THE TUDORS

The Tudor dynasty was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch
was Henry Tudor VII and the last one, Elizabeth I of England, who died without issue.

In total, five Tudor monarchs ruled their domains for just over a century.

1. HENRY VIII: KING, TYRANT, LOVER.

2.1. General information.
 He was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death in January 1547.
 He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France.
 After the death of his elder brother Arthur in 1502, Henry VIII became heir to the English throne. Seven years later his
father Henry VII died and he was crowned king of England.
 The only two real successes of his reign were the assimilation of Wales and the pacification of Ireland and its establishment
as a kingdom.
 He led the arrival in England of Renaissance modes of art and literature, and a major building program which included
colleges, palaces and fortresses.
 King Henry VIII added Imperial concepts of Kingship to existing Feudal concepts. In doing this he decreased the power of
the nobles and increased the power of Parliament and the monarchy.
2.2. In the search of an heir.
 In order to get a son for the English Throne and for some political reasons, King Henry VIII married six times.
HENRY VIII’S MARRIAGES
24 YEARS 3 YEARS 1 YEAR 6 MONTHS 2 YEARS 5 YEARS

Katherine of Aragon Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves Catherine Catherine Parr
Howard
To obtain friendship To get a son To get a son and To get help To favor To nurse him in
of Spain help from against Charles V Catholics. old age
Protestants. from Spain.
One daughter: Mary. One daughter: One son: Edward
- - -
Elizabeth.
Divorced Executed Died in childbirth Separated Executed Henry died first
2.3. The birth of a new church.

 He led the religious reformation in England and changed the religion of England from the Roman Catholic faith to the
Anglican religion which included establishing the Church of England. Reasons: 1).he wanted to divorce of Katherine of
Aragorn and remarry with Ana Boleyn, but the Pope denied his petition. 2) He needed the money from catholic treasures to
pay his wars. 3) he also wanted become in more powerful.

2. ELIZABETH I: THE LAST MONARCH OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND.

2.1. General Information.
 Elizabeth I was born on September 7th, 1533; and she died on March 24, 1603 at the age of 69.
 She was protestant. She never married nor had children.
 She was also called: “The Virgin Queen”; “Gloriana” and “Good Queen Bess”.
2.2. The Throne of England after Henry VIII’s death.
 When Henry died, Elizabeth did not ascend to the throne immediately.
 Her half brother, Edward VI, came to the throne in 1547. He died at the age of 15 in 1553 and
her half sister, Mary I (“bloody Mary”) became Queen of England and reigned from 1553 until
her death in 1558.
 So, Elizabeth ascended to the English throne in 1558.
2.3. Problems during Elizabeth’s Reign.
A) Others wanted the English throne.
 Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scotland, tried to kill Elizabeth several times, so the Parliament asked Elizabeth to kill Mary
Stuart. However, when Mary was killed, she gave Philip II, king of Spain and Portugal, all her rights over the English throne.
B) The Anglo-Spanish War (1585 – 1604).
 Philip II and his powerful Spanish Armada were defeated in 1588. But, it wasn’t a true victory for the English because
after the war, the Monarchy ran out of money.
C) The Nine Years’ War (1594 – 1603).
 It was a rebellion in Ireland.
 It was headed by Red Hugh O’Donnell and Hugh O’Neil, who were against the English colonization.
D) The Protestantism.
 As we’ve seen, Henry VIII established the Protestantism during his reign. Then, her daughter, Mary I (bloody Mary)
restored the Catholicism in England.
 However, when Elizabeth ruled, she re-established the Protestant Church in England.
 Elizabeth also established 2 new acts:
 Act of Supremacy: it said that Elizabeth was confirmed as Supreme Governor of the Church of England
(monarchy over church).
 Act of Uniformity: it was mandatory for the English people to go to the church every Sunday or they had to
pay a fine.

After these facts, England became Protestant at the end of Elizabeth’s reign.
2.4. Development during Elizabeth’s Reign.
 This period of time is also known as “the Elizabethan Era”, and it was the Golden Age of English history.
 During Elizabeth’s reign, England became a very powerful country. We centered this development in 3 areas:
A) Development in Arts:
- Literature: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Writers started writing plays and theaters were
needed. So, in this period the first theaters were built in England.
- Painting: Nicholas Hilliard. He painted many portraits for Elizabeth and the royal family.
B) Development in Education:
- The Petty School: it taught young children to read, write and behave well.
- The Grammar School: it taught boys Latin.
C) Development in the trade of manufactured goods:
- Glass industry.
- Pottery industry.
- Silk industry.
- Wool industry.