England after Henry VIII

A Struggle for Power

The Tudor Dynasty Continues

• When Henry VIII died in 1547, his son Edward VI became king

• Edward was only nine years old so his uncle became his advisor

• Like his father, Edward was a protestant and wanted England to remain a protestant country

• Unfortunately Edward died when he was only 15

A Fight for Power

• After Edward died there was much confusion• Henry VIII did not want Mary to become queen because

she was Catholic, so he had her declared illegitimate by arguing that that his marriage to Mary’s mother was not valid

• His other daughter, Elizabeth, was Protestant, but when Henry declared Mary illegitimate, Elizabeth was also declared illegitimate for the same reason

• Although Henry later tried to reinstate his daughters in the line of succession, they were still legally illegitimate according to English law

• This left the line of succession open for debate – should England follow the wishes of Henry or abide by the letter of English law?

Lady Jane Grey

Jane’s Claim to the Throne

• Jane was Henry VIII’s grandniece

• She argued that both Mary and Elizabeth were illegitimate even though Henry put them in the line of succession

• Edward VI wrote in his will that he wanted the crown passed to Henry VIII’s sister’s Protestant heir (Jane), thereby cutting out Mary and Elizabeth

• BUT Edward could not change the line of succession unless he was at least 21years old

Jane’s Reign

• Jane knew that her claim to power was weak at best, so she convinced a number of English nobles to support her

• Mary was furious and began gathering supporters

• After just nine days as queen, Jane was removed as queen by Parliament

• Mary had her executed

Queen Mary I

• Mary was a Catholic like her mother and wanted England to be Catholic again.

• She harshly persecuted Protestants to restore Catholicism

• She became known as Bloody Mary because she had over 300 protestants executed (many were burned alive)

• She threw Elizabeth in prison to make sure she would not be overthrown

• The English people did not like Mary, many wished she would die so Elizabeth could take over

The Tower of London

Queen Elizabeth I

• Elizabeth succeeded her half sister Mary when she died, was very popular early in her reign

• England became Protestant again, was fairly moderate

• Elizabeth was a well educated and intelligent queen, she ruled for 45 years

• Led England into a golden age, gave the country an identity

The Tomb of Mary

and Elizabeth