England under the Tudors

The reign of Elizabeth may be said to have been distinguished primarily by three leading features. The first is the development and establishment of England as the greatest mari...

Roughly speaking, the forty years preceding the accession of Henry VIII. had witnessed the birth of modern Europe. The old feudal conception of Christendom had passed away: the...

WE have noted that a proportion of the higher clergy were at least not unwilling to be freed from the domination and the financial exactions of Rome; this attitude being either...

The sceptre had passed. The world awoke suddenly to the truth of which the great debacle was only the unexpected testimony. The Spanish People were slow to realise the overwhelm...

Down to a comparatively recent date, the popularly accepted accounts of the Reformation in England treated it as a spontaneous outburst of the deep religious spirit pervading th...

On August 19th, 1561, Mary Stewart returned to Scotland; in May 1568, she left her kingdom for ever. During those seven years, what she did, what she was accused of doing, what...

On November 17th 1558, the sun had not yet risen when Mary passed away; within a few hours, Elizabeth had been proclaimed Queen. No dissentient voice was raised in England. Heat...

Affairs in the sister island did not, after the final collapse of Perkin Warbeck directly affect the course of events in England: so that they lend themselves more conveniently...

The complaisant and very plain lady who had been the cause of Cromwell's downfall had no objection (subject to compensation), to being discarded on technical grounds by her spou...

In accordance with the extraordinary powers granted to him, Henry VIII. laid down in his will both the order of succession to the throne and the method of government to be follo...

If Mary Stewart displayed the most royal side of her character in the hour of her doom, Elizabeth displayed the least royal side of hers in the weeks that followed. She disavowe...

The picture of Elizabeth and of her surroundings hitherto presented in these pages has been one which rouses rather a reluctant admiration for a combination of good fortune and...

The whole prolonged episode concerned with the "Divorce" of Queen Katharine is singularly unattractive; the character of almost every leading person associated with it is damage...

Here we reach the turning point of the reign; the point at which the great persecution began. If anything like justice is to be rendered to the leading actors in the ensuing tra...

The task before Henry when he ascended the throne was a difficult one. He had to establish a new dynasty with a very questionable title, under conditions which could not have al...

As before we postponed the story of Ireland, in order to give a consecutive narrative down to the point at which the interaction of Irish and English affairs became marked and d...

Externally, the chance of maintaining the hold on Boulogne was disappearing: but while it was maintained, the hostility of France was assured. Scotland, defiant, allied with Fra...

It will have been observed that when Wolsey found that the divorce was inevitable, his energies were concentrated on the single purpose of securing it under papal authority. For...

Before crossing the Solway, Mary wrote to Elizabeth throwing herself on her hospitality. She followed hard on the heels of her missive, and awaited the reply at Carlisle, where...

The presence of Alexander of Parma in the Netherlands soon resulted in a definite division between the seven northern and the ten southern States. The latter, Catholic themselve...

On August 22nd, 1485, Henry Earl of Richmond overcame and slew King Richard III., and was hailed as King on the field of victory. But the destruction of Richard, an indubitable...

From first to last, Tragedy is the note of the reign of England's first Queen regnant: the human interest is so intense that the political and religious issues seem, great as th...

Before entering upon the career of Perkin Warbeck, we must give somewhat closer attention to the affairs of the sister island, to which reference has already been made in connex...

From time immemorial almost, it might be said that Scotland had been a perpetual menace to her southern neighbour. Since the days of Bruce she had, it is true, been torn by ceas...

The collapse of Alençon was the precursor of a comprehensive conspiracy. Before the Raid of Ruthven (August 1582), the Guise faction in France had contemplated a descent on Scot...

The Elizabethan Literature demands from the general Historian something more than the incidental references which may suffice in other periods. In earlier days, he may draw upon...

By Burghley's death, Elizabeth was left alone, reft of all her earlier counsellors. Nicholas Bacon had died as far back as 1579, Leicester in 1588, Walsingham in 1590, her kinsm...

The Deputyship of Bellingham in Ireland, which terminated just before the fall of Somerset, left the Irish chiefs in a state of angry discontent. As inaugurating a system of sev...

ELIZABETH (xiii), 1558-1603--ASPECTS OF THE REIGN Features of the Reign-- _Religion_: State and Church--The State and the Catholics--The Church and the Puritans--Archbishop Whit...

HENRY VIII (v), 1533-1540--MALLEUS MONACHORUM 1533. Ecclesiastical Parties --Pope or King?--1534. Confirmatory Acts--The Pope's Last Word--The Nun of Kent--The Act of Succession...

HENRY VIII (i), 1509-1527--EGO ET REX MEUS Europe in 1509--England's Position--The New King--Inauguration of the reign--Henry and the Powers-- 1512. Dorset's Expedition--Rise of...

HENRY VIII (vi), 1540-1547--HENRY'S LAST YEARS 1540. Katharine Howard--The King his own Minister--England and the Powers--Scotland and England; 1541-- Cardinal Beton--1542--Solw...

ELIZABETH (ii), 1561-1568-QUEENS AND SUITORS 1561. The Situation--Council of Trent--France; State of Parties--1561-8. France: Catholics and Huguenots --The Netherlands: Philip's...

