Реферат "The Tudor Dynasty"

   Общеобразовательное учреждение

«Благовещенская муниципальная средняя общеобразовательная школа №2 »

 Благовещенского района Алтайского края

Экзаменационная работа

по английскому языку

Реферат

«The Tudor Dynasty»

        ученицы 9-А класса

        Гараськовой Анны

        Руководитель: Головина О.Н.,

                                                                                         учитель английского языка

р,п.Благовещенка

2014

CONTENTS

1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………3

2. King Henry VII…………………………………………………………….......4

3. King Henry VIII……………………………………………………………….5-8
4. King Edward VI……………………………………………………………… 8-9
5. Lady Jane Grey……………………………………………………………......9-11
6. Queen Mary I……………………………………………………………...…..11-13.  

7. Queen Elizabeth I……………………………………………………………..14-16
8. Conclusion………..………………………………………………….…..……17
9. The List of Literature………………………………………………………….18
                  

INTRODUCTION

I chose this topic because I am interested in English history. The Tudor dynasty  ruled in Britain for 118 years. The five kings of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-known figures in Royal history.

Being of Welsh origin, Henry VII succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and found the highly successful Tudor house. He was succeeded by Henry VIII who is famous for his six wives. Henry VIII was followed to the throne by his children Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. They increased the influence of the monarchy, established the Church of England and made England a world power. When Elizabeth I died in 1603 the Tudor dynasty ended. But the Stuarts, who succeeded the Tudors, were descended from Owen Tudor. Even the modern royal Windsor family can trace its ancestry back to the handsome Welsh squire

Owen Tudor.

KING HENRY VII

The Tudor family came to power after the Wars of the Roses. These were civil wars between the houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose), both of whom claimed the throne.

The founder of the royal Tudor dynasty was Henry VII's grandfather Owen Tudor, a well-born Welsh man who served as a squire of the body to England's King Henry V. The king died in 1422 and some years later his widow Catherine of Valois married the handsome Tudor. Owen Tudor was a supporter of the king. In 1461 Tudor led an army into battle against Yorkists forces in Herefordshire. The Yorkist side won Tudor was killed, Henry VI lost his throne and the Yorkist claimant, Edward IV became king. Owen's son Edmund had married Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III's son John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Edmund died while Margaret was pregnant with their first child Henry, who was born on January 28, 1457 at Pembroke Castle in Wales. At first Henry was kept hidden in Wales by his uncle Jasper Tudor. In 1471 Henry VI died (he may have been murdered in the Tower of London) and Henry Tudor became the Lancastrian claimant to the throne. Fearing for his nephew's safety Jasper Tudor smuggled him to France.

In 1483 Edward IV died suddenly and his young sons Edward V and Richard "disappeared" in the Tower of London. Their uncle, who had imprisoned the boys,  crowned himself Richard III. He was an unpopular king. In 1485 Henry Tudor returned to Wales, raised an army, invaded England and defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field. Richard died in the battle and Henry Tudor became Henry VII, the first Tudor king.

In 1486 Henry married Richard's niece Elizabeth of York uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and ending the Wars of the Roses.

In 1509 Henry VII died. He had brought law and order to England after years of chaos and made the country important in the eyes of the world. He is not, however, the Tudor king best remembered today. That honour belongs to his infamous successor, the much-married Henry VIII.

KING HENRY VIII

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491. His father and mother, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, were loving parents, although they saw little of their children. Henry, their second son, was styled the Duke of York. He had his own servants and minstrels, and a fool named John Goose. He even had a whipping boy who was punished when Henry did something wrong.

Henry VII loved entertainers and the court attracted acrobats, magicians and musicians. Prince Henry enjoyed music and grew up to be an accomplished musician. At the age of 10 he could play many instruments including the fife, harp, viola and drums.

Henry's older brother Arthur married a Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, when he was fifteen. Prince Arthur danced at his wedding and seemed to be in good health but within a few months he was dead.

Young Henry was now heir to the throne. He was guarded at all times and allowed to see few people. Henry was a very tall, athletic, handsome teenager. He kept his personality under control on public occasions because he feared his father's temper. He received little training for his future role as king and would rely on his counsellors in the early years of his reign.

