Реферат: Династия Тюдоров (essay the house of Tudor)

SCHOOL 1276WITH PROFOUND

THOROUGH OFTHE ENGLISH LANGUGE  

OF THECENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT

OF MOSCOW            

                                                  THE ESSAY

                           «THE HOUSE OF TUDOR»

                                                                          SERGEYSANOVICH

                                                                                         10 B

                                             2002

                            CONTENTS:

1.Contents………………………………………………………………….….….……….1

2.Introduction……………………………………………………………….….…………2

3.King Henry VII……………………………………………………………...….……2-3

4.King Henry VIII…………………………………………………………….….……3-4

5.King Edward VI……………………………………………………………..………4-5

6.Lady Jane Grey……………………………………………………………...………5-8

7.Queen Mary I……………………………………………………………...…..……8-11

8.Queen Elizabeth I………………………………………………………..….....…11-15

9.Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….……15

10.The list of literature………………………………………………….…..…………16

                  INTRODUCTION

I decided towrite this essay, because, I am really interested in English history. The fivesovereigns of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-known figures in Royalhistory. Of Welsh origin, Henry VII succeeded in ending the Wars of the Rosesbetween the houses of Lancaster and York to found the highly successful Tudorhouse. He was succeeded by Henry VIII, who is famous for his six wives. Thisdynasty  ruled  in Britain for 118 eventful years.

Henry VIIIwas followed to the throne by his children Edward VI, Mary I,and Elizabeth I.(Another Tudor descendant, Jane Grey,was put on the throne after Edward VI's death but was overthrown after onlynine days.)  They increased the influenceof the monarchy, established the Church of England, and made England a worldpower.

WhenElizabeth I died in 1603, the Tudor dynasty ended. But the Stuarts, whosucceeded the Tudors, were descended from Owen Tudor. Even the modern royal Windsor family cantrace its ancestry back to the handsome Welsh squire who married QueenCatherine of Valois.

                  KING HENRY VII

Thefounding of dynasty

The founderof the royal Tudor dynasty was Henry VII's grandfather Owen Tudor, a well-bornWelsh man who served as a squire of the body to England's King Henry V. Theking died in 1422 and some years later his widow, Catherine of Valois, is saidto have married the handsome Tudor, although it is possible they were neverlegally married.

Henry V wassucceeded by his infant son, Henry VI. The new king (who became insane as anadult) was little more than a pawn in the so-called Wars of the Roses, a seriesof power struggles between the ruling House of Lancaster and the rival House ofYork. Owen Tudor was a staunch supporter of the king. In 1461 Tudor led an armyinto battle against Yorkists forces at Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire. TheYorkist side won; Tudor was killed; Henry VI lost his throne and the Yorkistclaimant, Edward IV, became king.

HenryTudor

Owen's sonEdmund had married Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III'sson John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Edmund died while Margaret waspregnant with their first child, Henry, who was born on January 28, 1457 atPembroke Castle in Wales. At first Henry was kept hidden in Wales by his uncle,Jasper Tudor. In 1471 Henry VI died — he may have been murdered — in the Towerof London, and Henry Tudor became the Lancastrian claimant to the throne.Fearing for his nephew's safety, Jasper Tudor smuggled him to Brittany (inFrance).

In 1483Edward IV died suddenly and his young sons, Edward V and Richard,«disappeared» in the Tower of London. Their uncle, who had imprisonedthe boys, swiftly crowned himself Richard III. Not surprisingly, he was anunpopular king. In 1485 Henry Tudor returned to Wales, raised an army, invadedEngland, and defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field. Richard diedin the battle, and Henry Tudor became Henry VII, the first Tudor king.

In 1486Henry married Richard's niece, Elizabeth of York, uniting the houses ofLancaster and York and ending the Wars of the Roses (although Henry did have todeal with Yorkist uprisings early in his reign).

AnElizabethan writer, Sir Francis Bacon, said that Henry VII was not an indulgenthusband because «his aversion to the House of York was so predominant inhim as it found place not only in his wars and councils but in his chamber andbed.» Despite this supposed aversion, Henry and Elizabeth managed to haveeight children. The first child, Arthur, died in his teens. Less than a yearlater Elizabeth died giving birth to her last child, who also died. Two otherchildren had died young, so Henry VII was left with just three offspring:Margaret, who was already the queen of Scotland; Henry, the future king ofEngland; and Mary, a future queen of France.

In 1509Henry VII died of tuberculosis. He had brought law and order to England afteryears of chaos, and made the country important in the eyes of the world. He isnot, however, the Tudor king best remembered today. That honour belongs to hisinfamous successor, the much-married Henry VIII.

KING HENRYVIII

Henry VIIIwas born on June 28, 1491. His father and mother, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, were loving parents,although they saw little of their children. Henry, their second son, was styledthe Duke of York. He had his own servants and minstrels, and a fool named JohnGoose. He even had a whipping boy who was punished when Henry did somethingwrong.

Henry VIIloved entertainers, and the court attracted acrobats, jesters, magicians andmusicians. Prince Henry enjoyed music and grew up to be an accomplishedmusician (although he did not write «Greensleeves,» as legendsuggests). At the age of 10 he could play many instruments, including the fife,harp, viola and drums.

Henry'solder brother Arthur married a Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, when hewas fifteen. Prince Arthur danced at his wedding and seemed to be in goodhealth, but within a few months he was dead. Some historians think Arthur hadtuberculosis.

Young Henrywas now heir to the throne. He was guarded at all times and allowed to see fewpeople. Henry was a very tall, athletic, handsome teenager. He kept hisexuberant personality under control on public occasions because he feared hisfather's temper. He received little training for his future role as king, andwould rely heavily on his counsellors in the early years of his reign.

In 1509Henry VII died of tuberculosis and his son became King Henry VIII. He was 17.

Althoughmost people today think of Henry VIII as a fat tyrant, in his youth he wasadmired for his intelligence, good looks, good nature and athletic ability. Oneof his contemporaries wrote that he was «one of the best men that lived inhis time, in manners more than a man, most amiable, courteous and benign ingesture unto all persons.»

