history

• The Tudors reigned from 1485 until 1603. There were 5 crowned monarchs and Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days. The Tudor kings and queens were very powerful and they are well known for the numbers of people executed during the period.
• Henry VII came to the throne after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He was a serious man and faced many challenges to his place as king. Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck were two men that challenged him. He married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. Henry made the Tudor dynasty very strong. When he died in 1509, his son became king. This was not challenged. England was a rich and successful country.
• Henry VIII is the best known of the Tudor Monarchs, he was the second son of Henry VII and became King because his brother, Arthur had died. He married Catherine of Aragon when he became King, but divorced her when she did not give him a son. To get his divorce, Henry had to make the Church of England and end Catholicism. Henry went on to marry another five wives - Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr. Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were executed for treason.  He died in 1547.
• Edward VI came to the throne at the age of 10 years. He 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 died at the age of 16 in 1553.
• Lady Jane Grey was chosen to be Queen by the Duke of Northumberland. He wanted to keep England a Protestant country. Next in the line of succession was Henry VIII's eldest daughter, Mary. The public did not approve of Jane being queen and supported Mary's claim to the throne.  Queen Jane reigned for just 9 days before Mary successfully took the throne. Jane and her husband, Guildford Dudley, son of the Duke of Northumberland, were beheaded.
• Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and was a committed Catholic. When she came to the throne she promised to make England a catholic country again. She is known as bloody Mary because of the numbers of people who were executed for being Protestants. She made herself even more unpopular by marrying Philip of Spain. She never had any children.  Mary died in 1553, probably of cancer of the womb.
• Elizabeth became Queen after her sister Mary I died without an heir
• Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
• Elizabeth turned England into a protestant country
• Elizabeth was very powerful and made all laws in England
• Elizabeth did not marry because she believed her main duty was to be a good queen and protect her country
• Elizabeth was known as the virgin queen
• During Elizabeth's reign, there were many explorers such as Francis Drake who explored the world looking for land to capture for England
• The American State, Virginia, is named after Elizabeth
• When Elizabeth died in 1603, the Tudor line ended
• During the reign of Elizabeth, there was an economic boom. Trade increased and new industries developed such as textiles, iron production and shipbuilding. Many ships were built in ports like London, Bristol and Plymouth. These ships sailed all over the world bringing back goods such as sugar, tobacco and spices. They also carried slaves from Africa to work on plantations in America. English merchants traded with countries around the world including Russia, Turkey, India and China. The East India Company was set up in 1600 to trade with Asia. It still exists today!
• King Henry VIII liked to get his own way and was a bit of a show off. Henry had a fool to make him laugh. The fool told jokes and did funny things, like a clown. Henry VIII enjoyed archery and jousting on a horse.
• The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s favourite ship.  In July 1545,  England and France were at war and the French sent a huge fleet of war ships to invade England.  The English navy , including the Mary Rose was sent out to fight them.  When the Mary Rose fired her cannons, disaster struck.  The ship began to sink.  The French lost the fight but were happy that the Mary Rose sank and they claimed that they shot her down.
• The main reason why the Mary Rose sank was because the gun ports were left open.
• Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, the Spanish-born princess Catherine of Aragon.