Sovereigns and the Church: York and Durham Silver Coins of Henry VII and Henry VIII
Two silver 'sovereign' pennies, one of Henry VII and the other his son Henry VIII, attracted me due to their association with places I am very familiar with, York and Durham. They were also minted in the context of the early years of the Tudor dynasty, a time of dramatic changes in official stances on religion. The pennies offer an interesting glimpse into royal and ecclesiastical power during the transition from the late medieval to the early modern age. The Henry VII sovereign penny shown below was minted at York under the authority of Archbishop Rotherham. The obverse shows the enthroned king holding orb and sceptre, while the keys under the royal shield on the reverse are the mark of Rotherham’s authority. As the founder of the Tudor dynasty, Henry VII (1485–1509) aimed to stabilise the realm following the Wars of the Roses. The penny emphasises his legitimacy as rightful monarch on the obverse, while the reverse linked secular kingship to the rel...