Henry Tudor's treasure

Abstract

Both contemporary and modern commentators have speculated on Henry VII's wealth, the latter reducing his alleged fortune to modesty or insolvency. Such a discrepancy could bear on the financial and political ramifications of his son's monarchy beginning in 1509. This article looks at one source of income cultivated by Henry and his councillors - payments and forfeitures on obligations and recognizances - with attention to the chancery calendars of close rolls. Although no definitive conclusion regarding amounts collected can be ascertained, it becomes clear that such bonds could have provided the prodigious sums of money Henry VIII used to mount his first war against France, the source of which remains unknown. This article also illustrates the break from the Yorkists for enrolling debts and the intensification of Henry VII's bond policy during his reign. © Institute of Historical Research 2009.