The witch hunts and witch trials that happened hundreds of years ago are some of the most infamous events that have happened throughout history.
Perhaps the most infamous witch trials were those that happened in Salem Massachusetts, in the United States of America. The Salem Witch Trials happened between 1692 and 1693. The European witch hunts and trials were already happening long before the Salem witch hunts took place - the Salem Witch Trials happened in the dying decades of the witch trials that were happening across Europe during the early modern era.
The witch-hunts were happening in Europe from 1450 to 1750. These witch-hunts resulted in the brutal deaths of both people and animals in Europe.
The witch-hunts in the early modern era of Europe, resulted in many different European countries having witch trials. These countries included - Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, England and many more. In England, the witch-trials resulted in the 'The Witchcraft Act 1542'. The Witchcraft Act 1542, was a law that King Henry VIII had passed. This law was passed in the final years of King Henry VIII's reign, as the Tudor monarch died in 1547. This resulted in Henry's son, Edward, becoming king of England - King Edward repealed the Witchcraft Act that his father had put in place. The witch trials didn't stop in England though at that point; they lasted from the 15th century to the 18th century in England. The witch trials in England resulted in hundreds of deaths, the vast majority of people persecuted and killed because of the witch trials, were women. In Scotland, there were different witchcraft acts. For example, the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 was passed. This act resulted in witchcraft and associating with witches as a capital offence. It is estimated that witch trials and hunts were significantly higher in Scotland, compared to England - as it is estimated that there were thousands of people persecuted in Scotland for being witches.
King James VI of Scotland (James I of England), was perhaps the most notorious person in history to be associated with the witch hunts and trials. James was notoriouslysuperstitious ; his dark superstitious nature resulted in thisking's brutal witch hunts.
The Scottish king himself personally attended Scotland's first major witch trials; these witch trials were called the North Berwick witch trials. There was said to be between 70 to 200 women who were arrested and accused of being witches; these women were tortured upon their arrest and murdered - though the exact number of women persecuted in the North Berwick witch trials is unknown to this day. The witch hunts in Scotland were significantly worse than its neighbour England. While England was thought to have killed around 500 people (mostly women) of witchcraft, the death rate was 3 to 4 times higher in Scotland, as it is estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 women in Scotland were killed because they were accused of witchcraft. The Witchcraft Act 1735 During the height of the witch trials, Scotland and England were united in the union. The Act of Union 1707, united Scotland and England to form one country. The witch trials and witch hunts were still happening during this time, however, these hunts and trials were ending. The Witchcraft Act 1735, which was made law in the Kingdom of Britain, resulted in the killing of witches being outlaw in Britain. However, people could still be sent to prison for witchcraft. The last witch-hunting trials which happened in England were in 1717 in Leicester. The witch hunting trials seemed to put an end to people being killed in the name of witchcraft, however, women (largely) were still imprisoned for witchcraft up until very recent history, due to the Witchcraft Act 1735. Remarkably, Scotland's last witch was sent to prison in 1944! The persecution of women in the name of witchcraft, stopped in Britain when the Witchcraft Act of 1735 was repealed by the UK parliament in 1951.
The biggest amount of witch trials and hunts across Europe came between 1580 and 1630.
These witch hunts and trials happened in much of Europe. It is believed that men, women and even animals were killed as a result of the witch hunts. The vast majority of those killed in the name of witchcraft across Europe were women. And, most of these women were usually either middle-aged or elderly; they often lived alone too. These women were also poor and social outcasts. This resulted in the thousands of women (and some men), during the early modern era in Western Europe. It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people were killed, tortured and hanged as a result of being accused of witchcraft between 1484 and 1750. What Was The Reason For The Witch Hunts? A major driving force in the witch hunts and trials seemed to be misogyny : a hatred of women. The vast majority of those accused of witchcraft were women. It was believed that 80% of those persecuted and killed in the name of witchcraft in the early modern era, were women. This has resulted in people theorizing that the witch hunts which happened were driven bymisogyny. Another reason that people believe that the witch hunts happened, was due to mass hysteria and moral panic. Mass hysteria has been seen as the reason, specifically for the Salem witch trials. Other reasons for the witch hunts happening are - people not fitting in with the social and religious beliefs and ways of life at the time, persecution of elderly and old women. It seems likely that is was a combination of all of these things that resulted in the witch trials and hunts of the early modern era in history; rather than just one thing being responsible for them. The witch trials and hunts were one of Europe's most infamous and brutal events in history.
