Tudor dynasty From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tudor Tudor Rose.

svg Tudor Rose Country England Ireland Wales Parent house Lancaster ? York Titles King of England King of Ireland King of France Lord of Ireland Prince of Wales Founded 22 August 1485 Founder Henry VII Final ruler Elizabeth I Current head Extinct Dissolution 24 March 1603 Ethnicity Welsh, English Cadet branches House of Grey The Tudor dynasty was a royal house of Welsh origin,[1] descended from Prince Rh ys ap Tewdwr, that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lo rdship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry VII, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised branch of the English royal House of Lancaster. The Tudor family rose to power in the w ake of the Wars of the Roses, which left the House of Lancaster, to which the Tu dors were aligned, extinct. Henry Tudor was able to establish himself as a candidate not only for traditiona l Lancastrian supporters, but also for the discontented supporters of their riva l House of York, and he rose to capture the throne in battle, becoming Henry VII . His victory was reinforced by his marriage to Elizabeth of York, symbolically uniting the former warring factions under a new dynasty. The Tudors extended the ir power beyond modern England, achieving the full union of England and the Prin cipality of Wales in 1542 (Laws in Wales Acts 1535 1542), and successfully asserti ng English authority over the Kingdom of Ireland. They also maintained the nomin al English claim to the Kingdom of France; although none of them made substance of it, Henry VIII fought wars with France trying to reclaim that title. After hi m, his daughter Mary I lost control of all territory in France permanently with the fall of Calais in 1558. In total, five Tudor monarchs ruled their domains for just over a century. Henry VIII of England was the only male-line male heir of Henry VII to live to the ag e of maturity. Issues around the Royal succession (including marriage and the su ccession rights of women) became major political themes during the Tudor era. Th e House of Stuart came to power in 1603 when the Tudor line failed, as Elizabeth I died without issue.