The War of the Roses and the Battle of Bosworth
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1487. For thirty - two years, a bitter struggle for the English throne was waged between two branches on the same family, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both descended from Edward III.
The War of the Roses began in 1455, when many barons resented the way that the Lancaster family had seized the throne in 1399 and felt that Henry IV, V or VI were not the rightful kings. (Henry IV, the first Lancastrian King, came to the English throne by force. He made his cousin Richard ll, abdicate, and then seized the crown himself.) According to the barons, the York family, cousins of the Lancasters, were truly entitled to reign.
The Battle of Bosworth 1485
The battle of Bosworth is one of the most important battles in English history. It led to the War of the Roses, and planted the Tudor house on the throne of England.
What happened the battle of Bosworth?
Henry Tudor, (Henry VII), earl of Richmond and a Lancastrian, defeated King Richard III, a Yorkist, at the battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485.
Richard III (on the right) and his flag bearer
Battle of Bosworth saw the death of Richard III
Richard III was the last English monarch to have been killed in battle.
Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven on 7 August in an attempt to claim the throne of England. He gathered supporters on his journey through Wales, and by the time he arrived in the Midlands, he had amassed an army of an estimated 5,000 men. Richard III, on the other hand, had an army of nearly 8,000.
After the battle, Henry Tudor was crowned as King Henry VII, marking the beginning of the 118-year reign of the Tudor dynasty in England.
Henry Vll (representing the Lancaster family) married Elizabeth of York (representing the York family). This marriage united the two families. Henry created the Tudor rose, containing both the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. It symbolized the end of a struggle between York and Lancaster.
Henry VIII
Henry was born in 1491. In English history, the time when he and his family lived is known as the Tudor age. Tudor was Henry's family name. Henry lived at a time of changes. People had new ideas in art, science and religion. They sailed off to explore new lands. Henry died in 1547. Three of his children ruled England after him.
Why do people remember Henry?
Paintings of Henry VIII show a big, fierce-looking man in fine clothes. He looks scary, and many people were scared of him. If the King did not get his way, he got cross. People who made him cross risked having their heads chopped off! As a young man, Henry was handsome and clever. He was good at sport, music and dancing. He wanted to be a soldier and a famous king.
Growing up
Henry was born in 1491 in Greenwich Palace near London. His father was King Henry VII. His mother was Elizabeth of York. Henry's father had been king for only six years when Henry was born. He had won a battle to make himself king.
Schooling
Henry did not go to school. Teachers called tutors taught him and his older brother Arthur. Henry was very clever. He learned French, Latin and Greek. He was good at maths, poetry and music. He also loved to play games.
Playtime
Henry had a fool to amuse him when he was bored with his books. The fool told jokes and did funny things, like a clown. Henry also had a whipping boy. The whipping boy was a servant. If Henry was naughty, the tutor hit the whipping boy. No one dared hit the prince!
War training
Henry liked horse riding, jousting and archery. Rich and poor men in Tudor times trained to be soldiers, to fight for their king. Henry wore armour. Henry loved tournaments. He liked to show off in his armour.
Henry becomes king
Henry's older brother Arthur died in 1502. So Henry was next in line to be king. Henry's mother died in 1503. When Henry's father died in 1509, Henry became king. He was crowned King Henry VIII (the 8th English king named Henry)
The Tudor Family Tree
The House of Tudor was an English royal house of Welsh origin, descended in the male line from the Tudors of Penmynydd. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England, Wales and the Lordship of Ireland from 1485 until 1603, with five monarchs in that period. The Tudors succeeded the House of Plantagnet. The Tudor family rose to power in the wake of the Wars of the Roses, which left the House of Lancaster, to which the Tudors were aligned, extinct.
In total, five Tudor monarchs ruled their domains for just over a century. Henry VIII was the only son of Henry VII to live to the age of maturity. The House of Stuart, descended from Henry VII's daughter Margaret, came to power in 1603 when Elizabeth died and the Tudor line failed.
Henry VIII and his wives
Henry's divorce
Henry's first wife was Catherine of Aragon. She was a Spanish princess. In 1511, Catherine had a son, but the baby died. Catherine and Henry had a daughter, Mary. But no son. So in 1533, Henry decided to divorce Catherine, so he could marry someone else.
Henry and the Church
Divorce was against the rules of the Roman Catholic Church. Most people in England were Christians, and members of this Church. Henry was too. But he broke the rules. He got his divorce. He made himself head of the Church in England.
Wives 2 and 3
Henry's second wife was Anne Boleyn. She had a daughter, Elizabeth. Henry turned against Anne, and she was beheaded in 1536. Next Henry married Jane Seymour. In 1537, she had a son, Edward, but she died two weeks later. Henry was very sad.
Wives 4-5-6
Henry's fourth wife (1540) was Anne of Cleves, from Belgium. Henry had never seen her until she came to England for the wedding. He divorced her after six months. He soon married again. His fifth wife was Catherine Howard. She was only 19. She was beheaded in 1542. Henry's sixth wife was Catherine Parr, a widow. She looked after his children.
Queen Elizabeth I
Who was Elizabeth I?
Elizabeth was Queen of England, Ireland and Wales from 1558 to 1603. She gave her name to the 'Elizabethan Age'. It was an exciting time in English history. This was the age of William Shakespeare's plays, Francis Drake's voyages, and the sea battles against the Spanish Armada.
When did she live?
Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII. She was born in 1533. Her grandfather Henry VII was the first Tudor king of England. Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558. She died in 1603.
Why is Elizabeth famous?
Elizabeth I ruled England alone. She did not marry. So although she was queen, England had no king. This was unusual at the time. The Elizabethan Age was an exciting part of English history. There were new ideas, and arguments about religion. There were wars with Spain. English explorers sailed to new lands.