Династия Тюдоров (essay the house of Tudor)

power. When Elizabeth I died in 1603, the Tudor dynasty ended. But the

Stuarts, who succeeded the Tudors, were descended from Owen Tudor. Even the

modern royal Windsor family can trace its ancestry back to the handsome

Welsh squire who married Queen Catherine of Valois.

KING HENRY VII. 1). The house of Tudor was founded by Owen Tudor, a well-

born Welsh man who served as a squire of the body to England's King Henry

V. The king died in 1422 and some years later his widow, Catherine of

Valois, is said to have married the handsome Tudor. The middle of the XV

century- the time of so-called Wars of the Roses, a series of power

struggles between the ruling House of Lancaster and the rival House of

York. Owen Tudor was a staunch supporter of the king. In 1461 Tudor led an

army into battle against Yorkists forces at Mortimer's Cross in

Herefordshire. The Yorkist side won; Tudor was killed; Henry VI lost his

throne and the Yorkist claimant, Edward IV, became king. Owen's son Edmund

had married Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III's son

John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Edmund died while Margaret was

pregnant with their first child, Henry, who was born on January 28, 1457 in

Wales. At first Henry was kept hidden in Wales by his uncle, Jasper Tudor.

In 1471 Henry VI died - he may have been murdered - in the Tower of London,

and Henry Tudor became the Lancastrian claimant to the throne. Fearing for

his nephew's safety, Jasper Tudor smuggled him to Brittany (in France).In

1483 Edward IV died suddenly and his young sons, Edward V and Richard,

"disappeared" in the Tower of London. Their uncle, who had imprisoned the

boys, swiftly crowned himself Richard III. Not surprisingly, he was an

unpopular king. In 1485 Henry Tudor returned to Wales, raised an army,

invaded England, and defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field.

Richard died in the battle, and Henry Tudor became Henry VII, the first

Tudor king. 2). In 1486 Henry married Richard's niece, Elizabeth of York,

uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and ending the Wars of the Roses

(although Henry did have to deal with Yorkist uprisings early in his

reign). Henry VII was left with just three offspring: Margaret, who was

already the queen of Scotland; Henry, the future king of England; and Mary,

a future queen of France. In 1509 Henry VII died of tuberculosis. He had

brought law and order to England after years of chaos, and made the country

important in the eyes of the world.

KING HENRY VIII. 1). Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491. His father and

mother, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, were loving parents, although they

saw little of their children. Henry, their second son, was styled the Duke

of York. He had his own servants and minstrels, and a fool named John

Goose. He even had a whipping boy who was punished when Henry did something

wrong. Henry VII loved entertainers, and the court attracted acrobats,

jesters, magicians and musicians. Prince Henry enjoyed music and grew up to

be an accomplished musician. 2). He became a king, when he was 17 years

old. Although most people today think of Henry VIII as a fat tyrant, in his

youth he was admired for his intelligence, good looks, good nature and

athletic ability. One of his contemporaries wrote that he was "one of the

best men that lived in his time, in manners more than a man, most amiable,

courteous and benign in gesture unto all persons. "But of course, Henry is

remembered today for just one thing - well, six things. Six wives, to be

exact. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour,

Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.

KING EDWARD VI. 1). Henry VIII died in 1547 and his nine-year-old son

became King Edward VI. A council was appointed to rule during Edward's

minority, with Edward's uncle, the duke of Somerset (Jane Seymour's

brother), as Protector of the country and the king. Somerset's brother,

Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour, was jealous of Somerset and schemed to

put himself in power. Somerset himself later fell from the king's favour

and lost his role as Protector. The duke of Northumberland took control of

the king and council, and eventually Somerset, like his brother, was

arrested and charged with treason. Under pressure from Northumberland,

fourteen-year-old Edward signed Somerset's death warrant. Somerset was

executed in 1552. 2). By this time Edward had completed his education and

was participating in council meetings. It was decided that the king would

take charge of the country at age sixteen. This was bad news for his sister

Mary an ardent Catholic who refused to cooperate with Edward's religious

reforms. However, Edward got along well with his other sister, Elizabeth, a

moderate Protestant. Edward suffered bouts of measles and smallpox in April

1552, and from that time his health declined. His father's will had

specified that Mary should become queen if Edward died without children,

but Northumberland had different ideas. He persuaded Edward to name the

Protestant Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Lady Jane was the granddaughter

of Henry VIII's sister Mary; she was also Northumberland's daughter-in-law,

and through her Northumberland hoped to rule England. On July 6, 1553

Edward died. He was fifteen years old. He would be succeeded -- briefly --

by the unfortunate Lady Jane.

