Henry VIII

Henry Tudor, son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth York, was born in1491. Following the death of his father, he became Henry VIII, king of England. He married six times, beheaded two of his wives and was the main instigator of the English Reformation. His only surviving son, Edward VI, succeeded him after his death on January 28, 1547. Henry married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, the widow of Prince Arthur to affirm his family's alliance with Spain. Henry, the next in line for the throne.and the two were crowned at Westminster Abbey. The couple remained married until he divorced her in 1533. As a young man and monarch, second in the Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII exuded a charismatic athleticism and diverse appetite for art, music and culture. He was witty and highly educated, taught by private tutors for his entire upbringing. He loved music and wrote some as well. Henry was good-natured, but his court soon learned to bow to his every wish. Two days after his coronation, he arrested two of his father's ministers and promptly executed them. He began his rule seeking advisers on most matters, and would end it with absolute control.

Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary. On February 18, 1516, Queen Catherine bore Henry his first child to survive infancy, Princess Mary. Henry grew frustrated by the lack of a male child .After that hi was introduced to Anne Boleyn. Anne and Henry began secretly seeing one another. In 1533, the new archbishop of Canterbury, presided over the trial that declared his first marriage annulled and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn married secretly, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth.

Reformation In 1534, Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the Church of England. After Henry declared his supremacy, the Christian church separated, forming the Church of England. Henry instituted several statutes that outlined the relationship between the king and the pope and the structure of the Church of England: the Act of Appeals, the Acts of Succession and the first Act of Supremacy, declaring the king was "the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England." Fully separated now from the pope, the Church of England was under England's rule, not Rome's

Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour .Inside the court, Queen Anne suffered greatly from her failure to produce a living male heir. After she miscarried twice, Henry became interested in Jane Seymour, one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting. Henry's marriage to Anne was annulled and declared invalid. Anne Boleyn was then taken to the Tower Green, where she was given a private beheading. Within 24 hours of Anne's execution, Jane Seymour and Henry VIII formally wed.

Birth of a Prince. In October 1537, Jane Seymour produced Henry's long-hoped-for son. The baby, named Edward, was christened on October 15, and Jane died nine days later. Three years later, Henry was ready to marry again, he married the very young Catherine Howard, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn. Henry, 49, and Catherine, 19, started out a happy pair. Soon she was deemed guilty of adultery and Henry had Catherine executed on the Tower Green.

Catherine Parr. Independent and well-educated, Catherine Parr was Henry's last and sixth wife.. Parr was a twice-made widow. The two were married in 1543. On January 28, 1547, at the age of 55, King Henry VIII of England died in London. He was interred in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle alongside his deceased third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry's only surviving son, Edward, inherited the throne, becoming Edward VI. Princesses Elizabeth and Mary waited in succession.

Mary Tudor

Born in 1516, Mary Tudor was the only child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon to survive into adulthood. Mary took the throne in 1553, reigning as the first queen regnant of England and Ireland. Seeking to return England to the Catholic Church, she persecuted hundreds of Protestants and earned the moniker "Bloody Mary." She died at St. James Palace in London on November 17, 1558.In 1525, Henry named her Princess of Wales and sent his daughter to live on the Welsh border, while he continuously tried to negotiate a marriage for her.

After Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth, she feared Mary would pose a challenge to the succession to the throne and successfully pressed for an act of Parliament to declare Mary illegitimate. This placed the princess outside the succession to the throne and forced her to be the lady-in-waiting to her half-sister, Elizabeth. But Jane Seymour, who finally gave Henry a son, Edward, insisted that the king make amends with his daughters, and this tension continued through the short reign of Mary's half-brother, Edward VI, who died in 1553 at the age of 15. After Edward's death, Mary took the throne as the first queen regnant and reinstated her parents’ marriage. At first, she acknowledged the religious dualism of her country, but she desperately wanted to convert England back to Catholicism.

