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Monarchy Government – Tudors

Below is a detailed article about the Tudor monarchy. The Tudors are of Welsh origin and hence their system of monarchy is influenced by Wales. Let us learn more about the Monarchy Government during the Tudors below.

The House of Tudor

The ancestral Lordship of Ireland was inherited to the Tudors. Five main monarchs of the Tudor dynasty ruled England. It began with Henry VII who defeated Richard III in the battle of Bosworth Field in the year 1485. The House of Tudors inherited the House of the Plantagenet and were succeeded by the House of Stuart.

A portrait of the Tudor King Henry VII of England
A portrait of the Tudor King Henry VII of England

Henry VII – the first monarch of the House of Tudor was handed the throne by his mother who belonged to the English royal house of Lancaster. The famous War of the Roses that occurred in 1455 and went on until the year 1487 left the House of Lancaster without a legal male heir that gave power to the House of Tudor.

The House of Tudor was founded on the 22nd of August in the year 1485, King Henry VII being the founder of the royal house. He married Elizabeth of York – the daughter of Edward IV which represented the unity amongst these warred families.

The Kingdom was not just limited to England but extended to Wales, Ireland and they also claimed the Kingdom of France where Henry VII tried to proclaim the title but all of it was lost in the fall of Callais by Mary I – daughter of Henry VII.

Henry VII grew up in the Raglan Castle in Wales. Since he was the last male monarch left in the entire Lancastrian connection and the House of Tudor he was very well taken care of and his safety even as a child was of utmost priority. Henry Tudor proclaimed his kingship after the death of Richard III in the Bosworth Field Battle.

As soon as he got on the throne he married Elizabeth of York at the Westminster Palace. This made the two houses – York and Tudor show their unity. The Tudor monarchy used marriage as an alliance to obtain peace and security between two lands. Arthur – son of Henry VII, the Prince of Wales married Catherine of Aragon that strengthened their ties with the Spanish monarchy.

The second King from the House of Tudor was Henry – Duke of York who became King Henry VIII. He married Catherine of Aragon, the wife of his older brother at the Westminster Abbey. It is noted that during his younger years as a prince – Henry, Duke of York was a gentleman full of friendliness and generosity but once on the throne, he became cruel and volatile.

It was observed that he was more interested in enjoying the luxuries of being a king and less interested in the responsibilities that came with the title. In the first two years of his reign, much of the decision making was done by the ministers.

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A portrait of Tudor King Henry VIII of England

He was also unhappy with the Holy Roman Empire that disallowed him to annul his marriage. His marriage was an unhappy one because the Queen did not conceive an heir.

He took the very bold step of breaking ties with Rome and declaring his own church – the Church of England and became the Supreme Head of the Church – all this to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn – a woman he actually loved.

Thus, the norms were changed and the Archbishop of Canterbury was appointed during the reign of the Tudor, and Henry VIII went on to marry six women. The next King was his son from the mistress of Queen Anne – Edward VI who was the last king of the Tudor dynasty. Later, Mary – I took over the throne.

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