The Tudor Dynasty

Establishment of Tudor Dynasty

Jan 1, 1485

King Henry VII captures the throne after winning the Wars of the Roses. He marries Elizabeth of York, uniting the Yorkists and Lancastrians under a single monarchy. Henry Tudor establishes a strong central government and sets the foundation for the English Rennaissance.

A New King

Jan 1, 1509

Henry VIII, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, becomes heir to the throne when his older brother Arthur dies. King Henry VIII is best known for his six wives and ruthless tactics. As an accomplished musician and artist, as well as a great advocate of arts and sports, he distinguished his reign through expensive foreign wars, ruthlessness, and a court life that embraced the ideals and lavishness of the Renaissance.

Henry's First Marriage

Jun 11, 1509

King Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon, the former wife of his brother Arthur.

Princess Mary

Feb 18, 1516

A daughter, Mary, is born to King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Henry quickly grows tired of his aging wife, and worries that she will not produce a male heir.

Henry's Second Marriage

Jan 25, 1533

King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth I is born shortly after, on September 7 of that same year.

Excommunication

Jul 11, 1533

The English Parliament declares Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England, breaking any and all ties to Rome and the Pope, so that Henry can divorce Catherine of Aragon.

Execution

May 19, 1536

Anne Boleyn is tried on counts of high treason, witchcraft and incest, all of which were most likely fabricated by Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief minister and the 1st Earl of Essex. Anne Boleyn is executed on

Henry's Third Marriage

May 30, 1536

King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, who quickly becomes pregnant and gives birth to Edward VI. Jane dies from fever only days after childbirth; Henry is devastated.

Henry's Fourth Marriage

Jan 6, 1540

Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, the daughter of a Protestant German duke, creating an alliance with Protestant Germany. The marriage fails, and Anne agrees to a peaceful annulment, assuming the title My Lady, the King's Sister. Henry blames Thomas Cromwell for the marriage, and orderd him beheaded on July 28, 1540.

Henry's Fifth Marriage

Jul 28, 1540

Henry VIII marries the young Catherine Howard, who caught the King's eye while she was a lady in Anne of Cleves' chamber.

Adultery

Feb 13, 1542

It's discovered that Catherine engaged in an affair with Thomas Culpeper. She is convicted of treason, and both her and Thomas are executed.

Henry's Sixth Marriage

Jul 12, 1543

Henry marries Catherine Parr, a devout Protestant. Catherine is almost accused of heresy for preaching Lutheran doctrines to Henry in his ill health, but she saves herself by saying she had been arguing with Henry about religion to take his mind off of his ulcerous leg.

A New Monarch

Jan 28, 1547

King Henry VIII dies, leaving his son Edward VI as the sole legitimate heir to the throne (Elizabeth and Mary were reinstated to the line of succession, but were not legitimized heirs, since Henry's marriages to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn ended in annullment and treason, respectively.)

Protestant Reforms

Jan 1, 1549

King Edward VI, while only a child, orders the publication of the Book of Common Prayer. This leads to the Prayer Book Rebellion, which ends with one in ten Cornish people being slaughtered from the orders of the Lord Protector Somerset.

The Sickly King

Feb 1, 1553

King Edward becomes ill, and fears that the accession of the Catholic Lady Mary would overturn any Protestant reforms made. He writes a new will, repudiating the will of Henry VIII, giving the succession of power to his cousin Lady Jane Grey.

A New Monarch

Jul 6, 1553

Edward dies of tuberculosis. Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England. The public resents Jane's rise to power and instead supports Mary's claim to the throne. After only nine days, Mary takes control of the throne and has Lady Jane and her husband, Guildford Dudley, executed.

A Royal Marriage

Jul 25, 1554

Mary marries Prince Philip of Spain, despite the growing discontent among the English people. Queen Mary is remembered for the mass execution of Protestants in her quest for Catholic reform. She is known as "Bloody Mary."

Bloody Mary Dies

Nov 17, 1558

Queen Mary dies. Elizabeth becomes the next Queen of England. Elizabeth is remembered for reinstating the Protestant faith in England. The Act of Uniformity and the Act of Supremacy are passed by parliament, establishing the Protestant Church of England and declaring Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Treasonous Plots

Feb 8, 1586

A number of assassination plots are waged against Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth is persuaded of Mary, Queen of Scots' involvement in the planning of her assassination, and signs a death warrant. Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed.

The Spanish Armada

Aug 8, 1588

Philip II of Spain launches an attack on England. The Spanish, commanded by Alonso de Guzman El Bueno, lose due to bad weather, and poor planning and supplies.

Bad Harvests

Jan 1, 1597

Elizabeth introduces the Poor Law, which gives peasants that are too ill to work an amount of money from the state.

The End of an Era

Mar 24, 1603

Queen Elizabeth dies without an heir, ending the Tudor Dynasty. James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, becomes the new ruling monarch.