Coordonator, Absolvent,

Prof. Goldis Cristina Mladin Cristina

Argument Chapter IV: Religion
4.1 Break with Rome
Chapter I: Introduction 4.2 Protestant Alliance
1.1 The Dynasty
1.2 Ascent to the Throne Chapter V: See Also
5.1 Tudor Architecture
Chapter II: Rulers 5.2 Tudor Rose
2.1 Henry VII
2.2 Henry VIII Conclusion
2.3 Edward VI
2.4 Lady Jane Grey Bibliography
2.5 Mary I
2.6 Elizabeth I

Chapter III: The age of intrigues and

plots: Elizabeth I
3.1 The Early Years
3.2 Imposing the Church of England
3.3 Pressure to Mary
3.4 Last Hopes for a Tudor Heir
In my opinion, The Tudor Dynasty was the most famous British dynasty that ever ruled. I
was amazed about the incredible lengths some rulers went through to obtain what they
wanted. Here are some of the reasons that convinced me to write about these incredible
rulers.
I really enjoy learning about the past. I found out about The Tudor Dynasty and I really
wanted to do some research on the subject
The radical politics and tactics used by rulers like Henry VIII were very risky. I was
fascinated by the things he was able to do to obtain what he wanted.
The Tudors had a huge impact on England. Besides the political impact, this wonderful
dynasty had also a social impact.
Chapter I: Introduction
1.1 The Dynasty

The five sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-known figures in
Royal history. Of Welsh origin, Henry VII succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses
between the houses of Lancaster and York to found the highly successful Tudor
house. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII and his three children Edward VI, Mary I and
Elizabeth I ruled for 118 eventful years.
During this period, England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers, with
men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. Nearer to home,
campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strict English control.
1.2 Ascent to the Throne

The Tudors descended on Henry VII's mother's side from John Beaufort.
Owen Tudor was one of the body guards for Queen Dowager Catherine of Valois, whose
husband, Henry V of England, had died in 1422. Evidence suggests that the two were secretly
married in 1429. The two sons born of the marriage, Edmund and Jasper.
Edmund died in November 1456. On 28 January 1457, his widow, who had just attained her
fourteenth birthday, gave birth to a son, Henry VII of England.
Henry and Jasper sailed from the mouth of the Seine to the Milford Haven Waterway and
defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Upon this victory, Henry Tudor
proclaimed himself King Henry VII.
Chapter II: Rulers
2.1 Henry VII
On 18 January 1486 at Westminster, he
married Elizabeth of York. Henry VII and
Queen Elizabeth had several children,
four of whom survived infancy: Arthur,
Henry, Margaret and Mary. One of the
main concerns of Henry VII during his
reign was the re-accumulation of the
funds in the royal treasury. He was able
to leave a considerable amount of money
for his son and successor, Henry VIII
2.2 Henry VIII
The new King Henry VIII married
Catherine of Aragon. When Henry first
came to the throne, he had very little
interest in actually ruling. Unfortunately,
Catherine did not bear Henry the sons he
was desperate for. When it became clear
to Henry that the Tudor dynasty was at
risk, he consulted his chief minister
about the possibility of annulling his
marriage to Catherine.
2.3 Edward VI
Henry died on 28 January 1547. Edward,
his nine-year old son by Jane Seymour,
succeeded as Edward VI of England.
Edward VI, despite the fact that he was
only a child of nine, had his mind set on
religious reform. Edward ordered the
publication of the Book of Common
Prayer. Edward VI died on 6 July 1553
from his battle with tuberculosis.
2.2 Mary I
Mary announced that she was intending
to marry the Spanish prince Philip. In her
determination to restore England to the
Catholic faith and to secure her throne
from Protestant threats, she had many
Protestants burnt at the stake. Mary's
main goal was to restore the Catholic
faith to England. Mary died on 17
November 1558. Elizabeth Tudor, her
sister, succeeded to the throne.
Chapter III: The age of intrigues and plots: Elizabeth I
3.1 The Early Years

