Today, 412 years ago, the Tudor dynasty of England ended, when Elizabeth I (“the Virgin Queen”) died, leaving no heir.
A distant cousin, who just happened to be the King of Scotland, stepped into the void, and James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
The Tudor dynasty lasted for 118 years. The first Tudor king was Henry VII. He took the throne in 1485 because the previous incumbents, the House of Lancaster, were extinct. The entire house, including the royal descendants, were killed or died during the horrible War of the Roses. So did any potential claimants to the throne from the House of York.
The end of the War of the Roses and the extinction of the two houses signalled the end of the medieval period, too.
The House of Tudor provided England with five kings and queens, steered the kingdom (which included Wales and Ireland) into the Reformation, as well as expanding the kingdom and developing great wealth.
- Henry VII
- Henry VIII
- Edward VI (the first Protestant king)
- Mary I
- Elizabeth I
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