What does the Tudor Rose symbolise?

The Tudor Rose symbolized the union between the English houses of Lancaster

and York. The symbol of the Tudor Rose came about as a result of a marriage between

Henry Tudor of the Tudor dynasty, and Elizabeth of York. After this historical marriage, the

War of Roses came to an end and the Tudor Rose symbol, which combined the white and

red roses of the two houses, was created.

The Tudors were a Welsh-English family that ruled England and Wales from

1485 to 1603 - one of the most exciting periods of British history. They ruled for

118 years.

Henry VII 1485 - 1509

Henry VIII 1509 - 1547

Edward VI 1547 - 1553

Jane Grey 1553 - 1553

Mary I 1553 - 1558

Elizabeth I 1558 - 1603

Tudor England had two of the strongest monarchs ever to sit on the English throne:

Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I.

W h y a r e t h e y s o f a m o u s ?

They are famous for many things, including the Henry VIII and his six wives, the

exploration of America and the plays of William Shakespeare.

During the sixteenth century, England emerged from the medieval world. It was a time of

great change, most notably it marked the end of the Catholic church in England. Great

naval exploits began the great English seafaring tradition.

W h a t d i d t h e T u d o r s d o f o r B r i t a i n ?

During 118 years of Tudor rule, England became richer than ever before. As the

country became wealthier, towns grew, beautiful houses were built and schools and

colleges were set up. Arts and crafts flourished too. England was home to great painters,

writers and musicians.

T u d o r K i n g s a n d Q u e e n s

There were five crowned Tudor kings and queens and they are among the most well-

known figures in Royal history. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII and his three children

Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I ruled for 118 eventful years.

( Lady Jane Grey reigned as Queen for just 9 days.)

Henry Vll

Henry Vlll

Edward l

Mary l

Elizabeth l

Henry Vlll is probably the most well known of the Tudor kings. He was a very selfish

person and by the end of his life everyone was afraid of him, mainly because of his

ruthless behaviour toward anyone who didn't agree with him.

Henry Vlll was born at Greenwich Palace, London on 28 June 1491 and was the

second son of Henry Vll and Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward lV). He became Prince

of Wales and heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502.

When did Henry become king?

He succeeded to the throne after his father's death

on 21 April 1509. He was 17 years old when he

became king.

Henry built fine palaces, and fought wars against

France and Scotland.

Appearance

Tall and thickset, with blue-grey eyes, short auburn

hair and a beard.

Henry Vlll was handsome in his youth, but became

bloated and fat (he had a 54-inch waist when he

was 50).

He dressed lavishly, wearing a gold collar with a diamond as big as a walnut and many

rings.

Religion

Henry Vlll brought religious upheaval to England. When he became king, most people

belonged to the Catholic Church, which was headed by the Pope, in Rome. In 1534, Henry

broke away from the Catholic Church and proclaimed himself head of the Church of

England. The land and riches of the church became Henry's property and he sold off most

of this land to dukes, barons and other noblemen.

Sport / Hobbies

Henry Vlll was a great athlete in his youth. Henry threw the javelin and enjoyed hunting,

archery, jousting and tennis. He spoke French, Spanish, Latin and some Italian and was a

good musician. Henry played the lute and harpsichord well and could sing from sight.

Home

Henry Vlll lived at Hampton Court Palace in London.

Family Life

Henry Vlll wanted a son to rule after him. He first married his brother's widow, Catherine of

Aragon but divorced her when she did not produce a male heir to the throne. He married

three times more before a son was born. In total he married six times!

Henry VIII’s six wives

Catherine of Aragon (the first one)

Anne Boleyn (the second one)

Jane Seymour (the third one)

Anne of Cleves (the fourth one)

Kathryn Howard (the fifth one)

Katherine Parr (the sixth and last one)

DIVORCED, BEHEADED, DIED

DIVORCED, BEHEADED, SURVIVED

How many children did Henry VIII have?

Henry Vlll had three children - Mary (by Catherine of Aragon), Elizabeth (by Anne Boleyn)

and Edward (by Jane Seymour). Each became a monarch - Edward Vl, Mary l (or Mary

Tudor) and Elizabeth l in that order.

His son, Edward Vl ruled for six years after Henry's death, he became King at age 9 and

died at age 15. Henry's daughter Mary ruled for the next five years, but also died without

children. Finally, Henry's last surviving child, Elizabeth I became Queen, and ruled for 45

years.

D e a t h

Henry died in St James's Palace, Westminster, around 2 am on Friday 28 January 1547,

aged 55 years. His funeral procession to Windsor was four miles long. He was buried at

Windsor Castle beside his third wife, Jane Seymour.

I m p o r t a n t e v e n t s d u r i n g t h e r e i g n o f H e n r y V l l l

1. King Henry Vlll, Henry's son, successfully united England and Wales under one

system of government. The two countries were joined in 1536.

2. Henry Vlll wanted a male heir, but his wife had not given birth to a son. Henry

wanted to divorce her and take a new wife. The Roman Catholic Church refused to

grant the divorce. In order to gain his divorce, Henry had to establish the Church of

England and end Catholicism.

Henry passed a law in 1534 making himself head of the Church of England. This

act allowed him to divorce his wife and led to the formation of the Protestant Church

of England. The Protestant movement was known as the Reformation.

( r e i g n e d 1 5 5 8 - 1 6 0 3 )

Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich Palace on 7

September 1533, the younger daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne

Boleyn.

When Elizabeth came to the throne, she was

25. She succeeded to the throne on her half-

sister's death in November 1558.

Sport / Hobbies

Elizabeth liked hunting and enjoyed court masques

(entertainment of poetry, songs and dancing). She was

very well-educated and was fluent in six languages.

Religion

Elizabeth made England Protestant again and her will

was the law.

Marriage

She did not marry and was known as the Virgin Queen.

War

During her reign, England became enemy of Catholic Spain, and Elizabeth fought against

Philip II's navy (the Spanish Armada).

Death

The Tudor period ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth I on 24th March 1603 after 45

years on the throne. She had no husband or children to succeed her.

Golden Age of English History

Elizabeth I's rule is remembered as the Golden Age of English history. Under her rule,

England advanced in such areas as foreign trade, exploration, literature, and the arts.

During Elizabeth's reign the age of exploration began with explorers such as Francis

Drake claiming new lands for England and introducing new materials and foods. The

American State, Virginia, is named after her.

Interesting Facts about Queen Elizabeth I

In 1562 she became sick with smallpox. Unlike many people who died from the disease, she managed to survive.

Elizabeth liked to have pictures painted of her. There were more portraits painted of her than any other English monarch.

After becoming queen, Elizabeth enjoyed dressing in fancy gowns. The style of the times followed her lead becoming full of ruffles, braids, wide sleeves, intricate embroidery, and lined with jewels.

By the end of her reign, there were around 200,000 people living in the city of London.

She was a huge fan of William Shakespeare's plays.

Her nicknames include Good Queen Bess and The Virgin Queen.

Who was the next King or Queen? James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne, uniting both countries.