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The Tudors

Learn the Tudor line through Henry VIII's break with Rome, the six wives, Wales and the Protestant/Catholic succession.

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What to be able to answer

  • Know Henry VIII's six wives and their key outcomes.
  • Understand why Henry VIII established the Church of England.
  • Place Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I in the succession.

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Religious upheaval, six wives and the English Reformation

Topic 6 of 14
Hampton Court Palace exterior
Hampton Court Palace is strongly associated with Henry VIII and Tudor power. Credit: Ricardalovesmonuments, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When Henry VII died, his son Henry VIII continued the policy of centralising power. Henry VIII is most famous for breaking away from the Church of Rome and marrying six times.

Henry VIII's Six Wives

Read left to right for the name order; use the fate strip below to test recall.

1st

Catherine of Aragon

Divorced

2nd

Anne Boleyn

Beheaded

3rd

Jane Seymour

Died

4th

Anne of Cleves

Divorced

5th

Catherine Howard

Beheaded

6th

Catherine Parr

Survived

Fates: D - B - D - D - B - S

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived

Names: CAJACC. Fates: Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.

To divorce his first wife, Henry needed the approval of the Pope. When the Pope refused, Henry established the Church of England. In this new church, the king — not the Pope — had the power to appoint bishops and order how people should worship.

At the same time, the Reformation was happening across Europe. This was a movement against the authority of the Pope and the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants formed their own churches, read the Bible in their own languages instead of Latin, and believed that a person's own relationship with God was more important than submitting to the authority of the Church.

Tudor rule after the six wives

After Henry VIII, the test often moves through religion, Wales and the next monarchs.

  1. Henry VII

    Centralised power

    Reduced noble power and built the monarchy's financial reserves.

  2. Henry VIII

    Church and Wales

    Established the Church of England and formally united Wales with England.

  3. Edward VI

    Protestant reign

    The Book of Common Prayer was written during his short reign.

  4. Mary I

    Catholic queen

    Persecuted Protestants and became known as Bloody Mary.

  5. Elizabeth I

    Next monarch

    Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; succeeded Mary.

Do not mix up

Anne Boleyn was Elizabeth I's mother; Catherine of Aragon was Mary I's mother.
Jane Seymour was Edward VI's mother.
The Spanish Armada belongs to Elizabeth I's separate topic.

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