Spanish Marriage and Death Mary was 37 at the time of her accession. She knew that if she remained childless, the throne would pass to her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth. She needed a Catholic heir to avoid the reversal of her reforms. To accomplish this goal, she arranged to marry Philip II of Spain. The public response to Mary's marriage was extremely unpopular, but she pressed on repealing many of Henry VIII's religious edicts and replacing them with her own, which included a strict heresy law. The enforcement of this law resulted in the burning of over 300 Protestants as heretics. Mary's religious persecutions made her extremely unpopular and earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary." The marriage to the Spanish king produced no children. She died at St. James Palace in London, , 1558, and was interred at Westminster Abbey. Her half-sister succeeded her on the throne as Elizabeth I in 1559.

Queen Elizabeth I – Tudor Queen

Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate by most Europeans. She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and Spain. Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. All of Europe and most Englishmen considered Mary to be Henry’s legitimate heir, despite legislation to the contrary. No one believed Elizabeth to be more than the illegitimate daughter of the king. It was Henry’s sixth and final wife, Katharine Parr, who had the greatest impact upon Elizabeth’s life. A kind woman who believed passionately inPrincess Elizabeth, c1546, attributed to William Scrots education and religious reform, Katharine was a devoted stepmother. Understandably, she had far more of an impact with the young Edward and Elizabeth than with Mary, who was just four years her junior. Katharine arranged for 10 year old Elizabeth to have the most distinguished tutors in England, foremost among them Roger Ascham. As a result, Elizabeth was educated as well as any legitimate prince, and she displayed a genuine love and aptitude for her studies. ‘Under the 1536 ‘Second Act of Succession’, which declared both her and the 19 year old Mary illegitimate, Parliament gave Henry the ability to determine his children’s status, as well as the actual succession. Typically for Henry, he simply let both his daughters live as princesses. But they had no real claim to the title of ‘princess’ and were known as ‘the lady Elizabeth’ and ‘the lady Mary’. If Edward died without heirs, Mary would inherit the throne; if Mary died without heirs, Elizabeth would become queen. Shortly after becoming Queen, Mary was wed to Prince Philip of Spain, which made the Catholic Queen quite unpopular. The persecuted Protestants saw Elizabeth as their savior, since she was seen as an icon of "the new faith".Mary sensed the danger from her younger sister, and imprisoned her in the Tower. Elizabeth was released from the Tower after a few months of imprisonment and was sent to Woodstock where she stayed for just under a year. When it appeared that Mary had become pregnant, Elizabeth was no longer seen as a significant threat and the Queen let her return to her residence at Hatfield, under semi- house arrest. Mary Tudor was nearly 40 years old when the news of her "pregnancy" came. After a few months Mary died.

On January 15, 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned Queen. When Elizabeth took the throne, she was immediately descended upon by suitors. However, as we all know, she never married. One of the most obvious questions would be "why?". Some theorize that because of the way her father treated his wives, Elizabeth was disgusted by the idea of marriage. The more romantic feel it was because she couldn't marry the man that she really loved, Robert Dudley. The greatest military threat to Elizabeth's reign came, when the Armada from Spain sailed toward the tiny island nation. England prevailed and was on its way towards becoming the supreme naval power that it was in the 1600 and 1700s. This was also near the time that Robert Dudley died.

The later years of Elizabeth's reign are sometimes referred to as a Golden Age. Elizabeth's reign is known also as the Elizabethan era. The period is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeareand Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Francis Drake. Some historians depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler,^[4] who enjoyed more than her share of luck 

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria, the only child of George III's fourth son, Edward, and sister of Leopold, king of the Belgians, was queen of Great Britain for 63 years—to date, the second longest than any other British monarch and the second longest of any female monarch in history (Queen Elizabeth II is currently the longest serving monarch to date). Victoria's reign saw great cultural expansion; advances in industry, science, and communications; and the building of railways and the London Underground. She died in England in 1901. Victoria’s father died when she was eight months old and her mother became a domineering influence in her life. As a child, she was said to be warmhearted and lively. 