Elizabeth had a long, turbulent path

to the throne. When her mother was
beheaded, Henry declared Elizabeth
an illegitimate child and she would,
therefore, not be able to inherit the
throne. She was an excellent
student, well-schooled in Latin,
French, Italian, and somewhat in
Greek, and was a talented writer.
After the rebellion of Thomas Wyatt
the younger, Elizabeth was
imprisoned in the Tower of London.
No proof could be found that
Elizabeth was involved and she was
released and retired to the
countryside until the death of her
sister, Mary I of England.
3.2 Imposing the Church of England 3.3 Pressure to marry

Elizabeth was a moderate Protestant; The popularity of Elizabeth was

she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, extremely high, but her Privy Council,
who played a key role in the English her Parliament and her subjects
Reformation in the 1520s. Following thought that the unmarried queen
the Coronation, two important Acts should take a husband. Also, without
were passed through parliament: the an heir, the Tudor dynasty would end;
Act of Uniformity and the Act of the risk of civil war between rival
Supremacy, establishing the claimants was a possibility if Elizabeth
Protestant Church of England and died childless.
creating Elizabeth Supreme Governor
of the Church of England. These acts,
known collectively as the Elizabethan
Religious Settlement, made it
compulsory to attend church services
every Sunday; and imposed an oath
on clergymen and statesmen to
recognize the Church of England, the
independence of the Church of
England from the Catholic Church.
3.4 Last hopes of a Tudor heir

Despite the uncertainty of Elizabeth's and therefore the Tudor dynasty's hold on
England, she never married. The closest she came to marriage was between 1579 and
1581, when she was courted by Francis, Duke of Anjou. Elizabeth knew that the
continuation of the Tudor dynasty was now impossible; she was forty-eight in 1581, and
too old to bear children. By far the most dangerous threat to the Tudor dynasty during
Elizabeth's reign was the Spanish Armada of 1588. Launched by Elizabeth's old suitor
Philip II of Spain. Elizabeth introduced the poor law, allowing peasants who were too ill to
work a certain amount of money from the state. Elizabeth died childless at Richmond
Palace on 24 March 1603. She never named a successor.

Elizabeths tomb The Spanish Armada

Chapter IV: Religion
4.1 Break with Rome
In order to allow Henry VIII to divorce his
wife, the English parliament enacted laws
breaking ties with Rome, and declaring the
king Supreme Head of the Church of
England. The newly appointed Archbishop
of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was then
able to declare Henry's marriage to
Catherine annulled. This allowed Henry to
marry one of his courtiers Anne Boleyn, the
daughter of a minor diplomat Sir Thomas
Boleyn.
Thomas Cranmer
4.2 Protestant Alliance
Henry married again, for the third time,
to Jane Seymour, the daughter of a
Wiltshire knight. Jane became
pregnant, and in 1537 produced a son,
who became King Edward VI following
Henry's death in 1547. In 1540 Henry
married for the fourth time to the
daughter of a Protestant German
duke, Anne of Cleves, thus forming an
alliance with the Protestant German
states. The fifth marriage was to the
Catholic Catherine Howard, the niece
of Thomas Howard, the third Duke of
Norfolk, who was promoted by Norfolk
in the hope that she would persuade
Henry to restore the Catholic religion in
England.
Chapter V: See Also
5.1 Tudor Architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final
development of medieval architecture
during the Tudor period diplomat Sir
Thomas Boleyn. The four-centered arch,
now known as the Tudor arch, was a
defining feature; some of the most
remarkable oriel windows belong to this
period; the moldings are more spread out
and the foliage becomes more naturalistic.
5.1 Tudor Rose
The Tudor rose is the traditional floral
heraldic emblem of England and takes
its name and origins from the Tudor
dynasty. When Henry VII took the
crown of England from Richard III in
battle (1485), he brought about the
end of the Wars of the Roses between
the House of Lancaster (which used the
badge of a red rose) and the House of
York (which used a white-rose badge).
In conclusion, The Tudor Dynasty the most famous British dynasty that ever
ruled. It had a huge influence on Britain, making innovative changes in
architecture, politics, religion and many other fields. Each of the rulers of
The Tudor Dynasty had a unique style, some being peaceful and working
only for the good being of people, some being crude and some working only
for their own well being.
All in all, I really enjoyed studying the history of this complex dynasty with
so many different traits, political views and ways of ruling the country.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_dynasty

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_dynasty#Ascent_to_the_throne

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_dynasty#The_age_of_intrigues_and_plots:_Elizabeth_I

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII_of_England

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_architecture

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_rose