The date Henry VII became king - 22 August 1485 - is a crucial one in the history of the British monarchy. The crown has ever since remained in the line of his heirs and the Tudor dynasty was extraordinarily successful and resilient. All four Tudor monarchs Henry VII and VIII, Mary and Elizabeth died naturally, which, given that four from 1399 to 1485 had been deposed, was no mean achievement and a sign of their political strength and acumen. They were all authoritarian and could be tyrannical. But they were brilliant in the way they manipulated public opinion, and in using magnificence and propaganda to enhance royal power and they left behind them a stronger monarchy, a powerful state, and a transformed national Church.