The Tudors and the Stuarts

The Tudors

Henry VIII (reigned 1509–1547)

• Famous for marrying six times and breaking away from the Church of Rome to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon
• Established the Church of England with the king as its head
• United Wales with England through the Laws in Wales Acts (1535–1542)

Henry VIII's six wives (in order):

1. Catherine of Aragon
2. Anne Boleyn
3. Jane Seymour
4. Anne of Cleves
5. Catherine Howard
6. Catherine Parr

Elizabeth I (reigned 1558–1603)

• The Elizabethan period was known for growing patriotism, expanded trade, and rich poetry and drama
• The Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588 — with help from Sir Francis Drake
• William Shakespeare wrote during this period
• English settlers began moving to North American colonies
• Elizabeth was the last Tudor monarch and never married (the "Virgin Queen")

The Stuarts and the Civil War

The English Civil War (1640s)

• Charles I introduced a Prayer Book; the Puritan-led Parliament did not support him
• War broke out between Parliament (Roundheads) and the King (Cavaliers)
• King's army was defeated at the Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby
• King Charles I was executed — the only English monarch to be put to death

Oliver Cromwell

• Titled Lord Protector (1640s–1650s)
• Led Britain while it was without a monarch (the Commonwealth period)

The Restoration (1660)

• After Cromwell's death, Charles II (who had been King of Scotland) was invited back as king

The Glorious Revolution (1688)

• English Protestants did not want a Catholic king
• They invited William of Orange (husband of Mary, from the Netherlands) to become king
• He faced no resistance — hence "Glorious Revolution"
• The Bill of Rights (1689) confirmed the rights of Parliament and limited the king's power
• The Habeas Corpus Act (1679) forbade unlawful imprisonment

The Great Plague and Great Fire

• 1665: The Great Plague struck London
• 1666: The Great Fire of London