glorianas:“Henry VII has been likened to a man who, starting from virtually nothing, built up a flou
glorianas:“Henry VII has been likened to a man who, starting from virtually nothing, built up a flourishing family business. John Stow thought him ‘a prince of marvelous wisdom. policy, justice, temperance and gravity’. In private life he was a devoted son, an affectionate husband and conscientious father. He was fond of music, a keen sportsman and generous to those in trouble. In spite of his early disadvantages, he was a cultured man, a patron of literature and the arts with a taste and talent for royal magnificence. His public abilities as king and statesman are beyond dispute, but he remains essentially a lonely figure-cold, secret and remote. His precarious youth had taught him to trust no one completely, to keep his own counsel and, above all, the importance of holding on to what he had won. He was admired, feared and respected by his contemporaries, but not loved. When he died the country was at peace, the crown was solvent. Despite some determined challenges, his dynasty was established and accepted. Reputable foreign monarchs were prepared to marry their children into it. There was a healthy male heir full of age ready to take over. Few men could have done more.”— Alison Plowden -- source link