The Life and Times of Henry VII (Kings and Queens of England)

The year 1485, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard Plantagenet at Bosworth Field, for many marks the end of the Middle Ages. Born in 1456, amidst the upheaval of the Wars of the Roses, King Henry spent his formative years in exile at the Twilight Court of Brittany, where he learnt a conservative approach in rule and administration, tending to retain rather than innovate. Yet his reign coincided with the High Renaissance of Michelangelo and da Vinci, with Columbus' discoveries, and with the spread of learning in Europe.