Tudor England War of the Roses • Lasted between 1455-­‐1485 • A dynastic struggle between the descendants of the sons of Edward III: – House of Lancaster (whose insignia was a red rose) – House of York (whose insignia was a white rose) • Ended at the Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485) when Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond who was from a distant branch of the Lancastrian line defeated Richard III of the house of York Effects of the War of the Roses • Death rates are unclear and range between 50,000 and 100,000 • Fought mostly between nobles leaving large sections of peasant England untouched • With the death of so many nobles, Feudalism in England was weakened further while the merchant class grew in strength – both of these factors contributed to the growth of a strong, centralized monarchy under the Tudors • Private armies under the barons – which had been the hallmark of the Middle Ages – were now outlawed and only the king could ‘legally’ raise an army Henry VII • Reigned from 1485-­‐1509 • Married Elizabeth of York and reunited the two warring royal houses – he would merge the two roses into one as his new emblem, the Tudor rose • This marriage brought political stability to England after years of war • Henry would secure an alliance with Spain by arranging a marriage between his son Arthur and Catherine, daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain • Arthur’s unexpected death at the age of 15 one year after his marriage presented a problem for Henry VII…he could lose Catherine’s huge Spanish dowry • He fixed this by simply having her marry his second son Henry • Catherine swore that her marriage with Arthur had never be consummated and the Pope granted a special dispensation to allow the marriage to Henry Leviticus 20:21 – If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless. • Henry VII ruled over all aspects of his kingdom • His frugalness and attention to detail left the kingdom of England very rich • He would rule more like an absolute monarch than any king of England had since Magna Carta • He was considered England’s last Medieval king 1 Mac’s PowerPoints Henry VIII • Reigned from 1509-­‐1547 • Considered England’s first Renaissance king: apart from being a patron of the arts he was also an artist, musician, theologian, and sportsman • After his miserly father, the young charismatic new king was very popular…it helped that his father had left him a fortune A description of Henry, by an Italian called Giustinian • “His majesty is twenty-­‐nine years old, and extremely handsome. Nature could not have done more for him. He is much handsomer than any other sovereign in Christendom; a great deal handsomer then the King of France; very fair, and his whole frame admirably proportioned. On hearing that Francis I (the King of France) wore a beard, he allowed his own to grow; and as it is reddish, he has now got a beard that looks like gold. He is very accomplished; a good musician; composes well; is a most capital horseman; a fine jouster; speaks good French, Latin and Spanish; is very religious; hears three masses daily when he hunts, and sometimes five on other days. He is very fond of hunting, and never takes his diversion without tiring 8 or 10 horses. He is extremely fond of tennis, at which game it is the prettiest thing in the world to see him play, his fair skin glowing through a shirt of the finest texture.” The English Renaissance • Humanism began to take hold in Northern Europe just as the Renaissance in Italy was coming to an end as a result of wars • Thomas More, a leading English humanist and staunch Catholic wrote Utopia • His book outlined a world where – men and women live in harmony – no private property – no one is lazy – all people are educated – the justice system is used to end crime instead of executing criminals • For a time, Thomas More would be one of Henry’s closest friends and advisors • Once Henry broke from the Roman Catholic Church the relationship between More became strained • More refused to acknowledge Henry as the head of the Church of England over the Pope • Thomas More would be charged and executed for treason in 1535 • He would later be sainted by the Catholic Church The English Renaissance • Portrait painting emerged and flourished in England as nowhere else in Europe • Under Henry VIII and his court painter Hans Holbein, royal portraiture assumed a certain political importance as a form of propaganda The English Renaissance – Architecture • Tudor Architecture (1485 -­‐ 1603) 15th century and 16th century • You can see many Tudor houses in England today • Some of them are over 500 years old • Made from a wooden framework of beams which are uneven and can be seen on the outside • Wattle and daub or stones or bricks used to fill spaces between the beams • Sometimes first floor hangs out over the ground floor – this is called a jetty 2 Mac’s PowerPoints • Steeply pitched roof covered with clay or stone