The Tudors were a British family that ruled England for over a century, beginning with Henry VII in 1485 and ending with the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. The family descended from the gentry and produced many prominent members who were considered geniuses of their age. The dynasty was founded by Henry VII, whose father was the son of Owain Tudor, a Welsh courtier and lover of Catherine of Valois, widow of King Henry V. Henry VIII was a charismatic but paranoid monarch who had two of his wives beheaded. Edward VI’s short reign was marked by persecution of Catholics. Mary I reversed Edward’s decrees and executed many Protestants. Elizabeth I restored England to prosperity and peace but remained single, ending the direct line of the Tudor family.
The Tudors, a British family, descended through the gentry to become the ruling family of England after the end of the Plantagenet reign. Despite their humble backgrounds, many prominent family members were considered geniuses of their age. Their royal dynasty lasted for over a century, beginning with Henry VII in 1485 and ending with the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603.
Owain ap Maredudd was a Welsh courtier, a descendant of Prince Rhys ap Guffudd. After King Henry V’s death, his widow, Catherine of Valois, took Owain into her home. The two eventually became lovers, and although no records have survived to confirm this, they are believed to have married around 1428. The affair produced at least six children, including Edmund, who would become the father of the first Tudor king, Henry VII . Owain, who had anglicized his name to Owen Tudor, was beheaded in 1487 as a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses.
After his defeat of King Richard III, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two houses on the throne as the Tudors and ending the war. Henry spent much of his reign restoring order throughout the country and attempting to replenish the depleted royal treasury. He established an order of itinerant judges to go from town to town, holding court and listening to grievances. After the death of his wife and heir, he went into severe decline in health and died in 1509, leaving the throne to his second son, Henry VIII.
The oft-married monarch Henry VIII was a vivid example of Tudor charisma and ability. Years away from the obesity that would plague his later life, Henry was an excellent sportsman and athlete. He wrote many poems and songs, and his philosophical and religious treatises are regarded by some experts as works of genius.
As he got older, Henry is believed to have become extremely selfish and paranoid. He ordered the deaths of many of his closest advisers and associates, and also had two of his wives beheaded. Although he disinherited both daughters, Henry’s sixth wife persuaded him to include them in the line of succession to prevent the end of the Tudor reign, should anything happen to Henry’s beloved son Edward VI.
Edward VI’s short reign was marked by years of persecution of Catholics, as the boy king sought to root out the devout in favor of Protestantism. Although records show evidence of Edward’s devoted faith, it is likely that most of the decisions of his reign were ordered by the regents, as Edward was only nine years old when he was crowned king. He died, probably of tuberculosis, at the age of 15.
Despite Protestant attempts to raise a different queen, the Tudor succession, as Henry VIII insisted, could not be denied, and the Catholic Queen Mary I took the throne in 1553. Under her rule, Edward’s decrees were reversed in favor of the Catholicism, and many devout Protestants were imprisoned or executed for heresy. Although Mary I is often remembered for her bloodthirsty rule, it is interesting to note that she might have ordered the execution of her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth rather than allowing her to take the throne. Records suggest that Maria was a complicated and deeply religious woman who might have proved herself a better monarch in a more peaceful time.
When Elizabeth I took the throne in 1559, her reign was in total social, economic and religious turmoil. Successfully playing one faction against another while pursuing a consistently moderate course of action, Queen Elizabeth restored England to a prosperous and relatively peaceful land. Accounts of her portray her as a glamorous and brilliant woman, able to speak five languages fluently and considered the most educated woman of her time. Despite constant pleas from her advisers to marry and produce an heir, Elizabeth retained her power by remaining single.
While this decision ensured his continued reign, it was also the downfall of the Tudors, as his childlessness ended both the direct line of the family and his reign as monarchs. Elizabeth was the last monarch to bear the Tudor name, although 20th- and 21st-century Windsor rulers trace their lineage to this important family.
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