ELIZABETH (iv), 1572-1578--VARIUM ET MUTABILE Elizabeth's Diplomacy--The Queen's Subjects--Development of Protestantism--1572. Katharine de Medici --The Aim of Elizabeth--Englan...

HENRY VIII (iv), 1529-1533--THE BREACH WITH ROME 1529. No Revolt Yet-- Growth of Anti-clericalism--Thomas Cranmer--Appeal to the Universities --The New Parliament--Thomas Cromwe...

ELIZABETH (x), 1588-1598-BRITANNIA VICTRIX After the Armada--A new Phase--Death of Leicester--France, 1588-9--England aggressive--Alternative Naval Policies--Don Antonio--Plan o...

HENRY VIII (ii), 1509-1532--BIRTH OF THE REFORMATION _The Reformation in England_--Its true Character--Religious Decadence--The Scholar- Reformers--Ecclesiastical Demoralisation...

EDWARD VI (ii), 1549-1553--THE DUDLEY ASCENDANCY 1549. Foreign Relations-- State of England--1550. Terms with France--Protestant zeal of Warwick-- Treasons Act--Protestant Fanat...

HENRY VII (iii), 1498-1509-THE DYNASTY ASSURED Scotland and England-- Henry's Scottish Policy--France and Scotland--Relations in 1498--Marriage Negotiations; 1498-1503--Marriage...

ELIZABETH (vi), 1578-1583--THE PAPAL ATTACK 1579. The Union of Utrecht-- 1578. The Matrimonial Juggle--Alençon's wooing--1579. Popular Hostility to the Match--Loyalty to Elizabe...

ELIZABETH (ix), 1587-1588-THE ARMADA 1587. Results of Mary's Death-- Attitude of Philip--Attitude of Elizabeth--The situation--Drake's Cadiz Expedition--Negotiations with Parma-...

HENRY VII (i), 1485-1492-THE NEW DYNASTY 1485. Henry's Title to the Crown-- Measures to strengthen the Title--1486. Marriage--The King and his Advisers --Henry's enemies--1487....

HENRY VII (ii), 1492-1499-PERKIN WARBECK Ireland; 1485--1487-1492. The Earl of Kildare--1491. Perkin Warbeck's Appearance--Riddle of his imposture-- 1492-5. Perkin and Margaret...

HENRY VIII (iii), 1527-1529--THE FALL OF WOLSEY "The King's Affair"--Story of the Marriage--Anne Boleyn--1527. The King Prepares--Theoretical Excuses--The Need of an Heir--The P...

EDWARD VI (i), 1547-1549--THE PROTECTOR SOMERSET 1547. The New Government-- Relations with France and Scotland--with Charles V.--Somerset's Scottish Policy--Pinkie--The Advanced...

1558. Accession--Mary Stewart's Claim--Strength of Elizabeth's Position-- Sir William Cecil--Finance--Philip II. and Elizabeth's Marriage--The Religious Question--A Protestant P...

ELIZABETH (iii), 1568-1572--THE CATHOLIC CHALLENGE 1568. Mary in England--A Commission of Enquiry--Proceedings at York--Attitude of Philip--The Commission at Westminster--Commen...

MARY (ii), 1555-1558-THE PERSECUTION Mary's early Policy--The Persecution-- Who was Responsible?--Comparison with other Persecutions--Some Characteristic Features--1555. The Fir...

MARY (i), 1553-1555-THE SPANISH MARRIAGE The Marian Tragedies--1553. Proclamation of Queen Jane--The People support Mary--Collapse of the Plot-- Mary's Leniency--Cause of the Po...

HENRY VIII (vii), 1509-1547--ASPECTS OF HENRY'S REIGN _Ireland_: 1509-1520--Surrey in Ireland, 1520--Irish Policy, 1520-1534--Fitzgerald's Revolt--1535-1540: Lord Leonard Grey--...

ELIZABETH (vii), 1583-1587-THE END OF QUEEN MARY 1583. Throgmorton's Conspiracy--Catholics abroad sanguine--Division in their Counsels--The Plot discovered--1584. Assassination...

ELIZABETH (v), 1558-1578--IRISH AND ENGLISH 1549-58--1558. Shan O'Neill-- The Antrim Scots--1560-1. Shan and the Government--1562. Shan in England-- 1563-5. Shan's supremacy in...

ELIZABETH (viii), 1558-1587-THE SEAMEN The New World--The English Marine before Elizabeth--The Royal Navy--Privateering--"Piracy"--Reprisal--The Explorers--Spain in America--Joh...

HENRY VII (iv), 1485-1509--ASPECTS OF THE REIGN 1485; Henry's Position --Studied Legality--Policy of Lenity--Repression of the Nobles--The Star-Chamber--Henry's Use of Parliamen...

ELIZABETH (xi), 1598-1603--THE QUEEN'S LAST YEARS A new Generation--1598. Ireland--The Earl of Essex--1599. Essex in Ireland--His Downfall--Catholic Factions--Philip III.--1600-...

ELIZABETH (xii), 1558-1603--LITERATURE Birth of a National Literature-- _Prose_: before 1579--1579-1589--_Euphues_--Sidney--Hooker-- _Verse_: before 1579--1579-1590--_Drama_: be...