But ofcourse, Henry is remembered today for just one thing — well, six things. Sixwives, to be exact. He was married to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, JaneSeymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.

EDWARD VI

TheKing’s son

Edward VIwas born on October 12, 1537. His parents were England's King Henry VIII andJane Seymour, Henry's third wife. For more than a quarter century Henry haddesperately wanted a son, and Edward's birth caused great rejoicing. But QueenJane soon fell ill with childbed fever, and on October 24 she died.

Until theage of six Edward was raised by his nurse, Mother Jack, and other servants.During that time Henry took two wives in quick succession, but both marriagesended badly; Anne of Cleves was discarded because the king found her ugly, andKatherine Howard was executed for adultery. In 1543 Henry married KatherineParr, who became a loving stepmother to Edward and his older half sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. She wasa highly learned woman who personally oversaw Prince Edward's education.

Edward'stutors taught him geography, government, history, French, German, Greek, andLatin. He was also given lessons in etiquette, fencing, horseback riding, musicand other gentlemanly pursuits. Perhaps most important to Edward was his studyof the Scriptures. He became a devout Protestant even though his father, whohad severed England's connection to the Roman Catholic Church, remainedconservative and mostly Catholic in his beliefs.

AlthoughEdward was serious and studious, at times he displayed a savage temper.According to one account, he once tore a living falcon into four pieces.

The BoyKing

Somerset'sbrother, Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour, was jealous of Somerset and schemedto put himself in power. The admiral was arrested and charged with treason.Somerset hesitated to sign his brother's death warrant, so Edward gave thecouncil permission to have his uncle beheaded. Somerset himself later fell fromthe king's favour and lost his role as Protector. The duke of Northumberlandtook control of the king and council, and eventually Somerset, like hisbrother, was arrested and charged with treason. Under pressure fromNorthumberland, fourteen-year-old Edward signed Somerset's death warrant.Somerset was executed in 1552.

By this timeEdward had completed his education and was participating in council meetings.It was decided that the king would take charge of the country at age sixteen.This was bad news for his sister Mary an ardent Catholic who refused tocooperate with Edward's religious reforms. However, Edward got along well withhis other sister, Elizabeth, a moderate Protestant.

Edward sufferedbouts of measles and smallpox in April 1552, and from that time his healthdeclined. By the next spring it was obvious that the king was dying ofconsumption (tuberculosis). His father's will had specified that Mary shouldbecome queen if Edward died without children, but Northumberland had differentideas. He persuaded Edward to name the Protestant Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Lady Jane was thegranddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary; she was also Northumberland'sdaughter-in-law, and through her Northumberland hoped to rule England.

On July 6,1553 Edward whispered his last prayer and died. He was fifteen years old. Hewould be succeeded — briefly — by the unfortunate Lady Jane.

JANE GREY

Theunhappy childhood

Lady JaneGrey was born in 1537, just two days before King Edward VI, and may have been his friend inchildhood. Her father was Henry Grey, the marquis of Dorset (later the duke ofSuffolk). Her mother was Frances Brandon, a niece of Henry VIII. At that time, Frances Brandon was third inthe line of succession to the throne. Jane had two younger sisters, Katherineand Mary.

Jane'sparents were, in her words, «sharp and severe» to her. She once tolda visitor to her family home, Bradgate Manor, that her mother and fatherexpected to do everything «as perfectly as God made the world, or else Iam sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened... that I think myself inhell.» She said that her parents pinched her and abused her in other waysshe would not name out of respect for them.

She foundrefuge in her studies, which she enjoyed so much that she cried when herlessons were over for the day. «Whatsoever I do else, but learning, isfull of grief, trouble, fear, and whole misliking,» she said.

Jane'sparents had big dreams for their intellectual eldest daughter. They hoped shewould marry her cousin Edward and thus become queen of England. When Jane wasnine, her parents sent her to live with Henry VIII's widow, Katherine Parr, andKatherine's new husband, Thomas Seymour. Jane was happy with the Seymours, butKatherine soon died and Thomas Seymour was arrested, forcing Jane to return toher parents.

Once, on avisit to Henry VIII's daughter Mary,Jane openly disparaged Mary's Catholic beliefs. Although Mary was hurt, shelater sent Jane a pretty velvet dress to wear to court. Jane, who thought fineclothes were sinful, tried to refuse the gift, saying it would be «a shameto follow my Lady Mary against God's word,» but her parents insisted shewear it in the hope that it would impress the king. Many people expected Edwardto marry Jane, but he wanted to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, or some otherforeign princess.

By the timeJane was 15, her parents had abandoned their dream of marrying her to KingEdward. Jane now believed that she was betrothed to the duke of Somerset's son,Lord Hertford. She was stunned when her parents informed her that she wasinstead to marry Guildford Dudley, the youngest son of the duke ofNorthumberland. Guildford was a handsome young man, one year Jane's senior, butit seems Jane didn't like him very much. She refused to marry him, and went onrefusing until her mother literally beat her into submission.

The unwantedCrown

Jane marriedGuildford Dudley in May of 1553. The marriage was consummated the followingmonth at Northumberland's command, but the couple continued to live apart.Jane's new mother-in-law visited her on July 3 and told her, «His Majestyhath made you heir to his realm.» Jane said later that this unexpectednews «greatly disturbed» her.

Three dayslater the king died. Northumberland kept the death secret for several days toprevent Edward's sister Mary from claiming the crown. But on July 9 Mary, whowas in Norfolk, heard the news and proclaimed herself queen. On the same dayJane was taken to Northumberland's house and led to a throne. Everyone bowed orcurtsied to her. Realizing what was happening, Jane began to shake.Northumberland made a speech announcing that Jane was the new queen, at whichJane fell on the floor in a brief faint. No one came to her assistance and sheremained on the floor, sobbing.

Finally shegot to her feet and announced, «The crown is not my right, and pleaseth menot. The Lady Mary is the rightful heir.»

