The document summarizes key figures in the Tudor dynasty, the ruling family during the English Renaissance period. It describes Henry VII restoring stability after the Wars of the Roses. It then discusses Henry VIII establishing himself as head of the Church of England which led to separating from Rome. Edward VI was England's first Protestant ruler but died young. Lady Jane Grey then briefly claimed the throne before Mary I took over and restored Catholicism, earning her the name "Bloody Mary". Finally, Elizabeth I succeeded Mary I and re-established Protestantism during her long reign.

1. THE TUDORS A Renaissance Family

2. Henry VII King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars of the Roses. He founded a long-lasting dynasty and was succeeded in non-violent circumstances by his son, King Henry VIII, after a reign of 24 years. Although Henry can be credited with the restoration of political stability in England, and a number of commendable administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives, the latter part of his reign was characterized by a 'financial greediness' which stretched the bounds of legality.

3. Henry VIII Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death in 1547. He was also Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy. Although in the great part of his reign he brutally suppressed the influence of the Protestant Reformation in England, he is more popularly known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry's struggles with Rome ultimately led to the separation of the Church of England from papal authority, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and establishing himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Although some claim that Henry became a Protestant on his death-bed, he remained an advocate for traditional Catholic ceremony and doctrine throughout his life, even after his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church following the annulment of his marriage to first wife Catherine of Aragon and the marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry is also noted for his six wives, two of whom were beheaded.

4. Edward VI Edward VI (1537 – 1553) became King of England at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first Protestant ruler. During Edward’s reign, the realm was governed by a Regency Council, because he never reached maturity. Edward's reign was marked by economic problems and social unrest that in 1549 erupted into riot and rebellion. During Edward's reign, Protestantism was established for the first time in England. When Edward fell terminally ill in 1553, he and his Council attempted to prevent a Catholic backlash against the Protestant Reformation. Edward named his cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir and excluded his two half sisters, the Catholic Mary and Protestant Elizabeth. On Edward's death at the age of 15, the succession was disputed.

5. Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537 – 12 February 1554) was a claimant to the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Ireland. She was monarch of England for just over a week in 1553. Executed on 12 February 1554, Lady Jane Grey's claimed rule of less than two weeks in July 1553 is the shortest rule of England in the history of the country. Popular history sometimes refers to Lady Jane as "The Nine Days' Queen." Lady Jane had a reputation as one of the most learned women of her day, and was also described as one of the finest female minds of the century. She is sometimes reckoned the first Queen of England.

6. Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from July 1553 until her death. She was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII and only surviving child of Catherine of Aragon. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI, to the English throne. In the process, she had almost 300 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian Persecutions, earning her the sobriquet of "Bloody Mary". Her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her successor and half-sister, Elizabeth I.

7. Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after her birth, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her brother, Edward VI, bequeathed the crown to Lady Jane Grey, cutting his sisters out of the succession. His will was set aside, and in 1558 Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.