Famous Monarchs in Eurpean History: The Tudors

Between the years of 1485 and 1600, England was ruled over by a new dynasty—the Tudors. The Tudors were some of the most famous monarchs in European history. There were six Tudor monarchs. The first Tudor monarch of England was Henry VII. The next monarch was Henry VIII, his son Edward VI, Jane Grey, and Henry VIII’s two daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I are the best-known monarchs; however, all the monarchs experienced both success and failure during their reign.

Henry VII began the Tudor dynasty when he ascended to the throne in the early autumn of 1485. He earned his title as monarch during the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he defeated King Richard III. Henry VII had no real claim to the throne, so the Tudors really came to power through chance and a little bit of luck. Henry VII’s father was of Welsh lineage, but his mother was a descendant of Edward III, who was King of England during the 1300s (Eakins). However, she was descended from illegitimate children of Edward III, those who were banned from ever inheriting the throne of England.

By the “right of conquest” (Eakins) Henry VII became the new monarch of England. He strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York, who was the daughter of Edward IV—another King of England. This arranged marriage settled a long-term dispute between the two families, the Lancasters and the Yorks, creating what is called the Tudor Rose. The Tudor Rose was the term for the combined houses—the white Lancaster rose linked together with the red York rose. Arranged marriages were common during this time period, but rarely were they happy. However, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York reportedly had a successful marriage. Elizabeth bore He...

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... Robert Dudley. Dudley was a widow, but the cause of his wife’s death was shrouded in mystery; Elizabeth could not afford a scandal. Elizabeth was a successful queen, but when she died in 1603 there was no male heir. The throne was passed down to James I, who was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. The Tudor dynasty ended with Elizabeth I, and the torch of England was handed over to the Stuart family (Eakins).

The six Tudor monarchs—Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I—were powerful and well-known monarchs of England. None of the monarchs were perfect; in fact, they all had more than their share of failures and heartache. However, they strengthened England’s power and laid a firm foundation for the monarchs to follow. If it hadn’t been for Henry VII’s victory in the Battle of Bosworth Field, England’s history would be vastly different.