The Tudors were one of the most interesting royal households to ever rule England and Wales. The Tudor period lasted from 1485 - when Henry VII became King of England and Wales after defeating King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth - until 1603, when Elizabeth I died. King Richard III was the last English and Welsh king to die in battle. Henry VIII became the second Tudor King in 1509 - following the death of his father King Henry VII. The reign of Henry VIII was a colourful one; he changed the course of history forever, both on the British Isles, and in Europe.
All three of Henry VIII’s children became ruling monarchs in their own right. His son, Edward, became King Edward VI in 1547 and reigned until 1553. When Edward VI died in 1553, the crown went to Mary Tudor. Mary Tudor (Queen Mary I), became the first female monarch to rule England, she reigned from 1553 to 1558. After the death of Mary I, the crown went to her half sister, Elizabeth Tudor (Queen Elizabeth I). Elizabeth I has become one of England’s longest serving monarchs to this day, she reigned from 1558 to 1603. The Tudor house and period was over with the death of Elizabeth I, she was the last of Henry VIII’s children to take the throne but never had any children herself. The Tudor era lasted over 100 years. It was an era that resulted in tyranny, bloodshed, political scandals, the breakup of the Catholic church in England which resulted in the country adopting Protestantism as its main religion, and an era which saw England having its first two Queens ruling in their own right. The Tudors themselves were as interesting as the historical events which took place during the Tudor era. In this list, we are not just going to include Kings and Queens who ruled in their own right during this era, we are also going to include Queen consorts and those who married into the Tudor household. Let's get started with number 10, with Catherine Parr!
10. Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr was Henry VIII’s last Queen and wife. He was married five times previously. Catherine Parr was fortunate enough to keep her head, unlike two of Henry’s other wives. She was one of two of Henry’s wives who outlived him, which was an achievement in itself - the other wife of Henry VIII who outlived him was Anne of Cleeves.
Catherine may seem like a minor Tudor, however, her role in history was important. She helped restore Henry’s children - Elizabeth and Mary - to the line of succession, through influencing Henry VIII to restore his two daughters to the line of succession through the Third Succession Act 1543. If it wasn’t for the Third Succession Act 1543 then history may have looked very different, it could have resulted in Mary I and Elizabeth I never becoming Queens. 9. Lady Jane Grey
If the Third Succession Act 1543 hadn’t been passed, then perhaps Lady Jane Grey would have succeeded in becoming Queen of England. Or, those who pushed her to become Queen of England would have been successful in making her Queen of England. It was through the Third Succession Act 1543 that gave the next heir to the English throne - Mary Tudor - solid ground to become the next ruling monarch of England after her brother Edward died.
Mary’s transition to becoming the ruling monarch wasn’t an easy one though, as Lady Jane Grey laid claim to the throne. Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen by others upon Edward’s death because she was the great-great granddaughter of Henry VII. However, the Third Act of Succession meant that the throne belonged to Mary Tudor. In short, Lady Jane Grey was never coronated, she was de facto Queen for nine days after the death of Edward VII and was later executed as a traitor by Mary Tudor. 8. Henry VII
Henry VII was the first Tudor monarch. He reigned from 1485 to 1509. Henry VII gained the throne of England after he had defeated Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth - King Richard III was the last English King to die in battle, and his death drew an end to the War of the Roses; the War of the Roses stopped in 1487, just two years after Henry VII came to the throne.
Henry VII is best known for defeating King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth and being the last King to ascend the English throne through battle. Richard III was defeated by Henry VII’s men during the battle, his defeat paved the way for the House of Tudor to rule England. Henry VII’s ascension to the throne of England started the 118 year reign of the Tudors. He is best known for defeating Richard III and being the first Tudor monarch. 7. Edward VI
Edward VI succeeded his father, King Henry VIII, to become King of England and Ireland in 1547. He was only a child when he became and ruled as King, therefore, a regency council ruled on Edward’s behalf. This regency council included men like Edward’s uncle - Edward Seymour. The regency council was only meant to rule for Edward VI until he became an adult - something which never happened, as the King died a premature death at the age of 15.
In many ways, King Edward VI was King in name alone, due to his lack of maturity to rule as King. However, he wasn’t completely powerless - Edward first opposed his sister, Mary Tudor, becoming Queen of England because of her catholic religion, he therefore named his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as his successor, this created a succession crisis after his death. Edward VI is best known for the succession crisis that he left behind upon his death. 6. Jane Seymour
Edward’s short reign couldn’t have happened without his mother: Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour was Henry VIII’s third wife, and is best known for giving Henry VIII the son he so desperately wanted. However, Jane Seymour also suffered a premature death, she died soon after giving birth to Edward and was only 28 years old when she died.
