Henry Vii's Consolidation Of Power

Whilst the Battle of Bosworth was the point at which Henry VII claimed the throne it was not the time that he secured it. Some historians believe that Henry's period of consolidation of power lasted for nearly two years (when Prince Arthur was born) and that until 1487 the wars of the roses was still bubbling away underneath what seemed like English stability. The battle left Henry with a number of immediate issues for him to deal with. He needed to deal with his new court and convert Yorkist's to the Lancastrian side. He needed to support and confirm his Lancastrian loyalists to the new Tudor throne. He also needed to remove any lingering threats from those still loyal to the Yorkist faction. So it was viewed by most that Henry VII's first
He understood that his best step forward was to attract as much support from the Yorkists by using alliances and not force. Henry had already pledged on Christmas day 1483, in Rennes Cathedral, that he intended to marry Princess Elizabeth of York, or Princess Cecily in the event Elizabeth passed away. This intention to marry was reaffirmed in 1485 when he vowed to marry her again. Therefore the Yorkist heir (being Elizabeth) could transfer a lot of support from themselves to the Lancastrians by marrying the monarch and joining the houses. Therefore on the 18th January 1486, Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York married, therefore, combining the Yorkist and Lancastrian houses, this was again shown in the Tudor Rose. Henry also marched through the country to show the ordinary people that Henry was the true King of England. One particular stroke of genius was Henry's relationship with the church. Henry understood that a large part of the Kingdom could not and never would see Henry VII, but he wanted to constantly assert his divine right to rule through a medium that the entire population would regularly see: the churches. One of Henry's first achievements after claiming the throne was that he placed coloured windows in most churches in England, therefore the peasantry would regularly interact with this 'godly' figure of the King. He was also backed officially in a papal bull on the 27th March of 1486, therefore any act against the King was one against both the Catholic Church but also against God, and any lords who attempted to usurp Henry VII would have been at risk of excommunication. The papal bull also identified and legitimised (in the eyes of God) any heirs of Henry VII to the throne, if it so pleaseth God, and it did 'pleaseth' God because in September of 1489 when Prince Arthur was born. Whilst 1489 is outside of the first period of consolidation (1485-1487) it still served