In 1509 Henry VII died and his son became King Henry VIII. He was 17. Memories of the horrors of these wars were still alive when Henry VIII, the second Tudor king, was crowned. The young king, handsome, gifted and athletic, did much for the glory of England. His talents were diverse — he was interested in music, books and sport. The young king paid a lot of attention to religious questions. He was a true catholic and by 1521 he had written an Anti-Lutheran book, for which a grateful Pope awarded him the title of Defender of the Faith. But only 10 years later Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and set up his own Church of England. The king made himself the Supreme Head of this new Church, and began to close the monasteries. Henry did this because he was short of money and wanted the wealth of the monasteries.

Although most people today think of Henry VIII as a tyrant, in his youth he was admired for his intelligence, good looks, good nature and athletic ability. One of his contemporaries wrote that he was "one of the best men that lived in his time." In English history he stands out as one of the most colourful kings. King Henry had bright red hair, powerful muscles and an attractive laugh.

He built the first modern navy but spent his father's fortune on foreign wars. He liked hunting, riding, archery and getting his own way. Those who annoyed him usually had their heads cut off . He was handsome, talented and cruel. He was educated in the classics, spoke and wrote several languages including Latin. He studied philosophy and religion and often had heated debates with the learned thinkers of the age.

He was skilled in the arts of war. He wrote prose and poetry. But his real passion was music. Henry VIII composed ballads. He is said to have written Greensleeves which is still one of the most popular folk songs in Britain. He played several musical instruments. Henry VIII loved luxury as well as music. His father, Henry VII, had been a thrifty ruler and left a large treasure behind him. It did not take his son long to spend it. Henry VIII loved balls, women and good food. On his death his treasury was practically empty.

Henry VIII wrote about how wonderful the Catholic Church was - so the Pope gave Henry the title 'Defender of the Faith'. When the Pope refused to allow him to divorce his first wife, Henry left the Catholic Church but he kept the title. Since then all British monarchs have called themselves 'Defender of the Faith'. The initials FD still appear on British coins today.

 Henry was capricious and cruel. When Thomas More, his chancellor and friend, refused to recognise Henry as head of the Church of England he was sent to prison and finally beheaded. After Thomas More's head was cut off, it was boiled and then stuck on a pole over London Bridge. More's daughter was allowed to have it for burial only after three months.

Henry VIII had 6 wives and his private life greatly influenced English political history. When Henry came to the throne in 1509, his first act was to marry his brother's widow Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the King of Spain. This marriage had important consequences. Catherine was nice and intelligent and was a true friend to her husband but she failed to give him a son. After 10 years of their marriage England had no heir.

Meanwhile Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn, Catherine’s lady-in-waiting.   Henry's friends thought that Anne was 'not one of the handsomest women in the world..'. The ideal of beauty in the 16th century was a pale, fair-haired, blue-eyed woman. Anne Boleyn had dark skin, thick dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Legend also says that Anne had six fingers on her hand. Nevertheless the king fell in love with her. He decided to divorce Catherine.

Henry asked the Pope to give him a divorce but the Pope refused. So Henry secretly married Anne Boleyn, broke with the Roman Catholic Church and set up the Church of England with himself as Supreme Head. Anne Boleyn had only one child, a daughter (later Queen Elizabeth I). Henry wanted a son. He was disappointed. Anne Boleyn was unable to keep the love of the king. Henry suspected her of having affairs with other men. His love turned to hatred and Anne was beheaded when Henry fell in love with another English girl called Jane Seymour.

Their wedding took place 11 days after Anne Boleyn's execution. Jane Seymour was a delicate girl who died giving birth to a son (Edward VI) a year later. Henry mourned her for a few months and then married again.

This time he chose a German princess Anne of Cleves. He married her for reasons of diplomacy. When she arrived in England, he decided she wasn't pretty enough. He thought of beheading her too but she had powerful connections so he divorced her and called her "sister". The next wife, Katherine Howard, was very young and very frightened of King Henry but was forced by her family to marry him. She was beheaded when Henry became bored with her. It is said that her ghost is still crying in the church.

Shortly after Katherine Howard's execution Henry decided to marry Katherine Parr, an older woman at court and engaged to a nobleman, Thomas Seymour, uncle of his third wife Jane Seymour. The last Katherine was luckier than the other wives as she outlived Henry and finally married Thomas Seymour.

