The Tudor dynasty ruled England and Ireland for 118 years (from 1485 to 1603). It produced five Tudor monarchs and brought about some major changes, some that still impact modern-day Britain.
What came before the Tudor dynasty?
Before the Tudor dynasty came to power, England was ruled by the House of Plantagenet. This was a royal house that originated in Anjou, France. The House of Plantagenet held the English throne from 1154, with Henry II’s accession to the throne, to 22 August 1485. That was when Henry VII killed Richard III, the Plantagenet’s last king, in battle. This marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.
The origin and history of the Tudor name and dynasty
Who was the first Tudor? Where did this dynasty come from? Let's have a look.
Owen Tudor
Although the origins of the Tudor name can be traced to the thirteenth century, the Tudor name itself was established by Owen Tudor.
Owen Tudor (Welsh: Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur) was born around 1400. He was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Catherine of Valois. Catherine had been married to Henry V, King of England, but when he died, on 31 August 1422, Catherine and Owen married. Together they had three sons:
Edmund: born around 1430. He married Margaret Beaufort, but he died on 3 November 1546 of the bubonic plague. Then, three months after Edmund’s death, Margaret, at just 13 years of age, gave birth to their son, Henry. He would later become Henry VII, King of England and founder of the Tudor dynasty.
Jasper: born around November 1431. Jasper became a leading architect of his nephew’s, Henry VII, successful accession to the throne in 1485.
Edward: even though Edward is mentioned in most published sources on Owen Tudor, it is not clear why we know very little about him.
Margaret Beaufort was an important figure in the Wars of the Roses. She was King Henry VII's mother. She was also a descendant of King Edward III.
The Wars of the Roses: the beginning of the Tudor dynasty
The history of the Tudor dynasty begins in the mid-fifteenth century with the War of the Roses, a series of dynastic conflicts between the English monarchy and nobility. This war started on 22 May 1455 and lasted until 16 June 1487.
Though the causation of the War is continuously disputed by many medieval Historians, there are some common themes which are attributed to igniting the 32 year conflict:
- Sucession crises such as :
- Political ambition of Richard, Duke of York to become King
- Political Ambition of Richard, Duke of Gloucester to become King
- Political ambition of Henry Tudor to reinstate the Lancastrian lineage to the throne
- Political ambition of Edward of York to become King - this was founded on vengeance for the murder of his father, Richard, Duke of York.
- Henry VI incapcity to rule due to illness
- Social discontent targeted at the current economic recession
- Quarelling between nobility on the strategy of war with France
The War was between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, and it later got the name ‘Wars of the Roses’ since both houses had a rose as an emblem: white for York, red for Lancaster.
The War lasted 32 years and was eventually won by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, during the significant and decisive Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. The last Plantagenet monarch, King Richard III, was killed in action and Henry proclaimed himself Henry VII, King of England. While it is the general consensus that the 22nd August 1485 is considered the end of the war, some historians attribute the end of the war to 16 June 1487, with Henry defeating a Yorkist rebellion that supported the pretender to the throne, Lambert Simnel.
In 2012, a skeleton was found buried under a car park in Leicester, which turned out to be Richard III, the last Plantagenet King. He was then dubbed 'the carpark king'.
Henry united the rival houses by marrying Yorkist Elizabeth of York, thus creating the new House of Tudor. With the union between the two houses, the Tudor rose became their Houses’ insignia: the white Yorkist rose inside the red Lancastrian rose, both with five petals.
The kings and queens of the Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty was ruled by six monarchs.
Henry VII
Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457 at Pembroke Castle to Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort. After winning the Wars of the Roses, he seized the crown on 22 August 1485 and became King Henry VII, King of England, and Lord of Ireland. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Fig. 1: Henry VII, unknown artist, 1505.
Henry married Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486, and they were actually third cousins, as both were great-great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt. Henry and Elizabeth had several children, but only four survived infancy:
- Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486-1502): he was heir to the throne.
