Tudor rulers have played a very significant role in building the foundations of the modern day Britain. There were 3 Tudor Kings- Henry VII, Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Tudor King Henry VII was the founder of Tudor dynasty in England
Contents
He founded the Tudor rule in England. Tudors were originally from Wales. Henry was the son of Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort. He was born on 28th January 1457 at the Pembroke Castle. Edmund Tudor died a few months before the birth of Henry.
After defeating King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 Henry VII declared himself to be the new King of England. His claim to the throne comes from his mother as she was a descendent of Edward III.When Henry became the King, he did not have a very strong defense system in place. To strengthen his position, Henry married Elizabeth of York, the niece of King Richard III.
This alliance brought together the rival houses of Lancaster and York. Tudor Rose became the emblem of the Tudor rulers which represented the coming together of the two Houses. Henry had very strategically planned the alliance of his kingdom with other rulers. He married his elder son, Arthur to Catherine of Aragon. This strengthened his relations with Spain.
He even maintained friendly relations with France by giving his daughter Mary in marriage to Louis XII of France. His other daughter was married to James IV of Scotland. He was very ruthless in executing the proper plans for increasing the wealth of the royal treasure. He did so by levying taxes on the nobles and the rich. Henry died in 1509 at Richmond Palace.
Tudor King Henry VIII was the son of Henry VII
Henry VIII was born at Greenwich Palace in 1491. He was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. After the demise of Arthur, his younger brother Henry VIII ascended the throne. He even married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon in 1509.
Catherine’s child was a stillborn baby girl. Her second child, who was also named Henry, died within a few days of birth. A daughter was born to the couple in 1516 and they named her Mary. Henry was very happy and proud father. However, he soon realized that he would not get a male heir from his first wife. He thus married again to Anne Boleyn.
After his second marriage, Henry made his first marriage to be declared as void. This resulted in Mary becoming the ‘illegitimate’. Catherine was kept away from everyone including her daughter. Mary was not even allowed to visit her ailing mother who died in 1536.
The daughter born out of the second marriage was named Elizabeth. She enjoyed her father’s affection, but Henry’s desire to have an heir soon put her in the same place as her half-sister Mary. Elizabeth’s mother was executed on the charge of conspiracy. Henry VIII married third time to Jane Seymour.
She gave birth to a son on 12th October 1537 and he was named as Edward VI. She also played a vital role in trying to mend the differences between Mary and her father. Jane was the only wife of Henry VIII who had given him an heir to the throne. She died soon after childbirth on 24th October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace.
Facts About Names of Tudor Kings
His fourth marriage was to Anne of Cleves did not last for a very long time. Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard in around 1540, but she was beheaded in 1542 when she had an affair. Catherine of Parr, sixth wife of Henry was responsible to fill the void that was created between a father and his two daughters. It resulted in them getting back in the line of succession after Edward.
In 1513, Henry VIII fought and defeated a French army at the Battle of the Spurs.
In 1546, he founded the Christ Church Cathedral School. He was even known for the reforms that he brought about in England. Henry played a significant role in transforming England from a Catholic country to a Protestant country. He declared himself to be the Head of the Church of England. Apart from this, he was the first king to have focused on building a strong naval force. This led to the establishment of the Royal Navy. He set aside large sums of money to help in building ships carrying cannons. Henry VIII died in 1547 at the age of 55 years.
Tudor King Edward VI
Edward was born in 1537. He was the heir to his father’s throne. However, he was very young to take charge and so it was passed to a regency council. He was raised as a Protestant and like his father, he supported the Protestants. The Anglican Church was converted into a Protestant body during the reign of Edward VI. It thus led to the establishment of Protestantism in England. Edward was close to his half-sister’s Mary and Elizabeth. He shared a stronger bond with Mary.
Henry VIII had allowed his daughters to claim their right to ascend the throne after Edward.
King Edward VI died young in 1553 when he was only 15 years old. He had taken care that Mary should not ascend the throne as he thought that she might alter his policies. He thus removed Mary and Elizabeth from the line of succession. Lady Jane Grey was originally nominated by King Edward VI to succeed him. Although Lady Jane became the Queen, she could only rule for nine days. Mary succeeded the throne after successfully deposing Lady Jane Grey.
More Info On- Anne Hathaway William Shakespeares Wife, Anne Bonny Famous Woman Pirate, Henry VII Family Tree, Parents Information, Family Tree
