Winter king Henry VII and the dawn of Tudor England

Thomas Penn gives an highly insightful account of the reign on Henry Tudor. Masterfully written and well documented.

From the beginning of the reign on Henry Tudor, the new king had quite the fight against him. He had to establish his reign, and procure the funds needed for the running of a kingdom. While he works through the beginning of his kingship, he established his right to rule, not through his wife, Elizabeth of York, but by divine right of inheritance. He did not immediately marry her, so as to establish that the throne was his and that the power was not received through his wife.
Many historians gloss over the reign of Henry Tudor, as he ushered in a new era. But many refuse to look underneath the shiny surface that has been painted by apologists and some historians. Penn takes a look at the man himself, and the many shortcomings that he had. He was not the perfect king, or the perfect husband. He was a tyrannical ruler, who ruled through fear, not love. He put many of his nobility into such debt that they could not afford to do much of anything, especially rebel against him. He held power through mistrust and suspicion, not through openness and loyalty.

This was an interesting read. It was much different than anything else that has been put forth on Henry Tudor. I liked the fresh and blunt approach. I learned quite a bit from reading this history. One that I would recommend checking out.