Many shows and movies have been made about the Tudor period, such as The Tudors and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, as they are certainly one of the most famous dynasties of monarchs in English history.
The Tudor period, as they are often referred to, lasted between 1485 and 1603, from the coronation of Henry VII (Henry Tudor) until the death of Elizabeth I. It is the sixteenth century that followed after a period of extended war, the Wars of the Roses, before the consolidation of the first British Empire.
The Tudor period in English history lasted from 1485 to 1603. It began with Henry VII, who established the Tudor dynasty after winning the Battle of Bosworth, and ended with the death of Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch. This period is notable for major political, religious, and cultural changes, including the English Reformation, the rise of the Royal Navy, and the flourishing of Elizabethan arts and literature. The Tudor period is often remembered as a transformative era that shaped modern England, bridging medieval traditions and the early modern world.
Generally speaking, it was in this period that England prepared itself for the period of global power that began in the seventeenth century.
🌹 Origins of the Tudor Dynasty
The family’s name, the Tudors, were an aristocratic family from the north of Wales. They came into prominence during what we now know as the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars throughout the fifteenth century between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.
House of York 👑🤍
- Symbol: White rose
- Branch of the royal Plantagenet dynasty through Edward III's son, Edmund of Langley
- Edmund of Langley was made Duke of York
- His descendants = House of York
- Key person during the final war stage: Richard III
House of Lancaster 👑❤️
- Symbol: Red rose
- Branch of the royal Plantagenet dynasty through Edward III's son, John of Gaunt
- John of Gaunt was made Duke of Lancaster
- His descendants = House of Lancaster
- Key person during the final war stage: Henry Tudor
Both houses were royal cousins, and each house claimed they were better successors to the throne during the reign of Henry VI (House of Lancaster). The then Duke of York, Richard, decided to overthrow him, and that's how the War of the Roses began.
Given that the War of the Roses lasted some thirty-two years, through the reigns of Yorkist kings Edward IV and Richard III. Not many of the people who started the war in 1455 were there, in 1487, to see it finish amidst the power shift.
This is precisely why Henry Tudor, who claims to be a descendant of the Lancastrian line through his mother, Margaret Beaufortline, became the leader of the Lancastrians and a claimant to the throne. That's because everyone else in the Lancastrians with a stronger claim had already been killed in the war.
The House of Lancaster, led by Henry Tudor, ultimately won the war at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1487. Henry Tudor, therefore, became Henry VII, which marked the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.
👑 Henry VII: Founder of the Tudor Dynasty
The early years of the Tudors were characterised primarily by Henry’s financial shrewdness and diplomatic pragmatism. Through his strategic marriage to Elizabeth of York, he managed to unify the two warring houses and brought the two symbols together as the Tudor Rose, both red and white. Together, they had seven children, but only three reached adulthood.
Under Henry VII's leadership, he also established major foreign policies and treaties with different nations, which made his rule peaceful and stable. Additionally, he built up the government treasury by means of heavy taxation and through his determination to see a healthy wool and fabric trade in England.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Trade Alliances | - Magnus Intercursus (1496) with Burgundy for wool and cloth trade - Treaty of Medina del Campo (1489) with Spain for trade and peace - Treaty of Étaples (1492) with France for peace and payments |
| Marriage Alliances | - Henry VII married Elizabeth of York - His eldest son, Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon (Spain) - His daughter, Margaret Tudor married James IV of Scotland -His daughter, Mary Tudor was betrothed to Archduke Charles of Burgundy (it was called off and she later married the King of France). |
👑 Henry VIII: The King Who Changed England Forever
Henry VIII was probably the most notorious of the Tudor monarchs. Sure, he had six wives. Sure, he died an obese and grumpy man. And, sure, he was probably quite a charismatic bloke in his time, jousting and writing poetry and music.
But what is important about his reign is the much greater power that he held over England and Wales than any other king previously had. He made this happen – and it certainly couldn’t have happened at any time other than the sixteenth century.
Most memorable event during his reign: The Break with Rome in the early 1530s was due to Henry’s desire for a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and it caused a whole load of trouble with European powers afterwards.
Divorced: Catherine of Aragon
Beheaded: Anne Boleyn
Died: Jane Seymour
Divorced: Anne of Cleves
Beheaded: Catherine Howard
Survived: Catherine Parr
👑Edward VI: The Young, Short-Lived Heir
Edward VI, the young king who succeeded Henry VIII upon his death in 1547, was a committed Protestant. He was the son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour.
Ascending the throne at the age of 10, he had to rely on a regency council for governance, led by his uncle, Edward Seymour, and John Dudley. As a devout Protestant, Edward VI introduced various Protestant reforms, including the establishment of the Book of Common Prayer and the removal of elaborate Catholic decorations in the church.
O Lord God, save Thy chosen people of England. O Lord God, defend this realm from Papistry; and maintain Thy true religion, that I and my people may praise Thy holy Name for Thy Son Jesus Christ's sake.
