Henry VII l Henry Vlll l Edward Vl l Mary I l Elizabeth I l
( Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days.)

• Age 28-52.
• Great-great-great-grandson of Edward III.
• Married Elizabeth (daughter of Edward IV).
• Seven children.
• Buried in Westminster Abbey.

Henry Tudor became King Henry Vll of England and Wales after defeating Richard lll at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought instability to England.

The Wars of the Roses had been a constant battle between two of England's most powerful families - the families of York and Lancaster. Henry was a member of the Lancaster family. To bring the two families closer together he married Elizabeth of York (the niece of the man he had killed to become king). 

Henry Vll was the first Tudor King and reigned for 24 years until 1509.

Henry Vll enjoyed music, gambling and building palaces.

Who was the next King?

Henry Vll's second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became Henry Vlll.

Henry succeeded to the throne because his elder brother Arthur died in 1502.

More information

A Description of Henry Vll (c. 1500)
From Polydore Vergil's The Anglia Historica 1485-1537

Henry VII l Henry VIII l Edward VI l Mary I l Elizabeth I l
( Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days.)

Back to the top