When herparents, husband, and father-in-law remonstrated with her, Jane dropped to herknees and prayed for guidance. She asked God to give her «such spirit andgrace that I may govern to Thy glory and service, and to the advantage of therealm.» Then she took her seat on the throne and allowed those present tokiss her hand and swear their allegiance to her.

The next dayJane made her state entry into London. Most people felt that Mary was therightful heir to the throne, and very few cheers greeted Jane. She was taken tothe Tower of London, as was traditional. She protested when the Lord HighTreasurer brought her the crown, but after a while she agreed to wear it. Whenthe treasurer said that another crown would be made for her husband, Jane wasdispleased. Despite Guildford's rage and tears, she insisted that she would notpermit him to be king.

For a fewdays Northumberland stayed close to Jane, bringing her documents to sign andgenerally telling her what to do. Despite Jane's objection to making Guildfordking, Northumberland announced that both she and her husband would be crownedin two weeks. Then Northumberland left with an army to capture Mary, who wasmarching toward London with an army of her own. While he was gone the nervousroyal council decided to proclaim Mary the rightful queen. The proclamation wasmade on July 19. The people of London were jubilant. Determined to savehimself, Jane's father signed the proclamation making Mary queen, then went tohis daughter's apartments and tore down her canopy of estate, telling her shewas no longer queen.

«Out ofobedience to you and my mother I have grievously sinned,» Jane saidquietly. «Now I willingly relinquish the crown. May I not go home?»Her father left without answering her.

Thebitterness of death

Janeremained in the Tower, where she and Guildford soon became prisoners. Herfather and Northumberland were also arrested and brought back to the tower.Henry Grey was released after a few days. He and Frances did not write to Janeor try to save her life. Although Northumberland hastily converted toCatholicism and spoke of his desire to live and kiss Mary's feet, he wasexecuted in August.

On November13 Jane and Guildford were tried and sentenced to death. Jane wasn't worried,however, because she had been told that the queen would pardon her. Then, inFebruary of 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a revolt against Mary. He was quicklyarrested, but his rebellion hardened Mary's heart against her enemies. She signedJane and Guildford's death warrants. When Jane heard the news she said, «Iam ready and glad to end my woeful days.» The queen offered to reprieveJane if she would convert to the Catholic faith, but Jane refused.

Jane'sfather had supported the rebels, and he too was sentenced to death. Now hewrote to Jane and asked for her forgiveness. She wrote back, «Although ithath pleased God to hasten my death by you, by whom my life should rather havebeen lengthened, yet can I patiently take it, that I yield God more heartythanks for shortening my woeful days.»

Queen Marygranted Guildford permission to meet with Jane one last time, but Jane refusedto see her husband, saying that they would meet in a better place, wherefriendships were happy.

On February11 Jane watched from a window as her husband walked to Tower Hill to beexecuted; later she saw his headless body being brought back to the Tower, atwhich she cried, «Oh Guildford! Guildford! Oh, the bitterness ofdeath!»

About anhour later, Jane too made the walk to Tower Hill. On the scaffold she knelt andrecited the 51st Psalm, then blindfolded herself and asked the executioner tokill her quickly. Unable to find the block, she exclaimed, «What shall Ido? Where is it?» A bystander helped her to the block. She put her head onit and said, «Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.» Theexecutioner killer her with one blow and held up her head, saying, «Soperish all the queen's enemies! Behold the head of a traitor!»

MARY I

FromPrincess to bastard

«BloodyMary» Tudor was born on February 18, 1516. She was the only survivingchild of King Henry VIII'sfirst wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry doted on Princess Mary when she waslittle, calling her «the greatest pearl in the kingdom.» The princessreceived an excellent education, and was carefully sheltered.

In 1522Henry arranged Mary's betrothal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Charles was anadult, and Mary was just six years old; the marriage would take place when shewas twelve. Mary had met Charles and liked the idea of marrying him. But in1525 Charles broke off the engagement so that he could marry Princess Isabellaof Portugal. That same year Henry sent Princess Mary to live in Wales, as wastraditional for the king's heir.

The year1527 started off well for Princess Mary. She returned to live at her father'scourt and celebrated her engagement to a son of the king of France. But HenryVIII's attitude toward Mary and her mother had started to change. He haddecided that God disapproved of his marriage to Catherine; why else had thequeen failed to produce healthy male children? And he was in love with thewoman who was to become his second wife: Anne Boleyn.

Soon Marylearned that Henry wanted to annul his marriage to her mother. For this, theking needed the pope's permission. While he waited, he continued to treatCatherine as his queen and Mary as his heir. But Mary's legitimacy was now indoubt, making her less valuable on the marriage market. The French engagementwas broken off and no other match was arranged for her, although her father'sadvisors considered marrying her to King Henry's illegitimate son, HenryFitzroy. (Fitzroy married someone else. He died young and without heirs.)

Henry grewincreasingly angry with Catherine for resisting his attempt to end theirmarriage. Finally, in 1531, he sent Catherine away from court. After beingshuffled between various castles and palaces, the queen ended up a prisoner atKimbolton Castle, near Huntingdon. Realizing that the pope would never granthis divorce, Henry split from the Catholic church, established the Church ofEngland, had his marriage declared invalid, and married Anne Boleyn. Anne gavebirth to a daughter, Princess Elizabeth, in 1533.

Mary was nowofficially a bastard, called «the lady Mary,» but, like her mother,she refused to accept her change in status. Henry was infuriated by hisdaughter's defiance and threatened to have her executed if she did not stopreferring to herself as a princess. When Mary was eighteen, her household wasdisbanded and she was sent to live in Princess Elizabeth's household, where shewas treated badly. Henry refused to see her, but he was not completelyindifferent to Mary. Once, glimpsing her at a window, he nodded and touched hishat politely.

