Life in Elizabethan England
Sample Outline: Henry VIII
I.
Objectives:
1. Be able to describe how Henry’s family background affected him as king
2. Be able to explain why he had 6 wives.
3. Be able to relate Henry’s family life to religious conflict in England
4. Be able to explain how Henry’s successors faced problems left behind by him.
II.
Lesson Introduction:
Show students a recent picture of royal, political, or high-profile marriages. Discuss
these types of marriages today. Show a trailer for the Tudor series to introduce the
‘drama’ of the Tudor family.
III.
Material to be covered:
1.
Henry VIII’s family background as it relates to the “psychology” of his early
reign
a. The War of the Roses (Civil War) and his father’s concerns
b. Lack of preparation to rule
c. His brother’s death & plans for Henry’s marriage
d. Henry’s personality (Renaissance man)
e. His goals as king
2.
Henry’s Six marriages and why/how they ended. Specific emphasis will be
placed on the first 3
 Catherine of Aragon
o Her background and how the marriage was political
o Her ‘failings’ as a wife according to Henry
o Their divorce
 Anne Boleyn
o Their marriage
o Her child
o Her fate
 Jane Seymour
o Her family connections
o Her contribution to Henry’s life
 Anne of Cleaves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr
3.
The role Henry played in bringing the Reformation to England and how he
changed the church.
a. initial feeling about Protestantism
b. reasons for challenging the church
c. impact in England of bringing the Reformation
4.
Henry’s successors and how the set the stage for Elizabeth’s reign.
a. Edward
b. Jane
c. Mary
d. Elizabeth
IV.
Lesson Conclusion:
The lesson on Henry VIII will conclude with students writing a brief reaction to Henry’s
reign. Students will be asked to assess the motivations of Henry and discuss how course
themes relate to his reign.
V.
Visual Components:
These lessons will consist of both a Power Point and movie clips. Pictures of Henry, his
wives, and his children will be included on the slideshow. The slideshow will also have
clips taken from movies that show various aspects of his life and/or personality. Those
clips will come from The Tudors series, documentaries, and The Other Boleyn Girl.
VI.
Each Member’s Contributions:
A.
Ms. Burton-Haldeman found all of the websites and did the research to find the
content to be covered.
B.
Ms. Burton-Haldeman found all of the pictures and clips and created the
slideshow
C.
Ms. Burton-Haldeman wrote the assessments that will be used for the lesson and
will be grading those assessments
Sample Works Consulted (CHECK LIBRARY’S WEBPAGE FOR PROPER FORMAT OR SEE
US OR LIBRARIANS FOR HELP ON CITATIONS)
Names
World Studies
Mrs. B-H/Dr. Nelson
Date Due
Works Consulted
Eakin, Laura E. “The Tudor Monarchs: King Henry VIII.” Tudorhistory.org. N.p., 2012. Web. 16
October 2013. http://tudorhistory.org/henry8/
Henry VIII." Elizabethan World Reference Library. Ed. Sonia G. Benson and Jennifer York
Stock. Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 119-127. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/
“The Reformation in England." Elizabethan World Reference Library. Ed. Sonia G. Benson and
Jennifer York Stock. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 13-29. World History In
Context. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ReferenceDetailsPage/