1. Henry VIII, Mary I, & Elizabeth I
The Tudors
Henry VIII, Mary I, & Elizabeth I

2. Henry VIII “Pimp Daddy” of the Renaissance
Henry VIII ascended the throne of England in 1509 after his father, Henry VII dies.
He was King of England until his death in 1547.
He is most remembered for marrying six times between and for his role in the Protestant Reformation

3. The Protestant Reformation
Until the early 1500’s the only church in Europe was the Catholic Church.
Many were unhappy with the Church
Many church officials were corrupt.
The church was rich while many were poor.
The church dictated ones relationship with God and people wanted a more personal religious experience.

4. The Protestant Reformation
People such as Martin Luther and John Calvin work to reform the church by spreading their views on religion.
Henry VIII, King of England furthers the Reformation by taking control of the Church of England.
Unlike Luther and Calvin, his motive for reducing the Catholic’s Church power was not for the betterment of society, it was personal.

5. Henry took over the Church of England in 1533 after the church refused to grant him a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
After 24 years of marriage Catherine had been unable to give Henry a son, only a daughter. By this time she was in her forties and past her childbearing years.

6. Wife #1: Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
At the age of three she was engaged to the heir to the English throne, Prince Arthur. (Arthur is Henry’s brother…)
In 1501, at the age of 15, she marries Arthur.
Arthur dies six months later.

7. In 1509 she marries Henry VIII, he is six years her junior.
Catherine gave birth to their first child in 1510, but she was stillborn.
In 1511 Catherine gave birth to a son, Prince Henry, but he died only 52 days after his birth.
She then suffers a miscarriage, followed by the birth of another so who does not survive.
In 1516 she gives birth to daughter Mary, who will one day be Queen of England.
Catherine is able to bear no more children.

8. By 1526 Henry is desperate for an heir.
He has also fallen in love with one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn.
At this point Catherine was in her early forties and was past her childbearing years.

9. Henry began to seek an annulment from the church.
He argued that his marriage to Catherine was never valid as she had already been married to his brother.
The church refused to grant him an annulment, so in 1533 he took over the church and granted himself one.
Not only did Catherine have to suffer the humiliation of an annulment, she also had to suffer the heartbreak of being separated from her daughter.
Although she was stripped of her crown, she refused to acknowledge that she was no longer Queen of England.
She went to live in a tower in the English countryside.

10. So with Catherine out of the way, Henry was free to marry the beautiful Anne Boleyn.
Henry met Anne Boleyn through her sister, Mary, who he had kept for a few years as his mistress.

11. Mary Boleyn
Mary was noticed by Henry when she was serving at court as one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting.
She was already married (at the age of 13) when Henry sought to make her his mistress.
They allegedly had two children together, a daughter, and a son.

12. Wife #2: Anne Boleyn
It is rumored that Henry met Anne through her sister, Mary.
Henry Married Anne in 1533, after his divorce from Catherine (Anne was already pregnant).
They had a daughter, Elizabeth.
Their relationship was rocky, as Anne was known for her fiery temper.

13. After the birth of Elizabeth, Anne had two failed pregnancies.
She knew that she had to give Henry a son if she wanted to remain Queen.
By 1535 Henry’s head was already turning towards Jane Seymour.
In 1536 Anne was accused of cheating on Henry with several Court members, including her own brother, George.
She was put on trial and found guilty.
On May 19 she lost her head. Literally.

14. Wife #3: Jane Seymour
After the death of Anne Boleyn Henry married Jane Seymour.
Jane was married to Henry from May October 1537.
She was the good wife, as she was able to provide Henry with a son, Edward.
She died two weeks after his birth.
It is rumored that she may have had a cesarean birth and the infection afterward may have killed her.

15. After Jane’s death Henry stays single for about two years.
He is getting to be old.
It is rumored that he had a sore on his leg that would not heal that caused him a lot of pain and really stunk (a real turn on, right?)
Also, he had gained a lot of weight. He still liked the pretty young ladies, but they didn’t like him.
Unfortunately for them they had to pretend they did. Remember, you can’t offend the king.

16. Wife #4: Anne of Cleves
Henry married Anne of Cleves in January of 1540, and divorced her in July.
He married Anne because it was politically beneficial, Cleves (a Germanic state in Europe) was sympathetic to the Reformation. Henry and the Duke of Cleves were hoping to form a political alliance with this match.

17. Anne did not get along well with the English court. ]
The day she met Henry, he played a trick on her…
Henry began having difficulties with the Duke of Cleves.
Henry also fell for one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting, Katherine Howard.
Anne knew better than to challenge Henry’s desire for an annulment, so she quietly stepped aside.

18. Wife #5: Katherine Howard
With Anne out of the way Henry was free to pursue Katherine.
He married her in 1540, she was only 19, he was 49.
Although she lifted the kings spirits, rumors of infidelity soon began.

19. By November 1541 there was enough evidence against her to inform Henry of her affairs.
February 13, 1542 she was executed.
She was buried near her first cousin, Anne Boleyn.

20. Wife #6: Katherine Parr Katherine married Henry in July, 1543.
Katherine was 31 when they married, and it is believed there was never a great romance between the two, but that she gave Henry comfort in his final years.
Legend says that they were friends and played chess together and that Henry trusted her as a confidante.

21. Katherine was close to all three of Henry’s children.
She was also interested in the new Protestant faith.
However, she was very outspoken and would tell Henry when he was wrong.
She got into a public fight with Henry and he threatened to kill her for treason. He arrested her and put her in a tower. The day before her execution…
Henry died in 1547 leaving Katherine a widow.

22. A New Tudor: Edward VI Henry VIII was succeeded by his son, Edward VI.
Edward was not quite ten years old when he ascended the throne in 1547.
He was “counciled” by Noble leaders who told him how to rule
Protestants in England were happy with Edward as king, as he allowed them to practice their faith.
Edward died in 1553, and was succeeded by his cousin Lady Jane Grey… but what about his half sister, Mary?
How old was he?

23. A New Tudor: Mary I
Mary serves as Queen of England from July 1553 until November 1558.
She is a devout Catholic and works to bring the Catholic faith back to England.
In 1554 she marries Prince Philip of Spain (a devoutly Catholic country). They are unable to have children. This is very sad… ask me.
She hated Protestants

24. Early in Mary’s reign Elizabeth is found to be plotting against her so Mary has her locked in the Tower of London.
In 1555 Mary brings the Inquisition to England and begins targeting all Heretics (those who are not true believers).
England is no longer safe for non-Catholics.

25. Bloody Mary
Those suspected of crimes against the church are tortured into confession.
Once they are found guilty they are burned at the stake.
Many English men, women, and even children die this way.
England turns against Mary and is on the brink of a religious war.
In November 1558 Mary dies, leaving the throne to her half sister, Elizabeth.

26. A New Tudor: Elizabeth I
Elizabeth was Queen from
She never married and had no children.
She made England safe for Protestants, (remember her mom was the first Protestant King) and allowed other religions to be practiced as long as everyone accepted her as head of the Anglican Church.

27. During the reign of Elizabeth, England experienced general peace and prosperity.
When she died in 1603 the reign of the Tudors ended and the throne passed to her cousins, the Stuarts.
James I was the first Stuart monarch.

28. English Monarchs Katherine Howard Katherine Mary Boleyn Parr Henry VII
Anne
of Cleves
Jane
Seymour
Henry VIII
Margaret
Arthur
Catherine of
Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Mary
Queen of Scots
Mary I
Elizabeth I
Edward VI
James I
Jane Grey
Charles I