(Cover image – © Unknown Artist – The National Portrait Gallery)
On the 30th October 1485, Henry Tudor was officially made King of England at his coronation in Westminster Abbey.
This defining moment in English history marked the beginning of the Tudor dynasty after many years of civil unrest, with Henry’s rise to the throne and subsequent coronation symbolising a new era.
Henry Tudor’s throne was won with difficulty, and after 14 years in exile and two failed invasion attempts, he finally managed to defeat Richard III in battle and take his place as king. Henry VII was officially crowned two months after the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Like many kings before him, Henry VII’s coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, a church in the heart of London that was established in 1066.
Henry’s mother, Margaret Stanley (previously Beaufort), had played a huge part in her son’s success, and it is no surprise that she had significant involvement in planning Henry’s coronation. However, since the late 14th century, every coronation ceremony has ‘followed the same order of service laid down in the Abbey’s magnificent medieval illuminated Latin manuscript, the Liber Regalis.’{1}
According to this manuscript, preparation for a coronation should be the first step. In Henry VII’s case, lots of splendorous decorations were commissioned such as red velvet dragons and roses, as well as costumes for the procession from the Tower of London to the abbey itself.{2}
Sticking with tradition, Henry Tudor stayed at the Tower in the nights leading up to his coronation. On the day of his coronation, he would have been paraded through the crowds of London, so that all in attendance would have seen their king in all his royal glory. Picture heralds, trumpeters, knights and noblemen - a true spectacle! Travelling with Henry VII were many of the people that Henry held in high regard, such as Jasper Tudor, his uncle who had helped to raise him while he was in exile.
Once Henry Tudor arrived at the church, he would have been met with more pomp and fanfare until he was guided to the Coronation Chair. His mother, Margaret, was the first lady of his coronation.
Like in recent years, it is likely that Henry VII would have taken a religious oath at the Altar and, as part of the ceremony, joined in with the congregation in prayer. According to the Liber Regalis, the monarch would then have been dressed in robes known as the Colobium Sindonis, a simple white linen shift which symbolised ‘divesting oneself of all worldly vanity and standing bare before God’{4}, and the Supertunica, a more ornate robe made of cloth of gold. Henry may then have been given further royal regalia before being anointed and crowned.
During the anointing, holy oil would have been placed on Henry Tudor’s head, chest and hands, symbolising his right to rule in the name of God. It is tradition for the Archbishop of Canterbury to place the crown upon the monarch's head. During Henry’s time, it may have been a man named Thomas Bourchier, however, shortly after his victory at Bosworth Field, Henry made one of his friends archbishop. {5}
At this point, Henry VII’s status as King of England was made official. Whilst his coronation was symbolic of his right to rule, it also demonstrated his intention to shift the kingdom into a new era and reinforced his claim to the throne.
Henry VII ruled for 24 years after this until his son, Henry VIII, took his place upon his death.
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