Study Notes on Tudor and Stuart Dynasties in England

The Tudor Dynasty and Religious Changes in England

  • Henry VIII (House of Tudor)

    • Reign: 1509-1547

    • Key Actions:

    • Broke with the Catholic Church in Rome

    • Initiated the English Reformation

    • Officially switched the religion of Britain to Protestantism

    • Established the Anglican Church (the British division of the Protestant Church)

  • Edward VI

    • Reign: 1547-1553

    • Key Actions:

    • Continued the reign of the Anglican Church

  • Queen Mary I (Daughter of Henry VIII)

    • Reign: 1553-1558

    • Key Actions:

    • Reverted the official religion of Britain back to Catholicism

  • Queen Elizabeth I (Daughter of Henry VIII)

    • Reign: 1558-1603

    • Key Actions:

    • Restored the official religion of England back to Protestantism and the Anglican Church

  • Cultural Context:

    • William Shakespeare

    • Born in 1564

The Stuart Dynasty and Continued Religious Developments

  • Theater and Literature

    • First Public, Enclosed Commercial Theater:

    • Opened in 1576

    • Hamlet:

    • First performed in 1601

  • Queen Elizabeth I Death:

    • Died in 1603

  • King James I (House of Stuart)

    • Reign: 1603-1625

    • Key Actions:

    • Continued with Anglicanism

  • Charles I (Son of James I)

    • Reign: 1625-1649

    • Key Event:

    • Executed during the English Revolution

  • Literature of the Period:

    • The Tempest:

    • First performed in 1611