Why Was Henry VII A Usurper?

Henry VII is remembered in history as having ended the Wars of the Roses and uniting a bitterly divided England. By defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and marrying Elizabeth of York he brought together the Houses of Lancaster and York under his new Tudor banner. However, Henry’s reign was not going to be straightforward and he had many issues which challenged his security on the throne. Henry had to ensure he dealt with rivals to the throne as well as making sure he ruled England in a firm but fair way.

At the start of King Henry VII’s reign, he was seen as a usurper, not the natural heir to the throne of England. One reason Henry VII was seen as a usurper was because he had taken the throne through violence and with help from the French. Another argument against Henry VII’s reign was because …show more content…
One of the frauds pretending to be Edward Earl of Warwick. Lambert Simnel who was posing as Edward, the Earl of Warwick was scouted by a priest called Richard Symonds. Richard Symonds notice the very similar appearance between Simnel and Edward, The Earl of Warwick, who hadn’t been seen in over a year. Margret of Burgundy, sister to Edward IV and Richard III (Yorkist kings) and was the aunt to the missing princes, was the richest and most powerful supporter of the Lambert Simnel plot. Margret of Burgundy was upset because Henry VII took away many profitable trading rights ,which were originally granted to her by her brother , Edward I. As a result when John De La Pole and Lord Lovell appeared at her court in Burgundy she happily agreed to help try overthrow Henry VII. Firstly she announced Lambert Simnel was her missing nephew then she raised an army of about 2,000 mercenaries who would abolish Henry’s place as king and replace him with her “nephew” as the king of England. In 1487 the army of mercenaries made way for Ireland. They headed for Ireland because in the 1450’s Richard, Duke of York was