King Henry Vlll's reign was the start of a new direction for Britain. The new religion spread and eventually caused great changes in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

King Henry died in 1547 and left the throne to his son Edward VI. But of course, Henry is remembered today for just one thing -  six wives. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.

EDWARD VI

Edward VI was born on October 12, 1537. His parents were  King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife. For more than a quarter century Henry had  wanted a son and Edward's birth caused great enjoyment. But Queen Jane soon fell ill  and on October 24 she died.

Until the age of six Edward was raised by his nurse and other servants. During that time Henry took two wives but both marriages ended badly, Anne of Cleves was discarded because the king found her ugly and Katherine Howard was executed for adultery. In 1543 Henry married Katherine Parr, who became a loving stepmother to Edward and his older half sisters Mary and Elizabeth. She was a highly learned woman who oversaw Prince Edward's education.

Edward's tutors taught him geography, government, history, French, German, Greek and Latin. He was also given lessons in horseback riding, music. Perhaps most important to Edward was his study of the Scriptures. He became a devout Protestant.

By the time Edward had completed his education he began participating in council meetings. It was decided that the king would take charge of the country at age of sixteen. This was bad news for his sister Mary, an ardent Catholic who refused to cooperate with Edward's religious reforms. However, Edward got along well with his other sister Elizabeth, a moderate Protestant.

Edward suffered smallpox in April 1552 and from that time his health declined. By the next spring it was obvious that the king was dying. His father's will had specified that Mary should become queen if Edward died without children, but Northumberland had different ideas. He persuaded Edward to name the Protestant Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Lady Jane was the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary, she was also Northumberland's daughter-in-law and through her Northumberland hoped to rule England.

On July 6, 1553 Edward died. He was fifteen years old. He would be succeeded  by the unfortunate Lady Jane.

JANE GREY

Lady Jane Grey was born in 1537 just two days before King Edward VI and may have been his friend in childhood. Her mother was Frances Brandon, a niece of Henry VIII.

Jane's parents weresharp and severe to her.  She said that her parents pinched her and abused her. She found refuge in her studies which she enjoyed so much that she cried when her lessons were over. "Whatever I do else, but learning, is full of grief, trouble, fear, and whole misliking," she said.

Jane's parents had big dreams for their intellectual daughter. They hoped she would marry her cousin Edward and become queen of England. When Jane was nine, her parents sent her to live with Henry VIII's widow Katherine Parr and Katherine's new husband Thomas Seymour. Jane was happy with the Seymours but Katherine soon died and Thomas Seymour was arrested and Jane returned to her parents.

By the time Jane was 15, her parents had refused their dream of marrying her to King Edward. Jane nowmwas betrothed to the duke of Somerset's son Lord Hertford. She was stunned when her parents informed her that she was instead to marry Guildford Dudley, the youngest son of the duke of Northumberland. Guildford was a handsome young man, one year Jane's senior but Jane didn't like him. She refused to marry him and went on refusing until her mother literally beat her into submission.

Jane married Guildford Dudley in May of 1553. Jane's new mother-in-law visited her on July 3 and told her, "His Majesty had made you heir to his kingdom." Jane said later that this unexpected news "greatly disturbed" her.

Three days later the king died. Northumberland kept the death secret for several days to prevent Edward's sister Mary from claiming the crown. But on July 9, Mary, who was in Norfolk, heard the news and proclaimed herself queen. On the same day Jane was taken to Northumberland's house and led to a throne. Everyone bowed or curtsied to her. Realizing what was happening, Jane began to shake. Northumberland made a speech announcing that Jane was the new queen, at which Jane fell on the floor in a brief faint. No one came to her assistance and she remained on the floor sobbing.

Finally she got to her feet and announced, "The crown is not my right. Lady Mary is the rightful heir."

When her parents, husband and father-in-law remonstrated with her, Jane dropped to her knees. She asked God to give her "such spirit and grace that I may govern to glory and service. " Then she took her seat on the throne and allowed those present to kiss her hand and swear their allegiance to her.

