Tudor Kings and Queens There were five crowned Tudor kings and queens and they are

among the most well-known figures in Royal history. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII and his three children Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I ruled for 118 eventful years. ( Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days.) Henry Vll (reigned 1485-1509)

Age 28-52. Great-great-great-grandson of Edward III. Married Elizabeth (daughter of Edward IV). Seven children. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

Henry Tudor became King Henry Vll of England and Wales after defeating Richard lll at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the Roses which had brought

instability to England.
The Wars of the Roses had been a constant battle between two of England's most powerful families - the families of York and Lancaster. Henry was a member of the Lancaster family. To bring the two families closer together he married Elizabeth of York (the niece of the man he had killed to become king). Henry Vll was the first Tudor King and reigned for 24 years until 1509. Henry Vll enjoyed music, gambling and building palaces. Who was the next King? Henry Vll's second son, also called Henry, inherited the throne and became Henry Vlll. Henry succeeded to the throne because his elder brother Arthur died in 1502. HENRY VIII

Age18-56. Second son of Henry VII. Married Catherine of Aragon (Spanish), Anne Boleyn (English), Jane Seymore (English), Anne of Cleves (Flemish-Belgian), Catherine Howard (English), Catherine Parr (English). Three children Buried in Windsor Castle.

Henry Vlll is probably the most well known of the Tudor kings. He was a very selfish person and by the end of his life everyone was afraid of him, mainly because of his ruthless behaviour toward anyone who didn't agree with him. See Henry Vlll timeline Henry Vlll was born at Greenwich Palace, London on 28 June 1491 and was the second son of Henry Vll and Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward lV). He became Prince of Wales and heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502. When did Henry become king? He succeeded to the throne after his father's death on 21 April 1509. He was 17 years old when he became king. Henry built fine palaces, and fought wars against France and Scotland. Appearance Tall and thickset, with blue-grey eyes, short auburn hair and a beard.

Henry Vlll was handsome in his youth, but became bloated and fat (he had a 54-inch waist when he was 50). He dressed lavishly, wearing a gold collar with a diamond as big as a walnut and many jewelled rings. Religion Henry Vlll brought religious upheaval to England. When he became king, most people belonged to the Catholic Church, which was headed by the Pope, in Rome. In 1534, Henry broke away from the Catholic Church and proclaimed himself head of the Church of England. The land and riches of the church became Henry's property and he sold off most of this land to dukes, barons and other noblemen. Sport / Hobbies Henry Vlll was a great athlete in his youth. Henry threw the javelin and enjoyed hunting, archery, jousting and tennis. He spoke French, Spanish, Latin and some Italian and was a good musician. Henry played the lute and harpsichord well and could sing from sight. Home Henry Vlll lived at Hampton Court Palace in London. Family Life Henry Vlll wanted a son to rule after him. He first married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon but divorced her when she did not produce a male heir to the throne. He married three times more before a son was born. In total he married six times! Find out about his Henry's six wives here How many children did Henry VIII have? Henry Vlll had three children - Mary (by Catherine of Aragon), Elizabeth (by Anne Boleyn) and Edward (by Jane Seymour). Each became a monarch - Edward Vl, Mary l (or Mary Tudor) and Elizabeth l in that order. His son, Edward Vl ruled for six years after Henry's death, he became King at age 9 and died at age 15. Henry's daughter Mary ruled for the next five years, but also died without children. Finally, Henry's last surviving child, Elizabeth I became Queen, and ruled for 45 years. Death Henry died in St James's Palace, Westminster, around 2 am on Friday 28 January 1547, aged 55 years. His funeral procession to Windsor was four miles long. He was buried at Windsor Castle beside his third wife, Jane Seymour. Important events during the reign of Henry Tudor (Henry Vlll) 1. King Henry Vlll, Henry's son, successfully united England and Wales under one system of government. The two countries were joined in 1536. 2. Henry Vlll wanted a male heir, but his wife had not given birth to a son. Henry wanted to divorce her and take a new wife. The Roman Catholic Church refused to grant the divorce. In order to gain his divorce, Henry had to establish the Church of England and end Catholicism. Henry passed a law in 1534 making himself head of the Church of England. This act allowed him to divorce his wife and led to the formation of the Protestant Church of England. The Protestant movement was known as the Reformation. King Edward VI (reigned 1547-1553) Age 10-16. Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. Unmarried. Died from consumption. Buried in Westminster Abbey. Edward was the only son of Henry VIII. Edward VI became king at the age of nine upon the death of his father, Henry Vlll. He was known as 'The Boy King'. His mother was Jane Seymour, Henry Vlll's third wife. Edward was a sickly child and the country was run by his protectors: firstly, the Duke of Somerset, his mother's brother, then by the Duke of Northumberland. Edward enjoyed reading about battles and writing Greek. Edward died at the age of 16 in 1553.