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On this day in history, Queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533.
Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was the only child they had together. Though, Anne Boleyn did suffer several miscarriages to Henry. Elizabeth was the only child that Anne Boleyn had. King Henry VIII, on the other hand, had other children, but they were not to Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was Henry's second daughter. His first daughter - Mary; who would later become Queen Mary I (also known as Bloody Mary) - was to his first wife Catherine of Aragon.
Henry had two daughters and a son. His son, Edward, was to his third wife: Jane Seymour. Edward would succeed his father to be king upon his death. But Edward was only a child when he became king and his reign didn't last long, as the young king died very prematurely while he was still a teenager. The passing from the crown from Edward to his half-sister Mary didn't go smoothly.
The passing of the crown didn't go smoothly as Lady Jane Grey claimed the English throne. Her claim to the throne of England didn't last very long though. Grey, became known as the 'nine-day Queen'. She became known as the nine-day Queen but was never officially crowned queen.
Lady Jane Grey was deposed from the throne by Edward's half-sister Mary, who had a stronger claim to the throne than her cousin Jane. Mary had her cousin Lady Jane Grey executed for attempting to take the crown from her, this resulted in Mary becoming the second of Henry VIII's children becoming monarch.
Mary didn't just become a monarch though when she became Queen of England, she also became the first Queen of England and made the way for future female monarchs to become Queen. One of those female monarchs was her half-sister - Elizabeth. Queen Mary, didn't reign for long on the throne, she was only Queen for a few years. In her dying days, Mary named her successor as her half-sister, Elizabeth. When Mary died, Elizabeth became the third and final of Henry VIII's children to become monarch of England. Elizabeth reigned the longest of the three siblings - she was one of England's longest-serving monarchs to this day,Elizabeth I reigned for a very impressive 45 years. The reign of Elizabeth is called the Elizabethan era. The Journey To Become Queen That journey to become Queen started in 1533 when she was born. Anne Boleyn is said to have found out that she was pregnant in January 1533. Then, on September 7th, 1533, Elizabeth (the future Elizabeth I was born).
Jane Seymour was publicly proclaimed Queen on the 4th of June 1536.
She was the third queen and wife of King Henry VIII. Before Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII married twice beforehand. The first woman he was married to was Catherine of Aragon, this marriage lasted from 1509 to 1533. The second woman he married was Anne Bolyen. The marriage between Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII was much shorter, it lasted from 1533 to 1536. The kings second shortest marriage was to Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour married the Tudor monarch just days before she was proclaimed queen. They married on the 30th of May 1536 and she became queen of England just days later on the 4th of June 1536. They became engaged just several days prior to their marriage. The engagement between Henry VIII and Jane Seymour strongly suggests that they were courting each other while the king was still married to Anne Boleyn, as Anne Boleyn was only executed a day before the announcment of their engagement and she was only arrested a few weeks before her execuation: Anne Boleyn was arrested on the 2nd of May 1536 for charges that included adultry and treason.
Jane was only proclaimed queen, she was never crowned queen of England. The reason that she was never crowned was due to there being a plague in London at the time time.
But she did go on to get pregant. Unlike Anne who was pregnant when she got married to Henry, Jane was not - it would be several months after her marriage to the king that she would fall pregant with his child. She first became preganant around Christmas in 1536. However, she miscarried the child. It didn't take her long to get pregnant again though, as by January 1537, Jane Seymour was pregnant again. And this time, she carried the child to term. She gave birth to the future King Edward VI on the 12th of October 1537. Jane gave birth to the son the Henry had always wanted, and the son that his first two wives failed to produce. But, even though Henry finally got the son he always wanted, it wasn't an entirley successful pregnancy - Jane had difficulty giving birth and it ended in tragedy as it seems as if her death was caused several weeks after the birth of her son from complications she went through at childbirth. Jane died on the 24th of October 1537. It resulted her being queen for just over a year and one of the shortest monarchs in English history. But, even though her time as queen was short, she did make an impact, as she gave Henry VIII the son he had always wanted, she had brough Henry's first child - Mary Tudor (later to be queen Mary I), from his first marriage, back to court from being banished by the King and helped restore Mary Tudor to the line of succession. She also seems to be the woman that captured Henry's heart the most, as he refered to her as his true love and requested to be buried next to her upon his death. To this day, both Henry VIII and Jane Seymour are buried next to each other in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Jane was queen from the 4th of June 1536 to the 24th of October 1537.