The next day Jane made her state entry into London. Most people felt that Mary was the rightful heir to the throne and very few cheers greeted Jane. She was taken to the Tower of London, as was traditional. She protested when the Lord High Treasurer brought her the crown but after a while she agreed to wear it. When the treasurer said that another crown would be made for her husband Jane was displeased. Despite Guildford's rage and tears, she insisted that she would not permit him to be king.

For a few days Northumberland stayed close to Jane, bringing her documents to sign and generally telling her what to do. Despite Jane's objection to making Guildford king, Northumberland announced that both she and her husband would be crowned in two weeks. Then Northumberland left with an army to capture Mary who was marching toward London with an army of her own. While he was gone, the nervous royal council decided to proclaim Mary the rightful queen. The proclamation was made on July 19. The people of London were jubilant. Determined to save himself, Jane's father signed the proclamation making Mary queen, then went to his daughter's apartments to tell her she was no longer queen.

Jane remained in the Tower where she and Guildford soon became prisoners. Her father and Northumberland were also arrested and brought back to the tower. Although Northumberland  converted to Catholicism and spoke of his desire to live and kiss Mary's feet, he was executed in August.

On November 13 Jane and Guildford were tried and sentenced to death. Jane wasn't worried, because she had been told that the queen would pardon her. In 1554 Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a revolt against Mary. He was arrested but his rebellion hardened Mary's heart against her enemies. She signed Jane and Guildford's death warrants. When Jane heard the news she said, "I am ready and glad to end my days." The queen offered to reprieve Jane if she would convert to the Catholic faith but Jane refused.

Jane's father had supported the rebels and was sentenced to death. Now he wrote to Jane and asked for her forgiveness.

Queen Mary granted Guildford permission to meet with Jane one last time, but Jane refused to see her husband saying that they would meet in a better place. On February 11 Jane watched from a window as her husband walked to Tower Hill to be executed, later she saw his headless body being brought back to the Tower.

 About an hour later, Jane too made the walk to Tower Hill. She asked the executioner to kill her quickly. Unable to find the block, she exclaimed, "What shall I do? Where is it?" A bystander helped her to the block. She put her head on it and said, "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." The executioner killer her with one blow and held up her head saying, "So perish all the queen's enemies!"

MARY I

"Bloody Mary" Tudor was born on February 18, 1516. She was the only surviving child of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry called her "the greatest pearl in the kingdom." The princess received an excellent education.

In 1522 Henry arranged Mary's betrothal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Charles was an adult and Mary was just six years old, the marriage would take place when she was twelve. Mary had met Charles and liked the idea of marrying him. But in 1525 Charles broke off the engagement so that he could marry Princess Isabella of Portugal. That same year Henry sent Princess Mary to live in Wales as was traditional for the king's heir.

The year 1527 started well for Princess Mary. She returned to live at her father's court and celebrated her engagement to a son of the king of France. But Henry VIII's attitude toward Mary and her mother had started to change. He had decided that God disapproved of his marriage to Catherine, why else had the queen failed to produce healthy male children? And he was in love with the woman who was to become his second wife - Anne Boleyn.

Soon Mary learned that Henry wanted to annul his marriage to her mother. For this the king needed the pope's permission. While he waited, he continued to treat Catherine as his queen and Mary as his heir. But Mary's legitimacy was now in doubt making her less valuable on the marriage market. The French engagement was broken off and no other match was arranged for her.

Henry grew increasingly angry with Catherine for resisting his attempt to end their marriage. Finally, in 1531, he sent Catherine away from court. After being shuffled between various castles and palaces, the queen ended up a prisoner at Kimbolton Castle. Realizing that the pope would never grant his divorce, Henry split from the Catholic church, had his marriage declared invalid and married Anne Boleyn. Anne gave birth to a daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1533.

Mary was now officially a bastard, called "the lady Mary," but, like her mother, she refused to accept her change in status. Henry threatened to have her executed if she did not stop referring to herself as a princess. When Mary was eighteen, she was sent to live in Princess Elizabeth's household, where she was treated badly. Henry refused to see her.

Catherine and Mary were not permitted to visit each other and Catherine died in 1536 without seeing her daughter again. Now Mary was alone. Four months after Catherine's death Mary's greatest enemy Anne Boleyn was arrested on false charges of adultery and executed. Anne had hated Mary and stated that she wanted her dead. With Anne gone, Henry treated his eldest daughter somewhat more kindly. His third, fourth, and sixth wives were all well-disposed toward Mary. Although she never regained her former status or her father's affection, she was once again part of the royal family.

