| Henry VII | 1485--1509 | Took throne after the Battle of Bosworth where Richard III died. Married Elizabeth of York in 1486, uniting the two families and ending the "War of the Roses". |
Henry VIII | 1509--1547 | Best known for his six wives.
1. Catherine of Aragon - his brothers widow, mother of Mary I, divorced. 2. Anne Boleyn - mother of Elizabeth I, beheaded. 3. Jane Seymour - mother of Edward VI, died following childbirth. 4. Anne of Cleves - divorced. 5. Catherine Howard - cousin of Anne Boleyn, beheaded. 6. Catherine Parr - outlived the King. Broke with the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself Head of the Church of England. |
Edward VI | 1547--1553 | Became King at age nine. England turned into a Protestant state. |
Lady Jane Grey | 1553--1553 | Edward was persuaded to exclude Mary from the throne as she was a Catholic. Jane was proclaimed Queen but only reigned for nine days. Mary entered London with her supporters and took the throne. Jane, a pawn in the ambitions of her family, was executed a year later. |
Mary I | 1553--1558 | "Bloody Mary". A staunch Catholic she earned her nickname with her persecution of Protestants. |
Elizabeth I | 1558--1603 | The last Tudor. Undid Mary's church legislation and reinstated her father's. Executed Mary, Queen of Scots. Age of discovery and learning (Raleigh, Drake, Shakespeare). Named James VI of Scotland her heir, uniting the two countries. |
Stuarts
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