On this day in history, Anne Boleyn - King Henry VIII's - became queen of England.
She was not a queen that ruled in her own right. Instead, Anne Boleyn was queen consort. Even though Anne Boleyn was only queen consort, she was still incredibly powerful. Her powerful influence in the Tudor court and on Henry VIII, resulted in one of history's most important events: the English reformation. The English reformation was significant, as it weakened the Catholic church (probably the most powerful institution at the time). The Catholic church still remained incredibly powerful during the English Reformation beyond. However, the Catholic church lost much of it's authority over England, as Henry VIII became leader of the church in England as a result of the reformation.
Anne Boleyn was instrumental in breaking the Catholic churches grip over England, as she was sympathetic to the reformation cause. She was also instrumental in breaking Romes authority over England as Henry broke with Rome so he could marry her.
Henry chose to break with Rome because Rome refused to grant Henry a divorce: the Pope, Pope Clement VII, refused to grant Henry a divorce to his first wife - Catherine of Aragon. This in turn resulted in Henry VIII's rebellion towards Catholicism and the pope. The break from Rome was years in the making, as Henry VIII began his pursuit of Anne Boleyn long before his break from Rome. It is believed that Henry began to pursue Anne in early 1526. It was a long courting, as they married years later, on the 25th of January 1533 - by this point, Anne was pregnant with Henry's second child (and her first to him): the future Elizabeth I, who was born later that year in September. Henry's first child was to his first wife - Mary Tudor, who later became Mary I. Six months after Henry and Anne had married, Anne became queen consort. She became queen consort through her coronation, which took place on the 1st of June 1533.
On this day in history, Henry VIII became the leader of the Church of England.
On the 11th of February 1534, Henry VIII became the Supreme Head of the Church of England. King Henry VIII became the legal Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1534 with the passing of the 1534 Act of Supremacy. The 1534 Act Of Supremacy was passed by Henry VIII's parliament, the act granted Henry the legal right to rule the Church of England. But, it was not an act that solely was about giving Henry VIII the legal right to rule the Church of England, it was also an act that forced England's people to see Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn (the King's second wife) as his legitimate wife.
The Act of Supremacy in 1534 resulted in the English church breaking away from the Vatican. This resulted in the English Reformation - the English Church was no longer part of the Catholic Church when the Reformation happen, the Church of England became a Protestant Church and broke away from the Pope's authority.
The English Reformation resulted in the dissolution of England's monasteries and resulted in Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn becoming official.
The monarchy is a British institution like no other. It is historic, both for its longevity, and its traditions. The history of the monarchy has all sorts of different historical events condensed into one. From dramas, to love, romance, marriages, deaths, battles, war, religious conflicts, political scandals...you name it, monarchical history has it. And that is what makes it so interesting: the history of the British monarch has been like Game of Thrones in action.
Of course, things have mellowed down as to how the British monarchy used to be. But the history of the British monarchy is still fascinating. A large part to do with how fascinating the British monarchy has been throughout history, is down to the individual monarchs themselves. There is a long list of monarchs who are diverse and interesting. In this list, we are going to look at ten monarchs who have all been different and unique in their own way. These top ten monarchs are from a range of different historical eras. Their era, as well as their choices, influenced and shaped history on the British Isles forever, and that is why they have a place in our top ten list of monarchs from the British Isles. This top ten monarchs list will be based on which monarchs have had the greatest and most influential role in history. It will be about how these monarchs shaped the history of the British Isles, both at the time of their own reign and how their actions helped shaped future historical eras. This list won’t be based on how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ these kings and queens were. Instead, it’s based on how impactful they have been on history, their longevity, their memorability to us and how they changed the course of history on the British Isles forever. Let’s start with our top ten list of monarchs to sit on any British throne list!
