Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. Despotism Of The Tudors, 1485-1603. In 1485 the marriage of Henry Tudor with Elizabeth of York united the two warring families. Henry VII. at once put down all forms of violence that had arisen during periods of unrest. That the ordinary courts might not be overburdened with matters of lesser detail he instituted the so-called Court of Star Chamber?given the name because of the star-sprinkled ceiling in the room where this court was held. During the Tudor reign it never became so dangerous to public safety as under the Stuarts, but from the first it was unconstitutional, providing a court outside the jurisdiction of the laws of the land. Henry was a thrifty sovereign whose economies soon replenished the empty coffers. During his reign Columbus discovered a new world and set the imaginations of Europe afire with the hopes of great accomplishments, some possible, others impossible. Henry rewarded the Cabots ten pounds for their discovery of the new island ?Newfoundland. During this age, too, the new learning spread into England; the humanists brought a fresh spirit into the staid methods of universities. Wars were avoided and England's position with other countries strengthened by marriage alliances with Henry's children. His eldest son Arthur was married to Catherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. He died a few months later, and after Henry VIII.'s accession he married his brother's widow. Mary was pledged to the king of France and Margaret given in marriage to James IV. of Scotland. Henry VIII. was heartily welcomed by his people. Young, athletic, well educated, handsome, he was fitted to win the hearts of his subjects. For many years he entrusted matters of state largely to wise ministers, several of whom had served his father. Much of Euro...