Tudor England

No sooner was the Hundred Years’ War over than a long power struggle (1455-85) began for the English Crown between two families: the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The War of the Roses (so called because both families used a rose as their symbol) ended when Henry VII (Henry of Tudor) united the two rival houses, giving origin to the Tudor dynasty.

During Henry’s reign the medieval period came to a close. Men were no longer tied to manors and estates in the country; the power of the towns, with their educated and industrious middle classes, began to make itself felt; and there was a revival, or Renaissance, of learning, partly as a result of the printing press, which ended the Church’s monopoly of learning.

Henry’s son and heir, Henry VIII (1509-1547), was a typical Renaissance prince: handsome, learned, ambitious and unscrupulous. He also had an instinctive understanding of his times. It was his creation of the Royal Navy that enabled England to realize her imperialistic ambitions under Elizabeth and defy the Pope and the Catholic powers of Europe.

Henry used Parliament to establish himself as the head of the Protestant Church of England with the Act of Supremacy in 1534. His decision to act through Parliament greatly strengthened this institution, which had lost virtually all its authority under Henry VII. There was general support on the part of the English people, who were resentful of papal interference in national affairs. His Reformation led to the creation of the religiously distinct Anglican Church. The dissolution of the monasteries (and the confiscation of their large estates) served to destroy papal authority in England and at the same time provide Henry with much needed wealth.

Elizabeth I (1558-1603) was an outstanding ruler. She restored national unity, opposing extremist doctrines and supporting a moderate form of Protestantism similar to that of her father’s. Her reign is considered by many as the Golden Age of English history, producing not only poets of the stature of Shakespeare and Spenser, but also prosperity for the entire nation. The discovery of America placed Britain at the centre of the world's trading routes and brilliant naval commanders (especially Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh) enabled England to dominate these trade routes. During this period great trading companies, like the East India Company, were also established. Parliament was regularly called and consulted, while Justices of the Peace administered justice and carried out all the ordinary functions of local government.

Exercise 5. Discuss briefly the following:

1. Social change during Henry VII’s reign

2. The role of Parliament under the Tudors

3. The Church in Tudor times

4. The Navy and overseas expansion