Lady Jane Grey Jane Grey granddaughter of Henry 8th younger sister Mary whose daughter Francis married Henry Grey. Henry 8th had specified that in the event of Edward dying early that firstly his daughter Mary should reign and secondly is daughter Elizabeth, but Edward changed it on his deathbed. While Edward was still alive his ministers persuaded him to make a will naming Lady Jane Grey his successor to the throne. She was a Protestant unlike Edward's half sister Mary (Henry VIII's eldest daughter) who was Catholic. The ministers wanted to keep England a Protestant country. Lady Jane Grey ruled for only 9 days before Mary had her arrested and later executed. Who was the next King or Queen? Edward's sister, Mary inherited the throne. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragn. Queen Mary l (reigned 1553-1558)

Age 37-42. Daughter of Henry VIII and Catharine of Aragn. Married Philip (Spanish). No Children. Buried in Westminster.

Mary I was the first Queen Regnant (that is, a queen reigning in her own right rather than a queen through marriage to a king). Mary was the eldest daughter of Henry Vlll by his first wife Katherine of Aragon. She was named after Henry's favourite sister, Mary Tudor (the 'Tudor Rose'). Mary was born just before dawn on Monday 18 February 1516 in Greenwich Palace. Mary came to the throne after contesting the 14 day reign of the uncrowned Lady Jane Grey, grandaughter of Mary Tudor, who had been named by Edward Vl as his successor. Religion Mary was a committed Catholic. When she came to the throne she vowed to return England to Rome and Catholicism. Mary reunited the English Church with Rome and in 1555 banned English translations of the Bible. Why is Mary l called Bloody Mary? She is known as Bloody Mary because of the numbers of people who were executed for being Protestants. Mary burned nearly three hundred Protestants at the stake when they refused to give up their religion. Appearance Mary was short and slender, with a rosy-cheeked complextion and large hazel eyes. She had golden, bright auburn hair. Marriage Mary made herself even more unpopular by marrying Philip of Spain and losing Calais, England's last possession in France. They had no children. Hobbies Mary enjoyed riding and hunting and liked to be painted with her Italian Greyhounds at her feet. She was very musical. She played the virginals from the age of three and also the regals and lute. Mary was well educated, she could read Greek and Latin, understood Italian and spoke Latin, French and Aragonese Spanish. Death Mary died in the early morning of 17 November 1558. She was buried in Henry Vll's chapel, Westminster Abbey. Who was the next King or Queen? Mary's sister Elizabeth, inherited the throne. Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603) Henry VII l Henry VIII l Edward VI l Mary I l Elizabeth I l

( Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days.) Age 25-69. Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Unmarried. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich Palace on 7 September 1533, the younger daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth came to the throne, she was 25. She succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. Sport / Hobbies Elizabeth liked hunting and enjoyed court masques (entertainment of poetry, songs and dancing). She was very well-educated and was fluent in six languages. Religion Elizabeth made England Protestant again and her will was the law. Marriage She did not marry and was known as the Virgin Queen. War During her reign, England became enemy of Catholic Spain, and Elizabeth fought against Philip II's navy (the Spanish Armada). Death The Tudor period ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth I on 24th March 1603 after 45 years on the throne. She had no husband or children to succeed her. Golden Age of English History Elizabeth I's rule is remembered as the Golden Age of English history. Under her rule, England advanced in such areas as foreign trade, exploration, literature, and the arts. During Elizabeth's reign the age of exploration began with explorers such as Francis Drake