10. Ethelflaed
Kicking off our top ten list is Ethelflaed. Ethelflaed was the daughter of King Alfred the Great; King Alfred the Great was King of the Anglo-Saxons between 886 and 899, he was also King of the West Saxons between 871 and 886. Ethelflaed is not only known for being the daughter of Alfred the Great, she is also known for being the ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Merica.
The Kingdom of Merica was one of the kingdoms that existed on the British Isles before the Kingdom of England was formed, Ethelflaed was Lady of the Mercians from 911 to 918. She is on our top ten list because Ethelflaed was a warrior Queen who broke down the glass ceiling. This Lady of the Mercians was the only female royal ruler of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, and she was a warrior Queen who notably took on the Vikings. Ethaelflaed was a war-like monarch, who defended the Kingdom of Mercia several times against the Vikings, and, due to her warrior strength and military savviness defended her Kingdom agaist the Vikings on several occasions. Her military strength and cleverness is one of the reasons why she deserves to be on this top ten list. Another reason why she deserves to be on this top ten list is due her breaking down the glass ceiling for other female monarchs on the British Isles to lead their kingdoms. She paved the way for Matilda, Elizabeth I, Mary I, Mary Queen of Scots, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II. We haven’t had many female Queens in history who have led in their own right, Ethelflaed deserves to be remembered for being the first female monarch to rule a kingdom on the British Isles. She wasn’t the first Queen of England though. The first Queen of England was Mary I (Bloody Mary), who became Queen of England several hundred years after Ethelflaed had died. 9. William the Conqueror
We are staying with the medieval era, but looking at another impactful monarch of the medieval era: William the Conqueror. William the Conqueror is well-known to us all. William is known for his Norman conquest of England in 1066, and is known for being the first Norman King in history. William the Conqueror (also William I) fought and defeated Edward II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was a turning point in history and laid the foundations for the England we know today. The England that William I won, and won the right to rule over was only a newly formed kingdom around the same time that William the Conqueror became King of England. A few decades before the Battle of Hastings, the Kingdom of England didn’t exist. Instead there were a few different kingdoms in its place, such as the Kingdom of Merica, a Kingdom that King Ethelstan unified with our Kingdoms to create the Kingdom of England.
King Ethelstan was the first ruler of England, however, William the Conqueror is often looked upon as the first King of England. William has managed to make an impact on history that other monarchs have failed to do, such as Ethelstan. This is another reason why William the Conqueror is on this list, because he has made an impact on history that few monarchs have. There have been hundreds of battles fought on the British Isles and most of them are not memorable, or well-known. However, the Battle of Hastings is one of those few exceptions. The Battle of Hastings has cemented William the Conqueror’s place in history, both for his role in the battle, William’s speech after winning the battle, and how it shaped the course of English history. Another, and final thing that makes William’s reign as king memorable, is due to his coronation itself. The coronation of William was on Christmas day 1066, which resulted in him officially becoming King of England. 8. Llywelyn the Great
From one unifying King to another unifying King, we now look to Wales and to Llywelyn the Great. Llywelyn the Great is one of the longest-serving monarchs the British Isles has ever had. For this reason, he deserves to be in our top ten list of monarchs on the British Isles. Llywelyn reigned as King of Wales for an impressive 45 years, resulting in him being one of the longest-serving monarchs the British Isles has ever had. He is the eighth longest-serving monarchs in Britain of all time, this impressive reign by Llywelyn, was a longer reign than Elizabeth I had.
