The Life of Henry VII - Softcover

André, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1599101890 ISBN 13: 9781599101897

Publisher: Italica Press, 2011

Synopsis

Composed between 1500 and 1502, “The Life of Henry VII” is the first “official” Tudor account of the triumph of Henry VII over Richard III. Its author, the French humanist Bernard André, was a poet and historian at the court of Henry VII and tutor to the young Prince Arthur. Steeped in classical literature and familiar with all the tropes of the ancient biographical tradition, André filled his account with classical allusions, invented speeches, and historical set pieces. Although cast as a biography, the work dramatizes the dynastic shift that resulted from Henry Tudor’s seizure of the English throne at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and the death of Richard III. Its author had little interest in historical “facts,” and when he was uncertain about details, he simply left open space in the manuscript for later completion. He focused instead on the nobility of Henry VII’s lineage, the moral character of key figures, and the hidden workings of history. André’s account thus reflects the impact of new humanist models on English historiography. It is the first extended argument for Henry’s legitimate claims to the English crown. “The Life of Henry VII” survives in a single manuscript, edited by James Gairdner in the nineteenth-century Rolls Series. It occupies an important place in the literary tradition of treatments of Richard III, begun by André, continued by Thomas More and Polydore Vergil, and reaching its classic expression in Shakespeare. First English translation. Introduction, bibliography, index. 

About this title

About the Author

Bernard André, the author of “The Life of Henry the Seventh,” was born about 1450. He was a native of Toulouse and earned a doctorate in canon and civil law. At some early date he joined the Augustinian friars. He also prized the humanist currents coming from Italy, and from his writings we can tell that he had carefully read the Latin classics, must have memorized large tracts of classical literature, and also managed to stay abreast of the most recent humanist scholarship. And he did all this despite suffering from some form of poor eyesight or blindness. He achieved fame in his own day primarily as a poet. Some of his contemporaries, Erasmus included, praised him for his eloquence and learning. André came to the attention of Henry Tudor during Henry’s exile in Brittany or in France (1471–85). Following Henry’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485, André greeted him in London by reciting Latin verses. By November 1486 he was being styled one of Henry VII’s poets laureate. That same year Henry granted him an annuity, and by the late 1490S André was receiving a large annual pension and further monetary gifts from the king. André's great coup was to land the position of royal tutor to Prince Arthur in 1496, which brought him into the inner circle at court. During these years he also wrote various pedagogical works for the prince, few of which survive. André probably began working on the “Life of Henry the Seventh” some time after 22 August 1500. Prince Arthur’s sudden death on 2 April 1502 threw the Tudor court into turmoil and devastated André, and he soon abandoned the royal biography. We then have two of his yearly annals for the years 1504–5 and 1507–8, and we know that he also wrote a history of Henry VIII, now lost. Following Henry VII’s death in 1509, André faded from court, though he continued to win patronage from Henry VIII. He was still making presentations of his works in 1521 or 1522, and he is presumed to have died around that year.

About this edition

• Publisher: Italica Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1599101890
• ISBN 13: 9781599101897
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 126