When King William IV died in June 1837, Victoria became queen at the very young age of 18. Victoria’s first prime minister, Lord Melbourne, was her political advisor and confidant and helped teach the young queen the intricacies of being a constitutional monarch. In 1840, she married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. At first, the British public didn’t warm up to the German prince and he was excluded from holding any official political position. At times their marriage was tempestuous, a clash of wills between two extremely strong personalities. However, the couple were intensely devoted to each other and shared a strong enough affection to have nine children. Prince Albert also became her strongest ally, helping her navigate difficult political waters. In 1861, Victoria's beloved prince died of typhoid fever after several years of suffering from stomach ailments. Victoria was devastated and went into a 25-year seclusion.

Under Queen Victoria's reign, Great Britain experienced unprecedented expansion in industry, building railways, bridges, underground sewers and power distribution networks throughout much of the empire. There were advances in science (Charles Darwin's theory of evolution) and technology (the telegraph and popular press), vast numbers of inventions, tremendous wealth and poverty; growth of great cities like Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham; increased literacy; and great civic works, often funded by industrial philanthropists. During her reign, Britain expanded its imperial reach, doubling in size and encompassing Canada, Australia, India and various possessions in Africa and the South Pacific. During Queen Victoria’s reign, British Parliamentary politics went through a major transition. The Tory Party split, forming the Liberal and Conservative parties, and started a succession of opposing administrations. Victoria played a crucial role as mediator between arriving and departing prime ministers. Life in Britain during the 19th century was known as Victorian England because of Queen Victoria’s long reign and the indelible stamp it and her persona placed on the country. Her ethics and personality have become synonymous with the era. 

Victoria continued in her duties up to her death. In keeping with tradition, she spent Christmas 1900 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where her health quickly declined to the point that she was unable to return to London. She died on January 22, 1901, at age 81. Her son and successor King Edward VII and her eldest grandson Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany were both at her bedside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSNDb-FsO8A Who are the Windsors? - Webster Tarpley Опубликовано: 22 сент. 2015 г.

This video contains audio from Webster Tarpley's discussion of the British royal family on the Alex Jones Show. Full credit to Dr. Tarpley for his analysis and recounting of the historical subject matter discussed. This slideshow was created to illustrate the subject matter and this video is being shared with the intent 

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was an Ernestine duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-day states of Bavaria andThuringia in Germany. It lasted from 1826 to 1918. The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha also refers to the family of the ruling House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which played many varied roles in the dynastic and political history of Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the early part of the 20th century, before the First World War, it was the family of the sovereigns of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. In 1910, the Portuguese king was deposed, and the same thing occurred in Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1918 and in Bulgaria in 1946.

A monarch is the person at the head of a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a Sovereign state or country is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until abdication. Monarchs may be autocrats (absolute monarchy) or ceremonial heads of state who exercise the power, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body (constitutional monarchy).

Monarchism is a system based on the belief that political power should be concentrated in one person who rules by decree. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government, independent from the person, the monarch. A dynasty (UK /ˈdɪnəsti/, US /ˈdaɪnəsti/) is a sequence of rulers from the same family,^[1]usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics. The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a, "house";^[2] this may be styled "royal", "princely", "comital", etc. depending upon the chief or present title borne by its members. Kingdoms after the Union of the Crowns (1603–1707)[edit]

The crown of the Kingdom of England and Ireland merged with that of the Kingdom of Scotland to form a personal union between England-Ireland and Scotland (the former a personal union itself)

• House of Stuart (1603–1707)

Personal union between Great Britain and Ireland (1707–1801)[edit]

• House of Stuart (1707–1714)

• House of Hanover (1714–1801)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1921)[edit]

• House of Hanover (1801–1901)

• House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1901–1917)

