Tudor Period

Allegory of the Tudor dynasty (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, c.1572: left to right, Philip II of Spain, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth. Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Edward VI (12 October 1537 &ndash 6 July 1553 became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine 1485–1603
Preceded by	Late Middle Ages
Followed by	Stuart Period

The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (AD 1300–1499 Significant events of the period English civil war The English Civil War (s took place during the reign of Charles I, the second Stuart monarch The history of England is similar to the history of Britain until the arrival of the Saxons This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII (1457 – 1509). The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The term is often used more broadly to include Elizabeth I's reign (1558 – 1603), although this is often treated separately as the Elizabethan era. Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era

Social and economic revolution

Tudor coat of arms

Following the Black Death plagues and the agricultural depression of the late 14th century population growth began to increase. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia In Economics, a depression is a term commonly used for a sustained downturn in one or more national economies The export of woolen products resulted in economic upturn with products exported to mainland Europe. In Economics, an export is any good or Commodity, Transported from one country to another country in a Legitimate fashion Woollen ( American English: woolen) is the name of a Yarn and Cloth usually made from Wool. An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area Henry VII negotiated the favourable Intercursus Magnus treaty in 1496. The Intercursus Magnus was a major and long-lasting Commercial treaty signed in February 1496 by Henry VII of England Other signatories included the commercial powers ^[1]

The high wages and land plenty seen in the late 14th century and early 15th century were replaced with low wages and land shortage. Various Inflationary pressures, perhaps due to influx of New World gold and rising population, set the stage for social upheaval with the gap between the rich and poor widening. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 ^[2]. This was a period of significant change for the majority of the rural population with manorial lords beginning the process of enclosure. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time This article is about the medieval system "Manors" redirects here Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales

Significant events of the period

Battle of Stoke (1487)

Main article: Battle of Stoke Field

In 1487 Henry VII's enemies from the House of York had crowned a pretender and landed a small army off the coast of Cumbria with the intention of stealing the crown. The Battle of Stoke Field took place in England on 16 June, 1487. The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom became English kings in the late 15th century Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy Henry VII defeated them at East Stoke. East Stoke is a small village in Nottinghamshire nestled between the A46 Fosse Way trunk road (which cuts through the middle of the village and the River Trent ^[3] This was perhaps the last battle in the War of the Roses.

English Reformation

Main article: English Reformation

This was perhaps the most significant series of events which took place during the Tudor period. The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope It began as a result of Henry VIII's grievance at Pope Clement VII regarding his refusal to grant a divorce. For the Antipope (1378&ndash1394 see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII ( May 26, 1478 &ndash September ^[4] It ended with the Church of England breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church and perhaps contributed to the Civil War. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists.

Norfolk Rebellion (1549)

Main article: Kett's Rebellion

Beginning in 1549, this was to be the largest popular uprising during the Tudor period. Kett's Rebellion was a revolt in Norfolk beginning in July 1549 instigated by Robert "Ben" Kett (or Ket of Wymondham, Norfolk It was at first intended as a demonstration against enclosures of common land. Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales The instigator, Robert Kett, was hanged for treason. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. ^{[3] [5]}

Daily Life in the period

Poverty

Main article: Poor Law

About a third of the population lived in poverty with the wealthy expected to give alms to assist the impotent poor. This article deals chiefly with the English Poor Laws covering England and Wales In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions In general it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue Impotent poor was a classification of Poverty used in Britain during the 1600s It referred to those poor who were unable to support themselves either through Tudor law was harsh on the able bodied poor i. e, those unable to find work. Those who left their parishes in order to locate work were termed vagabonds and could be subjected to punishments including whipping. A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches ^[6]

The idea of the workhouse for the able bodied poor was first suggested in 1576. A workhouse, colloquially known as a spike was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work