claiming new lands for England and introducing new materials and foods. The American State, Virginia, is named after her.
More information Queen Elizabeth - Online Lesson Elizabeth I Queen of England 1533 - 1603 Elizabeth I was born on on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace, London, England.......... Who was the next King or Queen? James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne, uniting both countries. Religion / Reformation The Break from Rome Introduction In the 16th century, there was a big change in the way some Christians worshipped God. Up until the 16th century most people were Roman Catholic and the Pope in Rome was the head of church. In 1517, a German monk called Martin Luther led a breakaway from the Roman Catholic church. The new Christians called themselves Protestants because they were protesting against the Roman 'Catholic' (meaning 'universal') Church, its teachings and its customs. Their demand for reform led to this period of history being called the Reformation. Tudor Britain People in Tudor times were very religious and were prepared to die for their beliefs. It must have been very hard for them during the 118 years the Tudor kings and Queens ruled because they were often forced to change their religion depending on the religion of the reigning monarch. There were major changes in the church during the reign of the Tudor king and queens. England started as a Catholic country and ended up being a Protestant one under the Tudors. Why did Religion change a lot during the Tudor Times? Religion in England changed depending on the views of the monarch and people often felt confused. They were told to change what they believed, how they worshipped God and how they decorated churches.

Many laws were passed about religion. These were passed by Kings and queens who wanted to make people follow the same religion that they did. When the first Tudor Kings came to the throne, England was a Roman Catholic country and the head of the church was the Pope in Rome, Clement VII. England is a Catholic country England was a Catholic nation under the rule of Henry VII (1485-1509) and during much of Henry VIII's (1509-1547) reign. Church services were held in Latin. When Henry VIII came to the throne, he was a devout Catholic and defended the Church against Protestants. Henry VIII did not agree with their views. In 1521, Pope Leo X honoured Henry VIII with the title "Defender of Faith', because of his support for the Roman Church. The English Church is split from Rome When the Pope refused to grant Henry VIII a divorce* from Catherine of Aragon, Henry split off the English Church from the Roman church. Rather than the pope, the king would be the spiritual head of the English church. (Reformation) *The Roman Catholic faith believed in marriage for life. It did not recognise, let alone support, divorce. King Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of a new Church of England. (The Act of Supremacy and reformation) This marked the start of centuries or religious conflict in Britain. Despite being cut off from Rome, England, retained much of the doctrine and the practices of Catholicism. Why did Henry VIII break with Rome? Henry VIII broke with Rome because the pope in Rome would not grant him a divorce with his wife, Catherine of Aragon, because divorce was against church policy. The year 1535 saw Henry order the closing down of Roman Catholic Abbeys, monasteries and convents across England, Wales and Ireland. This act became known as the 'Dissolution of the Monasteries'. Click here to find out more Until Henry's death in 1547, although split off from Rome, the English Church remained Catholic country. It wasn't until Henry's son, Edward VI, and his advisors, that England became a Protestant country. England becomes a Protestant Country Henry's son Edward was given Protestant teachers and brought up as a strict protestant. Under King Edward VI (1547-1553), England became a Protestant nation. King Edward VI was a devout Protestant and introduced a new prayer book. All church services were held in English. Catholics were treated very badly and catholic bishops were locked up. England returns to being a Catholic country Under Queen Mary I (1553-1558), England was again a Catholic nation. Mary was a devout Catholic. The pope became the head of the church again. Church services changed back to Latin. During the last three years of her reign, 300 leading Protestants who would not accepted Catholic beliefs were burned to death at the stake. Third earned her the nickname of 'Bloody Mary'. Protestant again Elizabeth was raised as a Protestant. Under Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), England was again a Protestant nation. It was under Elizabeth that the Anglican church (Church of England) became firmly established and dominant. However, Elizabeth did her best to sort out the problem of religion. Elizabeth wanted England to have peace and not be divided over religion. She tried to find ways which both the Catholic and Protestant sides would accept and be happy. She did not call herself the Head of the Church of England, instead she was know as the 'Supreme Governor of the English Church'. Although Elizabeth insisted on protestant beliefs, she still allowed many things from the Catholic religion such as bishops, ordained priests, church decorations and priests' vestments. She also produced a prayer book in English, but allowed a Latin edition to be printed.

