Year 8 Humanities Revision Guide

Henry VIII

  • Became king in 1509 after his father, Henry VII, died.
  • Henry VII was the first Tudor King.
  • Henry VIII had 6 wives.
  • He made significant changes to England.

Henry VIII's Wives

  • Catherine of Aragon
    • Married: 1509
    • Divorced: 1533
    • Reason: Couldn't give Henry a son.
  • Anne Boleyn
    • Married: 1533
    • Beheaded: 1536
    • Reason: Betrayed Henry.
  • Jane Seymour
    • Married: 1536
    • Died: 1537
    • Reason: Gave birth to Edward.
  • Anne of Cleves
    • Married: 1540
    • Divorced: 1540
    • Reason: Henry wasn't attracted to her.
  • Catherine Howard
    • Married: 1540
    • Beheaded: 1542
    • Reason: Betrayed Henry.
  • Catherine Parr
    • Married: 1543
    • Survived
    • Reason: Henry died in 1547, a year before Catherine.
  • Mnemonic: Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.

Why Henry Divorced Catherine

  • Four main reasons:
    1. Catherine was older than Henry.
    2. Henry wanted an heir to the throne, but Catherine only had a daughter (Mary).
    3. Henry loved Anne Boleyn.
    4. Henry wanted to change religion in England (the Reformation).
  • Heir: The person who becomes the next king when the current king dies or steps down.

The Mary Rose

  • Henry VIII’s favorite warship.
  • Completed in 1511.
  • Sunk in July 1545 during a naval battle with France.
  • The sinking is a 'history mystery'.

Edward VI

  • Born in 1537.
  • Father: King Henry VIII.
  • Mother: Jane Seymour.
  • Died from tuberculosis (TB) at age 15.
  • Jane Seymour was Henry's favorite wife because she gave him a son. Henry was buried with Jane.

Spanish Armada

  • Spanish fleet that tried to invade England in 1588.
  • King Phillip II of Spain wanted to invade for two reasons:
    1. English kept attacking Spanish ships and stealing gold.
    2. He wanted Spain to be the most powerful country.

What Happened to the Spanish Armada?

  • The Spanish Armada lost for several reasons:
    1. Sir Francis Drake used fireships to damage the Spanish fleet.
    2. Bad weather and strong winds battered the Spanish ships.
    3. England had better and faster ships; Spanish ships were large and slow.

Slavery & Empire

  • Cash Crops: Plants grown and sold for high prices (e.g., cotton, coffee, tea).

Triangular Trade

  • Manufactured goods traded from Europe for slaves in Africa, who were then sold in the Americas.
  • Raw materials were purchased in the Americas and shipped back to Europe.
  • Brazil had the most slaves.

Slave Auctions

  • Enslaved Africans were sold to plantation owners (buyers) in the Americas.
  • Scramble Auction: Buyers grabbed slaves from a cage at the sound of a bell.
  • Bidding Auction: Buyers bid on slaves; the highest bidder bought the slave.

Abolition of Slavery

  • Slavery was abolished in the British Empire:
    • Abolition of the Slave Trade – 1807: Stopped the act of trading slaves from Africa to the Americas.
  • The Haitian Revolution, 1791, showed that enslaved people could gain their own freedom.

British Empire

  • The colonies Britain conquered and made part of its empire.