Best Tudor Monarch - Tudor/stuart Time

The best Tudor monarch was Elizabeth the first. This is because she ruled, alone, until her death. Although she did not produce an heir, she stabilised England in a time of great economic and civil disarray. The only other good Tudor Monarch was Henry VII, who established the Tudor dynasty and stabilised England after years of civil war.

Elizabeth was the only child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife. When she was born, she was second in line to the throne. Her older half-sister, Mary lost her position as a legitimate heir when Henry annulled his marriage to her mother, Katherine of Aragon. He then married another woman, Jane Seymour, who succeeded in producing a male heir for him, Edward VI. When Henry died, Edward took the throne at age 10, and ruled for 6 years, dying at age 16.

When Elizabeth took the throne, it was assumed she would marry and rely on the king. However, she never did, and so was known as the 'Virgin Queen'. Because of this, she did not produce an heir.

England was in a time of uncertainty, and it was under Elizabeth that the Spanish Armada, which had long been a threat to England, was defeated. In this way, Elizabeth's foreign policy was largely defensive.

It was, of course, very difficult for her, she was by all means a woman living in a man's world. Also, she was only the third queen of England. The other two were Lady Jane Grey and Mary, her half-sister. Jane ruled for just nine days, and Mary for five years.

The only other Tudor monarch of great note was Henry VII. His claim to the throne was very weak, though female ancestors only and he came to power following a military battle, the last of he Wars of the Roses, the battles between the Houses of Lancaster and York. He was able to finish the wars by taking Elizabeth of York to be his wife, as Lancastrian Henry, uniting he houses.

The English monarchy had never been the wealthiest in Europe, and especially after years of warring, England was in difficult financial times when Henry came to power. But, through careful strategy, a great amount of money was accumulated during his rule.

His marriage to Elizabeth gave four children who survived infancy. The first born son, Arthur, was married at age 16 to Catharine of Aragon, the daughter of the king and queen of Spain. Arthur died only a few months after his wedding, and so the next heir was Henry.

Henry VIII was the second Tudor King, named after his father, Henry VII. He is most famous for his almost fanatical search for an heir, which saw him take 6 different wives. He was not meant to be King, he was the second son, the spare to Arthur, his older brother, the heir. Arthur died before he could take the throne, so when Henry the VII died, the only choice was Henry VIII.

He is also famous for separating the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, turning England into a mostly Protestant nation.

Of Henry's six queens, three each gave him one child that survived infancy. These were Mary I, Elizabeth I and