How Successfully Did Henry Vii Secure His Position as King?

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Henry was very successful in securing his claim to the throne through the majority of his reign through things such as progresses, rewards and gaining loyalty. He was a very clever man and a man of peace. However, in 1502, despite his succession, he experienced quite a lot of instability. Before 1502, Henry was very successful. He secured the Tudor dynasty successfully in many ways. Firstly, Henry was careful to make ensure that his coronation (October 1485) was before he married Elizabeth of York (January 1486). This prevented unrest for the Lancastrians and meant no one could say that he got the throne through his wife. Marrying Elizabeth also ended the conflict between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. Then, in 1486 they had a son named Arthur, therefore securing end of conflict. Also, in November 1485 Henry summoned parliament establishing to the mp’s that he was the rightful king and he also embarked on a progress in April 1486 granting favours and justice, this then showed his people that he was king, he didn’t want to look like a remote king and this is shown through the fact that he is going on horseback to the north of England. Also, after Henrys victory, he showed tactful and political awareness in his handling of the nobility. For example, John De Vere who joined him in France became the Earl of Oxford. Henrys ability to attract and maintain the loyalty of talented men and his willingness to reward them with recognition and power were key elements in the security of the dynasty. Henry was also successful in defeating his rivals. Two of his main rivals were Simnel and Warbeck, both pretenders. Priest, Symonds took Simnel to Ireland and taught him to claim himself as Richard duke of York. However, once they got to Ireland he thought it would be more effective to pass him off as the earl of Warwick. The plot was amateurish and Henry presented the real
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