The Emergence of the Nation State in England

What were the foundations of the nation-state in England? For thousands of years, people had identified partly with their immediate ruler – the lord of their manor – or with a united Catholic Europe. Once the Reformation began, this would change

What were the Wars of the Roses? During the 15th century, England had experienced many civil wars 2 rival families were fighting for the throne of England: Lancasters vs. Yorks Ended in 1485 when Henry Tudor (Lancaster) became King Henry VII FUN FACT: He was the last English King to win the throne in battle Because his claim to throne was weak, he built support wherever he could He married Elizabeth of York to unite the 2 families

Henry VII Henry VII united England after a period of bitter civil wars, which led to the English nation-state He was determined to restore law and order & shift power to central government for stability He achieved this by: forbidding barons from building private armies prosecuting and fining many barons supporting the middle class to gain power, so he gained rich allies

Developing the Economy Henry modernized the economy by: Removing the guild power to control prices and restrict manufacturing Instead, supported the growth of cottage industries: production from individual people’s homes Using new laws to help English wool merchants beat foreign competitors Helping adventurers (John Cabot) find new trade routes By the time Henry died, England was a prosperous, peaceful country, open to new ways of doing things

Henry VIII

Henry Wants Out Shortly after becoming King, Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his older brother They just had one daughter and Henry felt he needed a male heir to secure is place in power He then fell in love with Anne Boleyn and when Anne insisted Henry marry her before she would return his affections, Henry tried to divorce Catherine

Response from the Catholic Church The Pope refuses Divorce was almost impossible at this time Henry fights that it should end because Catherine had been his sister-in-law, but the pope turned him down Henry comes up with the idea that he could form a new church in England separate from the Roman Catholic Church He would then be able to end the pope’s interference

Separation from the Catholic Church It took several years, but by 1533, the Church of England was created Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne In 1534, Parliament made Henry the supreme head of the Church of England Although it was a Protestant church, many Catholic ceremonies and rituals were kept Henry closed all Catholic churches in England and persecuted anyone who refused to accept his new Church He also gains control of church land $$$

A King Becomes a Tyrant He showed his cruelty by having Anne convicted of adultery and witchcraft and executed (no one believed the charges) because she couldn’t produce a son Henry then went through 5 more wives Jane Seymour giving him his only son His wives (Divorced, Killed, Died, Divorced, Killed, Survived) Henry did not hesitate to use cruelty and violence against his “enemies” He continually had to deal with Catholic uprisings He died in 1547

Henry VIII’s Successors After the reign of Henry VIII, Edward VI (son with Jane Seymour), became King at 9 and died of Tuberculosis when he was a teenager Edward named Protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey to succeed him, but she was defeated by Mary’s catholic supporters Mary I, then became Queen and was determined to make England Catholic again, but her extreme policies (including, burning Protestants alive), was not popular. FUN FACT: This is where “Bloody Mary” comes from When Mary I died 5 years later, Elizabeth became queen. During her reign England’s power and prosperity grew and England became firmly Protestant. Queen Elizabeth used her intelligence, power, and diplomacy to make England a prosperous nation- state. * How does her portrait tell us about how she wants to be perceived?

Elizabeth in Film & Literature Elizabeth: The Golden Age(2007) – Cate Blanchet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNboYbgYjo Shakespeare in Love (1998) – Judy Dench https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_KXbKa2crI Elizabeth I (2005) – Helen Mirren https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNNJySFgZDg What happens? What’s focused on? How is she portrayed? Similar/ different from father? “Self and the Otherself” What is the central conflict? How does this reflect her life? Can you relate?

Queen Elizabeth I – 1558-1603 Many people thought that because Queen Elizabeth was a woman, she would be too weak to rule the country alone. She proved them wrong. She was intelligent, educated, and skilled in languages and the arts. She never married. Why? She treated Catholics fairly and maintained a good relationship with Parliament.

Queen Elizabeth I Under the rule of Elizabeth I, the English experienced the “Golden Age” – there was a renaissance in arts, sciences, and exploration. A sense of patriotism emerged Elizabeth kept England from falling under the control of more powerful countries like Spain. Also participated in shady money- making through piracy and slave- trade She supported exploration and colonization of news lands: the British Empire begins!