RICHMOND, HENRY TUDOR, EARL OF

later King Henry VII, in Shakespeare's Richard III. Richmond, a descendant of the house of Lancaster, is shown as the noble saviour of England who defeats the villainous Richard III at Bosworth Field and announces his intention to marry Elizabeth of York, thus ending the Wars of the Roses. Historically, Henry VII was an effective ruler who was plagued by conspiracies but succeeded in rebuilding war-torn England. He left a financially secure and united kingdom to his son, King Henry VIII.