Why were they
important?
Who were
they?
Henry VIII
The Tudors
William Shakespeare
Elizabeth I
What did
they do?
Anne Boleyn
When were they around?
Tudor timeline
1553
Mary I becomes
Queen and is
1485
quickly known as
Battle of ‘Bloody
Bosworth
Mary’
Henry VII becomes
King of England
1570-77
Drake
1509 discovers
thedies,
WestHenry
Indies
Henry VII
and thenthe
sails
right
VIII becomes
new
around
King the globe
1485
If the
words
are red,
click on
the
picture
to find
out
more
1525
1558
Elizabeth I
becomes
1492-98 Queen.
Under
The
‘Ageher
of reign
England
becomes
Discovery’
begins:
very powerful
John Cabot
leads
the way
1534
Henry creates the
Church of England
so he can get
divorced. He
ended up marrying
1588
6 times
The Spanish
Armada are
defeated by Drake
1547
Edward VI
becomes king at
the age of 9, but
1591
dies
suddenly at 16
William
Shakespeare’s first
play was performed
1560
1603
1553
Elizabeth
I, the last
Lady of
Jane
Grey
the Tudors, dies.
was Queen
forJames
only of
King
9 days
– thetakes over
Scotland
shortest reign
ever
England
The Battle of Bosworth
• The battle was fought between
the armies of Richard III and
Henry VII, who were distant
relatives
• It was called the ‘War of the
Roses’ because each side of the
family was represented by a
different coloured rose
• Richard’s army was larger but
was nonetheless beaten
Find out more
Henry VII becomes King
• Henry was crowned King
after winning the battle
• His name was Henry Tudor
and thus he was the first
‘Tudor’ King
• He bought peace to England
after 85 years of civil war
Back to timeline
The ‘Age of Discovery’
• Other countries like France
and Spain were exploring the
globe and becoming rich
doing so
• John Cabot left in 1497 and
was trying to find a shorter
route to Asia. Unfortunately
America was in the way!
• He returned home to a hero’s
welcome
• England’s colonisation of
large parts of the globe
began
Find out more
Back to timeline
Henry VIII creates the Church of England
• Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, did not
bear him a son
• After 20 years, he wanted to get a divorce, which
was not permitted by the Catholic Church
• He told Cardinal Wolsey to ask the Pope for
special permission, but he was refused
• Henry used this as a reason to create the ‘Church
of England’, with himself as the ‘Supreme Head’
• His first act was to divorce Catherine of Aragon
Find out more
Back to timeline
Henry and his six wives
• Having divorced Catherine of
Aragon, Henry quickly
married Anne Boleyn, but
had her beheaded at the
Tower of London
• His third wife, Jane
Seymour, finally bore him a
son, but died a few days
later. Henry was heartbroken
• Katherine Howard was
accused of adultery and
beheaded
• When he died at the age of
55 in 1547 he was married
to Katherine Parr
Find out more
Back to timeline
‘Bloody Mary’
• Mary became Queen having overseen the
execution of Lady Jane Grey
• She was a staunch Catholic and set about
making England Catholic once again
• She is called ‘Bloody Mary’ because of
how she dealt with those who would not
return to the Catholic Church
• She made examples of many people by
burning them in public
Find out more
Back to timeline
The Virgin Queen
• Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII
and Anne Boleyn and was only 25 when
she came to the throne
• She immediately reinstalled the Church of
England to power
• She was determined to increase England’s
power and strongly supported explorers
like Drake and Raleigh in their efforts to
increase England’s wealth
• She was successful and England became
the most powerful nation in the world
• She swore never to marry and was hence
known as the Virgin Queen
Find out more
Back to timeline
Defeating the Spanish Armada
•
•
•
•
Phillip II, King of Spain, wanted
England to be a Catholic country
again so decided to invade
He sent 131 ships with 33,000
soldiers, to attack England’s shores
Sir Francis Drake was made the
head of the Navy and told by
Elizabeth I, despite having only half
their strength, to keep the Armada
at bay
He was successful for two reasons:
1. He was a great tactician and
out-thought his enemy
2. The Northerly winds did not
help the Spanish and pushed
them into the English ships
Find out more
Back to timeline