Henry VII was dying… but as the first Tudor monarch slowly drifted towards death, in London the city was stilled gripped by the terrible regime of his loyal lapdog, Edmund Dudley. As the kings health began to decline, the arrests continued, the terror remained, but around him, various figures, from the desperate Catherine of Aragon, to the kings elderly but wise mother, began to sense the growing anger towards the regime, and made careful moves to make sure the correct scapegoats were prepared.

This week we follow the incredible transformation of young prince Henry, the intricate politics of the court, London surviving oppression and epidemic, and the final retribution inflicted upon those chosen to take the fall for the late King’s folly’s.

Cover shows the terracotta portrait bust of Henry VII by Pietro Torrigiano.

In the second part of ‘The Spanish Gambit’ we start to draw together the diverse threads of this story- Henry VII’s changing foreign policy ambitions, the ambitions of the Hapsburgs, the desperation of Catherine of Aragon, the Pope’s fury at the Alum smuggling network, the power of the Italians in the capital and above all… Edmund Dudley’s onslaught against London itself. With elections being nullified, innocent men and women being locked up for no good reason, with a cohort of some of the seediest criminals now seemingly dominating everyone from the mayor down, the city was plunged into an era of darkness it had not seen for hundreds of years. The Spanish Gambit had dark implications for London…

Cover art includes detail from “Portrait of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor”

Towards the end of his reign, Henry VII really came into his own; he stood as a giant on the European stage, a player in THE most dynamic and profound change in European politics in decades, poised to strike down his enemies and ensure his dynasty was cemented into the high seat of European politics… but how did he do it?

What follows is the opening part of a story involving corrupt popes, holy cartels, dodgy Italians living in London, dubious Spaniards, an eager but devout heir to the throne, and one of the most lucrative smuggling operations of the era, all of which has Henry VII right in the heart of it. Welcome to the first part… of The Spanish Gambit.

Cover features portrait of Pope Julius II by Raphael.