Tudor dynasty

The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor is a series of five monarchs who ruled England from 1485 until 1603. The three main monarchs each played an important part in turning Britain from a European backwater still immersed in the Middle Ages into a powerful Renaissance state that would soon dominate most of the planet.

The five Tudor monarchs were:

• Henry VII 1485-1509
• Henry VIII 1509-1547
• Edward VI 1547-1553
• Mary I 1553-1558
• Elizabeth I 1558-1603