The long reign of Llywelyn the Great suggests a strong, resilient and savvy political and military leader. These traits are shown in what Llywelyn accomplished during his reign as King. Llywelyn the Great successfully united Wales as one. Before that, we he first became King, he was only King of North Wales. However, due to his political savviness, diplomacy skills, war-like spirit and strength, successfully resulted in Llywelyn the Great uniting Wales. For is role in uniting Wales and creating the Wales we know and love today, is one of the main reasons why Llywelyn the Great deserves to be on this list. There is one final reason why this Welsh King deserves to be on this list: he was instrumental in the Magna Carta being enshrined into law. The Magan Carta is, probably, the single most important historical document in both the British Isles and the world. Llywelyn the Great forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, which means that Llywelyn the Great was instrumental in creating the Magna Carta laws. This is important, as the Magna Carta has given people human rights and freedoms. It has also influenced the American constitution and is still an important law that helps shape and influence human rights and freedoms to this day. 7. King John
In keeping in the spirit of the Magna Carta we are going to look at our next monarch: King John. King John deserves to be on our top ten list of monarchs for several reasons, one of these reasons is the Magna Carta. Although King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, it was an important, if not one of the most important events which have ever happened in history. King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in June 1215 by his barons and Llywelyn the Great. It was an important historical event which has shaped the course of British history and beyond ever since. Being forced to sign the Magna Carta though, shows that King John was a weak king who did not have full control of his realm, it shows that he lacked the authority he should have had and displayed as King.
It is perhaps partly through this that King John has a bad reputation in history. He also has a bad reputation in history because of his failed military endeavours and through his poorly received reputation through the tales of Robin Hood. His role in the history of Robin Hood is another reason why King John deserves to be on this list. For what would the tales of Robin Hood be without the evil imposter King John? Thanks to the tales of Robin Hood, King John is seen as a classic villain - he has been seen as the imposter King who stole the English crown from history brother (King Richard I), and as a monarch who ruled over England with a cruel iron fist, is the way King John has been perceived through the tales of Robin Hood, which has helped shaped his reputation in history. 6. Richard I
Sticking with Robin Hood, we look none other than to King Richard I himself. King Richard I deserves to be on this list for being part of, and shaping the story of Robin Hood itself. Although King Richard I was absent from England due to fighting in the Crusades in the Middle East, he is a central and crucial role to the history that shaped Robin Hood. There is historical evidence that Robin Hood did exist, the first record of him being noted in history is from 1377. However, it’s also likely there is some added folklore to the real Robin Hood and his story. For example, Maid Marion was added to the story much later and it’s unknown if Robin Hood ever actually did meet Richard the Lionheart, though no record of it seems to be recorded.
Whatever the real truth about Robin Hood, what can be said is that Robin Hood has helped immortalized Richard I in history. His catchy name ‘Richard the Lionheart’ also helps this medieval monarch stand out and be remembered in a sea of British monarchs. King Richard the Lionheart deserves to be on this list through his memorable impact on British and English history, both for the crusades, but especially for Robin Hood. King Richard I shows that a monarch can have a great impact on both his era and history without being a long-lasting monarch, as Richard was only King of England for ten years. Ten years isn’t a long reign, but it didn’t need to be for Richard, as it was long enough to make his stamp on history and be remembered. He is the last medieval monarch on our list. 5. Henry VIII
Away from the medieval era, we move into the Middle Ages, with none other than King Henry VIII himself. King Henry VIII really needs no introduction, he is a monarch that speaks for itself just by describing his name. Henry VIII was an impactful monarch in so many ways: he was instrumental in breaking away from the Catholic Church through the English Reformation, he was a tyrant-King who spared no one of mercy and he had a record-breaking six wives. Henry deserves to be on this list for his colourful and boisterous character, and for the fact that he changed the nature of religion and religious worship on the British Isles forever.