tiles • Tall thin chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pots • Tudor chimneys are also patterned, often with symmetrical patterns using brick Rich Tudor Houses • The rich people lived in country mansions which were often symmetrical plan -­‐ E and H shapes were popular • Glass was fashionable and showed how rich a person was • Windows became the main features on many rich Tudor houses • Hardwick Hall, the great Elizabethan mansion in Derbyshire with huge windows on all sides, was laughed at, at the time for being 'more glass than walls' Henry’s Six Wives • After 20 years of marriage to Catherine, Henry still had no male heir • This was a concern both because of Henry’s vanity but also because of the need for stability in England • If it could be proven that Catherine had consummated her marriage with Henry’s brother Arthur, he could get an annulment of his marriage • The fact that the Emperor, Charles V, nephew of Catherine, was holding the Pope captive in Rome would make this annulment all but impossible Henry’s trouble with Rome • Henry also needed money for his lavish lifestyle – and the richest institution in England was still the Church • The Reformation in Germany was growing and German Princes were throwing out the Catholic Church – and keeping the money in their own lands • Henry also knew that support for the Protestant Reformation was growing in England – he could use this support towards his own ends • These factors would lead Henry and England to a permanent break with the Catholic Church and form the Church of England in 1534 with himself as the head – his first act would be to divorce Catherine The Wives of Henry Catherine of Aragon • Married in 1509 • Queen of England for over 20 years • Only child who survived infancy was Mary; despite everything Mary would become Queen of England • Catherine was incredibly popular with the English people • She refused to agree to an annulment and died effectively banished in 1536 Anne Boleyn • Married in secret in 1533 • Had refused to be Henry’s mistress while he was married to Catherine • They would have one daughter, Elizabeth, who would also one day be Queen • Three miscarriages would follow • In 1536 Henry would have her tried for high treason and beheaded Jane Seymour • Married in 1536 • Jane gave birth to Henry’s son and heir Edward in 1537 • She would die within a few days of giving birth to Edward – Henry was heartbroken • Henry is buried next to Jane 3 Mac’s PowerPoints Edward would become king in 1547 but would only reign for six years, dying at the age of 16 Anne of Cleves • Married 1540 • This was an arranged marriage designed to ally England with another Protestant realm • Henry was disappointed in her appearance and called her the “Flanders Mare” • Their marriage was annulled within 6 months with Anne’s ‘wise’ agreement • She was ever after called “the King’s Beloved Sister” Catherine Howard • Married 1540 – she was 17, Henry was 49 • Within two years she was charged with treason for committing adultery while married to the King and was beheaded Catherine Parr • Married 1543 • Had a close relationship with both Mary and Elizabeth and was influential in Henry’s passing of the Third Succession Act of 1543 which restored both of his daughters to the line of succession • Married 3 ½ years to Henry until Henry finally died •
Dissolution of the Monasteries • The Act of Supremacy passed by Parliament in 1534 made Henry the Supreme Head of the Church of England • After his divorce one of Henry’s next acts was the dissolution of the Monasteries • This was a set of legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry disbanded monasteries, priories, convents, and friaries in England, Wales, and Ireland • The Catholic Church had been the wealthiest institution in England and its assets and lands were now Henry’s • This caused considerable upheaval in England, particularly in the north, and there were a number of uprisings • The Pilgrimage of Grace was the most famous, though it was more of a peaceful protest – upwards of 40,000 people marched on Lincoln • They would be dispersed by a force led by Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk • It is estimated that during his reign, Henry had between 50,000 and 70,000 people killed or executed – becoming increasingly paranoid near the end of his reign Legacy of Henry VIII • “Throughout the centuries [since his death], Henry has been praised and reviled, but he has never been ignored” • He has been seen as both a Renaissance man and an obese tyrant • Forever separated England from the Catholic Church in Rome • The Anglican Church during Henry’s life would appear Catholic in all but name to Protestants outside of England • He acted as an Absolute Monarch within the confines of Magna Carta England – he would be a model for other Monarchs in Europe • Under his reign and the reign of his daughter Elizabeth England would be set on the path towards Empire 4 Mac’s PowerPoints