The greatest monarchs of Britain

King Henry VIII ( ) Henry VIII was one of the most famous English kings. In 1509 he became king at the ago of 18, and reigned for 38 years. Most people remember him only because he had six wives. But he was a very important monarch. Under him Britain became independent of the roman catholic church, it got richer and more powerful. In 1534 parliament named henry head of the church of England and gave the king all the power in the country. He enjoyed watching plays, he wrote poetry and he was a skilled lute player. When Henry died on January 28th, 1547, few mourned his death. He had become highly unpredictable in his final years and this alone made him more and more of a danger to those who were near to him.

Elizabeth 1 ( 1533 – 1603) She came to throne in She was a very strong queen. she understood the people. She loved hunting and dancing. She traveled a lot round the country. Her soldiers and sailors admired her courage. she could speak Latin, Greek and several modern languages. She enjoyed a joke. The Anglican Church under Elizabeth followed a middle course. Elizabeth's next problem was to keep her enemies quiet until her country was strong enough to defend itself. The greatest danger came from Spain. In July 1588 the Spanish Armada arrived in the Channel. After the battle less than half of the proud Armada came back to its home ports. This defeat of Spain was very important for England. During Elizabeth's reign England sent its explorers to different lands. They opened a new trade with Russia. England wanted to find empty lands where it could plant her own colonies. Queen Elizabeth's reign was also famous for arts and theater development. Elizabeth was a good musician herself. She never married.