From the War of the Roses to the Tudor Dynasty: An Era of Transition and Reform

How did the Tudor’s dynasty start to reign in England?

This period in which Tudors ruled in England was a time of transition from the Medieval to the Modern world.
As a matter of fact, it started in 1485 with Henry VII (a Lancaster) who married Elizabeth of York in 1486 and it finished with Elizabeth I’s death in 1603 since she had no children or heir.

After her, the Stuart’s dynasty became the new government of England although originally come from Scotland. The progenitor was James I and the last one was Anne Stuart who died without heirs in 1714.

At this point the Hannover’s dynasty took the role of ruling dynasty from George I to Queen Victoria.

The first Tudor king, Henry VII, was an able ruler and, in fact, during his reign England had a period of progress and financial and governmental stability.

But he did not give enough attention to the Parliament and, for this reason, he summoned it only seven times.

Henry and Elizabeth of Aragon had four children. When Henry died his son, Henry VIII, became king.

He was very interested in art, music and poetry, in fact his reign is considered as the beginning of the Golden Age.

Religious revolution and Henry VIII’s marriage

It is called in this way because his church was born from a rebellion against Pope Leo X and his Catholic church which was corrupted, too rich, unfair and opportunist because of the buying and selling of religious offices and indulgences

The difference between the catholic one regarded the relationship between church and state.

Henry wanted a male heir so, for this reason, he got married six times and he had many illegitimate children.

He married Catherine of Aragon but she gave him a daughter, Mary.

Then he married Anne Boleyn but he had another daughter, Elizabeth.
This was somehow ironic because Henry VIII wanted to cancel his marriage with Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne but the Pope did not allow it.

So, Henry VIII rebelled to him and he founded a new Church, the Anglican one, in which he was the king in addition to his predominant political role and then, in 1533, Henry and Anne got married.

At this point, his move seemed to be wasteful because Anne was executed. Henry married another four times and his last wife, Jane, provided him a male heir, Edward VI.

Edward VI and Mary I’s reigns

For example, under his reign Protestant values were completely accepted.

Edward VI died of tuberculosis in 1553 and his sister Mary I succeeded him.

She had a intense temperament was known as Bloody Mary because of her strong Catholic faith which led her to oppress and burn in the fires all the rebels to Rome.

In fact, new religious conflicts arose around England and new times of insecurities and tensions were expected.

In 1557 Mary married the king of Spain, Philippe II, whose his wife left the decisions of how to reign in England.

In June of the same year, despite the Parliament’s contrariety, England declared war to Henry II, king of France, because of some unresolved affair of Carlos V with Francis I that were inherited by Philippe II.

The war resulted in the lost of Calais, an important commercial hub, which was conquered by the Duke of Giusa.

Mary I also lost the support of Pope Paul IV who sided with Henry II and criticized Reginald Pole, archbishop of Canterbury, because he was too mild and he was not really progressing in strengthening the Catholic Church in England.