Catherineand Mary were not permitted to visit each other, and Catherine died in 1536without seeing her daughter again. Now Mary was alone. Four months afterCatherine's death, however, Mary's greatest enemy toppled from power when AnneBoleyn was arrested on false charges of adultery and executed. Anne had hatedMary and stated that she wanted her dead. With Anne gone, Henry treated hiseldest daughter somewhat more kindly. His third, fourth, and sixth wives wereall well-disposed toward Mary. (She got along less well with his teenaged fifthwife, Katherine Howard.) Although she never regained her former status or herfather's affection, she was once again part of the royal family.

At first shegot along well with the king's other children. As Elizabeth and Edward grew up,however, up their Protestant views put them at odds with Mary, who never swayedfrom her devout Catholicism. After Henry's death in 1547, Mary's nine-year-oldhalf-brother became King EdwardVI. As king, Edward scolded and bullied Mary about herbeliefs. On his deathbed he disinherited her in favor of their teenaged cousin Lady Jane Grey.

Lady JaneGrey did not want to be queen, but that didn't stop her father and his supportersfrom trying to seize the throne for her after King Edward's death in 1553. Fewpeople supported «Queen Jane,» however. In the end even Jane'sambitious father abandoned her, and Mary was proclaimed queen. After a lifetimeof sorrow and danger, the 37-year-old Mary Tudor was now the most powerfulperson in England.

Theunhappy Queen

Soon afterher accession, Mary began considering the possibility of marrying Prince Philipof Spain, the son of her former fiancé, Emperor Charles V. It worriedher that Philip was 11 years her junior because he was «likely to bedisposed to be amorous, and such is not my desire, not at my time of life, andnever having harbored thoughts of love.» With difficulty the emperor'senvoy convinced her that Philip was a stable, mature adult who would helpprotect her kingdom.

Mary'ssubjects were alarmed to learn of her engagement to the Spanish prince, fearingthat England would become part of Spain. The queen, however, had no intentionof turning the country over to Philip. He arrived in England on July 20, 1554,and met Mary for the first time on July 23. Mary liked Philip from the start,and he treated her kindly, although he probably found her unattractive. (Themen who had accompanied him to England later described Mary as old, badlydressed, and almost toothless.) The wedding took place two days later. Twomonths later, Mary's doctors told her that she was pregnant.

In Decembera law was passed that allowed bishops of the Church of England to convictheretics and sentence them to death by burning. Almost 300 people were burnedalive during Mary's reign with Mary's full approval, earning her the nickname«Bloody Mary.»

By thesummer of 1555 it became obvious that Mary was no longer pregnant, if she hadever been. Mary was bitterly disappointed. Philip left England that August,promising Mary that he would soon return. Mary missed him desperately. Philipdidn't return to England until March of 1557. During his absence he had becomethe king of Spain. After a few months in England he left to go to war; Marynever saw him again. She became depressed and paranoid. Tortured by lonelinessand unhappiness, Queen Mary fell ill. She died on November 17, 1558 and wassucceeded by her half-sister, Queen ElizabethI.

ELISABETH I

Theunwanted Princess

Elizabeth Iwas born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace near London. Her father wasEngland's King HenryVIII; her mother was the king's second wife, Anne Boleyn.Elizabeth had an older half-sister, Mary, who was the daughter of the king'sfirst wife, Catherine of Aragon.

King Henryhad moved heaven and earth to marry Anne Boleyn. He had parted from theCatholic Church, established the Church of England, and annulled his twenty-fouryear marriage to Queen Catherine — partly because he loved Anne, and partlybecause he wanted the male heir Catherine could not give him. Henry and Annewere convinced that their first child would be a boy. The new queen even had adocument drawn up ahead of time that announced the birth of a prince. When theprince turned out to be a princess, her parents were dismayed.

Over thenext few years Anne had three miscarriages, and Henry — who had becomedisenchanted with her even before Elizabeth's birth — decided to be rid of her.In 1536 he had Anne arrested on false charges of adultery. The Archbishop ofCanterbury bowed to the king's will by declaring that Henry's marriage to Annehad never been valid. Like her half-sister Mary, two-year-old Elizabeth was nowconsidered illegitimate. Anne was executed, and two weeks later the kingmarried Jane Seymour.

In 1537Queen Jane died after giving birth to a son, Edward. Elizabeth and Maryparticipated in his christening ceremony. As Edward grew older, he and Elizabethbecame close; although they lived in separate households, they wrote to eachother often.

WhenElizabeth was four, Katherine Champernowne became her governess. Thewell-educated Champernowne — known as Kat Ashley after her marriage in 1545 — began teaching Elizabeth astronomy, geography, history, math, French, Flemish,Italian, Spanish, and other subjects. Elizabeth was an excellent student. Hertutor Roger Ascham later wrote, «She talks French and Italian as well asshe does English. When she writes Greek and Latin, nothing is more beautifulthan her handwriting.»

In 1540Elizabeth's father married Anne of Cleves. Repelled by what he perceived as hisbride's ugliness, Henry quickly had the marriage annulled and instead marriedAnne Boleyn's first cousin Katherine Howard. Katherine was very young — aboutfifteen — and something of a featherbrain, but she was kind to Elizabeth, whowas surely appalled when, in a repetition of the past, the queen was arrestedand charged with adultery. This time the charges were true. Queen Katherine wasbeheaded in 1542, when Elizabeth was seven years old.

KatherineHoward's violent death seems to have had a lasting impact on Elizabeth. At theage of eight she met one of Prince Edward's classmates, Robert Dudley, and toldhim of an important decision she had made. «I will never marry,» shesaid. It was a decision that would shape her life.

ThomasSeymour

In 1543Elizabeth gained yet another stepmother when Henry married his sixth and finalwife, Katherine Parr. Four years later Henry VIII died, leaving his crown to Edward. Accordingto Henry's will, if Edward died without heirs he would be succeeded by Mary. IfMary died without heirs, Elizabeth would become queen.

