REIGN OF TUDORS & STUARTS.   Term Paper ID:28039 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses the kings and queens, their differing styles, uses of power, impact on their society.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses the kings and queens, their differing styles, uses of power, impact on their society. Paper Introduction: The reign of the Tudors and the Stuarts covered more than two and one-half centuries in the history of Britain. The first of the Tudor kings was Henry Tudor, or Henry VII, victor at the Battle of Bosworth when Richard III was killed. He ascended to the throne in 1485. He married the Yorkist heiress in 1486 and so ended the War of the Roses: "Though the Tudor dynasty began in treason and bloodshed, it eventually brought a new, more peaceful era" (Delderfield 60). The first of the Stuarts was James I of Scotland, succeeding Elizabeth I in 1603. Henry VII began the process of strengthening the idea of kingship, which he had to do from necessity because of the weakness of his claim to the throne. The weakness of kings in the fifteenth century had had real consequences, such as bad government and the disintegration of the rule of law. The king Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The business classes in the towns sided with Parliament, and Londonprovided men and money to the Commons. The necessary legislation waspassed by Parliament in 1533. The reign of Henry VIII can be contrasted with that of the StuartQueen Mary II. He ascended to the throne in 1485. WhereHenry VIII used marriage as a convenience to produce an heir, Mary II wasdevoted to her husband and refused to rule without him, which encouragedParliament to offer them the Crown jointly as king and queen regnant.Princess Anne was next in line but under pressure surrendered her place toWilliam so that if Mary died, he would remain king. That is precisely whathappened when Mary died of smallpox in 1694. This raises the issue of why theCommons were attacked at all, though. Charles I was the second of the Stuarts, and his rule would endbadly. The religious dispute started by Henry VIII remainedpowerful, and to prevent James I from reinstating Catholicism, Parliamenthad earlier offered a Bill of Rights that decreed that no Catholic oranyone with a Catholic spouse could hold the Crown (Delderfield 92-93). Historians today have a kinderregard for James and Charles, seeing them as conservative monarchsdefending, however badly, the ancient rights of the Crown against theaggressive onslaught of the Commons. Some of the nobility sided with the King, and some were againsthim. The law and the church clashed under Henry VII, who had a sense ofhimself as absolute monarch, able to do whatever he wanted in order toaccomplish what he desired. London: Nelson, 1993.Delderfield, Eric R. The Tudor Century. London: Fontana/Collins, 1955.Willson, David Harris and Stuart E. R.H. He married the Yorkistheiress in 1486 and so ended the War of the Roses: "Though the Tudordynasty began in treason and bloodshed, it eventually brought a new, morepeaceful era" (Delderfield 6 ). Henry was now free to marry Anne, and theChurch of England was also established as an independent national church,no longer in communion with the Roman Catholic church or the pope (Dawson153-16 ). Every locality was divided to somedegree. She never married and never produced anheir, which is why the Crown then shifted to a different family(Delderfield 72-73). Many had doubts about Elizabeth's right to the throne, thoughher succession was uncontested because Protestants saw it as an end totheir persecution and Catholics knew that Elizabeth did not hold thereligious beliefs of Mary (Delderfield 72). Where Elizabeth consolidated different elements in the country andcreated a productive and stable environment. This agreement was the resultof the Glorious Revolution, which made the monarchy both constitutional andParliamentary so that the fundamental struggles between Crown andParliament were largely resolved. By the time the battle started, the country was divided into factionsshowing that there were differences within classes as well as betweenclasses. Works CitedDawson, Ian. The outbreak of the Civil War between the King and Parliament came in1642. The Tudors changed the way government was administered, and theStuarts made even greater changes, though not willingly and notintentionally. Henry gave thecouncillors great power because they were dependent upon him for their jobsand because they represented his will in action (Willson and Prall 176).His son, Henry VIII, inherited a much stronger throne because of HenryVII's efforts. Thomas Cromwell proposed that England break with thepapacy so that the archbishop of Canterbury, the highest officer in theEnglish church, could grant the divorce. Queen Elizabeth I had been imprisoned for a time by her sister, MaryI, also known as Bloody Mary for the ruthlessness with which she eliminatedProtestants. New York: Oxford, 1927.Morris, Christopher, The Tudors. Over time, the view of the cause of this conflict has changed. Anyonecould petition the Council for redress, and cases were also brought by anaccusation by the King's attorney general. Shewould be the last of the Tudors and would be succeeded by the Stuart JamesI. However, while she did create thepolitical and social stability that allowed for such change, she herselfwas not one to take chances or to seek change: The great achievements, or institutions, of which she is famous, were wrought in her despite, save only the Anglican