Health

See also: Health and diet in Elizabethan England

Average life span was 35. England during the Elizabethan era (1558 - 1603 though frequently regarded as the zenith of Renaissance, did not give its people a high standard of health In Mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a Data set refers to a measure of the "middle" or " expected " value of High rates of childhood mortality saw only 33-50% of the population reaching the age of 16. Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time

Although home to only a small part of the population the Tudor municipalities were overcrowded and unhygenic. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Most municipalities were unpaved although this differed in larger towns and cities. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or

There were no sewers or drains and rubbish was simply abandoned in the street. WASTE is a Peer-to-peer and Friend-to-friend protocol and software application developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003 that features Animals such as rats thrived in these conditions. Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea In larger towns and cities, such as London, common diseases arising from lack of sanitation included smallpox, measles, malaria, typhus, diphtheria, Scarlet fever, and chickenpox. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Sanitation is the hygienic means of preventing human contact from the hazards of wastes to promote health Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. Measles (rubeola is a Disease caused by a virus specifically a Paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Typhus is any of several similar diseases caused by Louse -borne bacteria Diphtheria ( Greek διφθερα ( diphthera)—“pair of leather scrolls" is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore Scarlet fever is a disease caused by an Exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Chickenpox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with Varicella zoster virus (VZV ^[7]

Outbreaks of the Black Death pandemic occurred in 1498, 1535, 1543, 1563, 1589 and 1603. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia A pandemic (from Greek παν pan all + δήμος demos people is an Epidemic of Infectious disease that spreads through ^[8]

Food and diet

Main article: Early modern European cuisine

The food consumed by the very rich in this period consisted largely of venison, and often of blackbirds and larks. The Cuisine of Early modern Europe (c 1500 - 1800) was a mix of dishes inherited from Medieval cuisine combined with innovations However, potatoes had not reached the table to any great extent, because farmers had only just begun growing them, although explorers such as Sir Walter Raleigh had brought them to Britain. Honey was normally used to sweeten food; sugar was only rarely available, but when they did have it, they put it on all their food, including meat. The poor never had sugar or potatoes and seldom ate meat. They would occasionally catch rabbits and fish but most of the time they ate bread and vegetables such as cabbage and turnips.

Homes and dwellings

The majority of the population lived in small villages. Their homes comprised, as in earlier centuries, of thatched huts with one or two rooms. Furniture was basic with stools being commonplace rather than chairs . A chair is a kind of Furniture for Sitting, consisting of a back and sometimes arm rests commonly for use by one person ^[9]

The very rich usually lived in large mansions in the countryside, with up to 150 servants. A mansion is a large dwelling House. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus (the perfect passive participle Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time A domestic worker, domestic, servingman, servingwoman, or servant is one who works and often also lives within the employer's household The mansions had many chimneys for the many fireplaces required to keep the vast rooms warm. A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside These fires were also the only way of cooking food.

Education

Poorer children never went to school. Children from better-off families had tutors to teach them reading and French. However, boys were often sent to schools which belonged to the monasteries and there they would learn mainly Latin in classes of up to 60 boys.

Pastimes

The rich used to go hunting to kill deer and wild boar for their feasts. They also enjoyed fencing and jousting contests. Most rich people watched bear fighting and the poor played a kind of football where the posts were about a mile apart, they jumped on each other, often breaking their necks and backs. There were some theatres and people enjoyed watching plays, particularly those of the young playwright William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare ( baptised

Monarchs

The House of Tudor produced five English monarchs who ruled during this period. The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period

• Henry VII (1483 to 1509)
• Henry VIII (1509 to 1547)
• Edward VI (1547 to 1553)
• Mary I (1553 to 1558)
• Elizabeth I (1558 to 1603)

References

Harrington, Peter. The Castles of Henry VIII. Oxford, Osprey, 2007.

See also

• Tudor style
• Tudor rose
• Tudorbethan architecture
• Tudor people
• Early Modern Britain
• English Reformation

External links

• Tudor food - learning resources from the British Library
• BBC History - Tudor Period