Elizabeth disliked and punished extreme Protestants and extreme Catholics who tried to convert people to their faiths. Church services were changed back to English. The Dissolution of the Monasteries Introduction When the Pope refused to grant Henry VIII a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he set up the Church of England. (The Roman Catholic faith believed in marriage for life. It did not recognise, let alone support, divorce.) What is the Reformation? The Reformation is the process by which the English Church is split off from the Roman church. Rather than the pope, the king would be the spiritual head of the English church. Click here to find out more 1534 Act of Supremacy The Act of Supremacy (1534) confirmed the break from Rome, declaring Henry to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England. The Dissolution of the Monasteries The conflict between Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church eventually led to the seizure of Church properties by the state. Over 800 monasteries were dissolved, demolished for building materials, sold off or reclaimed as Anglican Churches. Why? After his divorce (on 23 May, 1533), Henry VIII needed to reduce the power of the Church's power in England, as well as find money to fund his fruitless and expensive wars against France and Scotland. When? The year 1536 saw Henry order the closing down of the wealthy Roman Catholic Abbeys, monasteries and convents across England, Wales and Ireland. This act became known as the 'Dissolution of the Monasteries'. The Dissolution of the Monasteries lasted four years to 1540. The last monastery to be dissolved was Waltham Abbey in March 1540. What happened? Henry put Thomas Cromwell in charge of getting rid of the monasteries. Cromwell started by sending royal commissioners to all the monasteries in 1535 - 1536 to find out what they own, how much money they have coming in, and to report on what is happening inside the monasteries. The royal commissioners report stated that the monks and nuns are seriously breaking the rules they should be living by. Titchfield Abbey was given to Thomas Wriothesley, one of Henry's closest friends in 1537. The Act of Suppression (1536) Small monasteries, those with an income of less than 200 a year, are closed. Henry Vlll took ownership of all the buildings, land, money and everything else. Some of the small monasteries stay open because they paid some money to the king. The Act of Suppression (1539) Another Act of Suppression sanctioned the transfer of further monastic possessions to the state. Dissolution of the monasteries timeline 1509 Henry VIII becomes king. September 1527 Henry VIII asks the Pope if he can divorce Catherine of Aragon. The Pope will not let him. 25th January 1533

Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn while he is still married to Catherine of Aragon. July 1533 The Pope says Henry cannot carry on being a Catholic and excommunicates him. November 1534 Act of Supremacy Henry VIII puts himself charge of all the churches and monasteries in England. February 1536 Thomas Cromwell starts the Dissolution of most of the small monasteries in England. October 1536 The Pilgrimage of Grace - a rebellion against the dissolution of the monasteries led by lawyer Robert Aske. November 1537 Thomas Cromwell starts the Dissolution of all the monasteries left in England. March 1540 The end of the Dissolution. All the monasteries in England have been closed. 28th July 1540 Only a few months after the last monastery had been closed down, Thomas Cromwell was beheaded without trial for high treason. He arranged the unsuccessful marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. 28th January 1547 Henry VIII dies. Edward VI becomes king. Reformation The English Reformation started in the reign of Henry VIII when he wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. However, the idea of reformation was started earlier by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a german monk. Martin Luther started a religious movement called the Reformation which lead to the birth of the Protestant faith. He was a Catholic monk who didn't believe that you could just buy your way into heaven. In 1517 he protested against the Catholic practice of granting indulgences. An indulgence was a pardon instead of punishment for a sin. To gain an indulgence, a person had to perform a good deed. This was often giving money to the church, so it looked like the Church was selling pardons. Luther protested that this was wrong. He believed that a man could only be saved by the grace of God.