What do you think?
Rate this book
Henry VII
Part of the Penguin Monarchs short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible formatHenry VII was one of England's unlikeliest monarchs. An exile and outsider with barely a claim to the throne, his victory over Richard III at Bosworth Field seemed to many in 1485 only the latest in the sequence of violent convulsions among England's nobility that would come to be known as the Wars of the Roses - with little to suggest that the obscure Henry would last any longer than his predecessor. To break the cycle of division, usurpation, deposition and murder, he had both to maintain a grip on power and to convince England that his rule was both rightful and effective. Here, Sean Cunningham explores how, in his ruthless and controlling kingship, Henry VII did so, in the process founding the Tudor dynasty.
ebook
First published March 5, 2020
9 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Sean Cunningham
14 books13 followersSean Cunningham is a Principal Records Specialist at The National Archives. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has published widely on late medieval and early Tudor England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2026
This is a long awaited and handsomely produced book by Sean Cunningham in the excellent penguin Monarchs series.
Its brevity forces Cunningham to develop a take or angle and make it the motor of the narrative- Cunningham is clear that Henry spent all of his reign attempting to deal with internal and external forces that might destroy his dynasty before it had time to bed in - a continuation of the wars of the roses was a solid bet and Henry had to go to extreme lengths to not only survive but pass on the crown to his son. This took a severe toll on his physical and mental health in the long term.
After a tortuous start outlining Henry’s own relatively weak claim to the throne Cunningham gets into his stride focussing on aspects of appointing “ new” men to raise revenue; reorganising his household ( over and over again ) to secure the most loyal personnel and looking to marriage alliances to secure his own dynastic ambition. In such a short text there is still good detail on advisors but little on who gave what advise and when ? This may relate to a lack of evidence.
The sections on the ramifications of the Warbeck conspiracy are particularly telling as are the seemingly endless Yorkist conspiracies and threats. Henry’s loss of Arthur his first son and Elizabeth of York in quickish succession were deadly blows that nearly did for him as well.
There are none of the dashing modernisms that made Thomas Penns book, The Winter King so thrilling - the Wars of the Roses as turf wars; jousting as an extreme sport but Cunningham still manages to pack a lot in and the reader shares Henry’s weary burden as problems pile up and he is ( as Penn points out) frequently double crossed or sold a pup by the likes of Maximilian and other shitfty Euro power players. The duo late formed of Empson& Dudley perhaps skew his image unfairly towards the end. No mention of his dabbling in the Alum markets which Penn outlines!!!
This is a well referenced book and in the bibliography Cunningham is clear that there is no satisfactory biography that covers all aspects of Henry’s reign - his own previous contribution has had mixed reviews in terms of readability and structure- will he ever try to do the magnum opus needed - it seems doubtful. If this ends up being his little magnum opus then so be it !!
This little volume serves as an excellent introduction and is well up to the standard of other volumes. Recommended!!
Its brevity forces Cunningham to develop a take or angle and make it the motor of the narrative- Cunningham is clear that Henry spent all of his reign attempting to deal with internal and external forces that might destroy his dynasty before it had time to bed in - a continuation of the wars of the roses was a solid bet and Henry had to go to extreme lengths to not only survive but pass on the crown to his son. This took a severe toll on his physical and mental health in the long term.
After a tortuous start outlining Henry’s own relatively weak claim to the throne Cunningham gets into his stride focussing on aspects of appointing “ new” men to raise revenue; reorganising his household ( over and over again ) to secure the most loyal personnel and looking to marriage alliances to secure his own dynastic ambition. In such a short text there is still good detail on advisors but little on who gave what advise and when ? This may relate to a lack of evidence.
The sections on the ramifications of the Warbeck conspiracy are particularly telling as are the seemingly endless Yorkist conspiracies and threats. Henry’s loss of Arthur his first son and Elizabeth of York in quickish succession were deadly blows that nearly did for him as well.
There are none of the dashing modernisms that made Thomas Penns book, The Winter King so thrilling - the Wars of the Roses as turf wars; jousting as an extreme sport but Cunningham still manages to pack a lot in and the reader shares Henry’s weary burden as problems pile up and he is ( as Penn points out) frequently double crossed or sold a pup by the likes of Maximilian and other shitfty Euro power players. The duo late formed of Empson& Dudley perhaps skew his image unfairly towards the end. No mention of his dabbling in the Alum markets which Penn outlines!!!
This is a well referenced book and in the bibliography Cunningham is clear that there is no satisfactory biography that covers all aspects of Henry’s reign - his own previous contribution has had mixed reviews in terms of readability and structure- will he ever try to do the magnum opus needed - it seems doubtful. If this ends up being his little magnum opus then so be it !!
This little volume serves as an excellent introduction and is well up to the standard of other volumes. Recommended!!
March 23, 2026
A much anticipated book. Cunningham offers keen insight into Henry’s seizure of the throne, consolidation, defence and strengthening of his kingship.
The shortened narrative adds the sense of urgency that was a feature of his reign. Henry was rarely secure and was often only one wrong move away from another rebellion. I enjoyed the confidence with which the cast of characters were introduced with short but skilfully judged character traits.
The most interesting part for me is a sense that Henry was never really in anything other than survival mode. He secured a throne and a dynasty but never got to enjoy it himself, maybe on a few celebrations.
Required reading for any student of the Tudor period.
The shortened narrative adds the sense of urgency that was a feature of his reign. Henry was rarely secure and was often only one wrong move away from another rebellion. I enjoyed the confidence with which the cast of characters were introduced with short but skilfully judged character traits.
The most interesting part for me is a sense that Henry was never really in anything other than survival mode. He secured a throne and a dynasty but never got to enjoy it himself, maybe on a few celebrations.
Required reading for any student of the Tudor period.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews