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Henry Tudor became King Henry VII of England and Wales
after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in
August 1485. This battle saw the end of the Wars of the
Roses.
The Wars of the Roses had been a battle between two
of England's most powerful families.
The House of York and the House of
Lancaster.
The emblem of the House of York
was a white rose.
The emblem of the House of Lancaster
was a red rose.
To bring the two families closer together
he married Elizabeth of York.
He was the first Tudor King and reigned for 24
years until 1509.
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Henry Vlll was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry
V11 and Elizabeth of York.
Henry wanted a son to rule after him. He married six times.
Henry broke away from the Catholic Church and
became head of the Church of England.
Henry had many hobbies from hunting to music and song
writing.
Henry built fine palaces, and fought wars against France and
Scotland.
Henry's main aim was to make sure that the Tudors would keep on ruling
England after he died.
He believed that only a boy could inherit his kingdom.
The six wives Music 3
"Divorced, beheaded, died. "Divorced, beheaded, died.
Divorced, beheaded, survived..." Divorced, beheaded, survived..."
Catherine of Aragon Ann of Cleaves
A Spanish Princess who Anne of Cleaves and Henry were
had been married to married in 1540 to form a tie between
Henry’s brother, Arthur. England and Germany. After only six
They had a daughter, Mary. months Henry found it no longer to be
to his advantage.
Divorced
Divorced
Anne Boleyn Catherine Howard
She married Henry in 1533. Catherine Howard and
They had a daughter, Henry were married the
Elizabeth. same year in 1540.
Executed Executed
Jane Seymour Katherine Parr
Married her a few days Catherine Parr was
after Anne was executed Henry's sixth and last
in 1536. They had a boy wife. She outlived
who they named Edward. Henry
Jane died of blood poisoning Survived
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The only son of Henry V111.
He became King at the age of nine.
He was known as ‘The Boy King.’
His mother was Jane Seymore.
Edward was never well and the country was run
by his protectors, The Duke of Somerset and
then the Duke of Northumberland.
He enjoyed reading about battles and writing Greek.
After his death, the Duke of Northumberland named
Lady Jane Grey as the next Queen.
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Lady Jane Grey was a great- granddaughter of Henry V11.
She was regarded as one of the most learned
women of the day.
Lady Jane Grey was a Protestant.
The Duke of Northumberland didn’t want Mary, a Catholic,
on the throne.
Mary had a lot of support. She deposed Jane and had
her arrested.
Jane refused to become a Catholic and was
executed. Mary became Queen.
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Mary wanted to change England to a Catholic Country.
She was the elder daughter of Henry V111 and
Katherine of Aragon.
Mary burned nearly 300 people at the stake because
they refused to become Catholic.
Mary made herself even more unpopular by marrying
Philip of Spain.
They had no children.
Her younger sister became Queen after she died in 1558.
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Elizabeth was the last Tudor Monarch. She was born at
Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the younger daughter of
Henry V111 and Ann Boleyn.
She made England Protestant again and fought
against Spain.
The Tudor period ended with the death of Queen
Elizabeth I on 24th March 1603 after 45 years on the
throne. She had no husband or children to succeed her.
Elizabeth’s rule is remembered as the Golden Age
During Elizabeth's reign the age of exploration began with
explorers such as Francis Drake claiming new lands for
England and introducing new materials and foods.
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Life in the Towns
Buildings
Travel
Schools
Life for the Poor
Punishment
Games
Mary Rose
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A butchers shop in Bridge Street
Houses were timber framed of two or three storeys.
To provide more space upstairs the upper storeys
often projected over the lower storeys.
This made the streets very dark and crowded.
Most merchants and craftsmen lived and worked in
the same building, the shop part of the building being
A Pub in Lad’s Lane open to the street.
Towns also had many inns, a market hall, a grammar
school and a guildhall.
Some important buildings would be built of stone.
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There was no proper drainage in Tudor Towns.
Open sewers often ran down the middle of streets
straight into rivers and wells.
All waste was thrown onto the streets.
Diseases spread very quickly.
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Bridge Street, Newcastle-u-Lyme Most ordinary homes in Tudor times
were half timbered.
They had wooden frames and
the spaces between were filled
with small sticks and wet clay
called wattle and daub.
Daub is a mixture of clay, sand and
dung that is smeared into and over
the wattle to make the wall.
The daub was often painted with lime to The wooden timbers were coated with tar
make it look white. to stop them rotting.
Many Tudor houses had thatched Glass was expensive so windows
roofs were small.
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The major land routes were based on the Roman roads.
They were difficult to keep in good repair.
Each parish or town was responsible for the upkeep of
the roads.
Some didn’t do a good job.
