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404 History

FIND OUT MORE. Monarchy 410 • Reformation 399

Globe

suggests

England’s

growing role

overseas

CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Henry VIII finally broke with the Roman

Catholic Church in 1534. However, he also

rejected the Protestant teachings of Martin

Luther. In 1559, after years of religious

conflict, Elizabeth I created a reformed

Church of England which contained both

Catholic and Protestant elements. It was,

and still is, headed by the monarch.

WHY DID RELIGION TROUBLE THE TUDORS?

Henry VIII’s political quarrel with the Pope coincided

with the bitter religious quarrels of the Reformation

in Europe. Edward VI and Elizabeth I were both

Protestant, while Mary I was an ardent Catholic.

Many ordinary people were tortured and executed for

having a different faith to the reigning monarch.

FOUNTAINS ABBEY, YORKSHIRE 3

Roman Catholic monasteries and convents were closed

down or “dissolved” by orders of 1536 and 1539.

Many were ransacked and today lie in ruins.

1485 Henry VII wins

throne from

Richard III

1509 Henry VIII is

crowned king

1547 Rule of the boy

king Edward VI

1553 Reign of Mary I

1558 Elizabeth I

becomes queen

1603 Death of

Elizabeth I

TUDOR MONARCHS

Crown

is a symbol

of royal power

Spanish

Armada, or

war fleet, is

shown nearing

England in

1588

WHY DID HENRY VIII QUARREL WITH THE POPE?

King Henry VIII married his elder brother’s widow,

a Spanish princess called Catherine of Aragon.

Although she had a daughter, Mary, she did not

produce the male heir Henry wanted. The king fell in

love with a beautiful courtier called Anne Boleyn.

When the Pope refused him a divorce, Henry VIII

made himself head of a. CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

HOW DID TUDOR MERCHANTS BECOME WEALTHY?

The Tudor economy depended on wool and the cloth

trade, which was centred in the English region of East

Anglia. To expand their trade, merchants and ships’

captains began to seek new business in distant lands.

WHO WAS THE GREATEST TUDOR MONARCH?

Henry VIII was followed as ruler by his three children,

Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Elizabeth was a

strong and popular ruler, and a shrewd politician. She

never married. Her reign saw battles with Spain,

exploration of the New World, and a flowering of

poetry and theatre.

Tudor Age

The Tudors were a family of Welsh,

French, and English descent. From

1485 to 1603 they ruled England,

Wales, and rebellious Ireland. The

Tudor kingdom became a powerful

force in Europe and the New World.

Spanish Armada

is attacked by English ships

and scattered by storms

4 PORTRAIT OF POWER

This image of Elizabeth I shows

her as a powerful and confident

ruler. The background shows the

defeat of the Spanish Armada

in 1588, a fleet sent by Catholic

Philip II of Spain in a bid to

overthrow Elizabeth and restore

the Catholic church to England.

HENRY VIII

1491–1547

As a young man, Henry was

handsome and intelligent. He

loved hunting and dancing,

and also composed music. As

king, he became increasingly

arrogant, selfish, and

overweight. He married six

times and had two of his

wives executed. His reign was

marked by political plotting,

religious strife, and rebellion.

Tudor age