- Henry, Duke of York (1491-1547): he eventually became King Henry VIII.
- Margaret (1489-1541): she married King James IV of Scotland.
- Mary (1496-1533): she married King Louis XII of France.
John of Gaunt was an English prince, military leader, and statesman. He was also the third of the five sons of King Edward III of England. This makes the Tudor monarchs descendants of King Edward III
Henry knew that the funds in the royal treasury had dwindled, especially due to the Wars of the Roses. Through strict monetary strategy, he was able to leave a considerable amount of funds in the treasury for his successor Henry VIII.
Henry VII died on 21 April 1509.
Henry VIII
Henry VIII was born on 28 June 1491 as the second son to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Henry was never supposed to be king but became one nonetheless after his older brother, and heir to the throne, Arthur died on 2 April 1502.
Fig. 2: Portrait of Henry VIII.
Henry married six times but some of these marriages did not end favourably:
Katherine of Aragon: divorced.
Anne Boleyn: beheaded.
Jane Seymour: died from childbirth.
Anne of Cleves: divorced.
Catherine Howard: beheaded.
Catherine Parr: outlived him.
Henry had three legitimate children:
Mary: born to Henry and Katherine of Aragon. Mary became illegitimate after Henry’s divorce from Katherine.
Elizabeth: born to Henry and Anne Boleyn. She became illegitimate after the execution of Anne.
Edward: born to Henry and Jane Seymour.
Henry also fathered one acknowledged illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, with his mistress Elizabeth Blount.
On 3 November 1534, Henry declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England so he could divorce Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.
Henry VIII suffered from chronic wounds brought about by jousting accidents, which caused chronic pain, and tyrannical mood swings. In July 1543, Henry signed the Third Succession Act restoring his daughters Mary and Elizabeth to the throne after his son Edward.
Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547.
Edward VI
Edward VI was born on 12 October 1537 to Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. Upon his father’s death on 28 January 1547, Edward became Edward VI, King of England and Ireland. He was just nine years old and therefore the realm was governed by a regency council, which was led by his uncle Edward Seymour and later John Dudley.
Edward was the first monarch of England raised as a Protestant. When he fell ill in 1553 he feared that the country would go back to Catholicism under the rule of his half-sister Mary. That is why he wrote a new will, replacing his father's from 1544, where he gave the throne to his cousin Lady Jane Grey.
Edward died on 6 July 1553, aged 15. Due to his young age, he wasn't married and didn't have any children. Therefore, with Edward’s death, the direct male line of the House of Tudor ended.
Fig. 3: Edward VI in his early teens.
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey was born around 1537 to Henry Grey, First Duke of Suffolk, and his wife Frances. Jane was the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor. Edward VI chose Jane as his successor because she too was Protestant. Jane became Queen on 10 July 1553, even though she never wanted to be queen. On 19 July 1553, Suffolk persuaded his daughter to relinquish the throne in favour of Mary I, which she did. Her nine-day reign gave her the nickname the ‘Nine Days Queen’.
However, both she and her husband were accused of rebellion and sentenced to death. They were beheaded on 12 February 1554. Jane was just 16 years old.
Mary I
Mary I was born on 18 February 1513 to Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon.
On 1 October 1553, Mary was officially crowned making her Mary I, Queen of England Ireland. Her immediate action was to restore England back to Catholicism as her half-brother Edward VI had feared. This led to bloodshed and executions, earning her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'.
Mary died on 17 November 1558 aged 52. Now, her half-sister Elizabeth was the next in line to the throne.
Fig. 4: Mary I by Antonis Mor, 1554.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533 to Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. During Mary I’s reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for almost a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.
On 17 November 1558, Elizabeth became Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Ireland. Elizabeth’s 44-year reign became known as the ‘Golden Age of Britain’, also known as the Elizabethan Era. This Golden Age earned her the nicknames ‘Gloriana’ and ‘Good Queen Bess’. She also became known as the ‘Virgin Queen’ because she was never married.