Soon afterHenry's death, Elizabeth received a marriage proposal from handsome ThomasSeymour, who was England's Lord Admiral and the brother of the late Queen Jane.Knowing that Seymour was simply seeking the power that marriage to the king'ssister could bring him, Elizabeth turned him down. So Seymour proposed to thewidowed Queen Katherine, who had been in love with him before her marriage toHenry VIII. Unaware of Seymour's previous proposal to her stepdaughter,Katherine happily accepted. They were quickly married, and the following yearElizabeth went to live with them at the royal Old Manor House in Chelsea.

ThomasSeymour still had designs on pretty red-haired Elizabeth. He took to visitingher bedroom in the morning before she was dressed. During these visits hesometimes tickled her or slapped her bottom; once he tried to kiss her.Elizabeth giggled and seemed to enjoy his attention, but Kat Ashley wasdisturbed by the Lord Admiral's behaviour, and the servants began to gossip.Queen Katherine was aware of what was going on, but saw it all as innocentromping. Once she even joined in the «joke,» holding Elizabeth in thegarden while her husband cut off Elizabeth's dress.

Hoping tofurther deceive his wife, Seymour told her that he had seen Elizabeth with herarms around a man's neck. Concerned, the queen questioned Elizabeth, who criedand insisted it wasn't true. Now Katherine began to suspect that her husband,not some mystery man, had been making advances to her stepdaughter. She startedwatching the Lord Admiral more carefully. One day Katherine went looking forhim and Elizabeth and, according to one account, «came suddenly upon them,where they were all alone, he having her in his arms.» Understandablyupset, Katherine banished Elizabeth from the Old Manor House.

A few monthslater Katherine died after childbirth and Seymour resumed plotting to marryElizabeth. Elizabeth knew that she could not legally marry without thepermission of the king's council, and she refused to be drawn into the LordAdmiral's schemes. In 1549 Seymour was arrested on charges of conspiring tomarry Elizabeth and take over the government. Kat Ashley was also arrested,along with another of Elizabeth's employees, and Elizabeth herself was closelyinterrogated. She kept her wits about her and denied any involvement inSeymour's treasonous activities. In the end she convinced the Council of herinnocence, and her servants were released from prison.

WhenElizabeth heard that Seymour had been beheaded for his crimes she supposedlysaid only, «This day died a man of much wit and very littlejudgement.» She had learned that she must keep her feelings to herself ifshe hoped to survive.

Perilousyears

Elizabethcontinued to get along well with her brother, King Edward, but in 1553 Edwarddied. On his deathbed he was persuaded by the duke of Northumberland to name Lady Jane Grey tosucceed him. Lady Jane tried to refuse the crown, but Northumberland (who washer father-in-law) proclaimed her to be the new queen. Meanwhile, Henry VIII'sdaughter Mary was proclaimed queen by hersupporters. Northumberland surrendered to Mary's forces. He and Jane Grey wereimprisoned and later executed.

Queen Mary wasdetermined to restore Catholicism as the country's official religion. Shepressured Elizabeth to convert. Elizabeth obediently attended one Mass, butcomplained the whole time of feeling ill. Because this and Elizabeth'spopularity with the English people, Mary grew wary of her half sister.

When SirThomas Wyatt led an uprising against Mary, the queen suspected that Elizabethwas involved. Elizabeth was taken to London and confined at Whitehall Palace.Eventually, although no evidence against her could be found, she was sent tothe Tower, where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Jane Grey and so many othershad awaited execution. When Elizabeth saw that she was being brought into theTower via the Traitor's Gate, she panicked and begged to be brought throughsome other gate.

Told thatshe must enter this way, she cried, «Oh Lord, I never throught to come inhere as a prisoner... I come in as no traitor but as true a woman to theQueen's Majesty as any as is now living; and thereon will I take mydeath.» She sat down on the stairs and refused to move. When told that itwasn't healthy to sit in the rain, she replied tearfully, «It is bettersitting here than in a worse place!»

One of herservants started to sob and Elizabeth told him angrily that he shouldn't cry,saying, «I thank God that I know my truth to be such that no man can havecause to weep for me!» With that she continued into the Tower.

Despite hervery reasonable fears, she was released from the Tower two months later, on theeighteenth anniversary of her mother's death. She remained a prisoner, however.In 1555 she was moved under heavy guard to Hampton Court, where the queen wasstaying. Mary refused to see her, but Mary's new husband Philip of Spain metwith Elizabeth and fell under her spell. At his encouragement Mary finallyreconciled with Elizabeth.

Over 250Protestants were burned at the stake during the reign of «BloodyMary,» and Elizabeth's failure to truly convert to the Catholic faith puther in constant danger, as did other people's conspiracies to overthrow Maryand place Elizabeth on the throne.

Finally, onNovember 17, 1558, Mary died and Elizabeth's years of peril came to an end. Shewas now the queen of England.

Gloriana

Elizabeth'sadvisors urged the twenty-five-year old queen to quickly marry some foreignprince and produce heirs so that the throne would not pass to Henry VIII'sgreat-niece, Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland. Elizabeth stood by her earlydecision never to marry. (One of the many proposals she rejected was fromMary's widower, Philip of Spain.)

Elizabethhad a romantic nature, and may already have been in love her childhood friend,Robert Dudley, whom she later made the Earl of Leicester. Although Elizabethwas a hard-working monarch, like her father she had a great appetite forentertainment. She enjoyed archery, dancing, hunting, riding, and tennis.Whatever she did, Leicester was usually nearby. He was given a bedroom nearhers, and rumours about the nature of their relationship were rampant.

Leicesterhad a wife named Amy. In 1559, while Leicester was at court, Amy fell down thestaircase of her country home, broke her neck, and died. She had been alone inthe house at the time of her accident, and it was whispered that she had beenmurdered so that Elizabeth and Leicester could marry. But Elizabeth did notmarry Leicester. Twenty years later he infuriated the queen by secretlymarrying her cousin Lettice Knollys, but Elizabeth forgave him, and he remainedher favourite until his death.