Out of all of his Queens, Jane Seymour seems to have made the biggest impact on Henry VIII’s heart - he wore black for the first few months after the death of Jane Seymour, he also said that Jane was his true wife and love, wanted (and was) buried next to Jane Seymour, and of course - gave Henry VIII the son that he wanted. Henry likely loved Jane the most out of all of his Queens. Jane Seymour was Queen consort from 1536 to 1537. 5. Anne Boleyn
From the most loved, to perhaps the most despised by Henry VIII, we have Anne Boleyn. Certainly in the beginning, Henry did have affection for Anne Boleyn, but perhaps his time with Anne can be said to be more lust and passion, than love. Henry seemed to tire quickly of Anne when he was finally with her. He courted Anne Boleyn for eleven years, and was only married to her for three years - perhaps it could be said that Henry was more interested in the chase with Anne, than anything else.
In saying that though, he must have felt something for her in the beginning, as he broke apart the Catholic church in England to marry Anne. Anne gave Henry a daughter - Elizabeth I. But she failed to give Henry the son and heir that he so desperately wanted, it was perhaps this that resulted in Henry tiring of Anne. Anne Boleyn was Queen consort of England from 1533 to 1536. She had one of the most spectacular downfalls of any monarch in history - Anne was beheaded on the 19th of May 1536 for adultery, witchcraft and incest. It’s unclear who exactly was responsible for Anne’s downfall, although, one of the prime suspects is Thomas Cromwell (Henry VIII’s chief minister). 4. Jane Boleyn
Another prime suspect for Anne Boleyn's downfall was her sister-in-law: Jane Boleyn. Jane Boleyn has had an infamous role in history - she was thought to have accused her husband George Boleyn (Anne’s brother) and Anne herself of having an affair, it’s thought that this was one of the damning things that brought about the downfall of both George Boleyn and Anne Boleyn (as both of them were executed).
Jane’s accusation towards her brother and sister-in-law isn’t believed to be based on anything which happened between George and Anne, rather, it seems more to have been motivated by vengeance. It is because of this that Jane Seymour has been regarded as infamous in history. Jane faced her own downfall several years later, when she was executed by Henry VIII in 1542 for helping Henry’s fifth wife - Catherine Howard - have an affair. 3. Mary I
Mary I was the first Queen of England. The reign of Mary I (Mary Tudor), Henry VIII’s daughter, lasted from 1553 to 1558. The succession to the throne wasn’t easy for Mary I, she had to overthrow the ‘nine day Queen’ Lady Jane Grey to become Queen.
Her succession to the throne is one of the things that Mary Tudor is known for, but it is not the only thing: she is also known for her re-establishment of the Catholic religion in England during her reign and her cruel persecution of Protestants. Her cruel persecution of Protestants resulted in Mary burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake, which gave her the nickname of ‘Bloody Mary’. Henry VIII’s first daughter is most infamously known as Bloody Mary. Mary had a phantom pregnancy, but she didn’t have any children. Therefore, she had no heirs to succeed her. After three short, but ruthless years as Queen, Mary died, naming her sister Elizabeth as her successor. 2. Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I became the second Tudor Queen to rule in her own right, she ascended the throne in 1558. Like her sister Mary, Elizabeth never had any children, and therefore, never had her own heir to succeed her. Unlike her sister, Elizabeth I never married, where Mary did, and Elizabeth’s reign was a long one lasting almost 50 years.
Due to the length of her reign, Elizabeth I has been one of the longest and most successful monarchs to every sit on any British throne. She succeeded in restoring the Protestant religion to England after her sister Mary had died. Although the two sisters did have different beliefs and upbringings, it appears that Mary had at least some affection for her sister, as she named Elizabeth as her successor - she could have killed Elizabeth like she had done with Lady Jane Grey, but she didn’t. Although, probably not overwhelming affection, as Mary had Elizabeth under house arrest for some of Mary’s reign. It is, however, another Mary that Elizabeth I is most well-known for: Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I were cousins. Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship with one another wasn’t as straightforward as is often assumed. What we do know is that they never met, their relationship with one another was always from a distance. Elizabeth I was the second daughter of Henry VIII. 1. Henry VIII
Our top Tudor monarch is of course King Henry VIII himself. Henry VIII had quite a reign, he reigned as King of England for over 30 years, from 1509 to 1547.
His reign was quite the eventful one. He was married a record six times. His wives, in the order he married them, were: 1) Catherine of Aragon, 2) Anne Boleyn, 3) Jane Seymour, 4) Anne of Cleeves, 5) Catherine Howard, and 6) Catherine Parr. He had two of them - Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard - beheaded. Catherine of Aragon was banished. Jane Seymour died after giving birth to Henry VIII’s son; Edward VI. And two of his wives outlived him: Anne of Cleeves and Catherine Parr. Henry also had three legitimate children. He had Mary I to Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth I to Anne Boleyn, and Edward VI to Jane Seymour. All three of his children became King and Queens of England, however, Mary I and Edward VI's reign didn’t last long. Henry is mostly known for his six wives. However, he is also known for his ruthlessness as King - he had many people close to him killed, including two of his wives, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More. Henry spared no one his wrath if he thought they crossed him. Finally, King Henry VIII is known for establishing the Protestant religion in England.
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