British history, heritage, tudors : VisitBritain

The Tudors (1485 - 1603)

Henry VIII (1491 - 1547)

Henry VIII was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty and rule with terror executing anyone who disagreed with him, including his unfortunate wife Anne Boleyn who was executed at the Tower of London (www.enjoyengland.com/productsearch/searchresults.aspx?dest=&destId=0&radius=8051&icId=2&name=Tower+of+London&type=destination&ptIds=-1®ionIds=&agentId=&maxX=0&maxY=0&minX=0&minY=0&nX=0&nY=0&map=False&sr=142&nor=&cp=1&sort=®ionName=&availability=False&exl_enddate=&exl_startdate=&exl_adults1=0&exl_children1=0&exl_concessions=0). He was responsible for many changes, including severing ties with the Roman Catholic Church and setting up the Anglican Church.

During his reign, Henry founded or made improvements to several significant buildings including Christ Church (www.chch.ox.ac.uk/) in Oxford, the magnificent timber-framed Palace of Whitehall (www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/banquet_home.asp) in Sutton associated with Nonsuch Palace, Kings College Chapel (www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/) in Cambridge.

Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603)

Elizabeth I was born in Greenwich and was the last Tudor monarch. The Queen herself was often called 'Gloriana', 'Good Queen Bess' and 'The Virgin Queen', as she never married. Not known as a particularly good military leader, Elizabeth was best known for her ability keep the peace and for stabilising the country’s economy.

Elizabeth lived much of her young life in Hatfield House (www.hatfield-house.co.uk/) in Hertfordshire and also at St. James's Palace and, when queen, in the Palace of Whitehall. During her reign, England enjoyed considerable wealth and Elizabeth I was immensely popular with her subjects, earning her the nickname 'Good Queen Bess'.

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