Elizabethwas glorified by poets and artists as Gloriana, the Virgin Queen. With the helpof fine clothes, jewels and cosmetics, the vain queen maintained a glamorousimage despite her advancing age. In her mid-fifties she fell in love withRobert Devereux, Earl of Essex, son of Lettice Knollys. Essex was in his earlytwenties, good-looking, and extremely arrogant. Although he reigned as thequeen's favourite for many years, he did not always show Elizabeth thedeference she demanded. Once, when Elizabeth slapped him during an argument,Essex threatened to draw his sword on her. Elizabeth sent him to Ireland toquell a rebellion; while there, Essex ignored the queen's orders and pursuedhis own agenda. When he defied her by returning to England without permission,Elizabeth placed him under house arrest. After his release Essex attempted tolead an uprising against the queen, and the heartbroken Elizabeth had no choicebut to sentence him to death. Essex was executed in 1601.

Two yearslater Elizabeth became very ill. Perhaps she did not want to live withoutEssex; when her doctors offered her medicine, she refused to take it. She diedon March 24, 1603 at the age of 69.

CONCLUSION

During thisperiod from 1485 to 1603, England developed into one of the leading Europeancolonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in theconquest of the New World. Nearer to home, campaigns in Ireland brought thecountry under strict English control. Culturally and socially, the Tudor periodsaw many changes. The Tudor court played a prominent part in the culturalRenaissance taking place in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such asWilliam Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudor period alsosaw the turbulence of two changes of official religion, resulting in themartyrdom of many innocent believers of both Protestantism and RomanCatholicism. The fear of Roman Catholicism induced by the Reformation was tolast for several centuries and to play an influential role in the history ofthe Succession.

            

         

         THE LIST OF LITERATURE:

1.<span Times New Roman"">    

I. I. Burova. The Monarchs of England. «Норинт».Москва. 1997.

2.<span Times New Roman"">    

Джордж Маколей Тревельян. История Англии: от Чосера докрорлевы Виктории. «Русич». Смоленск. 2001.

3.<span Times New Roman"">    

 Официальныйсайт Букингемского дворца: www.royal.gov.uk.

4.<span Times New Roman"">    

Сайт, посвященный истрии королевских династий мира:www.royalty.nu.                                   EXTRACT

<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-ansi-language:RU"> 

<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-ansi-language:RU">«<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-ansi-language: FR">The house of Tudor<span Times New Roman",«serif»; mso-ansi-language:RU">»

INTRODUCTION.I decided to write this essay, because, I am reallyinterested in English history. The five sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty areamong the most well-known figures in Royal history.  Of Welsh origin,Henry VII succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses ofLancaster and York to found the highly successful Tudor house. He was succeededby Henry VIII, who is famous for his six wives. This dynasty  ruled in Britain for 118 eventful years. Henry VIII was followed to the throneby his children Edward VI,Mary I, and Elizabeth I.(Another Tudor descendant, Jane Grey,was put on the throne after Edward VI's death but was overthrown after onlynine days.)  They increased the influenceof the monarchy, established the Church of England, and made England a worldpower. When Elizabeth I died in 1603, the Tudor dynasty ended. But the Stuarts, whosucceeded the Tudors, were descended from Owen Tudor. Even the modern royal Windsor family cantrace its ancestry back to the handsome Welsh squire who married QueenCatherine of Valois.

KING HENRY VII.  1).The house of  Tudor was founded by OwenTudor, a well-born Welsh man who served as a squire of the body to England'sKing Henry V.The king died in1422 and some years later his widow, Catherine of Valois, is said to havemarried the handsome Tudor. The middle of the XV century- the time of so-called Wars ofthe Roses, a series of power struggles between the ruling House of Lancasterand the rival House of York. Owen Tudor was a staunch supporter of the king. In1461 Tudor led an army into battle against Yorkists forces at Mortimer's Crossin Herefordshire. The Yorkist side won; Tudor was killed; Henry VI lost histhrone and the Yorkist claimant, Edward IV, became king. Owen's son Edmund hadmarried Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III's son John ofGaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Edmund died while Margaret was pregnant withtheir first child, Henry, who was born on January 28, 1457 in Wales. At firstHenry was kept hidden in Wales by his uncle, Jasper Tudor. In 1471 Henry VIdied — he may have been murdered — in the Tower of London, and Henry Tudorbecame the Lancastrian claimant to the throne. Fearing for his nephew's safety,Jasper Tudor smuggled him to Brittany (in France).In 1483 Edward IV diedsuddenly and his young sons, Edward V and Richard, «disappeared» inthe Tower of London. Their uncle, who had imprisoned the boys, swiftly crownedhimself Richard III. Not surprisingly, he was an unpopular king. In 1485 HenryTudor returned to Wales, raised an army, invaded England, and defeated RichardIII at the battle of Bosworth Field. Richard died in the battle, and HenryTudor became Henry VII, the first Tudor king. 2). In 1486 Henry married Richard's niece, Elizabeth of York,uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and ending the Wars of the Roses(although Henry did have to deal with Yorkist uprisings early in his reign).Henry VII was left with justthree offspring: Margaret, who was already the queen of Scotland; Henry, thefuture king of England; and Mary, a future queen of France. In 1509 Henry VIIdied of tuberculosis. He had brought law and order to England after years ofchaos, and made the country important in the eyes of the world.

KING HENRY VIII. 1). Henry VIII was bornon June 28, 1491. His father and mother, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, were loving parents,although they saw little of their children. Henry, their second son, was styledthe Duke of York. He had his own servants and minstrels, and a fool named JohnGoose. He even had a whipping boy who was punished when Henry did somethingwrong. Henry VII loved entertainers, and the court attracted acrobats, jesters,magicians and musicians. Prince Henry enjoyed music and grew up to be anaccomplished musician. 2).  He became a king, when he was 17 years old.Although most people today think of Henry VIII as a fat tyrant, in his youth hewas admired for his intelligence, good looks, good nature and athletic ability.One of his contemporaries wrote that he was «one of the best men thatlived in his time, in manners more than a man, most amiable, courteous andbenign in gesture unto all persons. „But of course, Henry is rememberedtoday for just one thing — well, six things. Six wives, to be exact. He wasmarried to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves,Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr.

