Introduction The line of succession for the English Throne has been one to drum up conversation. At the heart of these succession talks would be the end of the Tudor line. With Henry VIII’s many different love affairs and the arguments of whether or not his children after Mary I were legitimate, Henry set up his line of succession in which he named who was to take the throne after his death. He named his youngest child, and only son, Edward to ascend directly after him, then Mary, and then finally Elizabeth. There has also been speculation that after Mary had passed, the next rightful heir to the English throne would have been Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary, who ascended to the throne of Scotland when she was a week old after the death of her father James V in 1542 , was the granddaughter of Henry VII of England, making her Henry VIII’s niece. With the constant issues between Scotland and England, Henry VIII had considered Mary as a potential wife for his son Edward, as a way to simmer tensions between the two nations – tensions that he had caused through the Rough Wooing . Though this idea fell short, that didn’t stop Mary from making a name for herself among royals and the …show more content…
When he named off his heirs that would ascend to the crown after his death, he had Elizabeth at the bottom of the list, if neither one of his other two children had heirs before they died. Henry named Edward to take the throne immediately after his death because Edward was the son that Henry had long coveted and had the best chances of ruling the nation well. Edward was born to Henry through his third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry wed Jane after he had Anne beheaded, however, it was also after Henry’s first wife had passed away . Due to the fact that Catherine had passed before he married Jane, in the eyes of the Church, his marriage then would be legitimate because his ties to his first wife had been released in her
Assessment of the View that Henry VIII’s Wish for a Male Heir Was the Main Reason for the Break with Rome
King Henry II died leaving the throne to his son Phillip who immediately freed his mother, Queen Eleanor, from semi incarceration. Once free, she took over the throne and ruled while King Richard left, against his mother’s wish, to the third
Westminster Abbey, an architectural accomplishment from the thirteenth century on, gives an illustrative display of British history. While daily worship still exists, it isn’t a cathedral or a parish church (Internet Westminster). The elaborate Lady Chapel, the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, as well as tombs and memorials for kings, queens, the famous and great, allow the Abbey to be considered a “Royal Peculiar”, which means that it falls under direct control of the British monarch (Internet Westminster). While every king or queen is significant, a small number have made an impact on the Abbey. Nobility of which include St. Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror Henry III, Richard II, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, George VI and Elizabeth II.
Her son James went on to become King James VI of Scotland, and eventually when Elizabeth died, James I of England. James was named Elizabeth’s heir because she never married, and he was the only suitable family member she had. In 1612, he had Mary’s body moved to Westminster Abbey, London, where he had an amazing tomb built for Mary, which was said to have rivaled Queen Elizabeth’s.
Therefore not only was Henry's claim considered to descend through the weaker female side of the family, but it was highly questionable that it was even legitimate. There were also many who had a much stronger claim such as, John Earl of Lincoln and Edmund Earl of Suffolk. Due to the careful, tactful planning and protection of Henry by to his uncle, Jasper Tudor, the right steps were taken from a young age that later enabled Henry to become king.
The one major weakness of the book was that it was a to informative for the average reader. By describing the many ruling families of England, France, and Scotland, this book proved to be quite confusing in recognizing which family belonged to which country. Also, the author seemed to jump from one time period to the next without any flowing text.
In November 1558, Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, became Queen Elizabeth I of England. Many Roman Catholics consider Elizabeth’s rule to be illegal. The Roman Catholics did not agree with the authority of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother. Mary’s great grandfather was Henry VII (Henry VIII father). Since Mary was a descendant of the Tudor line, she had a strong claim to the English throne.
Master, John. "Mary I Queen of England." Tudor History. N.p., 06 Feb 2012. Web. 2 Dec 2013. .
