Tudors and Stuarts

Test atoms

Learn these as compact test facts. Then practise recognising the same fact in different wording.

What not to over-learn first

• Do not start by memorising all Tudor marriages. First learn Henry VIII → break with Rome → Church of England → Pope refused divorce.
• Do not learn Elizabeth I as a full biography first. Learn Elizabeth I → Spanish Armada → 1588.
• Do not merge the Stuart events. Keep Civil War, Restoration, Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights in order.

Spot the correct statement

The real test often asks you to recognise a correct sentence, not write an answer from memory. You should be able to spot statements like these:

• Elizabeth I was queen when England defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588.
• Henry VIII broke with Rome / the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England because the Pope would not approve his divorce.
• Guy Fawkes was part of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Main timeline

What changed in this period

The Tudors start after the Wars of the Roses. Henry VII made the monarchy more secure. Henry VIII then changed religion in England by breaking with Rome and establishing the Church of England.

Elizabeth I tried to hold a religious balance. Her reign is linked with the defeat of the Spanish Armada, exploration and Shakespeare.

When Elizabeth died, James VI of Scotland became James I of England. The crowns were held by one person, but Scotland remained a separate country.

The Stuarts fought with Parliament over religion, money and royal power. That conflict led to Civil War, the execution of Charles I, Cromwell’s republic, the Restoration and finally the Glorious Revolution.

James I is also linked with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Guy Fawkes and other plotters tried to blow up Parliament.

The Great Fire of London happened in 1666. After the Glorious Revolution, the Bill of Rights in 1689 confirmed limits on royal power.

Facts to remember

• Henry VII strengthened central government after the Wars of the Roses.
• Henry VIII ruled from 1509 to 1547, broke with Rome and had six wives.
• Henry VIII established the Church of England when the Pope would not approve his divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
• Wales was formally united with England during Henry VIII’s reign.
• Edward VI supported Protestant reform and the Book of Common Prayer was written during his reign.
• Mary I was Catholic and persecuted Protestants.
• Elizabeth I restored the Church of England and sought a religious balance.
• England defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588.
• The Scottish Parliament rejected papal authority in 1560 and Scotland established a Protestant Church of Scotland.
• Mary, Queen of Scots was Catholic, gave up the Scottish throne to James VI and was later executed in England.
• Francis Drake helped defeat the Spanish Armada and circumnavigated the world in the Golden Hind.
• William Shakespeare wrote plays and poems that remain central to English literature.
• James VI of Scotland became James I of England, Wales and Ireland in 1603, but Scotland stayed separate.
• The King James Bible is an English translation associated with James I.
• The Gunpowder Plot happened in 1605 and Guy Fawkes was one of the plotters.
• Plantations in Ulster brought Scottish and English Protestants into northern Ireland and had long-term consequences.
• James I and Charles I believed in the Divine Right of Kings and clashed with Parliament.
• The English Civil War began after disputes about religion, money, Parliament and control of armed forces.
• Charles I was executed and England became a republic under Oliver Cromwell.
• The monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II.
• The Great Fire of London happened in 1666.
• The Glorious Revolution replaced James II with William and Mary and strengthened limits on royal power.
• The Bill of Rights in 1689 confirmed limits on royal power.

Common traps

• Henry VIII is linked to six wives, the Church of England and the break with Rome.
• Elizabeth I is linked to the Spanish Armada and a Protestant settlement.
• James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603.
• Guy Fawkes is linked to the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
• The Great Fire of London happened in 1666.
• The Bill of Rights is linked to 1689.
• Civil War, republic, Restoration and Glorious Revolution happened in that order.
• Divine Right of Kings means the monarch claimed power came from God.

Names to recognise

Henry VII, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, Church of England, Reformation, Book of Common Prayer, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Spanish Armada, Mary, Queen of Scots, Francis Drake, Golden Hind, William Shakespeare, James VI and I, King James Bible, Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, Ulster plantations, Divine Right of Kings, English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, Restoration, Great Fire of London, Glorious Revolution, Bill of Rights.

Practise this topic in history practice. The Church of England also appears in Religion and patron saints.

Quick check