The Tudor Dynasty: Turmoil and Decadence

Thirty years of Civil War. Thirty years of brother against brother, friend against friend.
Thirty years of death. All for the throne of England. The War of the Roses, so named because
of the badges of the opposing sides, was fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York.
Both were descendants of kings; both claimed the throne. A young man–the last hope for
Lancaster–took up arms and conquered. And thus the Tudor Dynasty was born.

Henry VII was this young conqueror and became the first king of the Tudors. Clever
as he was able, he married Elizabeth of York to put down any sign of insurrection. Perhaps
the most famous of the five Tudor rulers was his son, Henry VIII.

Henry VII was a man of great accomplishment. He
excelled in all matters academic and physical, and displayed
talent in commanding a nation. Soon after his ascension to
the throne, he married Catherine of Aragon. When
Catherine produced only a daughter, Mary, Henry divorced
her and founded the Church of England. He then married
his mistress, Anne Boleyn. The popular medieval song
Greensleeves is said to have been written by Henry to
Anne. Anne, too, only produced a daughter: Elizabeth I.
Anne was executed. Jane Seymour, his next wife, bore him
Edward, a son, but died in childbirth. Anne of Cleves,
Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr succeeded her.

When Henry finally died, the throne went to his son
Edward. Edward soon died, and Mary, whose colloquial
name is Bloody Mary, became queen. Mary was a devout
Catholic and set to purge the land of Protestants. Heresy became a crime punishable by death.
Nearly 300 were burned at the stake. She, because of the vicious slaughter, was hated
throughout England. Her half-sister, Elizabeth, became queen following her death.

Elizabeth I was a just ruler. She allowed people to peaceably practice religion, unlike
her sister and father. In 1585, she granted Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in the
Americas. However, war with Spain loomed on the horizon. The Spanish Armada was sent to
invade England: war began in 1588. The hopes for American expansion were momentarily put
to rest. Following the defeat of the Armada, life in England returned to normal (whatever that
was). Elizabeth was a great lover of the arts and attended many of Shakespeare’s plays at the
Globe Theatre.

Elizabeth never had children. Before her death, she chose her successor: James I. The
country mourned when she passed, for she was beloved to all. With her death came also the
end of the tumultuous Tudor Dynasty.