Tudor England
Dec 14, 2015
Tudor England
The Tudors
• Henry VII (Henry Tudor) won the War of the Roses
• Henry VIII, son of Henry VII– Sought male heir to throne
– Broke Church of England from Rome in 1534
– Seized property of the monasteries
• Edward VI changed doctrine of church to truly protestant
• Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Spanish Catherine of Aragon (preceded by Lady Jane Gray, somewhat queen for 9 days!)
• Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn
Henry VIII and his wives
Mary I (r. 1553-1558)
• Devoutly Catholic daughter of Catherine of Aragon
• Tried to re-Catholicize England by repealing changes wrought by Edward VI
• 300 Protestants were burned as heretics: “Bloody Mary”
• 1554: Married Philip II of Spain (only nominally king of England)
• Policies created strong anti-Catholic sentiment in England
Elizabeth I: Political “Politique”
• First successful female monarch in Europe: highly educated, fluent in English, French, Italian, Latin, Greek
• Her religion unclear, but nominally Church of England
• Unmarried virgin queen, loved Robert Dudley; believed national duty outweighed personal desires
• Used possibility of marriage diplomatically
• Moderation created English Renaissance, age of Shakespeare, Johnson, Marlowe
• Insisted on beautiful images of her self to portray power; loved by common people
• Selected able ministers to guide her (William Cecil), but maintained her own power Coronation Portrait
Painting that is rumored to show Elizabeth and Dudley
Elizabeth: Solidified English Church
• State church, with theology determined by monarch through Parliament
• All subjects obliged to belong to it
• Retained physical possessions and organization of the medieval church
• Protestant in practice: English-language worship, married clergy
• “Thirty-nine Articles” defined the church’s doctrines rather vaguely
The “ermine portrait”
Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots
• MQS, daughter of Marie de Guise and Scotland’s James V
• French-raised wife of Francis II of France during French Religious Wars
• MQS became focus of intrigue between England, France, Spain, and rebellious Low Countries
• Devoutly Catholic, with clear right to Scottish throne; next-in-line to English throne after Elizabeth
• Spain wanted to use Netherlands as base to attack England, seat Mary on throne
• After several plots against Elizabeth, Mary was placed under house arrest in London
• Executed 1587: death in part caused Philip II to launch Armada
• Treaty of Berwick: Elizabeth allied with Scotland and unofficially named James VI as heir
Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada
• English ships (Sir Francis Drake) plundered Spanish ships returning from America
• England supported anti-Spanish forces in Netherlands
• Mary Queen of Scots executed on eve of Spanish attack
• Drake burnt Spanish ships in Spanish port of Cadiz
• Armada sailed, first en route to Netherlands, before planned invasion of England
• 125 ships. 30,000 men• Smaller, more agile English ships
defeated lumbering Spanish galleons one at a time
• “Protestant Wind” drove Armada northward into terrifying Scottish seas, shipwrecks
The “Armada Portrait” commemorates the English victory (see ships in background)
Political Consolidation
• Long reign provided stability after chaotic short reigns of Edward and Mary
• Unification of church behind moderate views led to peaceful stability
• Defeat of the Catholic “northern earls” safeguarded reign
• Financial support of Dutch rebels weakened Spain