It was the death of Edward VI, in 1553, that brought about the realization of Henry VIII’s nightmare of having no male heirs. Although Edward attempted to keep his sister’s out of the will (he did not want his Catholic oldest sister, Mary, to have control of the Protestant country he had inherited from his father) and appoint Jane Grey as heir. However Mary quickly declared herself queen at her manor Kenninghall on July 9, 15531. Jane’s feeble claim,passing over Mary, Elizabeth, Mary Stuart, and her mother, could have been declared Edward’s desire, however his council’s authority died along with him. Northumberland, the man behind Jane’s campaign, also did an about face at Cambridge, supporting Mary’s claim to the throne. This was due to his forces being wreaked by deserters. However Mary showed no mercy and he was executed in August as a traitor, along with Sir John Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer.
Although Charles V’s reign was not as successful as he would have liked, he is credited with carrying on the very powerful Hapsburg line. All of the children he fathered went on to continue it. His son, Phillip II, married Mary of England (7) who is also known as Bloody Mary (13). This marriage made him Queen Elizabeth I of England’s brother-in-law. Marriages of Charles V’s descendents to the royal elite of Europe assured the Hapsburg legacy for many generations to follow (7).
Mary Stuart was born on December 8, 1542, in Lithingow Palace, Scotland. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Her father died only six days after Mary was born, so she became Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old (Haws Early Life par 1). She was crowned on the ninth of September the following year at Sterling. Mary was christened in the Parish Church of St. Michael, near the palace (“Mary, Queen of Scots” par 1). Later, when Mary turned six, she was sent to France by her French mother for her protection. While she was there, she lived as the French royal family (Haws Early Life par 1 and 2). When she set off to France, she traveled with the Children of Scotland’s Nobility, which included the Four Marys. They are the women who would stay with her throughout anything (“Mary Queen of Scots Bio” par 5). They were also educated at the French court with Mary, where she was brought up.
When Henry had reach the age of 10 he took part in his brothers arranged wedding to the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain(3). His job was to escort the bride; the bride was Catherine of Aragon who was later to be Henry VIII first wife. Shortly after the marriage, Arthur died on April 2, 1502 from night-sweats (2). This left Henry the rightful heir to the English throne right before his 11th birthday. Fourteen months after Arthur’s death, Catherine of Aragon was betrothal to Henry VIII, and then he was too young to marry (5). As Henry VIII grew up his father became less willing to have an alliance with the Spanish and he repudiated the betrothal of Henry and Catherine (5). After seven years his father dies and Henry VIII successes to the throne.
Generally, the English people had a great celebration when Charles II returned to the throne in May of 1660.1 Many believed that restoring the monarchy was the only way to secure constitutional rights. In fact, there was an expectation that bringing back the king would return life to the way it was before 1642 and the rule of Cromwell. Charles II was responsible for improving the government for the people. However, despite some achievements, the king was not very successful in creating a stronger and more effective monarchy. He was dependent on his advisors and other parts of the government from the very beginning of his reign. There were constant conflicts between the king and Parliament over religious issues. When Charles II finally did gain some independence, he still did not accomplish much to improve the monarchy. Overall, the government was very inconsistent during the 1660s and 1670s, and the people became disillusioned with the monarchy. The king did not hold all of the responsibility for what happened to the government, though. The people should have taken charge and worked for a change in the system. The rule of Charles II helped show the English citizens that they could not rely on the government so much, but they needed to take more of the power into their own hands and become more autonomous.
Henry Tudor was then awarded king and was known as King Henry VII. He was the first Tudor king. He was the grandchild of Catherine of Valois, who was the widow of Owen Tudor and King Henry V. Henry married Elizabeth of York who was Edward IV’s daughter. This caused the merging of the two houses and was known as the end of the Wars of the Roses.
Henry VIII is one of the many famous Kings in history and one of the very few to pass on a legacy. He was “born on June 28, 1491” (The Gale Group) in a city called Greenwich located in England. His father was the King of England and did not acknowledge Henry VIII as much compared to his two older siblings, Elizabeth, and Arthur. His father had viewed Henry’s older brother, Arthur as the future heir since he showed that he had the credentials to take over the throne compared to Henry, although only after Arthur’s death due to an unknown illness and his sister, Elizabeth due to blood poisoning that his father had started to acknowledge Henry VIII as the one who would take over the throne. Henry VIII then gained the throne on April 21, 1509, at