Queen Mary I of England
Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
Reigned: 1553-1558
“Mary I was the first Queen Regnant (that is, a queen reigning in her own right rather than a queen through marriage to a king)” (The Tudors, 2009).
“An Act of Parliament in 1533 had declared her illegitimate and removed her from the succession to the throne (she was reinstated in 1544, but her half-brother Edward VI removed her from the succession once more shortly before his death)” (The Tudors, 2009).
“Aged 37 at her accession, Mary wished to marry and have children, thus leaving a Catholic heir to consolidate her religious reforms, and removing her half-sister Elizabeth (a focus for Protestant opposition) from direct succession” (The Tudors, 2009). Mary married king Phillip of Spain, however, did not have children, and when she died in 1558, Elizabeth I, took the throne.
Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
Reigned: 1553-1558
“Mary I was the first Queen Regnant (that is, a queen reigning in her own right rather than a queen through marriage to a king)” (The Tudors, 2009).
“An Act of Parliament in 1533 had declared her illegitimate and removed her from the succession to the throne (she was reinstated in 1544, but her half-brother Edward VI removed her from the succession once more shortly before his death)” (The Tudors, 2009).
“Aged 37 at her accession, Mary wished to marry and have children, thus leaving a Catholic heir to consolidate her religious reforms, and removing her half-sister Elizabeth (a focus for Protestant opposition) from direct succession” (The Tudors, 2009). Mary married king Phillip of Spain, however, did not have children, and when she died in 1558, Elizabeth I, took the throne.
Queen Elizabeth I of England
Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Reigned: 1558-1603
“Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's (Mary) death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in six languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents” (The Tudors, 2009).
Elizabeth never married, and she was admired for her strong faith in Christ. Her reign lasted 45 years and she was the last Tudor to reign.
“She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years” (The Tudors, 2009).
Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Reigned: 1558-1603
“Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's (Mary) death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in six languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents” (The Tudors, 2009).
Elizabeth never married, and she was admired for her strong faith in Christ. Her reign lasted 45 years and she was the last Tudor to reign.
“She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years” (The Tudors, 2009).
King Edward VI of England
Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Reigned: 1547 - 1553
Edward VI succeeded Henry VIII at the age of 10 years old. His reign was brief as he had tuberculosis and only lived until he was sixteen years old.
“During Edward's reign, the Church of England became more explicitly Protestant - Edward himself was fiercely so. The Book of Common Prayer was introduced in 1549, aspects of Roman Catholic practices (including statues and stained glass) were eradicated and the marriage of clergy allowed.” (The Tudors, 2009).
“Edward accepted Jane (Lady Jane Grey) as his heir and, on his death from tuberculosis in 1553, Jane assumed the throne. Jane reigned for only nine days and was later executed with her husband in 1554” (The Tudors, 2009). Edward’s half sister Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, would take the throne.
Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Reigned: 1547 - 1553
Edward VI succeeded Henry VIII at the age of 10 years old. His reign was brief as he had tuberculosis and only lived until he was sixteen years old.
“During Edward's reign, the Church of England became more explicitly Protestant - Edward himself was fiercely so. The Book of Common Prayer was introduced in 1549, aspects of Roman Catholic practices (including statues and stained glass) were eradicated and the marriage of clergy allowed.” (The Tudors, 2009).
“Edward accepted Jane (Lady Jane Grey) as his heir and, on his death from tuberculosis in 1553, Jane assumed the throne. Jane reigned for only nine days and was later executed with her husband in 1554” (The Tudors, 2009). Edward’s half sister Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, would take the throne.