For this we assume you've read the prelude to the Tudors.
Henry had been exiled to Brittany after the Yorkists took power in 1461 and Edward IV was installed as king in Henry VI's absence. He was there with his uncle Jasper Tudor and his mother Margaret Beaufort. We're going to examine them both now.
This less than flattering image is of Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry's mother. The Countess of Richmond and Derby, she was originally thought of as a minor side character in the rise of Henry Tudor, however in recent times her role has come under significant reappraisal, and she's now far more well-respected. A shrewd and calculating individual - as one may perceive with her son it may well run in the family - she made a very good impression on her contemporaries. She gave birth to Henry aged just 14, and she and her son were separated when the Yorkists came to power. Apart from Henry VI's brief return to power in 1470 and 1471, she never got to see her son between their separation and him becoming king.
She married three times including, crucially, to Lord Stanley, a member of a rich Northern family who gave - thanks to their marriage - Henry support at Bosworth. She played a key part in ensuring public suspicion of Richard III remained high enough to merit an invasion attempt by Henry. She also fixed the marriage between Henry and Elizabeth of York in 1486, which ended the Wars of the Roses and helped consolidate Henry's power. When he was king, he is said to have consulted her on all matters. She died two months after her son, having successfully organised her grandson's, Henry VIII's, accession.
Jasper Tudor was Henry's uncle and the Earl of Pembroke. He was the only constant figure in Henry's upbringing. After the Yorkists came to power in 1461, he fled to Brittany and took Henry with him. Henry stayed with Jasper throughout their exile and Jasper formed part of Henry's army at Bosworth. He was rewarded by being made Duke of Bedford. As you will see in Henry's financial affairs which we examine later, this may have been as much of a political decision as a kind-hearted one. Jasper gave Henry the stability and role model ability he needed for kingship. He died in 1495, and his land returned to the Crown's possession.
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