Born on January 28, 1457 at Pembroke Castle, Wales, Henry VII quickly rose to power after defeating King Richard III of England and Ireland on the battlefeild after decades of civil war between the two houses of Lancaster and York. After becoming king of England and Ireland he quickly made arangements to marry Elizabeth of York, which would clear up any remaining rivalry between the two houses that still remained. During their marraige they produced four surviving issues, Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret, Queen of Scots, Henry VIII, and Mary, Queen of France. Sadly, shortly after his marraige to Princess Catheirne of Aragon, Arthur, Prince of Wales died on April 2, 1502 of what could possibly be consumption, diabetes, or the mysterious sweating sickness, which some modern theorists tie to a hantavirus. Also, a genetic disorder could have possibly have killed him seeing as both of his nephews died similarly around the same age of him, Edward VI, age 15 and Henry Fitz Roy, age 17. And, recently coming to light, could it be that his own father allowed him to die in the cold, drafty fortress of Ludlow Castle... Christopher Guy, the archaeologist of Worcester Cathedral, said he found it odd that, if Arthur had been unhealthy, he was sent to the cold remoteness of Ludlow Castle. Peter Vaughan, of the Worcester Prince Arthur Committee, finds this strange as well. He remarks: He wasn't a strong character, unlike his younger brother. Could it be that his father was strong enough to see that the best interests of the Tudors were to be served by Henry Duke of York, rather than Arthur? However, historians such as David Starkey and Julian Litten have dismissed theories of neglect or murder. There is nothing fishy about his demise , said Litten. He was in Ludlow as an ambassador for a King setting up a new dynasty. Litten believes that the real mystery in Arthur's death is the disease that killed him. If not consumption or the historical English sweating sickness, it could have been a genetic condition that might have been passed on to his nephews, Edward VI and Henry Fitzroy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur,_Prince_of_Wales)Also, shorly after the death of his son, sadly his beloved wife, Elizabeth of York died shortly after giving birth to their 7th child, Princess Katherine, who also died, subcumming to infection on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday.- Henry VII appeared to sincerely mourn her death: according to one account, he privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him . Despite his reputation for thrift, he gave her a splendid funeral: she lay in state in the Tower and was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the Lady Chapel Henry had built. He later entertained thoughts of remarriage in order to renew the alliance with Spain - Juana, Dowager Queen of Naples (niece of Ferdinand II of Aragon), Joanna, Queen of Castile (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella), and Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile) were all considered - but Henry died a widower in 1509. He was buried with Elizabeth; they can be found today, under their effigies in his chapel.- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York) Show less «