Amazing & Extraordinary Facts About Kings & Queens by Malcolm Day Page A
Authors: Malcolm Day
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and planted the Tudor flag and standard of St Mark, the symbol of Venice.
Returning to England amid much confusion about where or what he had discovered, most agreed it must be northern Asia, and that the highly valued spice islands would be but a short sail away. The king rewarded the captain’s daring deed with the sum of £10, plus a pension of £20 a year, and, perhaps of greater importance, the promise of a second venture, this time with a larger fleet.
Alas the voyage got lost among the icebergs of Greenland and was forced home. Not long afterwards, Henry VII breathed his last. But the expeditions had set the tone for a century of exploration that would turn the realm into an empire.
RED BRICK REVOLUTION
Although we associate Tudor red brick mansions with the like of Hampton Court, built in Henry VIII’s reign, the craze for this new style of architecture began in the reign of Henry VII. In 1500 he commissioned the extravagant Richmond Palace (named after his previous title), built in the manner of the grand houses of Flanders and Burgundy, with fancy turrets and long bay windows. The revolution spread quickly through the country as wealthy wool and cloth merchants built themselves fortified manor houses in the characteristic brick and timber-frame style, designed more for decoration and banquets than defence.
Canny Scot Eyes Opportunity
James IV considers alliance with ‘Richard IV’ of England
N ever happy with the border line that separated England from their country, the Scots took certain opportunities when they arose to raid the northern counties of England. One highly respected king, who was reputedly obsessed with the arts of war, was 23 year-old James IV, who made several such raids successfully in the 1490s.
In a bid to expand his military ambition, James entertained the idea of allying himself to a pretender to the English throne in the person of Perkin Warbeck. The 22 year-old Warbeck claimed to be none other than Edward IV’s son, Richard duke of York, whom everyone in England believed had perished in the Tower at the hands of his enemy Richard III.
Living in exile, Purbeck further claimed to have support from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. Having tried to land at Deal in Kent in 1495 and been defeated by Henry VII’s defences, Warbeck was welcomed by James at his court in Edinburgh. Indeed the Englishman was accepted as Richard IV and even married off to the king’s cousin.
SYPHILIS
Unwelcome to the Scottish court were Warbeck’s soldiers who brought with them the earliest known instances of syphilis in the British Isles. The disease is thought to have emanated from the New World and been brought to Europe by Columbus’s sailors who then enlisted in the siege of Naples. Among Warbeck’s men were mercenaries who had been at Naples. James IV ordered all carriers to assemble for treatment, which involved the application of mercury, believed to be a cure.
Much to Warbeck’s disappointment, however, James was not prepared to undertake a serious challenge to Henry VII’s forces, with or without his ally’s support. Instead, the Scottish king decided on a truce, one which ushered in a new era of peace after two centuries of intermittent conflict.
In 1503, by way of confirmation of this treaty, James married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. The Stewart thistle and Tudor rose became symbolically entwined in political union. With the death of Henry VII’s eldest son Arthur the previous year, Margaret was now second in line to the throne. Should anything happen to the English king’s second son, Henry, the English throne would pass to James Stewart.
However, a leopard never changes its spots. James could not resist the opportunity to have one more go at the old enemy when Louis XII of France waged war with England, leaving the north country open to attack. Alas, the Scot underestimated the strength of the English army and came unstuck. At the
Returning to England amid much confusion about where or what he had discovered, most agreed it must be northern Asia, and that the highly valued spice islands would be but a short sail away. The king rewarded the captain’s daring deed with the sum of £10, plus a pension of £20 a year, and, perhaps of greater importance, the promise of a second venture, this time with a larger fleet.
Alas the voyage got lost among the icebergs of Greenland and was forced home. Not long afterwards, Henry VII breathed his last. But the expeditions had set the tone for a century of exploration that would turn the realm into an empire.
RED BRICK REVOLUTION
Although we associate Tudor red brick mansions with the like of Hampton Court, built in Henry VIII’s reign, the craze for this new style of architecture began in the reign of Henry VII. In 1500 he commissioned the extravagant Richmond Palace (named after his previous title), built in the manner of the grand houses of Flanders and Burgundy, with fancy turrets and long bay windows. The revolution spread quickly through the country as wealthy wool and cloth merchants built themselves fortified manor houses in the characteristic brick and timber-frame style, designed more for decoration and banquets than defence.
Canny Scot Eyes Opportunity
James IV considers alliance with ‘Richard IV’ of England
N ever happy with the border line that separated England from their country, the Scots took certain opportunities when they arose to raid the northern counties of England. One highly respected king, who was reputedly obsessed with the arts of war, was 23 year-old James IV, who made several such raids successfully in the 1490s.
In a bid to expand his military ambition, James entertained the idea of allying himself to a pretender to the English throne in the person of Perkin Warbeck. The 22 year-old Warbeck claimed to be none other than Edward IV’s son, Richard duke of York, whom everyone in England believed had perished in the Tower at the hands of his enemy Richard III.
Living in exile, Purbeck further claimed to have support from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. Having tried to land at Deal in Kent in 1495 and been defeated by Henry VII’s defences, Warbeck was welcomed by James at his court in Edinburgh. Indeed the Englishman was accepted as Richard IV and even married off to the king’s cousin.
SYPHILIS
Unwelcome to the Scottish court were Warbeck’s soldiers who brought with them the earliest known instances of syphilis in the British Isles. The disease is thought to have emanated from the New World and been brought to Europe by Columbus’s sailors who then enlisted in the siege of Naples. Among Warbeck’s men were mercenaries who had been at Naples. James IV ordered all carriers to assemble for treatment, which involved the application of mercury, believed to be a cure.
Much to Warbeck’s disappointment, however, James was not prepared to undertake a serious challenge to Henry VII’s forces, with or without his ally’s support. Instead, the Scottish king decided on a truce, one which ushered in a new era of peace after two centuries of intermittent conflict.
In 1503, by way of confirmation of this treaty, James married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. The Stewart thistle and Tudor rose became symbolically entwined in political union. With the death of Henry VII’s eldest son Arthur the previous year, Margaret was now second in line to the throne. Should anything happen to the English king’s second son, Henry, the English throne would pass to James Stewart.
However, a leopard never changes its spots. James could not resist the opportunity to have one more go at the old enemy when Louis XII of France waged war with England, leaving the north country open to attack. Alas, the Scot underestimated the strength of the English army and came unstuck. At the
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