Church, which in its pre-Reformation type, its reservations, and its political temperament, incorporates more of her attitude to life than either democracy or Empire (Feiling 87).The Elizabethan era is perhaps most famous for producing Shakespeare, butit also produced other playwrights and poets, many explorers, andconsiderable economic and social change. Inthe nineteenth century it was believed that the war was only a clash overreligious and constitutional principles, with the Stuarts depicted as eviland the parliamentary leaders virtuous. She did not rule alone but in concert with her husband,William of Orange, or William III, who ascended the throne in 1689. The second period was that ofthe middle years, a period of growing confidence and great victory. Elizabeth steered a sensible and moderate course through a variety ofconflicts during her long reign. TheAct of Appeals was amended to create a new court, the Court of Delegates,to which the King could appeal if need be. Henry now worked to place the kingship on a new plane of eminence (Willsonand Prall 175). Parliament took a stronger role because of Charles I, ascan be seen in how it treated Mary II. Elizabeth's reign can be divided into three periods.The first of these was that of the hazardous years during which she wasfeeling her way and learning how to rule. England Under the Tudors and Stuarts. Tawney has offered the viewthat the gentry class, which had advanced in wealth for a century at theexpense of the aristocracy and the Crown, found that its political strengthdid not match its economic strength. A number of laws were passed aimed at the powers of the pope. The legal system was changed by both Henry VII and HenryVIII, and they improved much about the way justice was administered. A History of England. Prall. The reign of the Tudors and the Stuarts covered more than two and one-half centuries in the history of Britain. Thethird period covered the last fifteen years and saw a younger generationgrowing increasingly restive with Elizabeth's rule (Morris 139). The first of the Stuarts was James I ofScotland, succeeding Elizabeth I in 16 3. Another set of changes includedan oath accepting the changes to be instituted, and it was his refusal tosign this oath that doomed Sir Thomas Moore, along with Bishop Fisher ofRochester (Willson and Pralls 198). William was declared king by Parliament,and this meant that the old view that the king was divinely ordained andset apart was ended. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984. Charles I was a stubbornleader who encountered problems with Parliament almost from the first, andCharles bypassed Parliament and ruled for eleven years without that body(Delderfield 8 -81). The economic arguments were one reason for thedivisions, but religious differences also figured into the equation(Willson and Pralls 3 7-3 8). New York: Facts on File, 199 .Feiling, Sir Keith. Councillors had been selected by rank in the past, butbeginning with Henry the Tudors selected councillors on the basis of theirintelligence and the quality of their work (Dawson 36-37). Henry VII began the process of strengthening the idea of kingship,which he had to do from necessity because of the weakness of his claim tothe throne. The first of the Tudor kings wasHenry Tudor, or Henry VII, victor at the Battle of Bosworth when RichardIII was killed. Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1558 when Mary died, andshe reigned for 44 years during a period of unprecedented artistic,commercial, and social change, giving her name to an era in history. There was a religious element as well, with many of the nobilitysiding against the King being Puritans who wanted to be on the winningside. Henry VIII was king of England from 15 9 to 1547, and he instigatedthe Reformation of the English church in order to secure a divorce fromCatherine of Aragon. Parliament had certain advantages--they controlled sea power, andthey controlled more money. Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain. The shift away from Catholicism started by HenryVIII had been undercut by the vengeful Mary I. The king had to rely on the good will of the people for his power,and he had no standing army and was dependent on the conformance of thenobility to the ancient duty of every male citizen to serve in the militia. Procedure in the courtconsisted of the accusation, an answer by the accused, the collection ofevidence, and the hearing of witnesses, all of which served as informationfor the decision of the court. The court enforced the common law and madeit work (Willson and Pralls 176). The Elizabethan Age was a period of great artistic, political, andsocial change, for instance, and Elizabeth I was then the ruler and so iscredited with much of the change. The class then demanded a largervoice in shaping the national destiny, creating a conflict with the Crownthat turned to open warfare. The weakness of kings in the fifteenth century had had realconsequences, such as bad government and the disintegration of the rule oflaw. When Elizabeth came to power, the country was governed by religiousfears and differences. HenryVII's Council performed its judicial work in the Star Chamber, which atthis time was not separate from the rest of the Council but was only theplace where the councillors met to transact judicial business. There were also tensionswith France. When the laws stood in his way, he changed thelaws or destroyed those (like Sir Thomas More) who challenged his right todo so. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.