 | The Life of Henry VII Subjects: Henry VII King of England 1457-1509; Great Britain -- History -- Henry VII 1485-1509 -- Sources; Great Britain -- Kings and rulers -- Biography; Richard III King of England 1452-1485; The Life of Henry VII is the first "official" Tudor account of the triumph of Henry VII over Richard III. Its author, the French humanist Bernard André, was a poet and historian at the court of Henry VII. Although cast as a biography, the work dramatizes the dynastic shift that resulted from Henry Tudor's seizure of the English throne and the death of Richard III. He focused on the nobility of Henry VII's lineage, the moral character of key figures, and the hidden workings of history. André's account thus reflects the impact of new humanist models on English historiography. It is the first extended argument for Henry's legitimate claims to the English crown. The Life of Henry occupies an important place in the literary tradition of treatments of Richard III, begun by André, continued by Thomas More and Polydore Vergil, and reaching its classic expression in Shakespeare. First English translation. Introduction, bibliography, index. |