Everything about Henry VIII’s reign is interesting and gripping, perhaps more so for the way that he treated those closest to him, rather than anything else. With his six wives and Queens, one was exiled by him, two were beheaded by him, one died through giving birth to the son he so desperately wanted and two outlived him. He also beheaded two of his closest friends and political confidants: Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell. There are so many reasons why Henry VIII deserves to be on this list and you could write a whole book about how impactful and memorable his reign as King was. It was so impactful that his reign as King lasted long after his death, with us him giving us the first English Queen, Mary I (Bloody Mary, who was his daughter), and the second Queen of England, Elizabeth I who was also his daughter. Henry desperately wanted a son to secure his legacy and to secure the throne of England for the Tudor dynasty, however, the irony is, was that his son Edward VI was weak and didn’t last that long as King after the death of Henry VIII, whereas, both of Henry’s daughters Elizabeth and Mary were longer serving monarchs and were as strong as any King. 4. Elizabeth I
In keeping with the Tudor spirit, Queen Elizabeth I is one of our top monarchs of all time. She came to the throne when her sister Mary I had died. Mary I reigned for ten years as the first Queen of England. However, her reign as Queen was notorious, which is seen through the title that she is now remembered by: ‘Bloody Mary’. Mary was known for her cruel persecution of protestants and her attempt to reverse the English reformation due to her Catholic beliefs. However, given that Mary was succeeded by Elizbeth, a practising protestant, it seems in hindsight that Queen Mary’s attempt to reverse the English reformation was futile. After Mary tried to stamp out the protestant faith in England during her ten-year reign, Elizabeth restored the protestant faith in England upon becoming Queen. It is partly for her protestant faith, and the impact that it had on England that Elizabeth is remembered for. She is also remembered for the relationship that she had with her sister Mary I. The relationship between the sisters was a complex one, however, although they had differences in religious beliefs, Mary I named Elizabeth as her successor and wanted her sister to succeed her to be Queen of England, which is what happened.
Elizabeth is also known for her relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by her own lords and forced to abdicate the Scottish throne, she was imprisoned in Loch Leven castle. Mary escape and fled to England. However, it was a fatal mistake on Mary's behalf, as her existence was a threat to Elizabeth's life and crown. Elizabeth didn't want to kill her own cousin, but as she saw Mary as a threat to her own crown she imprisoned Mary in England for almost twenty years. Though there is no evidence to suggest that the two cousins met, their distant relationship is one of the things that both women are remembered for. Elizabeth is also known as the Virgin Queen due to her unwillingness to marry. Like with Henry VIII, a whole book could be written about why Elizabeth I deserves to be on this top ten list of monarchs, Elizabeth I reigned for over 44 years and is the ninth longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British Isles. 3. Victoria
In keeping with the longest-reigning monarchs, we move to the second longest-reigning monarch in British history: Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria is the second longest-reigning monarch of British history and the British Isles, she’s also one of the longest-reigning monarchs ever to have lived in the world. Queen Victoria ruled for an impressive 63 years, which is one of the reasons that she belongs on this list. But there are other reasons why this monarch deserves to be on our top ten list of monarchs, mainly, for how the Victorian era changed both Britain and the world. The British Empire largely changed the nature of the world and Britain itself. It helped modernize Britain through the industrial revolution.
During Victoria’s reign, Britain was the world’s most powerful country. It dominated and controlled large parts of the world in several continents. The British Empire stretched from Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Americas, which led to the British Empire becoming the world’s largest-ever empire by the time the Victorian era had finished. But it is not just how the Victorian era shaped the world that makes Victoria’s reign memorable, which also makes it memorable is how Victoria’s reign shaped Britain itself. Today we remember Victorian Britain as a place of workhouses and deep inequality. We can see how things like inequality and workhouses shaped Victorian Britain through the work of Charles Dickens. It is also partly through Charles Dickens that we have the Christmas that we know today. Christmas before the Victorian era was vastly different from the Christmas that we have today, it was really the Victorians who created the modern Christmas we know today. Partly that was down to Victoria herself, who introduced the Christmas tree into Britain. It is thanks to Victoria herself that we have the most central aspect of Christmas that we have today: the Christmas tree. Victoria’s reign helped change and shape the modern world we live in today. 2. James I (VI)
From one long-serving monarch to another, we move onto James I (VI), he ruled as monarch for a very impressive 57 years. King James I deserves to be on this top ten list of monarchs both for his longevity as King and for being the King that united the British Isles and formed the foundations for the United Kingdom. The Union of the Crowns happened in 1603, resulting in the crowns of Scotland and England uniting into one crown and serving the whole of the British Isles. England and Wales were already united through the 1536 Act of Union, therefore, the 1603 Union of the Crowns united all of the British Isles. And the Act of Union in 1707 formed the United Kingdom, which happened after the death of James I.