• House of Windsor (1917–1921)

Personal union of the UK [of GB and NI] and several other Irish states (1921–1949)[edit]

• House of Windsor (1921–1949)

UK [of GB and NI] (without the personal union with Ireland) (1949-present)[edit]

The Plantagenet’s won because much of the development of the English culture and political system (which remains to this day) arose under their rule. Under the Tudors, the Church of England was formed and some say a golden age occurred, but the significance of the Plantagenet line is far greater. The House of Plantagenet was a royal house founded by Henry II of England. The Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. In total, fifteen Plantagenet monarchs, including those belonging to cadet branches, ruled England from 1154 until 1485. A distinctive English culture and art emerged during the Plantagenet era, encouraged by some of the monarchs who were patrons of the “father of English poetry”; Geoffrey Chaucer. The Gothic architecture style was popular during the time, with buildings such as the Westminster Abbey and York Minster remodeled in that style. This was influential in the development of common law and constitutional law. Political institutions such as the Parliament of England and the Model Parliament originate from the Plantagenet period, as do educational institutions including the University of Cambridge and Oxford.

The House of Windsor is the royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The dynasty is of German paternal descent and was originally a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The name was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsorin 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I.^[1] During the reign of the Windsors major changes took place in British society. The British Empire participated in the First and Second World Wars, ending up on the winning side both times, but subsequently lost its status as asuperpower during decolonisation. The current head of the house is monarch of sixteen sovereign states. These are the United Kingdom (where they are based), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. the House of Windsor became the royal house of multiple countries, a number that shifted over the decades, as some Dominions became republics and Crown colonies became realms, republics, or monarchies under a different sovereign. Since 1949, two monarchs of the House of Windsor, George VI andElizabeth II, have also been Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, comprising most (but not all) parts of the former British Empire and some states that were never part of it.

Britannia was the Greek and Roman term for the geographical region of Great Britain or Great Britain and Ireland which was inhabited by the Britons and is the name given to the female personification of the island. It is a term still used to refer to the island today. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain; however, by the 1st century BC, Britanni acame to be used for Great Britain specifically. In AD 43 the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province they called Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia (roughly Scotland). The native Celtic inhabitants of the province are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a Corinthian helmet. The personification of the martial Britannia was used as an emblem of British imperial power and unity. She was featured on all modern British coinage series until the redesign in 2008, and still appears annually on the gold and silver "Britannia" bullion coin series. In 2015 a new definitive £2 coin was issued, with a new image of Britannia.

Ireland's history is a long story of suffering, suppression and poverty, but also one of strong people who refuse to give up. The history of Ireland 800–1169 covers the period in the history of Irelandfrom the first Viking raids to the Norman invasion. The first two centuries of this period are characterised by Viking raids and the subsequent Norse settlements along the coast. Viking ports were established at Dublin, Wexford, Waterford,Cork and Limerick, which became the first large towns in Ireland.

Ireland consisted of many semi-independent túatha, and during the entire period, attempts were made by various factions to gain political control over the whole of the island.

 What is the difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland?

Ireland – or the Republic of Ireland as it is officially named – is now a completely separate country and has no longer any formal bond to the UK. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, is still a part of the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), together with England, Scotland and Wales.

 Why is there so much talk of Catholics and Protestants in the conflict in Northern Ireland?

The Republic of Ireland is historically a Catholic country and a large majority of the Irish are Catholics. Many people in Northern Ireland are descendants of the original population of this region and are also Catholics. However, the majority of the Northern Irish have forefathers who emigrated from England and Scotland and these two countries have been Protestant for almost 500 years. What do the Catholics and the Protestants want in Northern Ireland? The Catholics want to be reunited with the rest of Ireland and to leave the union with England, Scotland and Wales. The Protestants, on the other hand, wish to remain within the UK because they feel culturally and historically a part of this union since their ancestors emigrated from England and Scotland hundreds of years ago. What is the IRA and the Sinn Féin?