LADY JANE GREY. 1). Lady Jane Grey was born in 1537, just two days before

King Edward VI, and may have been his friend in childhood. Her father was

Henry Grey, the marquis of Dorset (later the duke of Suffolk). Her mother

was Frances Brandon, a niece of Henry VIII. At that time, Frances Brandon

was third in the line of succession to the throne. Jane had two younger

sisters, Katherine and Mary. Jane's parents were, in her words, "sharp and

severe" to her. She found refuge in her studies. Jane's parents had big

dreams for their intellectual eldest daughter. They hoped she would marry

her cousin Edward and thus become queen of England. When Jane was nine, her

parents sent her to live with Henry VIII's widow, Katherine Parr, and

Katherine's new husband, Thomas Seymour. Jane was happy with the Seymours,

but Katherine soon died and Thomas Seymour was arrested, forcing Jane to

return to her parents. By the time Jane was 15, her parents had abandoned

their dream of marrying her to King Edward, but he wanted to marry Mary,

Queen of Scots, or some other foreign princess. Jane wanted to marry to the

duke of Somerset's son, Lord Hertford. She was stunned when her parents

informed her that she was instead to marry Guildford Dudley, the youngest

son of the duke of Northumberland. Guildford was a handsome young man, one

year Jane's senior, but it seems Jane didn't like him very much. 2). Jane

married Guildford Dudley in May of 1553. Three days later the king died.

Northumberland kept the death secret for several days to prevent Edward's

sister Mary from claiming the crown. But on July 9 Mary, who was in

Norfolk, heard the news and proclaimed herself queen. On the same day Jane

was taken to Northumberland's house and led to a throne. Everyone bowed or

curtsied to her. Realizing what was happening, Jane began to shake.

Northumberland made a speech announcing that Jane was the new queen, at

which Jane fell on the floor in a brief faint. The next day Jane made her

state entry into London. Most people felt that Mary was the rightful heir

to the throne, and very few cheers greeted Jane. She was taken to the Tower

of London, as was traditional. For a few days Northumberland stayed close

to Jane, bringing her documents to sign and generally telling her what to

do. Despite Jane's objection to making Guildford king, Northumberland

announced that both she and her husband would be crowned in two weeks. Then

Northumberland left with an army to capture Mary, who was marching toward

London with an army of her own. While he was gone the nervous royal council

decided to proclaim Mary the rightful queen. The proclamation was made on

July 19. The people of London were jubilant. Determined to save himself,

Jane's father signed the proclamation making Mary queen, then went to his

daughter's apartments and tore down her canopy of estate, telling her she

was no longer queen. 3). Jane remained in the Tower, where she and

Guildford soon became prisoners. Her father and Northumberland were also

arrested and brought back to the tower. Henry Grey was released after a few

days. He and Frances did not write to Jane or try to save her life.

Although Northumberland hastily converted to Catholicism and spoke of his

desire to live and kiss Mary's feet, he was executed in August. On November

13 Jane and Guildford were tried and sentenced to death. Jane wasn't

worried, however, because she had been told that the queen would pardon

her. Then, in February of 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a revolt against

Mary. He was quickly arrested, but his rebellion hardened Mary's heart

against her enemies. She signed Jane and Guildford's death warrants. When

Jane heard the news she said, "I am ready and glad to end my woeful days."

The queen offered to reprieve Jane if she would convert to the Catholic

faith, but Jane refused. Jane's father had supported the rebels, and he too

was sentenced to death. They were executed on February, 11.

QUEEN MARY I. 1). Bloody Mary" Tudor was born on February 18, 1516. She was

the only surviving child of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of

Aragon. Henry doted on Princess Mary when she was little, she received an

excellent education. The year 1527 started off well for Princess Mary. But

Henry VIII's attitude toward Mary and her mother had started to change. He

had decided that God disapproved of his marriage to Catherine; why else had

the queen failed to produce healthy male children? And he was in love with

the woman who was to become his second wife: Anne Boleyn. Soon Mary learned

that Henry wanted to annul his marriage to her mother. For this, the king

needed the pope's permission. Henry grew increasingly angry with Catherine

for resisting his attempt to end their marriage. Finally, in 1531, he sent

Catherine away from court. After being shuffled between various castles and

palaces, the queen ended up a prisoner at Kimbolton Castle, near

Huntingdon. Mary was now officially a bastard, called "the lady Mary," but,

like her mother, she refused to accept her change in status. Henry was

infuriated by his daughter's defiance and threatened to have her executed

if she did not stop referring to herself as a princess. Catherine and Mary

were not permitted to visit each other, and Catherine died in 1536 without

seeing her daughter again. Now Mary was alone. . With Anne gone, Henry

treated his eldest daughter somewhat more kindly. At first she got along

well with the king's other children. After Henry's death in 1547, Mary's

nine-year-old half-brother became King Edward VI, then for 9 days(Lady Jane

Grey. After a lifetime of sorrow and danger, the 37-year-old Mary Tudor was

now the most powerful person in England. 2). Soon after her accession, Mary

began considering the possibility of marrying Prince Philip of Spain, the

son of her former fiancй, Emperor Charles V. It worried her that Philip was

11 years her junior. With difficulty the emperor's envoy convinced her that

Philip was a stable, mature adult who would help protect her kingdom.

Mary's subjects were alarmed to learn of her engagement to the Spanish

prince, fearing that England would become part of Spain. The queen,

however, had no intention of turning the country over to Philip. He arrived

in England on July 20, 1554, and met Mary for the first time on July 23.

