Tudors and Stuarts, new chapter of the handbook should be easy to go through as I have some knowledge about this period of British history.
I’ve watched many documental movies about Tudors and Stuarts and I can recommend doing so as the most pleasant way of studying.
Information is easily digested and memorised when it is presented in entertaining way…usually.
Let’s follow the handbook.
Religious Conflicts
King Henry VII wanted to secure his position as a king and keep England peaceful.
He deliberately strenghtened the central administration and reduced the power of the nobles.
Henry was careful with spendings and was able to build monarchy’s financial reserves.
His son, Henry VIII, continued the policy of centralising power.
He was king of England from 21 April 1509 until his death on 28 of January 1547.
He is remembered as king who broke away from the Church of Rome and who had six wives.
List of wives in order he married them in:
- Catherine of Aragon – Spanish princess with whom Henry had several children from which only one, Mary, survived; when Catherine was unable to give Henry more children,
he decided to divorce her hoping that new wife will give him heir - Anne Boleyn – English noble woman; she and Henry had one daughter, Elizabeth; Anne was accused of infidelity and excuted at Tower of London
- Jane Seymour – English noble lady; she gave bith to long awaited son, Edward; she died soon after the birth
- Anne of Cleves – German princess, married for political reasons but soon divorced as Henry did not like her looks
- Catherine Howard – a cousin of Anne Boleyn; she was accused of having lovers and executed
- Catherine Parr – she was a widow & maried Henry late in his life; she survived the king and remarried but died soon after in childbit
- Henry VIII needed approval of the Pope to divorce his first wife but Pope refused.
Then Henry Established the Church of England in which the king, not the pope, would have a power to appoint bishops and have power to decide about the ways of worship.
It was time when Reformation was spreading around Europe.
It was a movement against authority of Pope and practices of Roman Catholic Church.
The Protestants established their own churches, they read bile in their own languages not in Latin, they did not worship saints.
They believed in personal relation with God as more important than submitting to the authority of the Roman Church.
Protestant ideas gradually became popular also in England, Scotland and Wales in 16 century.
The Irish rebelled against English trying to impose Protestantism on them as well as introduce the English system of laws about inheritance of the land.
The brutal fight followed.
During reign of Henry VIII Wales formally became united with England (the Act for the Government of Wales), Welsh were represented in House of Commons and Welsh legal
system was reformed.
When Henry died, his son Edward VI succeeded him.
He was strongly Protestant & during his reign the Book of Common Prayer was written for the Church of England which in revised version is still used today.
Edward ruled only six years and died in age of 15.
His half sister Mary, devout Catholic, became the Queen of England.
She started terrible persecutions of Protestants burning hundreds of people on stake and because of that she is now known as “Bloody Mary”.
Mary also died after short reign and her half- sister Elizabeth (daughter of Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn) became the Queen. - Queen Elizabeth I
- Elizabeth I was a Protestant .
She re-established Church of England as a official church in the kingdom.
But she did not persecuted Catholics and established balance between Catholics and Protestants avoiding any serious religious conflicts within England.
She became the most popular in English history, especially after England defeated the Spanish Armada in year 1588.
The Spanish Armada was sent from Spain to conquer England and restore Catholic faith. - The Reformation in Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots.
- In 1560, the predominately Protestant Scottish Parliament abolished the authority of Pope in Scotland and Roman Catholicism became illegal.
Protestant Church of Scotland, with elected leadership was established but it was not a state Church like in England.
The queen of Scotland was Mary Stuart (also known as Mary, Queen of Scots) was a Catholic.
She was one year old when she became the queen after death of her father.
She spent her childhood in France & when she returned to Scotland she was the centre of power struggle between different groups.
When she was suspected of involvement in assassination of her husband, she fled to England.
She gave her throne to her son, James VI of Scotland.
Mary was Elizabeth I cousin and she hoped that English queen can help her.
But Elizabeth suspected that Mary is plotting to take over the English throne and she kept her a prisoner for 20 years.
Finally Mary was executed, accused of plotting against Elizabeth.
There is a lot of facts to learn but all is logical and rather familiar to me so this part I’ve actually already knew.
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