Margaret Beaufort

Mother of a new dynasty - role model of her time 

Margaret Beaufort was born on May 31 either 1443 or 1441. Her parents were Margaret Beauchamp and John Beaufort (Duke of Somerset); her father was in good standing with the King and made sure that if he died on an up-coming campaign to France then the guardianship of Margaret should belong to the little girl's mother. But John Beaufort fell out with the King and was consequently banished from court - it would later be reported that he died of illness but some suggest that he committed suicide. By the death of her father, Margaret was the heir to his fortunes.

Elizabeth I

The Greatest Queen of England - the Queen who refused to surrender her crown and submit to a man

Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Palace on September 7th 1533 - but she was not what her parents wanted. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had been convinced that their child was the much longed-for son but instead Elizabeth was born. Nevertheless, she was given a lavish baptism and - like most royal children - spent her first years with her own household. But when she was two 2½ years old her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed and Elizabeth's life changed forever.

The former Princess Elizabeth was declared a bastard and was stripped of her grand household and her titles. She was allowed to carry the train of her half-brother Prince Edward at his baptism but was not welcome at court at the time - Henry VIII was still convinced that she was a bastard and she probably reminded him of Anne Boleyn.
Through her childhood she was taken care of by three different women in turn: Lady Bryant (who was transferred to her brother's establishment), Lady Troy (who retired between 1545-16) and finally Lady Catherine Ashley (who remained Elizabeth's friend till her death). Elizabeth was a very intelligent child and she soon learned French, Flemish, Spanish, Italian and was able to write Latin, English and Italian.

Mary I

Bloody Mary - a neglected Princess who became a feared Queen

Mary was born on February 18th  1516 and would be the only surviving child of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. She soon set out into the official royal life and when she was just four years old the Princess entertained the French ambassadors with a performance on the virginals. Her mother was the main source of her education and the intelligent child was able to read and write in Latin at the age of nine. She was also instructed in French, Spanish and might even Greek. Henry VIII adored his daughter and boasted to the ambassador of Venice: "This girl never cries."

But her father's doting soon turned into disappointment when it turned out that there would come no sons from the marriage to Catherine of Aragon - until then it had always been expected that Mary would have a brother to take over the kingdom. Mary was sent to Wales in 1525 by her father where she was to reign over the Council of Wales and the Marches, though it can be assumed that she only ruled in name. The young princess was given an establishment that took after a court at Ludlow Castle and had some of the prerogatives that normally belonged to the Prince of Wales. She spent three years at the Marches until she returned to the counties outside London in 1528.

Edward VI

The Boy King - the long-longed for son

Prince Edward was the son that Henry VIII had always wanted - and gotten rid of two wives for. When he was born on October 12th 1537 his mother, Jane Seymour, immediately rose in Henry's affection. But the young Prince never knew his mother who died just eleven days after giving birth to him.

Edward was a healthy baby and Henry doted on him. Despite the image of him as a sickly boy, he was actually of a rather good health and grew very fast as a child. The only real health issue - before his final illness - was a poor eyesight. Henry VIII wanted desperately to keep the child safe from both diseases and assassination. Edward was placed in the care of Lady Bryant and his household was run by Anne Stanhope's (Edward Seymour's wife) stepfather. Visitors who came to visit the Prince was met with an extremely clean household and a child that had all the toys he could imagine - nothing was to be missing for the King's only son.

Elizabeth of York

Elizabeth as Queen of England

Born in 1466 as the eldest child of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, Elizabeth was royalty from the very beginning. When her father died, her brother became Edward V but soon afterwards he disappeared alongside with his brother - rumours began that they had been murdered. Elizabeth was declared a bastard after Richard III issued an act that made the marriage between her parents invalid.
But Elizabeth's mother - Elizabeth Woodville - made an alliance with Lady Margaret Beaufort who was the mother of the future Henry VII. Both women knew that the young Henry had a weak claim to the throne but if he married Elizabeth (of York) then his claim would be far greater. And so the plan was made.

Henry VIII

A Notorious Tyrant - one of the most famous English Kings

The notorious Henry VIII only became King of England because his older brother died. He was born on 28th of June 1491 at Greenwich Palace. He was given the best education England had to offer and was fluent in Latin and French.

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein

Henry married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. Henry was devastated when their first child was stillborn and their second - a son - died after seven weeks. Henry had an affair with one of the Duke of Buckingham's sisters and a more lasting affair with Bessie Blount which resulted in the birth of an illegitimate son. Meanwhile Catherine finally gave birth to a child that would survive - but it was not the son Henry had wanted. Instead he now had a daughter, Mary, whom he adored in the years when there was still hope for a male heir.

Henry VII

The founder of a dynasty - the Tudor King that started it all

The first Tudor-king, Henry VII, was born in 1457 on 28th January. He took over the crown of England by defeating Richard III at Bosworth Field - this makes him the last English king who took his throne through battle.
Before Henry VII ascended to the throne of England there had been bitter rivalries between the families of York and Lancaster who bought competed for the throne. To put an end to the fighting, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and united the two families - making it useless to continue fighting.