Tudor England

Tudor England (1485–1603) stretches from Henry VII's victory at Bosworth to the death of Elizabeth I. It saw the break with Rome, the English Reformation, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Overview

Henry VII restored royal authority after the Wars of the Roses. Henry VIII, denied an annulment by the pope, broke with Rome in the 1530s, made himself head of the Church of England, and dissolved the monasteries — a revolution pushed further under Edward VI, reversed by Mary I, and settled by Elizabeth I.

Key developments

Elizabeth’s reign (1558–1603) brought the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, voyages by Drake and Raleigh, and the theater of Shakespeare and Marlowe. Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed in 1587 after years of Catholic plots around her.

End and transition

Elizabeth died childless in 1603, and the crown passed to James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of England and Scotland under the Stuarts.

Overview

Key developments

End and transition

Events

Organizations