He fought Richard III to the death in 1485 after 14 years in exile and a tenuous claim to the throne. He was aware that five of the last nine English kings were killed so they could be replaced. Yet he brought stability to the realm, economic solvency to the government and established arguably the most famous dynasty in English history: the Tudors.

Who was Henry VII?

Was he the last medieval king or the first modern king?  Did he rule through the laws of the realm or was he an absolute monarch?  Did he impede the constitutional monarch or contribute to it?  Was his governance based on Continental models or did he follow a purely English course?  Were his enemies brutally punished or mercifully treated?  At his death was he in great debt or did he die the richest king of England?

This special issue of the Institute of Historical Research's prestigious journal, Historical Research, explores and discusses these contradictions. It is guest edited by Mark R. Horowitz.

Contents

Henry VII: chronology

Notes on contributors

Introduction. MARK R. HOROWITZ

Politic History, new monarchy and state formation: Henry VII in European perspective.
STEVEN GUNN

Household, politics and political morality in the reign of Henry VII. DAVID GRUMMITT

Policy and prosecution in the reign of Henry VII. MARK R. HOROWITZ

Loyalty and the usurper: recognizances, the council and allegiance under Henry VII.
SEAN CUNNINGHAM

The reinforcement of penal statutes in the 1490s: some new evidence. P. R. CAVILL

Urban policy and urban political culture: Henry VII and his towns. JAMES LEE

Reaction to Henry VII’s style of kingship and its contribution to the emergence of constitutional monarchy in England. PENNY TUCKER

Henry VII, France and the Holy League of Venice: the diplomacy of balance. JOHN M. CURRIN

‘Of good name and fame in the countrey’: standards of conduct for Henry VII’s chamber officials.
MARGARET MCGLYNN

Henry Tudor’s treasure. MARK R. HOROWITZ

Bibliography

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