A Level Humanities OCR

England 1485–1558: the Early Tudors

The Tudor Dynasty

• Henry VII started the Tudor dynasty after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

• His reign established the stability necessary for his son Henry VIII and granddaughters Mary I and Elizabeth I to consolidate their power.

Henry VII’s Administration

• Henry VII secured his rule by marrying Elizabeth of York, uniting two warring houses – York and Lancaster.

• He regulated the nobility using bonds and recognisances, discouraging them from maintaining private armies, and using the Star Chamber to control Nobles.

• Financial security was achieved by avoiding wars, effective taxation, and promoting trade through navigation acts and commercial treaties.

Henry VIII

• He ascended the throne in 1509 and unlike his father, he was an extravagant spender and engaged in military ventures against France and Scotland.

• Married six times in desperate pursuit of a male heir, causing religious turmoil.

Reformation under Henry VIII

• The Pope’s refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon initiated the English Reformation.

• He declared himself head of the Church of England, breaking away from the Catholic Church and Papal authority, leading to the Dissolution of Monasteries.

Edward VI and the Protestant Reform

• Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, continued the reformation after his father’s death, leading to the establishment of Protestant doctrine in England.

• The reign of Edward was marked by power struggles between nobles acting as his regents, like the Duke of Somerset and the Duke of Northumberland.

‘Bloody’ Mary I and Return to Catholicism

• Mary I, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, reversed religious reform, restored Papal authority and returned England to Catholicism.

• She executed many Protestants, earning the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.

• Her death in 1558 ended the possibility of a Catholic England.

Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Settlement

• Elizabeth I, daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, navigated political and religious strife to establish what is known as the ‘Elizabethan Settlement’.

• This involved a compromise between Catholic and Protestant practices, creating a broad church acceptable to most of her subjects to ensure stability.

• Her reign known as Golden Age due to progress in culture, economy, and exploration.