ABSTRACT
The year 1485, inaugurating a new dynasty after 331 years of Plantagenet rule, is the second great traditional watershed of English history. The Tudor period is known for two larger-than-life rulers, but also saw the re-establishment of royal authority and effective government after the long period of instability, although that authority was not entirely secure. Henry Tudor, who by his victory at Bosworth and the death of Richard III assumed the throne as Henry VII, was the sole living male of the House of Lancaster, but his hereditary claim to the throne was doubtful in the extreme. Henry VII departed from previous precedent and did not seek the approval of a parliament or a quasi-parliamentary assembly for his kingship; rather, he presented the country with a fait accompli. Henry began negotiations for the marriage of his elder son, Arthur, to Catherine, youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, rulers of Aragon and Castile, in 1488, when both were infants.