It is through creating the union, and bringing together all countries in the British Isles that King James I deserves to be so high up on this list. His actions created the most successful Union in the world and brought together the countries of the United Kingdom to form one country which has brought peace between the countries, economic prosperity, a shared history, culture and language, and many of the worlds modern inventions. James came to be King of the whole British Isles due to already being King of Scotland and through the death of Elizabeth I who had no heir to succeed her, apart from her cousin, James I of Scotland. James is not only known for creating the United Kingdom, but he is also known for the Gunpowder Plot. The Gunpowder Plot is when Guy Fawkes and several other men tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 4th/5th of November 1605, when James was set to open parliament the following day. The Gunpowder Plot wasn’t successful and Guy Fawkes was caught in the act in the House of Parliament cellars. The attempted plot resulted in the creation of Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Night which is still celebrated to this day. Therefore, James deserves to be on this list of our top ten list of monarchs for creating Guy Fawkes Night and forming the United Kingdom. 1. Elizabeth I
For her longevity alone Elizabeth I is our number one monarch. This monarch has reigned for nearly 68 astounding years. Elizabeth I has reigned for so long that it seems very unlikely that we will have another monarch who reigns so long. However, they probably thought the same about Victoria. Coming to the throne in 1952, the vast majority of British people have never known another monarch except Elizabeth I. The world and Britain have went through so many changes since the 1950s, when Queen Elizabeth first took to the throne. Probably the biggest changes are the changes brought about by technology, where we have instant contact with people from anywhere in the world and 24-hour media, both things were unheard of in the 1950s.
Although there has been many changes throughout the world since the second Elizabethan age began, it is hard to get a grasp on this monarch in a historical context, as we are still living through this second Elizabethan age. It is only historians decades from now that will be able to see this age and monarch a lot more clearly, and through a proper historical lens. But, however, history judges this monarch, it’s safe to say Elizabeth II has cemented her place in history due to her longevity as Queen. All of these monarchs for various different reasons have cemented their place in history and created monarchical history for what it is and was. All of these monarchs have shaped history in a way that no other monarchs have, which is why they are on our top ten list of monarchs, their actions have shaped the course of both British and world history over the course of a thousand years and put their place in the history books forever.
Thomas Cromwell was executed on this day, on the 28th of July 1540. He was executed on the order ofKing Henry VIII on charges of treason.
He is the man who was accused of bringing down Henry VIII's second wife; Anne Boleyn. Though other theories about Anne Boleyn's downfall are speculated, such as her execution being the result of not producing a male heir for King Henry VIII. Another theory is that her downfall was orchestrated by the Seymour family, which is a credible theory, as Jane Seymour succeeded Anne Boleyn as Henry's third wife. Another theory of Anne Boleyn's downfall was that Boleyn and Cromwell had a disagreement over the nature of the reformation and the newly found protestant faith. Cromwell and Boleyn were both instrumental in the English Reformation. And, as such, they were natural allies. However, their friendship turned sour, which could have resulted in Thomas Cromwell conspiring to get rid of Anne. If that was his goal, he was successful, at least in the short term. In 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on Henry VIII orders. Downfall and Execution of Thomas Cromwell In the long term, Thomas Cromwell might have inflicted a self-inflicted wound (that's if he brought down Anne). He too was executed just four years after Anne Boleyn, on grounds of treason. Thomas Cromwell was decapitated on Tower Hill on the 28th of July 1540. There were signs long before this that Henry was tiring of Cromwell. He was frustrated at Cromwell's handling of the English Reformation by 1538. By 1539, Cromwell made his most fatal mistake - forcing a relationship between the German princess Anne of Cleves. Initially, from a portrait, the King found Anne of Cleves attractive. Upon meeting her though, he found her unattractive. Henry did marry her though, on the 6th of January 1540. The marriage between them was short lived and annuled just six months later. It proved to be a disastrous marriage, but more so for Cromwell, than Anne or Henry. Unlike some of Henry's other wives, Anne of Cleeves actually remained in good favour with Henry VIII and kept her head. The marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleeves was annulled on the 9th of July 1540. Anne would keep her head, Cromwell on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He was arrested on the next day, the 10th of July 1540 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was arrested for treason and heresy. He was executed just 18 days later on the 28th of July 1540. |
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