England after Henry VIII

1
England after Henry VIII

• A Struggle for Power

2
The Tudor Dynasty Continues

• When Henry VIII died in 1547, his son Edward VI
  became king
• Edward was only nine years old so his uncle
  became his advisor
• Like his father, Edward was a protestant and
  wanted England to remain a protestant country
• Unfortunately Edward died when he was only 15

3
A Fight for Power

• After Edward died there was much confusion
• Henry VIII did not want Mary to become queen
  because she was Catholic, so he had her declared
  illegitimate by arguing that that his marriage to
  Marys mother was not valid
• His other daughter, Elizabeth, was Protestant,
  but when Henry declared Mary illegitimate,
  Elizabeth was also declared illegitimate for the
  same reason
• Although Henry later tried to reinstate his
  daughters in the line of succession, they were
  still legally illegitimate according to English
  law
• This left the line of succession open for debate
  should England follow the wishes of Henry or
  abide by the letter of English law?

4
Lady Jane Grey
5
Janes Claim to the Throne

• Jane was Henry VIIIs grandniece
• She argued that both Mary and Elizabeth were
  illegitimate even though Henry put them in the
  line of succession
• Edward VI wrote in his will that he wanted the
  crown passed to Henry VIIIs sisters Protestant
  heir (Jane), thereby cutting out Mary and
  Elizabeth
• BUT Edward could not change the line of
  succession unless he was at least 21years old

6
Janes Reign

• Jane knew that her claim to power was weak at
  best, so she convinced a number of English nobles
  to support her
• Mary was furious and began gathering supporters
• After just nine days as queen, Jane was removed
  as queen by Parliament
• Mary had her executed

7
Queen Mary I

• Mary was a Catholic like her mother and wanted
  England to be Catholic again.
• She harshly persecuted Protestants to restore
  Catholicism
• She became known as Bloody Mary because she had
  over 300 protestants executed (many were burned
  alive)
• She threw Elizabeth in prison to make sure she
  would not be overthrown
• The English people did not like Mary, many wished
  she would die so Elizabeth could take over

8
The Tower of London
9
(No Transcript)
10
Queen Elizabeth I

• Elizabeth succeeded her half sister Mary when she
  died, was very popular early in her reign
• England became Protestant again, was fairly
  moderate
• Elizabeth was a well educated and intelligent
  queen, she ruled for 45 years
• Led England into a golden age, gave the country
  an identity

11
The Tomb of Mary and Elizabeth