1485-1603

The Tudors: Kings & Queens of

England

THE TUDORSINTERACTIVE

HISTORY

ASSIGNMENT SITES TO VISIT

REFERENCES

CORE STANDARD

SFUN VIDEOS

The Tudors ruled on the English throne for over a hundred years. What followed was a lavish and bloody dynasty characterized by absolute power and greatness.

Click on the Tudor Monarch for an interactive history of their reign and persona.

Henry VII

Henry VIII

Edward VI

Mary I

Elizabeth I

HENRY VII: The FactsBorn: January 28th, 1457,

son of Edward Tudor and Margaret Beaufort

Reign: 1485-1509Wife: Elizabeth of York,

daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, 1486.

Children: 8, 4 survived infancy

Died: April 21st, 1509, Richmond, Surrey.

Henry VII: Policies & ReignHenry VII called

parliament only 7 times in his reign.

Henry VII regulated the government, promoted foreign trade, increased financial efficiency, and negotiated peace throughout the country.

By the end of his reign, the royal revenue had risen from £52,000 to £142,000 a year.

Henry VII: A Closer LookTo unify the houses that

had been at war, Henry VII combined the red Lancaster rose and the white rose of York to make a new one: the Tudor rose.

Tall and athletic, with blue eyes and dark hair, Henry was considered handsome for his time.

Henry’s union with Elizabeth of York was very happy, and considered by some to be a love match.

• Because of his upbringing and early poverty, Henry VII was sometimes considered a miser, accumulating money and spending very little of it. • In contrast to this allegation, Henry donated money to the church and those in need throughout his life.

Henry VIII: The Facts•Born: June 28th, 1491, second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.•Reign: 1509-1547•Wives: Catherine of Aragon, 1509 (1 child), Anne Boleyn, 1533 (1 child), Jane Seymour, 1536 (1 child), Anne of Cleves, 1540, Katherine Howard, 1540, and Catherine Parr, 1543.•Children: 3•Died: January 28th, 1547, at Whitehall

Henry VIII: Policies & Reign

Henry VIII: A Closer Look When he was

young, Henry was athletic and handsome.

“He spoke several languages, played musical instruments and was adept at dancing, hunting, womanizing and sport.”

Henry was a capable administrator but preferred to leave most of the work in the hands of his Chancellors

and advisors.

Henry instituted laws which allowed him to put to death people on the slightest provocation, including speaking against him.

In spite of his flaws, through Henry VIII the Protestant Reformation came about, forever changing religion.

As Henry grew older, he grew incredibly overweight and diseased, with a waistline of about 50 inches. He had to be lifted by contraptions between the floors of houses and onto his horse.

In addition to becoming obese, Henry became cruel and tyrannical. “By the time of

his death, some 50,000 families” had cause to mourn “at least one member whom Henry had put to death.”

By the time of his death in addition to being hated, Henry left England divided by religion, politically unstable, and hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt.

Edward VI: The FactsBorn: October 12th,

1537, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.

Reign: 1547-1553Wife: None.Children: None.Died: July 6th, 1553

at Greenwich.

Edward VI: Policies & Reign Edward was staunchly

Protestant and solidified Henry VIII’s Reformation by essentially making Catholicism illegal through the First Act of Uniformity.

Edward VI was heavily influenced by his favorites, Edward Seymour and later John Dudley in his life, most likely due to his young age.

Edward made Lady Jane Grey his heir in an attempt to secure a Protestant succession, an act which proved unsuccessful after his Catholic sister Mary took London and later had Jane Grey executed, who had been Queen for only 9 days.

Edward VI: A Closer Look Edward VI is often portrayed as a

weak boy, often ill in his childhood. However, this has yet to be proved.

Edward was exceptionally intelligent, having received a great education from a young age and being surrounded by scholars his entire life.

Edward was known to be “tolerant and kind-hearted,” yet “precocious” and “stubborn” (like his father).

Edward was known to be “tolerant and kind-hearted,” yet “precocious” and “stubborn” (like his father).

History will never be sure what Edward VI died of, some however, speculate that it was possibly tuberculosis.

Mary I: The FactsBorn: February 18th,

1516, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

Reign: 1553-1558Husband: Philip of

Spain, 1554.Children: None.Died: November 17th,

1558, St. James, London.

