the tudors and the stuarts Flashcards
policy of centralising power
after the War of the Roses, Henry VII strengthened the central administration of England and reduces the power of the nobles
built up financial reserves
what was Henry VIII most famous for?
breaking away from the church of rome and marrying six times
catherine of aragon
spanish princess
only one child survived (Mary)
Henry divorced her
anne boleyn
English
one daughter (Elizabeth)
unpopular in the country and executed at the Tower of London
jane seymour
one son (Edward)
died shortly after birth
anne of cleves
German princess
Henry married her for political reasons but divorced her soon after
Catherine Howard
cousin of Anne Boleyn
executed
Catherine Parr
widow who married Henry late in his life
survived him and married again but died soon after
why did Henry break away from the Church of Rome?
needed Pope’s approval to divorce his first wife
establishment of the Church of England
king and not the Pope has the power to appoint bishops and order how people should worship
the Reformation
movement against the authority of the Pope, and the ideas and practices of the Roman Catholic Church
Protestants formed their own churches, Protestant ideas gradually gained strength during the 16th century
the Reformation in Ireland
attempts by the English to impose Protestantism led to rebellion from the Irish chieftains and brutal fighting followed
formal union of Wales with England during the reign of Henry VIII
Act for the Government of Wales
Welsh sent representatives to the House of Commons
Welsh legal system reformed
who was Henry VIII succeeded by?
Edward VI (strongly Protestant)
- died at 15 after ruling for just over 6 years
then Mary became queen
- died after a short reign
then Elizabeth
Book of Common Prayer
written to be used in the Church of England during Edward VI’s reign
why was Mary known as Bloody Mary?
devout Catholic and persecuted Protestants
Elizabeth I
Protestant
re-established the Church of England as the official Church
found a balance between the views of Catholics and the more extreme Protestants
why was Elizabeth I one of the most popular monarchs in English history?
1588 when the English defeated the Spanish Armada, who were sent by Spain to conquer England and restore Catholicism
the Reformation in Scotland
in 1560, Scottish Parliament abolished the authority of the Pope in Scotland
Roman Catholic religious services became illegal
Protestant Church of Scotland with a leadership was established (but not a state church like England)
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
Catholic, and only a week old when her father died and she became queen
most of her childhood spent in France, when she returned to Scotland, at the centre of a power struggle between different groups
when her husband was murdered, she was suspected of involvement and fled to England
- left the throne to James VI (her son)
Elizabeth I’s cousin
- kept a prisoner for 20 years and eventually executed
Elizabethan period in England
time of growing patriotism, feeling of pride in being English
exploration in the Elizabethan period
sought new trade routes, tried to expand British trade into Spanish colonies in the Americas
Francis Drake as a founder of England’s naval tradition
- one of the commanders in the defeat of the Spanish Armada
- his ship (the Golden Hind) as one of the first to sail around the world
English settlers began to colonise the eastern coast of America
William Shakespeare
a midsummer night’s dream, hamlet, macbeth, romeo and juliet
one of the first to portray ordinary Englishmen and women
Elizabeth I’s heir
her cousin James VI of Scotland
- became James I of England, Wales and Ireland but Scotland remained separate
no children of her own as she never married
King James Bible
new translation of the Bible into English
Ireland during this era
almost completely Catholic
- Henry VII and Henry VIII extended English control outside the Pale and established English authority over the country
Henry VIII took the title King of Ireland
during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, people opposed the Protestant government with rebellions
- English government encouraged Scottish and English Protestants to settle in Ulster, taking land from Catholic landholders (plantations)
the rise of Parliament
Elizabeth I very skilled at managing Parliament
- successful in balancing her wishes and views against those of the House of Lords and Commons
divine right of kings
believed in by James I and his son Charles I
idea that king is directly appointed by God to rule
- thought that king should be able to act without seeking approval from Parliament
beginning of the English civil war
Charles I wanted the worship of the Church of England to include more ceremony
- introduced a revised Prayer Book
tried to impose prayer bookin Scotland which led to unrest
- Scottish army formed
- Charles could not find the money he needed for his own army without the help of Parliament who did not give him money
rebellion in Ireland
Roman Catholics in Ireland afraid of the growing power of Puritans
Parliament demanded control of the English Army - would have transferred power from the king to Parliament
Charles I entered the House of Commons and tried to arrest five parliamentary leaders
civil war between the king and Parliament began in 1642
- country split into those who supported the king (the Cavaliers) and those who supported Parliament (the Roundheads)
where was the king’s army defeated?
Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby
by 1646, clear that Parliament won the war
- Charles held prisoner and unwilling to reach an agreement so he was executed in 1649
England as a republic - the Commonwealth
no longer had a monarch
for some time, not clear how the country would be governed
- army was still in control
- one of its generals, Oliver Cromwell, sent to Ireland, where the revolt which begun in 1641 continued
Cromwell was successful in establishing the authority of the English Parliament but did so with such violence that even today, he remains controversial
who did the Scots declare to be king?
they did not agree to the execution of Charles I and declared his son Charles II to be king
- crowned king of Scotland and led a Scottish army into England
Cromwell defeated this army in the battles of DUnbar and Worcester
- Charles II escaped from Worcester, hiding in an oak tree and eventually fled to Europe
Parliament now controlled England, Scotland and Wales
Cromwell as the leader of the new republic
given the title of Lord Protector and ruled until his death in 1658
when Cromwell died, his son Richard became Lord Protector but could not control the army or government
although Britain had been a republic for 11 years, without Cromwell, there was no clear leader or system of government
- people wanted stability and a king
the Restoration
in 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to come back from exile in the Netherlands
- crowned King Charles II of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland
generally, Parliament supported his policies
Church of England became the established official Church, both Roman Catholics and Puritans kept out of power
plague in 1665
during Charles II’s reign, there was a major outbreak of plague in London
- thousands died, in poorer areas
fire in 1666
destroyed much of the city, including many churches and St Paul’s Cathedral
London rebuilt with a new St Paul’s, which was designed by a famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren
- Samuel Pepys wrote about these events in a diary that was later published and still read today
Habeas Corpus Act
became law in 1679
- important piece of legislation which remains relevant today
guaranteed that no one could be held prisoner unlawfully
- every prisoner has a right to a court hearing
Charles II and science
Royal Society formed to promote natural knowledge
- oldest surviving scientific society in the world
early members included Sir Edmund Halley (predicted the return of the comet) and Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
born in Lincolnshire
important figure in science
most famous published work showed how gravity applied to the whole universe
discovered that white light is made up of the colours of the rainbow
Charles II’s heir
no legitimate children, died in 1685
his brother James, who was Roman Catholic, became James II in England, Wales and Ireland and James VII in Scotland
- heirs were two daughters who were Protestant but then he had a son
the Glorious Revolution
James II’s eldest daughter was married to her cousin William of Orange, the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands
in 1688, Protestants in England asked William to invade England and proclaim himself king
- no resistance when he did this so he took the throne, becoming William III in England, Wales and Ireland and William II of Scotland
guaranteed the power of Parliament, ending the threat of a monarch ruling on his/her own as he/she wished
James II wanted to regain the throne and invaded Ireland with a French army
- William defeated James II at the Battle of Boyne in 1690
also support for James in Scotland
- attempt of an armed rebellion in support of James defeated at Killiecrankie
- all Scottish clans required to formally accept William as king by taking an oath
- MacDonalds of Glencoe were late in taking the oath and were all killed