Edward VI
Unfortunately, he died at the young age of 15, which opened the way for the succession of his older sister, Mary I, a devout Catholic.
👑 Mary I: The First Catholic Queen Regnant
Mary I became England’s first queen regnant in 1553 after deposing Lady Jane Grey. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Unlike her Protestant half-brother, Edward VI, she was determined to restore Roman Catholicism in the country. During her reign, she became notorious for persecuting Protestants, burning about 300 of them at the stake, which earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”
Like her grandfather, she entered into an alliance marriage — this time with Philip II of Spain to strengthen Catholic ties. However, her reign was cut short when she fell ill and died in 1558. As she had no heirs, the throne passed to her half-sister, Elizabeth.
Did you know that Mary I was not made queen immediately after Edward VI's death?
Edward VI chose his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his successor because he wanted to ensure a Protestant succession and prevent his Catholic half-sister Mary from inheriting the throne. However, Lady Jane Grey ruled for only nine days, as Mary had stronger support and a more legitimate claim to the crown.
👑 Elizabeth I: Glorious and Golden Age Ruler
Elizabeth I became Queen of England after the death of her half sister, Mary I. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Elizabeth's reign was one of the longest in England's history, where she restored Protestantism while navigating religious tensions with Catholics with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement in 1559, defeated the Spanish Armada in 1558, and established herself as a prominent political figure, the "Virgin Queen” in a male-dominated political landscape through charisma and an elaborate wardrobe.
👗Gowns owned
📿Pieces of jewellery owned
As she did not marry or have any children, the Tudor dynasty ended with her death. Elizabeth I was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland, the great-grandson of Henry VII through his daughter Margaret Tudor, which united the crowns of England and Scotland.
🌟 Legacy of the Tudor Period
And whilst you can explore deeper about the lives and personalities of the Tudor monarchs in another article, here we’ll be looking at the changes that they made to the Tudor era in general.
⛪ Religious Changes and the Reformation
While Henry VIII’s search for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon was the spark that set off the English Reformation, these ‘protestant’ ideas had been in England for a while. Generally, that other part comes from Europe, where all sorts of different ideas were being spread around as a result of dissatisfaction with the Pope and with the Catholic Church in general.
Initiated the Reformation by breaking from Rome and the Papacy, establishing the Church of England under the monarch’s control through the Act of Supremacy, 1534.
Advanced the movement of Reformation by introducing more Protestant practices, and removed Latin masses, usage of the First Book of Common Prayer (In English)
Tried to reverse the Reformation by reintroducing Catholicism, persecuting Protestants and forging a relationship with Rome
Through the Elizabethan Religious Settlement (1559), she established a Protestant church, which allowed some moderate Catholic practices, which eventually shaped the future of the Anglican church
The Reformation movement marked a key development of a central state in England in the social and economic landscapes, as the monarch became an absolute power in the land.
💰 Social and Economic Developments
The social and economic developments in England during the Tudor period were deeply tied to the Reformation movement. For instance, Henry VIII made up his mind to start the dissolution of the monasteries for a few reasons:
Reduce the influence of the Catholic church
- Strengthen loyalty towards the Church of England (the King)
Reports of monasteries that lived in luxury
- Offer a closure to the public
A new source of income for the Crown
- Lands and properties gained were sold to the nobles and gentry
As a result of this, it created a larger gap between different social classes in England. The Crown, nobles and gentry got richer while the communities surrounding the monasteries faced unemployment and lack of education and basic resources.
Another major economic development during the Tudor dynasty was the establishment of the East India Company in 1600, during the reign of Elizabeth I. It was created to meet England’s growing demand for overseas trade, especially in spices, silk, and cotton. This company would later play a pivotal role in expanding England’s influence in Asia.
Discover fun facts about the Tudor era!
🎭 Cultural Achievements
Of course, we cannot overlook the cultural achievements of this period. The English Renaissance flourished, especially during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Again, the Reformation movement made printing a dominant industry to spread new ideas and enable poets to publish and distribute their literature during this period.
It was also during this time that Elizabethan theatre was the centre stage of entertainment, where commoners and nobles watched the same plays together by famous playwrights like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson.
Additionally, the Tudor period also saw the dominance of exploration and voyages, which was encouraged by Elizabeth I. The Queen wanted to establish England as a strong naval power despite its size for a strong defence. She set high ambitions to expand her empire while looking at Spain to fortify her position. Lastly, she wanted to reduce reliance on overland merchants and travel directly via a sea route for trading to China or India.
Among the key explorers during this period were Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh.
Francis Drake became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. He was also a key contributor to the Spanish Armada's victory and having made trading contacts for spices.
If you're interested to learn more about what life was like in the Tudor period, you can always connect with an experienced history tutor to have a comprehensive understanding of the major happenings of this part of history.
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Have fun exploring the Tudor period!
I may not be a lion, but I am lions cub and I have lion's heart.
Queen Elizabeth I
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