At first she got along well with the king's other children. As Elizabeth and Edward grew up, their Protestant views put them at odds with Mary, who never swayed from her devout Catholicism. After Henry's death in 1547, Mary's nine-year-old half-brother became King Edward VI. As king, Edward bullied Mary about her beliefs. On his deathbed he disinherited her in favor of their teenaged cousin Lady Jane Grey.

After a lifetime of sorrow and danger, at the age of 37 Mary Tudor become queen and the most powerful person in England.

Soon after her accession, Mary began considering the possibility of marrying Prince Philip of Spain. It worried her that Philip was 11 years her junior. With difficulty she was convinced her that Philip was a mature adult who would protect her kingdom.

Many people were alarmed to learn of her engagement to the Spanish prince, fearing that England would become part of Spain but the queen had no intention of turning the country over to Philip. He arrived in England on July 20, 1554 and met Mary for the first time on July 23. Mary liked Philip from the start and he treated her kindly, although he probably found her unattractive. The wedding took place two days later. Two months later, Mary's doctors told her that she was pregnant.

In December a law was passed that allowed bishops of the Church of England to convict heretics and sentence them to death by burning. Almost 300 people were burned alive during Mary's reign with Mary's full approval, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary."

By the summer of 1555 it became obvious that Mary was no longer pregnant. Mary was disappointed. Philip left England in August promising Mary that he would soon return. Mary missed him desperately. Philip didn't return to England until March of 1557. During his absence he had become king of Spain. After a few months in England he left to go to war. Mary never saw him again. She became depressed and paranoid. Tortured by loneliness and unhappiness, Queen Mary fell ill. She died on November 17, 1558 and was succeeded by her half-sister Queen Elizabeth I.

ELISABETH I

Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace near London. Her father was England's King Henry VIII; her mother was the king's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth had an older half-sister Mary who was the daughter of the king's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

King Henry had moved heaven and earth to marry Anne Boleyn. He had parted from the Catholic Church, established the Church of England, and annulled his twenty-four year marriage to Queen Catherine - partly because he loved Anne and partly because he wanted the male heir Catherine could not give him. Henry and Anne were convinced that their first child would be a boy. The new queen even had a document drawn up ahead of time that announced the birth of a prince. When the prince turned out to be a princess her parents were dismayed.

 Henry  decided to get rid of her. In 1536 he had Anne arrested on false charges of adultery. Henry's marriage to Anne was declared not to be valid. Two-year-old Elizabeth was now considered illegitimate. Anne was executed and two weeks later the king married Jane Seymour.

In 1537 Queen Jane died after giving birth to their son Edward. As Edward grew older he and Elizabeth became close, although they lived in separate households they wrote to each other often.

 Elizabeth was taught astronomy, geography, history, math, French, Flemish, Italian, Spanish, and other subjects. She was an excellent student.

In 1540 Elizabeth's father married Anne of Cleves. She was ugly and Henry quickly had the marriage annulled and married Katherine Howard. Katherine was very young - about fifteen but she was kind to Elizabeth. Soon she was arrested and charged with adultery. This time the charges were true. Queen Katherine was beheaded in 1542 when Elizabeth was seven years old.

Katherine Howard's death had a lasting impact on Elizabeth. At the age of eight she said, "I will never marry."  It was a decision that would shape her life.

In 1543 Elizabeth gained another stepmother when Henry married his sixth and final wife Katherine Parr. Four years later Henry VIII died, leaving his crown to Edward. According to Henry's will if Edward died without heirs he would be succeeded by Mary. If Mary died without heirs, Elizabeth would become queen.

Soon after Henry's death Elizabeth received a marriage proposal from handsome Thomas Seymour who was England's Lord Admiral and the brother of the late Queen Jane. Knowing that Seymour was simply seeking the power Elizabeth turned him down. So Seymour proposed to the widowed Queen Katherine who had been in love with him before her marriage to Henry VIII. Unaware of Seymour's previous proposal to her stepdaughter Katherine happily accepted. They were quickly married and the following year Elizabeth went to live with them at the royal Old Manor House in Chelsea.

