In this episode we meet our main protagonist, Henry Tudor. We deconstruct the pivotal question: how did Henry’s long years in exile prepare him to claim the English crown in 1485?

We begin with a dramatic moment of danger in Brittany, capturing the uncertainty and peril that defined his early life on foreign soil. From there, the narrative unfolds into a decade-long education in political survival, an experience that would shape Henry into the cautious yet determined leader he would become. Along the journey, we also meet one of the most remarkable women in late medieval England: Margaret Beaufort, whose unwavering ambition and strategic acumen played a crucial role in her son’s rise to power.

Join us as we trace the trials, alliances, and lessons that forged Henry Tudor on the road to Bosworth.

Further Reading:

Sean Cunningham, Henry VII

Dan Jones, The Hollow Crown

Thomas Penn, The Winter King

SB Chrimes, Henry VII

Michael Hicks, The Wars of Roses course on Massolit https://massolit.io/courses/the-wars-of-the-roses-c-1450-1525

Richard III. A monarch remembered by history for the murder of his own nephews; yet also seen by many as a hero of the north, with modern day Ricardians keeping his flame burning with memories of a physically brave warrior king. This episode starts with an account of the extraordinary discovery of his body in a nondescript Leicester car park, before deconstructing the question for this episode. How did Richard III’s unpopularity enable Henry to become king in 1485? In doing so we will uncover one of the most infamous episodes in English history, the disappearance of Edward V and Richard Duke of York, the “princes in the tower”.

Further Reading:

Dan Jones, The Hollow Crown (2014)

Michael Hicks, The Wars of Roses course on Massolit https://massolit.io/courses/the-wars-of-the-roses-c-1450-1525

Sean Cunningham, How did Henry Tudor become king of England? https://massolit.io/courses/493

How did the Wars of the Roses pave the way for Henry Tudor's seizure of the throne in 1485? In this episode, we deconstruct how decades of dynastic conflict transformed a relatively obscure exile into a viable claimant to the English crown. Beginning with a vivid account of the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, we trace the origins and escalation of the struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York. Along the way, we explore how Yorkist rule both provided Henry with a model of effective kingship and created the political instability that made the Tudor outsider's triumph at Bosworth possible.