The Tudors & the Reformation

Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Reviewed by the BritainTest editorial team

The Tudors ruled England from 1485 to 1603 and changed the country for good. This is the era of Henry VIII and his six wives, the Reformation that created the Church of England, and Elizabeth I and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. It follows on from the Middle Ages, and it is part of our history study guide.

Key facts

The Tudor monarchs

Henry VIII and the break with Rome

Henry VIII wanted to end his first marriage, but the Pope refused. In response, Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and set up the Church of England, with himself as its head. This was the start of the Reformation in England. Henry then closed the monasteries in the dissolution of the monasteries and took their land and wealth. Wales also became formally united with England during his reign, through Acts of Parliament between 1536 and 1543.

Protestant ideas spread in Scotland too, where the Church became Protestant while Scotland remained a separate country with its own monarch.

The six wives

Henry VIII had six wives. A well-known way to remember their fates is "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived":

• Catherine of Aragon (divorced)
• Anne Boleyn (beheaded)
• Jane Seymour (died)
• Anne of Cleves (divorced)
• Catherine Howard (beheaded)
• Catherine Parr (survived)

Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada

Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was a Protestant who restored the Church of England and found a lasting religious settlement. Her reign is often called a golden age. In 1588, the English navy defeated the Spanish Armada, a large fleet sent by Catholic Spain to invade England.

Drake and the age of exploration

Elizabethan England was an age of exploration and trade. Sir Francis Drake, one of the commanders who helped defeat the Armada, was among the first to sail right around the world: his ship was the Golden Hinde. English traders and settlers began to look towards the Americas, laying the ground for the colonies that followed.

Mary, Queen of Scots, and Shakespeare

Mary, Queen of Scots ("Mary Stuart"), was the Catholic queen of Scotland and a cousin of Elizabeth. She fled to England, where Elizabeth had her imprisoned for 20 years and eventually executed for plotting against her. This era also produced William Shakespeare, the playwright and poet from Stratford-upon-Avon, whom our British arts and literature guide covers in more depth.

What to remember for the test

• The order: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I.
• The Reformation: Henry VIII broke with Rome and created the Church of England.
• The six wives and the "divorced, beheaded, died" rhyme.
• 1588: Elizabeth I's England defeated the Spanish Armada.
• Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world in the Golden Hinde.
• Religion swung Protestant, Catholic, Protestant under Edward, Mary and Elizabeth.

For where 1588 sits among the other dates, see the UK history timeline.

Practise this topic

Test yourself on the Tudors in the real format, then reread anything you miss. Next come the Stuarts and the Civil War.