But Thomas Seymour still had designs on pretty red-haired Elizabeth. Once he tried to kiss her, Elizabeth giggled and seemed to enjoy his attention but Kat Ashley was disturbed by the Lord Admiral's behaviour and the servants began to gossip. She started watching the Lord Admiral more carefully. One day Katherine went looking for him and Elizabeth and according to one account, "they were all alone he having her in his arms." Katherine banished Elizabeth from the Old Manor House.

A few months later Katherine died after childbirth and Seymour wanted to marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew that she could not legally marry without the permission of the king's council. In 1549 Seymour was arrested on charges of conspiring to marry Elizabeth and take over the government. Soon Seymour was beheaded for his crimes.

Elizabeth continued to get along well with her brother King Edward but in 1553 Edward died.  Lady Jane was proclaimed the new queen. Meanwhile, Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed queen by her supporters. Jane Grey was imprisoned and later executed.

Queen Mary was determined to restore Catholicism as the country's official religion. She pressured Elizabeth to convert. Elizabeth attended only one Mass.

When there was an uprising against Mary, the queen suspected that Elizabeth was involved. Elizabeth was taken to London. Although no evidence against her could be found, she was sent to the Tower where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Jane Grey and so many others had awaited execution.

Elizabeth was released from the Tower two months later. Mary refused to see her.

Over 250 Protestants were burned during the reign of "Bloody Mary" and Elizabeth's failure to convert to the Catholic faith put her in constant danger.

Finally, on November 17, 1558 Mary died and Elizabeth's become queen of England.

Elizabeth's advisors urged the twenty-five-year old queen to marry some foreign prince and produce heirs but Elizabeth stood by her early decision never to marry.

Elizabeth had a romantic nature and may have been in love with her childhood friend Robert Dudley who she later made the Earl of Leicester. Although Elizabeth was a hard-working monarch like her father she had a great appetite for entertainment. She enjoyed archery, dancing, hunting, riding and tennis. Whatever she did Leicester was usually nearby.

Leicester had a wife named Amy. In 1559 Amy fell down the staircase of her country home, broke her neck and died. It was whispered that she had been murdered so that Elizabeth and Leicester could marry. But Elizabeth did not marry Leicester. Twenty years later he  secretly married her cousin Lettice Knollys but Elizabeth forgave him and he remained her favourite until his death.

Elizabeth was glorified by poets and artists as Gloriana, the Virgin Queen. With the help of fine clothes, jewels and cosmetics the vain queen maintained a glamorous image despite her advancing age. In her mid-fifties she fell in love with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Essex was in his early twenties, good-looking and extremely arrogant. Although he reigned as the queen's favourite for many years, he did not always show Elizabeth the respect she demanded. Elizabeth sent him to Ireland to quell a rebellion but he ignored the queen's orders. He returned to England without permission and Elizabeth placed him under house arrest. After his release Essex attempted to lead an uprising against the queen and Elizabeth had no choice but to sentence him to death. Essex was executed in 1601.

Two years later Elizabeth became very ill. Perhaps she did not want to live without Essex. When her doctors offered her medicine she refused to take it. She died on March 24, 1603 at the age of 69.

CONCLUSION

During this period from 1485 to 1603 England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. Nearer to home campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strict English control. Culturally and socially, the Tudor period saw many changes. The Tudor court played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance taking place in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudor period also saw the two changes of official religion, resulting in the deaths of many innocent believers of both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The fear of Roman Catholicism induced by the Reformation was to last for several centuries and to play an influential role in the history of the Succession.

The List of Literature

1. http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_dynasty 

2. http://www.the-tudors.org.uk 

3. http://www.bazlaz.co.uk/henry.html 

4. http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/edward6.html 

5. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutHenryVIII.htm 

6. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutHenryVII.htm 

7. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutJaneGrey.htm 

8. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutMary.htm 

9. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutElizabeth.htm 

10. http://englishhistory.net/tudor/relative/janegrey.html 

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MaryIofEngland

12. К.И. Кауфман, М.Ю. Кауфман «Страницы Британской истории», изд-во «Титул» 2003г.

13. Журнал «Speak Out», № 1(77)  2010 г.