The IRA (the Irish Republican Army) is a Catholic paramilitary organization whose goal is to force the British out of Northern Ireland and to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland. This organization has existed since 1919 and is said to be responsible for the deaths of more than 1,700 people between 1969 and 1993. Violence against civilians has been accepted by the IRA as a means in the fight for independence, but this has changed in recent years.

Sinn Féin is the political party in Northern Ireland which has had the closest bond to the IRA. This party has official MPs who are legally elected for Parliament in London. However, they have refused to take their seats there as a protest against British political and military presence in Northern Ireland. To go to London would mean that they accept being part of the union and that they would swear loyalty to the Queen

400s AD	St Patrick	Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland.  Patrick had been had been taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped to France where he studied to become a priest. He later returned to Ireland and successfully converted the people .
6th December 1921	Irish Free State Treaty	This treaty between Britain and Ireland, legalised Partition. Violence, especially in the six northern counties escalated as Catholics showed their opposition to Partition.
21st December 1948	Creation of Republic of Ireland	The Irish Free State was granted full independence from Britain under the terms of the Republic of Ireland Act. However, the six northern counties remained part of the United Kingdom.

How do people live in Belfast?

Certain parts of the city are Protestant whereas others are Catholic. Some of these areas are physically divided by a wall, absurdly called the Peace Line. Enormous paintings on various buildings show which area you are in. It can still be dangerous to be in the neighbourhoods of the other side, but there are also neutral districts in Belfast. Although there are some integrated schools, many children go to separate schools and a lot of inhabitants have never spoken to Protestants or Catholics, respectively. Still, they are convinced that the other side is wrong. Many people in Northern Ireland are born and bred with scepticism and even hatred towards those on the other side. It is still the hope that more integrated schools and the fact that people are tired of violence may lead to reconciliation, although this may take a generation or more to achieve. As always, the hope for a better future lies with the children, who are not as overpowered by hatred as adults.

United Kingdom The official name of the nation (since 1927) is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.^[3] The full official name is seldom used except in very formal or legal documents. The short version for historical topics is either "Britain" or "Great Britain." The short version for recent events (since the 1970s) is "United Kingdom" or "UK" The adjective is always "British".

Destination Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) and Britain, is a country in northern Europe that consists of England, Wales, Scotland, and the province of Northern Ireland which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast andLondonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland,andSwansea and Cardiff in Wales.The UK is located on an archipelago known as the British Isles with the main islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the surrounding island groups of the Hebrides, the Shetlands, the Orkneys, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. The United Kingdom is located off the northern coast of France, and west of Sweden and Denmark, between the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.  Comparison: with an area of 242,900 km² the United Kingdom itself is not quite half the size of Spain, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Oregon. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Its head of state is QueenElizabeth II, The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union, NATO and theUnited Nations.

British values, culture and institutions were spread throughout many parts of the world during the period of the British Empire, 1600-1960, and British contributions to world culture include the English language, the parliamentaryform of government, the Anglican Church ("Church of England"), a tradition of personal liberty, and the common law legal system.

Anthem

The national anthem of the UK is currently God Save the Queen. Should a male heir accede to the throne, the anthem will become "God Save the King".^[5]

The constituent nations have their own unofficial anthems. In the case of Wales, this is Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), and for Scotland it is Flower of Scotland. England does not have its own distinctive anthem in the same way, but at sporting events in which England is competing as a separate nation, Edward Elgar's patriotic song Land of Hope and Gloryis sometimes used (although God Save the Queen is more commonly used). Additionally the hymn "Jerusalem" has a large number of supporters in England as an alternative to, or replacement for, the national anthem. In Northern Ireland, the Protestant and Catholic communities respectively use God Save the Queen and Amhran na bhFiann, the Irish national anthem. Londonderry Air is often used as the anthem for Northern Ireland competitors in sporting events.