The Tudor Period

In 1447 a 38-year struggle for the throne began between two royal families, the houses of Lancaster and York. This struggle, called the Wars of the Roses, took its name from the family symbols—red rose for Lancaster, white for York. The conflict ended in 1485 when Henry Tudor of the Lancastrian party was crowned Henry VII after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field. His marriage to Elizabeth of York united the rival families.

Under Henry VII royal power again became strong. Parliament did not resist him even though he ruled almost as a despot. Henry was succeeded by his son, who became Henry VIII, in 1509. National prosperity declined because of his costly foreign wars. When he sought to have his first marriage annulled because it failed to produce a male heir, the church opposed him. During 1529-36, Henry severed all ties with the Roman Catholic church and formed the Church of England, making himself its head.

Edward VI, Henry's son, succeeded to the throne upon his father's death in 1547. Edward was only 10 years old at the time of his succession, and various regents acted on his behalf. During his reign, the Church of England took on a Protestant character. Edward was succeeded by Mary I, a daughter of Henry VIII, in 1553. Mary, a Catholic, attempted to reimpose Roman Catholicism and persecuted Protestants. She came to be known as “Bloody Mary” because she ordered the execution of nearly 300 Protestants during her reign.

The last Tudor ruler was Elizabeth I, Mary's sister and a Protestant. During her reign of 45 years commerce flourished. The works of such writers as William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon marked the Elizabethan era as a golden age for English literature. Elizabeth made England a Protestant nation again. The English navy's triumph over the Spanish Armada in 1588 established England as a sea power.