Many were rutted and uncomfortable to travel on.
Without lighting they could be dangerous at night.
Many people didn’t travel at all.
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Not many children went to school in Tudor times.
Those that did go were mainly the sons of wealthy families.
Girls were either kept at home by their parents to help with
housework or sent out to work to bring money in for the family.
Many Tudor towns and villages had a parish school where the
local vicar taught boys to read and write.
The boys practiced writing in ink by copying the alphabet
and the Lord's Prayer.
There were few books, so pupils read from hornbooks instead.
It was usual for children to attend six days a week.
Teachers were very strict, often beating their
pupils with birches if they misbehaved.
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The poor were divided into three groups.
The first were called Helpless Poor.
These would include the old, the sick, the
disabled and children.
The second group was called the Able Bodied Poor.
These were people who could work but also
wanted to work.
The third group were known as Rogues and Vagabonds.
These were people who could work but preferred
to beg or steal.
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People who committed crimes could be put in the
stocks. They always stood where lots of people
would pass and they would throw things at the
criminals.
Most towns had a ducking chair . The chair
was kept near a pond or river and was hung
on a see-saw.
Other people could be burned at the stake.
Beggars were a big problem because people were
afraid of them. If they became a nuisance they were
dragged through the streets being whipped.
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The Tudor kings and queens encouraged archery .
People played other games like ours. Bowls was
a favourite and some towns had bowling alleys
They used to play games like hockey the sticks
were curved and the ball was wooden.
The favourite game was football . Any number
could play and there was no referee. Villages
challenged each other and nearly every match ended
with cracked heads and other injuries.
Hunting, fishing, fencing and tennis
were also played.
The tudors also liked to go to bull and
bear baiting rings.
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Heading for action in 1545, Henry VIII's
favourite warship sank in the Solent with up to
700 men on board.
In 1528 and again in 1536 the Mary Rose was
rebuilt, having her weight increased from 500 to
700 tons and mounting 91 guns. The refits are
thought to have added an extra deck, making
her top-heavy and liable to roll in heavy seas.
In 1545, King Francis I of France launched
an invasion of England
As the Mary Rose advanced to battle she
capsized and sank with the loss of all but
35 of her crew. It is theorized that her
undisciplined crew had neglected to
close the lower gunports after firing at
the galleys, so that when she heeled in
the breeze she filled with water and
turned over.
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1485 The War of the Roses ends at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry Tudor is crowned Henry VII.
1485-1509 Reign of King Henry VII.
1492 Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies
1497 John Cabot, the English explorer, discovered Newfoundland. He left Bristol on his ship, the Matthew,
looking for a sea route to Asia. He ended up in North America, the first European to reach there since the
Vikings.
1498 Christopher Columbus discovered Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea.
1499 A plague epidemic killed thousands of people in London.
1509 - 1547 Henry VII died and his son Henry VIII succeeded to the throne
1513 Henry VIII invaded France and King James IV of Scotland is killed at the battle of Flodden.
1524 Population of Britain 2.3 million. 6% of the population lived in towns. 3% in London
1528 Henry VIII sacks Cardinal Wolsey for failing to persuade the pope to grant him divorce.
1534 Henry VIII forms the 'Church of England'. Henry is confirmed as 'Supreme Head of the Church of
England 'following a parliamentary Act of Supremacy
1535 Act of Union makes Wales part of England
1535 The first Bible printed in English is placed in Churches.
1536-1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries (Destruction or closure of 560 monasteries and religious houses)
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1541 Population of Britain 2.7 million.
1542 Mary, Queen of Scots lays claim to the English throne
1544 Henry VIII invades northern France
1545 The French attempt to invade England and the Mary Rose sinks in Portsmouth harbour.
1547-1553 The reign of King Edward Vl. Many new schools and colleges founded.
1553-1558 Reign of Queen Mary Tudor
1558 Elizabeth I begins her 45 year reign
1561 Mary, Queen of Scots returns to Scotland
1567 Mary Queen of Scots gives throne of Scotland to James
1569 Population of Britain 3.2 million.
1570 Sir Francis Drake sets sail for his first voyage to the West Indies
1577 Drake becomes the second person to go round the world
1585-1604 England and Spain at war
1587 Queen Elizabeth I executes Mary, Queen of Scots
1588 The Armada fleet of Philip II of Spain attempts to invade England, but is defeated
1591 First performance of a play by William Shakespeare
1600 First British involvement in the Indian continent - East India Company formed.
Population of Britain just over 4 million. 10% of the population lived in towns.
1603 Queen Elizabeth I died. King James of Scotland becomes the first Stuart king of England.
End of Tudor Times
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