Who were the Tudors?
The Tudors were a royal dynasty that ruled England from 1485 to 1603. The five Tudor monarchs were Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and their era saw major religious, political and cultural changes.
Henry Tudor became Henry VII after defeating King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, ending the Wars of the Roses. He married Elizabeth of York, uniting the rival houses.
His son, Henry VIII, is famous for his six wives and for breaking with the Catholic Church to create the Church of England.
The later Tudors
Edward VI, Henry VIII's son, became king at nine and died at 15. His half-sister Mary I tried to restore Catholicism and earned the nickname Bloody Mary for executing Protestants.
Elizabeth I ruled for 44 years, a period known as the Elizabethan era. England defeated the Spanish Armada, and writers such as William Shakespeare flourished.
The Tudor period saw the growth of English naval power, exploration and Renaissance culture. Tudor architecture, with its black and white timber-framed buildings, is still seen across England.
When Elizabeth I died without children in 1603, the throne passed to James VI of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.