Династия Тюдоров (essay the house of Tudor)
SCHOOL 1276 WITH PROFOUND
THOROUGH OF THE ENGLISH LANGUGE
OF THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT
OF MOSCOW
THE ESSAY
«THE HOUSE OF TUDOR»
SERGEY SANOVICH
10 B
2002
CONTENTS:
1.Contents………………………………………………………………….….….……….1
2.Introduction……………………………………………………………….….…………2
3.King Henry VII……………………………………………………………...….……2-3
4.King Henry VIII…………………………………………………………….….……3-4
5.King Edward VI……………………………………………………………..………4-5
6.Lady Jane Grey……………………………………………………………...………5-8
7.Queen Mary I……………………………………………………………...…..……8-11
8.Queen Elizabeth I………………………………………………………..….....…11-15
9.Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….……15
10.The list of literature………………………………………………….…..…………16
INTRODUCTION
I decided to write this essay, because, I am really interested in English
history. The five sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-
known figures in Royal history. Of Welsh origin, Henry VII succeeded in
ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York to
found the highly successful Tudor house. He was succeeded by Henry VIII,
who is famous for his six wives. This dynasty ruled in Britain for 118
eventful years.
Henry VIII was followed to the throne by his children Edward VI, Mary I,
and Elizabeth I. (Another Tudor descendant, Jane Grey, was put on the
throne after Edward VI's death but was overthrown after only nine days.)
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 who married Queen Catherine of Valois.
KING HENRY VII
The founding of dynasty
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, is said to have married the handsome Tudor,
although it is possible they were never legally married.
Henry V was succeeded by his infant son, Henry VI. The new king (who became
insane as an adult) was little more than a pawn in the so-called Wars of
the Roses, a series of power struggles between the ruling House of
Lancaster and the rival House of York. Owen Tudor was a staunch supporter
of the king. In 1461 Tudor led an army into battle against Yorkists forces
at Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire. The Yorkist side won; Tudor was
killed; Henry VI lost his throne and the Yorkist claimant, Edward IV,
became king.
Henry Tudor
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 Brittany (in 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, swiftly crowned himself Richard III. Not surprisingly, 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 (although
Henry did have to deal with Yorkist uprisings early in his reign).
An Elizabethan writer, Sir Francis Bacon, said that Henry VII was not an
indulgent husband because "his aversion to the House of York was so
predominant in him as it found place not only in his wars and councils but
in his chamber and bed." Despite this supposed aversion, Henry and
Elizabeth managed to have eight children. The first child, Arthur, died in
his teens. Less than a year later Elizabeth died giving birth to her last
child, who also died. Two other children had died young, so Henry VII was
left with just three offspring: Margaret, who was already the queen of
Scotland; Henry, the future king of England; and Mary, a future queen of
France.
In 1509 Henry VII died of tuberculosis. 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, jesters,
magicians and musicians. Prince Henry enjoyed music and grew up to be an
accomplished musician (although he did not write "Greensleeves," as legend
suggests). 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. Some historians
think Arthur had tuberculosis.
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 exuberant 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 heavily on his
counsellors in the early years of his reign.
In 1509 Henry VII died of tuberculosis and his son became King Henry VIII.
He was 17.
Although most people today think of Henry VIII as a fat 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 manners more than a man, most amiable,
courteous and benign in gesture unto all persons."
But of course, Henry is remembered today for just one thing - well, six
things. Six wives, to be exact. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, Anne
Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.
EDWARD VI
The King’s son
Edward VI was born on October 12, 1537. His parents were England's King
Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife. For more than a quarter
century Henry had desperately wanted a son, and Edward's birth caused great
rejoicing. But Queen Jane soon fell ill with childbed fever, and on October
24 she died.
Until the age of six Edward was raised by his nurse, Mother Jack, and other
servants. During that time Henry took two wives in quick succession, 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 personally oversaw Prince Edward's education.
Edward's tutors taught him geography, government, history, French, German,
Greek, and Latin. He was also given lessons in etiquette, fencing,
horseback riding, music and other gentlemanly pursuits. Perhaps most
important to Edward was his study of the Scriptures. He became a devout
Protestant even though his father, who had severed England's connection to
the Roman Catholic Church, remained conservative and mostly Catholic in his
beliefs.
Although Edward was serious and studious, at times he displayed a savage
temper. According to one account, he once tore a living falcon into four
pieces.
The Boy King
Somerset's brother, Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour, was jealous of
Somerset and schemed to put himself in power. The admiral was arrested and
charged with treason. Somerset hesitated to sign his brother's death
warrant, so Edward gave the council permission to have his uncle beheaded.
Somerset himself later fell from the king's favour and lost his role as
Protector. The duke of Northumberland took control of the king and council,
and eventually Somerset, like his brother, was arrested and charged with
treason. Under pressure from Northumberland, fourteen-year-old Edward
signed Somerset's death warrant. Somerset was executed in 1552.
By this time Edward had completed his education and was participating in
council meetings. It was decided that the king would take charge of the