KING EDWARD VI.1). Henry VIII died in1547 and his nine-year-old son became King Edward VI. A council was appointedto rule during Edward's minority, with Edward's uncle, the duke of Somerset(Jane Seymour's brother), as Protector of the country and the king. Somerset'sbrother, Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour, was jealous of Somerset and schemedto put himself in power. Somerset himself later fell from the king's favour andlost his role as Protector. The duke of Northumberland took control of the kingand council, and eventually Somerset, like his brother, was arrested andcharged with treason. Under pressure from Northumberland, fourteen-year-oldEdward signed Somerset's death warrant. Somerset was executed in 1552. 2). By this time Edward had completed his education and was participating incouncil meetings. It was decided that the king would take charge of the countryat age sixteen. This was bad news for his sister Mary an ardent Catholic whorefused to cooperate with Edward's religious reforms. However, Edward got alongwell with his other sister, Elizabeth, a moderate Protestant. Edward sufferedbouts of measles and smallpox in April 1552, and from that time his healthdeclined. His father's will had specified that Mary should become queen ifEdward died without children, but Northumberland had different ideas. Hepersuaded Edward to name the Protestant Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Lady Jane was thegranddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary; she was also Northumberland'sdaughter-in-law, and through her Northumberland hoped to rule England. On July6, 1553 Edward died. He was fifteen years old. He would be succeeded — briefly-- by the unfortunate Lady Jane.

LADY JANE GREY.1).Lady Jane Grey wasborn in 1537, just two days before King Edward VI, and may have been his friend inchildhood. Her father was Henry Grey, the marquis of Dorset (later the duke ofSuffolk). Her mother was Frances Brandon, a niece of Henry VIII. At that time, Frances Brandon was third inthe line of succession to the throne. Jane had two younger sisters, Katherineand Mary. Jane's parents were, in her words, “sharp and severe» toher. She found refuge in her studies. Jane's parents had big dreams for theirintellectual eldest daughter. They hoped she would marry her cousin Edward and thusbecome queen of England. When Jane was nine, her parents sent her to live withHenry VIII's widow, Katherine Parr, and Katherine's new husband, ThomasSeymour. Jane was happy with the Seymours, but Katherine soon died and ThomasSeymour was arrested, forcing Jane to return to her parents. By the time Janewas 15, her parents had abandoned their dream of marrying her to King Edward,but he wanted to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, or some other foreign princess.Jane wanted to marry to the duke of Somerset's son, Lord Hertford. She wasstunned when her parents informed her that she was instead to marry GuildfordDudley, the youngest son of the duke of Northumberland. Guildford was ahandsome young man, one year Jane's senior, but it seems Jane didn't like himvery much. 2). Jane marriedGuildford Dudley in May of 1553. Three days later the king died. Northumberlandkept the death secret for several days to prevent Edward's sister Mary fromclaiming the crown. But on July 9 Mary, who was in Norfolk, heard the news andproclaimed herself queen. On the same day Jane was taken to Northumberland'shouse and led to a throne. Everyone bowed or curtsied to her. Realizing whatwas happening, Jane began to shake. Northumberland made a speech announcingthat Jane was the new queen, at which Jane fell on the floor in a brief faint.The next day Jane made her state entry into London. Most people felt that Marywas the rightful heir to the throne, and very few cheers greeted Jane. She wastaken to the Tower of London, as was traditional. For a few days Northumberlandstayed close to Jane, bringing her documents to sign and generally telling herwhat to do. Despite Jane's objection to making Guildford king, Northumberlandannounced that both she and her husband would be crowned in two weeks. ThenNorthumberland left with an army to capture Mary, who was marching towardLondon with an army of her own. While he was gone the nervous royal councildecided to proclaim Mary the rightful queen. The proclamation was made on July19. The people of London were jubilant. Determined to save himself, Jane'sfather signed the proclamation making Mary queen, then went to his daughter'sapartments and tore down her canopy of estate, telling her she was no longerqueen. 3). Jane remained in theTower, where she and Guildford soon became prisoners. Her father andNorthumberland were also arrested and brought back to the tower. Henry Grey wasreleased after a few days. He and Frances did not write to Jane or try to saveher life. Although Northumberland hastily converted to Catholicism and spoke ofhis desire to live and kiss Mary's feet, he was executed in August. On November13 Jane and Guildford were tried and sentenced to death. Jane wasn't worried,however, because she had been told that the queen would pardon her. Then, inFebruary of 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a revolt against Mary. He was quicklyarrested, but his rebellion hardened Mary's heart against her enemies. Shesigned Jane and Guildford's death warrants. When Jane heard the news she said, «Iam ready and glad to end my woeful days.» The queen offered to reprieveJane if she would convert to the Catholic faith, but Jane refused. Jane'sfather had supported the rebels, and he too was sentenced to death.  They were executed on February, 11.

QUEEN MARY I.1). Bloody Mary" Tudor was born on February 18, 1516. She wasthe only surviving child of King HenryVIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry doted onPrincess Mary when she was little, she received an excellent education. Theyear 1527 started off well for Princess Mary. But Henry VIII's attitude towardMary and her mother had started to change. He had decided that God disapprovedof his marriage to Catherine; why else had the queen failed to produce healthymale children? And he was in love with the woman who was to become his secondwife: Anne Boleyn. Soon Mary learned that Henry wanted to annul his marriage toher mother. For this, the king needed the pope's permission. Henry grewincreasingly angry with Catherine for resisting his attempt to end theirmarriage. Finally, in 1531, he sent Catherine away from court. After beingshuffled between various castles and palaces, the queen ended up a prisoner atKimbolton Castle, near Huntingdon. Mary was now officially a bastard, called«the lady Mary,» but, like her mother, she refused to accept herchange in status. Henry was infuriated by his daughter's defiance andthreatened to have her executed if she did not stop referring to herself as aprincess. Catherine and Mary were not permitted to visit each other, andCatherine died in 1536 without seeing her daughter again. Now Mary was alone..With Anne gone, Henry treated his eldest daughter somewhat more kindly. Atfirst she got along well with the king's other children. After Henry's death in1547, Mary's nine-year-old half-brother became King Edward VI, then for 9 days<span Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family:«Times New Roman»;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-char-type: symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Symbol">-

Lady Jane Grey. After alifetime of sorrow and danger, the 37-year-old Mary Tudor was now the mostpowerful person in England. 2). Soonafter her accession, Mary began considering the possibility of marrying PrincePhilip of Spain, the son of her former fiancé, Emperor Charles V. Itworried her that Philip was 11 years her junior. With difficulty the emperor'senvoy convinced her that Philip was a stable, mature adult who would helpprotect her kingdom.

