The years of reformation

Following the Wars of the Roses in England, Henry Tudor came to the
throne under the name of Henry VII. From the beginning of his reign he
was determined to bring order to an England that had suffered from
many of civil war.
During the conflict he had learnt that the barons could not be trusted. As
a result, once he became king, Henry VII increased the power of the
monarchy and adopted measures to keep the aristocracy under control.
He was a cautious and frugal king, he restored a strong government based
on popular support and managed to make England a wealthier country.
His government was conservative, as were his relations with Parliament
and the Church. Parliament only had a secondary role during his twenty-
four year reign, being summoned only six times.

Henry VIII
Henry VIII was considered as a perfect product of the Renaissance. He
devoted himself to poetry, literature and music and was also famous for
being an excellent sportsman. After obtaining a divorce from his first wife,
Catherine of Aragon, Henry married Anne Boleyn who bore him his
second daughter, Elizabeth, later to become queen. In 1536 Henry had
Anne Boleyn executed and he later married another four times. Only his
third wife, Jane Seymour, bore him the son he wanted: Edward VI.

The breach with Rome

It was Henry VIII who brought about a real turning point in English
religion and culture. The king's attitude towards Catholicism began to
change as a result of the corruption the clergy. When the Pope refused to
grant him a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon he decided to
take the matter into his own hands and to stop taking orders from the
Pope, breaking with Rome once and for all. He turned to the English
clergy and the English Parliament to declare his marriage void. He
established the Church of England, also known as the Anglican Church, in
1534 with the Act of Supremacy. From this moment on the king and all
later monarchs became the formal head of the Church of England and the
Anglican Church became Protestant.
The English Reformation
The new Anglicanism and other Protestant movements of the time, like
Lutheranism all had a few important rules or principles in common.
Firstly, the Bible was regarded as the only source of 'revealed truth'. This
meant that the Bible and not the Pope became the real word of authority.
Secondly, it was believed that people could obtain salvation only through
the will of God. Good works would not necessarily guarantee salvation,
which depended exclusively on God's choice. Priests were no longer the
mediators between God and the people but simply had to read the Bible,
spread God's word and look after the Church. There was also no
hierarchical system in Protestantism and priests could marry and have
children. These were the foundations of Protestantism and they are still
valid today.

Edward VI
Only ten years old when he came to the throne, Edward VI ruled for just
six years before dying prematurely of tuberculosis. His sister Mary
succeeded him.

Mary I
Queen Mary, or Mary Tudor was the daughter of Henry VIII's first wife,
Catherine of Aragon. A strong Catholic, she officially reintroduced the
Catholic religion in England and was known as 'Bloody Mary' because of
the way she persecuted so many Protestants. At the age of 37, she
married Philip II of Spain, going against the wishes of Parliament and her
subjects, who saw Spain as one of England's enemies. She never had the
son she wanted and left the throne to her half-sister Elizabeth when she
died.

Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I, Henry VIII's daughter by his second wife, Anne Boleyn,
became one of the most famous queens in English history. Her long reign
of 45 years was a great success as she restored the country's religious and
political power and stability. Much loved by her people, she was referred
to as 'Gloriana', and because she never married she was also given the
title of 'The Virgin Queen'. she established a secure Church of England by
following a wise policy of compromise between the Catholics and the
Anglicans. During her reign a Second Act of Supremacy was passed,
confirming the independence of the Church of England and she
proclaimed herself Governor. During Elizabeth's reign there were many
voyages of 'discovery', like those of Sir Francis Drake and sir Walter
Raleigh, who founded the first English colony in America, Virginia, named
after his queen. Elizabeth I's reign, however, was also full of danger and
threats. One of these threats came from Mary Stuart, Elizabeth's cousin.
Heir to the throne after Elizabeth, she was a Catholic and married the
Dauphin of France. After the death of her husband in 1560, she returned
to Scotland with the hope of restoring Catholicism by becoming queen.
She did not succeed, however, and Elizabeth had her executed in 1587.
Other threats to Elizabeth's throne came from Spain, where Mary Stuart's
execution had sparked off a conflict in 1587. In 1588 Philip II af Spain sent
his powerful fleet, the Spanish Armada, to invade England and restore the
Catholic faith, but it was unsuccessful and established England's
supremacy at sea.

James I
James I was the son of Mary Stuart of Scotland and her second husband
Lord Darnley. Under his rule he united the crowns of England and
Scotland proclaiming himself king of both countries. Convinced that the
country was to be ruled by divine right alone he excluded Parliament
from government and, with the suppart of the Anglican Church, became a
fierce enemy of the Catholics. The result was a retaliation on the part of
the Catholics and many attempts on the king's life, one of the most
famous being the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The plot was unsuccessful and
many Catholics were executed.

The Pilgrim Fathers

The first settlements in America were formed in Virginia in 1607. The
introduction of stricter laws against religious dissenters in England meant
that many decided to leave the country in order to practise their religion
freely. A group of these, known as the Pilgrim Fathers, left England in
1620 to escape religious persecution. They sailed on a ship, called the
Mayflower, and set off for the 'New World'. They eventually landed in the
area we know today as New England and founded New Plymouth.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada

In 1586 Spain was preparing an Armada to invade Britain. Philip II of Spain
wanted to bring England once again under the rule of the Church of
Rome. The Spanish Armada set sail in 1588; it was the most serious naval
attack on England since the Vikings, with about 130 ships. The English
ships, however, were faster and better armed than the Spanish ones.
Therefore they were able to scatter part of the Armada and get close
enough to attack with their cannons. The Armada escaped to the North
Sea, damaged and hit by storms. The Spanish lost a third of their fleet and
many men died. The outcome of the failed invasion confirmed England's
supremacy at sea. Elizabeth died in 1603 saying that the Protestant King
of Scotland, James, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, should succeed her. She
had enjoyed her people's love and consent. She had managed to create a
popular and majestic image of a sovereign who appeared as the defender
of the nation and the preserver of peace. She had brought England unity
and glory.