Independent study & practice
Tudors And Stuarts
40 questions · Follow the succession and the religious changes. Study the notes, then practise without the clock.
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Study notes: make the connections
Follow the succession and the religious changes
Henry VIII’s break with Rome, the differing beliefs of his children and the later struggle between king and Parliament explain much of this period. Learn the people in their sequence rather than as an isolated list.
Distinguish the republic under Cromwell, the Restoration of Charles II and the later Glorious Revolution. Each changed the relationship between the monarch and Parliament.
| Remember the link | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Henry VIII’s first wife and Mary’s mother | Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess and the mother of Mary. |
| Elizabeth I’s mother | Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn was executed and her daughter later became Elizabeth I. |
| Edward VI’s mother | Jane Seymour Jane Seymour died shortly after giving birth to Edward. |
| Henry VIII’s German princess wife | Anne of Cleves Henry divorced Anne of Cleves soon after marrying her. |
| Anne Boleyn’s cousin who also married Henry VIII | Catherine Howard Catherine Howard, a cousin of Anne Boleyn, was executed. |
| Henry VIII’s last wife who survived him | Catherine Parr Catherine Parr survived Henry VIII and married again. |
| the Tudor king who broke with Rome | Henry VIII Henry VIII established the Church of England after the Pope refused his divorce. |
| the strongly Protestant son of Henry VIII | Edward VI The Book of Common Prayer was produced during Edward VI’s reign. |
| the Catholic Tudor queen who persecuted Protestants | Mary I Mary I’s persecution of Protestants earned her the name Bloody Mary. |
| the queen reigning when the Armada was defeated | Elizabeth I The Spanish Armada was defeated during Elizabeth I’s reign. |
| the Catholic Scottish queen executed after imprisonment in England | Mary, Queen of Scots Mary Stuart was imprisoned by Elizabeth I and later executed. |
| the explorer associated with the Golden Hind | Sir Francis Drake Drake’s Golden Hind sailed around the world. |
| the playwright born in Stratford-upon-Avon | William Shakespeare Shakespeare wrote plays and poems and worked as an actor. |
| the Scottish king who became James I of England | James VI James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603. |
| the king whose disputes with Parliament led to civil war | Charles I Charles I’s conflict with Parliament led to the war of 1642. |
| the parliamentary general who became Lord Protector | Oliver Cromwell Cromwell led the republic as Lord Protector until 1658. |
| the monarch restored in 1660 | Charles II Parliament invited Charles II to return from exile in 1660. |
| the diarist who recorded the Great Plague and Fire | Samuel Pepys Pepys’s diary describes the plague of 1665 and the fire of 1666. |
| the architect of the rebuilt St Paul’s Cathedral | Sir Christopher Wren Wren designed the new St Paul’s after the Great Fire. |
| the king displaced in the Glorious Revolution | James II James II fled when William of Orange invaded in 1688. |
Handbook reference: Chapter 3: A long and illustrious history — The Tudors and Stuarts. These are original revision notes, not a reproduction of the handbook.
Three quick study checks
Who is described by this fact: Henry VIII’s first wife and Mary’s mother?
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess and the mother of Mary.
Which description fits Catherine of Aragon?
Henry VIII’s first wife and Mary’s mother
Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess and the mother of Mary.
Who is described by this fact: Elizabeth I’s mother?
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was executed and her daughter later became Elizabeth I.