Mary's subjectswere alarmed to learn of her engagement to the Spanish prince, fearing thatEngland would become part of Spain. The queen, however, had no intention ofturning the country over to Philip. He arrived in England on July 20, 1554, andmet Mary for the first time on July 23. Mary liked Philip from the start, andhe treated her kindly, although he probably found her unattractive. The weddingtook place two days later. Two months later, Mary's doctors told her that shewas pregnant.

In December a lawwas passed that allowed bishops of the Church of England to convict hereticsand sentence them to death by burning. Almost 300 people were burned aliveduring Mary's reign with Mary's full approval, earning her the nickname«Bloody Mary.»

By the summer of1555 it became obvious that Mary was no longer pregnant, if she had ever been.Mary was bitterly disappointed. Philip left England that August, promising Marythat he would soon return. Mary missed him desperately. Philip didn't return toEngland until March of 1557. During his absence he had become the king ofSpain. After a few months in England he left to go to war; Mary never saw himagain. She became depressed and paranoid. Tortured by loneliness andunhappiness, Queen Mary fell ill. She died on November 17, 1558 and wassucceeded by her half-sister, QueenElizabeth I.

QUEEN ELISABETH I.  1). ElizabethI was born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace near London. Elizabeth hadan older half-sister, Mary, who was the daughter of the king's first wife,Catherine of Aragon.

King Henry hadmoved heaven and earth to marry Anne Boleyn. Anne was executed, and two weekslater the king married Jane Seymour. In 1537 Queen Jane died after giving birthto a son, Edward. Elizabeth and Mary participated in his christening ceremony.When Elizabeth was four, Katherine Champernowne became her governess. Elizabethwas an excellent student. In 1540 Elizabeth's father married Anne of Cleves.Queen Katherine was beheaded in 1542, when Elizabeth was seven years old.Katherine Howard's violent death seems to have had a lasting impact onElizabeth. 2). In 1543 Elizabethgained yet another stepmother when Henry married his sixth and final wife,Katherine Parr. If Mary died without heirs, Elizabeth would become queen. Soonafter Henry's death, Elizabeth received a marriage proposal from handsomeThomas Seymour, who was England's Lord Admiral and the brother of the lateQueen Jane. Thomas Seymour still had designs on pretty red-haired Elizabeth.Concerned, the queen questioned Elizabeth, who cried and insisted it wasn'ttrue. Understandably upset, Katherine banished Elizabeth from the Old ManorHouse. A few months later Katherine died after childbirth and Seymour resumedplotting to marry Elizabeth. In 1549 Seymour was arrested on charges ofconspiring to marry Elizabeth and take over the government. Kat Ashley was alsoarrested, along with another of Elizabeth's employees, and Elizabeth herselfwas closely interrogated. 3). Elizabethcontinued to get along well with her brother, King Edward, but in 1553 Edwarddied. Meanwhile, Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed queen by her supporters. Elizabeth obedientlyattended one Mass, but complained the whole time of feeling ill. Because thisand Elizabeth's popularity with the English people, Mary grew wary of her halfsister. When Sir Thomas Wyatt led an uprising against Mary, the queen suspectedthat Elizabeth was involved. Elizabeth was taken to London and confined atWhitehall Palace. Mary refused to see her, but Mary's new husband Philip ofSpain met with Elizabeth and fell under her spell. At his encouragement Maryfinally reconciled with Elizabeth. Finally, on November 17, 1558, Mary died andElizabeth's years of peril came to an end. She was now the queen of England.4). Elizabeth's advisors urged the twenty-five-year old queen to quicklymarry some foreign prince and produce heirs so that the throne would not pass toHenry VIII's great-niece, Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland. Elizabeth stoodby her early decision never to marry. With the help of fine clothes, jewels andcosmetics, the vain queen maintained a glamorous image despite her advancingage. In her mid-fifties she fell in love with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex,son of Lettice Knollys. Essex was in his early twenties, good-looking, andextremely arrogant. Although he reigned as the queen's favourite for manyyears, he did not always show Elizabeth the deference she demanded. Once, whenElizabeth slapped him during an argument, Essex threatened to draw his sword onher. Elizabeth sent him to Ireland to quell a rebellion; while there, Essexignored the queen's orders and pursued his own agenda. When he defied her byreturning to England without permission, Elizabeth placed him under housearrest. After his release Essex attempted to lead an uprising against thequeen, and the heartbroken Elizabeth had no choice but to sentence him todeath. Essex was executed in 1601. Two years later Elizabeth became very ill.Perhaps she did not want to live without Essex; when her doctors offered hermedicine, she refused to take it. She died on March 24, 1603 at the age of69.  Elizabeth was glorified by poets andartists as Gloriana, the Virgin Queen.

CONCLUSION.During this period from 1485to 1603, England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers,with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the NewWorld. Nearer to home, campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strictEnglish control. Culturally and socially, the Tudor period saw many changes.The Tudor court played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance takingplace in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare,Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudor period also saw the turbulence oftwo changes of official religion, resulting in the martyrdom of many innocentbelievers of both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The fear of Roman Catholicisminduced by the Reformation was to last for several centuries and to play aninfluential role in the history of the Succession.

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