Mary I: Policies & ReignMary’s steadfast Catholicism

and marriage to the foreigner Philip of Spain made her vastly unpopular with the people.

In 1554 Mary rescinded all anti-Catholic laws made by Edward VI and reconciled with the Pope.

In 1558 the English port in France, Calais, was captured by the French— a loss Mary considered one of her biggest failures.

Mary I: A Closer Look Mary was humiliated in her childhood,

made a bastard, excluded from court, and forced to watch her mother die unhappily and slowly from what was most likely cancer.

Mary was unattractive and unhealthy, often suffering headaches (among other things). She also had poor eyesight, which made her squint unbecomingly.

Mary I earned the nickname “Bloody Mary” because over a period of 3 years she had around 300 Protestants burned at the stake.

Mary was in love with Philip of Spain, although he was not in love with her, and she endured two or more devastating false pregnancies.

Mary was raised and continued to be a very fervent Catholic throughout her life. Her main aim in her reign was to restore the country to what she deemed was the “true faith.”

Mary died miserably from what modern historians conjecture was most likely ovarian cancer.

Elizabeth I: The FactsBorn: September 7th,

1533, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Reign: 1558-1603Husband: None.Children: None.Died: March 24th,

1603, at Richmond, Surrey.

Elizabeth I: Policies & Reign

Elizabeth I: A Closer Look Elizabeth was

imprisoned more than once by her sister Mary I because of the threat she posed.

An exceptionally intelligent woman, Elizabeth knew 6 languages fluently and read 2 hours a day most of her life.

After seeing the extreme Protestantism of Edward VI’s reign and the extreme Catholicism of Mary’s, Elizabeth, although Protestant, tried to strike a tolerant

balance between the two during her reign.

Elizabeth I’s reign is often referred to as the Golden age of England. During her 45 year reign England experienced peace and a great flourishing of the arts and sciences.

A brilliant woman, Elizabeth used her foreign suitors to maintain peace with other countries without entering into marriage.

Elizabeth once said: “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too.”

Elizabeth began wearing thick makeup and wigs after she was scarred and lost much of her hair from smallpox in 1562.

Elizabeth was known to have

favorites: one of her most favored courtiers was a man named Robert Dudley, who many believe she was in love with. She was devastated by his death in 1588.

After a bout of illness and depression, Elizabeth I died in 1603. She is considered the last absolute monarch of England.

Assignment Using this PowerPoint, the

resources and sites listed, and other academic resources, research your favorite Tudor monarch and make a Wikispace about them.

Your Wikispace should have: A neat index at the left side. A home page which introduces

the monarch. Detailed, organized information

on the monarch. Pictures and multimedia. Feel

free to add relevant videos, music, and other multimedia.

List of resources cited using MLA format.

Have fun! Include interesting facts or quotes.

On the day it is due, we will be sharing our Wikispaces in class.

Core Standards Grades 6-12Social Studies: World CivilizationsStandard 4: Students will understand the

influence of revolution and social change in the transition from early modern to contemporary societies.Objective 1: Assess the importance of

intellectual and cultural change on early modern society.D. Examine the roles and conditions of men,

women, and children in European monarchies.

Fun Videos about the TudorsDavid Starkey discusses Elizabeth I in this

dramatic reproduction of Tudor life. http://www.the-tudor-rose.com/elizabeth-by-david-

starkey.htmlDavid Starkey on the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/sixwives/index.htmlFor other PBS programs on Henry VIII and the

Tudors.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/henryviii/

links.html

Sites to VisitHere are some good websites about the

Tudors:-http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs.html-http://tudorhistory.org/-http://www.elizabethi.org/-http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/

ResourcesWebsites:

Hanson, M. (n.d.). Tudor Monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I, Elizabeth I. EnglishHistory.net. Retrieved December 14, 2011, from http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarch

Eakins, L. E. (n.d.). TudorHistory.org. TudorHistory.org. Retrieved December 14, 2011, from http://tudorhistory.org/

Books: Forty, S. (2009). British Kings & Queens. New York: Fall River

Press. Ashley, M. (2007). A Brief History of British Kings & Queens.

Philadelphia, London: Running Press. (Original work published 1998)

Fry, P. S. (2001). Kings & Queens: A Royal History of England & Scotland. London, New York, Sydney, Moscow: DK. (Original work published 1990)