12-25-Tudors-DIGITAL | Page 5

Reigned: 1509 – 1547

Henry Viii: The WifE coLlecTor

Henry VII’ s only living son, Henry VIII, took charge in 1509 and didn’ t like being told‘ no’. When he wished to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, he asked the Pope. The Pope refused. Henry’ s solution? He invented his own church, the Church of England, and put himself in charge of it. Then he divorced Catherine and promptly married Anne Boleyn, as well as four more women( but not at the same time, one after the other). Why so many? Well, two he beheaded! He also executed close friends, advisors and people who looked at him funny.

Good at: Songwriting, sport and being charismatic People killed: 57,084( possibly an exaggeration, but it was a high number) Churches invented: One

Reigned: 1558 – 1603 Reigned: 1553 – 1558

Reigned: 1547 – 1553

Edward Vi: The SicKly schoOlboY

Henry VIII ' s first surviving son, Edward, became king at age nine. However, little Edward died very young and didn’ t do much ruling so we’ re going to skip him.

Mary I:

The QueEn oF flAmes

Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The fact that we know her as‘ Bloody Mary’ might give you a hint about how horrible she was. She had over 280 people burned at the stake for following a religion that wasn’ t hers. Good at: Dancing and loyalty( she stuck up for her mum no matter what) Protestants executed: 284 Total public executions: 400 +

Elizabeth I:

The QueEn wIth The killEr mAkeuP

The last Tudor ruler, Elizabeth I, was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She had a famously horrible temper and threw people in the Tower of London just for annoying her. She signed the death warrant for her own cousin Mary Queen of Scots( albeit reluctantly) and executed hundreds of Catholics. Good at: Self-belief, wisdom and imprisoning people Total Tower of London victims during reign: 89 People killed: 290 +

What about everyone else?

We’ ve learned all about the Tudor rulers, but what about everyone else? Were they any better behaved?

WerE thEy kInd To aNimaLs�

Animals were important to people in Tudor times, but they weren’ t always nice to them. Popular pastimes involved watching animals like bears and dogs fight to the death. Henry VIII also introduced a law that paid people to kill animals that were classed as‘ vermin’, including crows, badgers, bats, foxes, otters, owls and even hedgehogs! However, people were very kind to their favourite pets, so that’ s good I s’ pose.

SCORE: Those poor bears! 3 / 10

Did theY loOk aFter pooR peOpLe�

Largely, no. During the Middle Ages, the Church looked after people who were sick or poor. But, when Henry fell out with the Pope( understatement), this system was removed. The Tudors made laws that cruelly punished people who begged for money and forced them to apply for licences to beg. During Edward VI and Elizabeth I’ s reigns, begging was banned altogether. However, funds were set up within parishes to provide for anyone who was too sick or too old to work. The use of these funds was determined by each parish, and anyone who didn’ t pay towards them could be sent to prison. Orphaned or abandoned children were also cared for in parishes or orphanages, but the quality of that care would have varied a lot.

SCORE: A really-not-great 4 / 10

WerE thEy nIce To tHeir PareNts�

We have very little evidence telling us how nice anyone was to their parents. Children from wealthy families were usually raised by several primary carers and sometimes lived away from their parents. Henry VIII grew up with his mother, and we know that he was very sad when she died because he wrote about it in a letter. Ordinary children usually lived with their parents, and we can assume that loving bonds grew between them in a world where many children died before they grew up. A sad record of the love between a parent and child can be found in a poem by Ben Jonson about the grief he felt when his little boy died.

SCORE: Not at all bad 8 / 10 TOTAL SCORE: 15 / 30

So, were the Tudors the Absolute Worst? At the end of this round, the Tudors have a combined( and very unscientific) score of 15 / 30, and they are the first to enter our leaderboard. Next up, the Georgians! Keep your eye out for it in a future issue!

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Words: Michael Cocks and Frances Durkin. Illustration: Christian Benavides