THE RENAISSANCE
“All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely
players”
As You Like It, W. Shakespeare
The Tudor Years
1485-1603
The Tudors
• The three main leaders in the dynasty were:
– Henry VII
– Henry VIII
– Elizabeth I
Henry VII
• The War of the Roses had greatly debilitated
the power of the monarchy. Kings followed
one another in quick succession.
• Henry VII stayed in power for 20 years and
made the monarchy an stabilizing force.
Henry VIII
• Weaker nobles meant a weaker parliament.
• This strong king took decisions after
consultations with a very small group of
advisers. Most of the times with Henry VIII it
was just one adviser, Thomas Wolsey,
Archbishop of York.
The Reformation
• In England it was instigated by Henry VIII, and
initially related to his private life.
• He needed a male heir. He asked the Pope for
a divorce, which he was not granted. So he
decided to break away from Rome, and with
the Act of Supremacy (1534) he became the
Head of the Church of England.
• The English people were glad to see the end of
interference by the Pope on national affairs.
• Between 1536 and 1539 all monasteries and
abbeys were closed.
• The Bible was first published in English in
1539.
• The Book of Common Prayer was published in
1584.
ELIZABETH I
• Religious disputes would breed violence and
intolerance for years to come.
• Mary I: execution of protestant leaders.
• Elizabeth I: prohibited celebration of catholic
mass.
• During the following century (XVII) these
divisions would lead to open conflict.
• During the XVI century, the balance of power
in Europe changed. During the first half,
England’s main rival was France. During the
second half, it was Spain, due to conflicting
interests in the newly-discovered American
continent.
• From 1584 to the end of Elizabeth’s reign
Spain and England fought for control of the
seas. Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588)
• Sir Frances Drake: led first expedition to
circumnavigate the world. He also took part
in the defeat of the Armada.
• Sir Walter Raleigh: He helped establish a
colony in Virginia, North America, and brought
potatoes and tobacco back to Europe.
• East India Company (1601) was created to do
business with countries in Asia and was the
foundation for the later colonisation of India.
Colonisation of Ireland
• It was a direct result of the war between
England and Spain.
• Ireland had remained catholic during the
English reformation, and it was feared that it
could be used as a base for attack by the
Spanish.
• The Irish were defeated in 1601.
• Settlement by protestant colonists was
encouraged to help pacify the island.
• When Elizabeth I died, she left a prosperous
and progressive country with a monarch
respected both as Head of the State and Head
of the Church.
• Prosperity brought an interest in culture and
learning.
• The arts, especially in the form of poetry and
the theatre, flourished.