Mary liked Philip from the start, and he treated her kindly, although he

probably found her unattractive. The wedding took place two days later. Two

months later, Mary's doctors told her that she was pregnant.

In December a law was passed that allowed bishops of the Church of England

to convict heretics and sentence them to death by burning. Almost 300

people were burned alive during Mary's reign with Mary's full approval,

earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary."

By the summer of 1555 it became obvious that Mary was no longer pregnant,

if she had ever been. Mary was bitterly disappointed. Philip left England

that August, promising Mary that he would soon return. Mary missed him

desperately. Philip didn't return to England until March of 1557. During

his absence he had become the king of Spain. After a few months in England

he left to go to war; Mary never saw him again. She became depressed and

paranoid. Tortured by loneliness and unhappiness, Queen Mary fell ill. She

died on November 17, 1558 and was succeeded by her half-sister, Queen

Elizabeth I.

QUEEN ELISABETH I. 1). Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 at

Greenwich Palace near London. Elizabeth had an older half-sister, Mary, who

was the daughter of the king's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

King Henry had moved heaven and earth to marry Anne Boleyn. Anne was

executed, and two weeks later the king married Jane Seymour. In 1537 Queen

Jane died after giving birth to a son, Edward. Elizabeth and Mary

participated in his christening ceremony. When Elizabeth was four,

Katherine Champernowne became her governess. Elizabeth was an excellent

student. In 1540 Elizabeth's father married Anne of Cleves. Queen Katherine

was beheaded in 1542, when Elizabeth was seven years old. Katherine

Howard's violent death seems to have had a lasting impact on Elizabeth. 2).

In 1543 Elizabeth gained yet another stepmother when Henry married his

sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr. If Mary died without heirs, Elizabeth

would become queen. Soon after Henry's death, Elizabeth received a marriage

proposal from handsome Thomas Seymour, who was England's Lord Admiral and

the brother of the late Queen Jane. Thomas Seymour still had designs on

pretty red-haired Elizabeth. Concerned, the queen questioned Elizabeth, who

cried and insisted it wasn't true. Understandably upset, Katherine banished

Elizabeth from the Old Manor House. A few months later Katherine died after

childbirth and Seymour resumed plotting to marry Elizabeth. In 1549 Seymour

was arrested on charges of conspiring to marry Elizabeth and take over the

government. Kat Ashley was also arrested, along with another of Elizabeth's

employees, and Elizabeth herself was closely interrogated. 3). Elizabeth

continued to get along well with her brother, King Edward, but in 1553

Edward died. Meanwhile, Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed queen by

her supporters. Elizabeth obediently attended one Mass, but complained the

whole time of feeling ill. Because this and Elizabeth's popularity with the

English people, Mary grew wary of her half sister. When Sir Thomas Wyatt

led an uprising against Mary, the queen suspected that Elizabeth was

involved. Elizabeth was taken to London and confined at Whitehall Palace.

Mary refused to see her, but Mary's new husband Philip of Spain met with

Elizabeth and fell under her spell. At his encouragement Mary finally

reconciled with Elizabeth. Finally, on November 17, 1558, Mary died and

Elizabeth's years of peril came to an end. She was now the queen of

England.4). Elizabeth's advisors urged the twenty-five-year old queen to

quickly marry some foreign prince and produce heirs so that the throne

would not pass to Henry VIII's great-niece, Mary Stuart, the queen of

Scotland. Elizabeth stood by her early decision never to marry. With the

help of fine clothes, jewels and cosmetics, the vain queen maintained a

glamorous image despite her advancing age. In her mid-fifties she fell in

love with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, son of Lettice Knollys. Essex was

in his early twenties, good-looking, and extremely arrogant. Although he

reigned as the queen's favourite for many years, he did not always show

Elizabeth the deference she demanded. Once, when Elizabeth slapped him

during an argument, Essex threatened to draw his sword on her. Elizabeth

sent him to Ireland to quell a rebellion; while there, Essex ignored the

queen's orders and pursued his own agenda. When he defied her by returning

to England without permission, Elizabeth placed him under house arrest.

After his release Essex attempted to lead an uprising against the queen,

and the heartbroken Elizabeth had no choice but to sentence him to death.

Essex was executed in 1601. Two years later Elizabeth became very ill.

Perhaps she did not want to live without Essex; when her doctors offered

her medicine, she refused to take it. She died on March 24, 1603 at the age

of 69. Elizabeth was glorified by poets and artists as Gloriana, the

Virgin Queen.

CONCLUSION. During this period from 1485 to 1603, England developed into

one of the leading European colonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter

Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. Nearer to home,

campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strict English control.

Culturally and socially, the Tudor period saw many changes. The Tudor court

played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance taking place in Europe,

nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser

and Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudor period also saw the turbulence of two

changes of official religion, resulting in the martyrdom of many innocent

believers of both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The fear of Roman

Catholicism induced by the Reformation was to last for several centuries

and to play an influential role in the history of the Succession.

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