Elizabeth died on 24 March 1603, leaving behind no heir nor instructions on who would succeed her.
Fig. 5: Elizabeth I, circa 1575.
Rebellions against the Tudors
Like during most reigns, during the reign of the Tudor Dynasty there were many rebellions against the ruling monarchs. Here is a list of the English rebellions that took place against the House of Tudor:
- Stafford and Lovell Rebellion, 1486
- Simnel Rebellion, 1486–87
- Yorkshire Rebellion, 1489
- Warbek Rebellion, 1497
- Cornish Rebellion, 1497
- Second Cornish Uprising of 1497
- Amicable Grant, 1525
- Silken Thomas Rebellion (Kildare Rebellion), 1534-37
- Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536–37
- Bigods Rebellion, 1537
- Prayer Book Rebellion (Western), 1549
- Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire rising, 1549
- Kett’s Rebellion, 1549
- Northumberland Rebellion, 1553
- Wyatt’s Rebellion, 1554
- Shane O’Neill Rebellion, 1558–67
- Rising of the North (Northern Earls), 1569
- First Desmond Rebellion (Geraldine), 1569–73
- Tyrone Rebellion (Nine Years’ War), 1593–1603
- Oxfordshire Rebellion, 1596
- Essex Rebellion, 1601
What happened after the Tudor dynasty ended?
A few hours after Elizabeth I’s death, James Charles Stuart was named her successor. He became James VI, King of Scotland, and James I, King of England and Ireland. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and he was a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, making him a potential successor to all three thrones.
Fig. 6: James Charles Stuart by John de Critz, circa 1605.
How did the Tudor dynasty shape contemporary Britain?
Many events that took place during the Tudor reign shaped British life and even today we can see the effects of the dynasty in many aspects of our life. Here are some examples:
- The Royal Mail. Henry VIII ordered the creation of the first national postal service for royal mail. Back then it was called ‘The King’s Posts’. The royal mail system was opened to the general public in 1635, by King Charles I. This was the start of the postal system we use today.
- The Church of England. It was created between 1534–39 after Henry VIII broke his relationship with Rome. The Church of England, or Anglican Church, is still active today representing over 85 million people in more than 165 countries.
- The Royal Navy. Although Henry VII started building navy ships, it was Henry VIII that created the Royal Navy. It went from 15 ships under his father to 45 ships by 1545.
- The Royal Exchange. In 1571 Sir Thomas Gresham, the father of English banking, set up the Royal Exchange, the first purpose-built centre for trading stocks in London. Over time, London took over from Antwerp (Belgium) as the financial capital of Europe.
- Intelligence Services. Between 1586–87 Queen Elizabeth I paid Sir Francis Walsingham to set up a European network of spies. He established England’s first counter-intelligence network and a school that taught cypher-breaking and forgery. This was the forerunner of today’s intelligence services.
The Tudor Dynasty - Key takeaways
- The Tudor name comes from Owen Tudor, a Welsh courtier.
- Owen Tudor and his wife Catherine of Valois had three children: 1. Edmund: father of Henry, who would later become Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and the founder of the Tudor dynasty. 2. Jasper: helping his nephew Henry VII to the throne. 3. Edward: life details unknown.
- The Tudor dynasty began with Henry VII, when he proclaimed himself King of England on 22 August 1485, after the Battle of Bosworth Field ended the Wars of the Roses.
- The Tudor dynasty was ruled by six monarchs: 1. Henry VII 2. Henry VIII 3. Edward VI 4. Lady Jane Grey 5. Mary I 6. Elizabeth I
- The Tudor dynasty ended with the death of Elizabeth I on 24 March 1603.
- After the death of Elizabeth I, James Charles Stuart was named successor. He became James VI, King of Scotland, and James I, King of England and Ireland.
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