able to make politically advantageous marriages to further cement this peace, both within and beyond England: this can be seen in Henry VII’s marriage to Elizabeth of York to unite the two Wars of the Roses factions, and the wedding he arranged for Arthur, and then again for Henry, to Catherine of Aragon, a princess of Spain, in order to construct a powerful Anglo-Spanish alliance against the biggest threat to England in France. While personal interest and the desire for heirs were doubtless more prominent incentives in the marriages Henry VIII arranged for himself, they did, at various stages, garner him the support of influential English houses like the Boleyns, the Seymours and the Howards; the potential of a German alliance was also a driving force behind his marriage to Anne of Cleves, and he was also instrumental in arranging marriages for his sisters Margaret and Mary to the royal houses of Scotland and France, respectively.

References

Post navigation

Previous Post:

Plays/Drama

Next Post:

What is the proposed ‘Alan Turing Law’ and what would it do?

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT