Ten things you never knew about... Henry VII

August 22, 1485 was the date of the Battle of Bosworth Field, when Richard III was killed and Henry VII became King of England. 1. Henry VII thus became the first Tudor monarch and the last King of England to gain the crown on the field of battle. 2. His father, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, died aged 26 three months before Henry was born. 3. Henry’s mother, Margaret Beaufort, was only 13 when he was born.

4. After his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry backdated his reign to August 21 so that he could accuse any who had fought against him of treason. 5. Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, who was the niece of Richard III whom his army had killed. 6. Portraits of Henry VII show him as tall and slim with blue-eyes, fair hair and bad teeth. 7. The true location of the Battle of Bosworth was only ascertained in 2009, around a mile from the place previously thought. 8. There is a fish and chip shop in Bosworth Market called “The Batter of Bosworth”. 9. During his 24-year reign, Henry VII replenished the country’s treasure and his own wealth through unpopular but effective taxes and fines. 10. Henry VIII who succeeded him was Henry VII’s second son. The eldest, Arthur, had died aged 15.