A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts

Taking a look at the scope of the series; the significance of English history; why this Early-Modern period is crucial not only to the development of England but to transatlantic civilization itself.

Examining England's so-called "island mentality"; its complicated relationship to both Europe and the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

The discussion of the physical world of the English people in 1485 continues; a look at the material and social topography of the English town, manor and village, from its wealthiest residents to its poorest.

Turning to the mental landscape of the English people; focusing on the concept of the "Great Chain of Being"; the unyielding social hierarchy it implies.

Starting with the end of the reign of Edward III; the English monarchy and constitution undergoes more than a century of instability prior to the accession of the Tudors; beginning the explanation of why this happens.

Following the period in which the Lancastrian and Yorkist claimants to the throne fight three Wars of the Roses; they produce a short-lived line of Yorkist kings, including Richard III; his reign ends in a rebellion that begins the Tudor Dynasty.

Examining the steps taken by Henry VII to secure the crown after his victory over Richard III; the failed Yorkist rebellions that follow; Henry's subsequent efforts to secure alliances that will deprive future rebels of allies or secure bases.

Henry's efforts to make England's government more efficient, less expensive and more responsive to his wishes; he follows three old principles of medieval kingship; the king must be strong; he must govern with consent; he must live "of his own".

Looking at the larger-than-life personality of Henry VIII; the early years of his reign, which are dominated by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey; Wolsey is one of the most hated government officials in English history.

Exploring Henry VIII's attempts to secure from the Roman Catholic Church a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon; the complex implications that surround it.

The Catholic Church is weak and divided at the top; how Henry and his new leading minister, Thomas Cromwell, break England's allegiance to the Pope; how they secure the king's divorce; how they initiate the Reformation in England.

Considering what some historians see as a Tudor plan to increase the power and efficiency of the monarchy; not only in religion, but in all areas of English life.

Following an aging king as he attempts to avoid invasion by the Catholic powers; balancing the demands of Protestant reformers with his own desire for a traditional Church (under his command) that retains many Catholic practices.

Two successive advisors to the boy-king (only nine when he takes the throne) increasingly push the country toward Protestantism; an attempt to alter the succession; when Edward dies, the country still rallies to the Catholic heir, Mary Tudor.

Failing to realize that her people have rallied to her only because she is the rightful heir and not because she is Catholic, Bloody Mary attempts to ally with the Spanish Empire and undo the Reformation at a tremendous human cost.

Queen Elizabeth uses her superb political skills to fend off both competing court factions and potential suitors; rejecting marriage, she cultivates the image of Gloriana, the Virgin Queen symbolically wed to the people of England.

Bitter religious divisions as Elizabeth takes the throne; the Scottish Reformation, the rebellion against Mary Queen of Scots; Mary's flight into Elizabeth's protection place in grave peril both women; the prospects for peace in the British Isles.

Increasing tensions between England and Spain over trade; the Protestant Revolt in the Netherlands; a period of plots against Elizabeth; the assembling of the Spanish Armada; the execution of Mary Queen of Scots; and the defeat of the Armada.

The beginning of a world war with Spain has a devastating effect on England's economy; a stormy relationship with Parliament; it is the cult of Gloriana that keeps Parliament and the people loyal; the smooth succession of the Stuarts to the throne.

The start of an intermission from the political narrative; turning to the economic and social changes experienced by the English people since 1485; beginning with unprecedented stresses on the Great Chain of Being.

Embarking on an examination of how members of the landed aristocracy (i.e., nobles and gentry) live their lives circa 1603.

The same topics dealt with in the previous episode (education, courtship, marriage, and day-to-day living) are examined as they are experienced at the other end of the Great Chain.

Taking a look at the institutions, habits and attitudes designed to promote meaning and community in England; topics including popular religion, paternalism, extended family ties and the support of one's neighbors.

Toward the end of the 16th century, English men and women are convinced that disorder, poverty and crime are on the rise; examining whether they are right and how the system functions to address these issues.

England begins its movement out of the countryside to towns and fledgling colonies; forming an alternative for those who cannot make a go of it in England, or who cannot conform to its rigid religious and social structure.

Taking a guided walk through what is, by far, the largest city in the realm; as well as its capital, its greatest port and center of culture and fashion.

The tremendous flowering of English culture at the turn of the 17th century; what is possibly the greatest achievement of the age; the development of the English language itself; the reaction of authorities to this powerful and thus dangerous tool.

The problems that James I inherits from the Tudors eventually rout the early Stuart state and start the British Civil Wars; five enduring areas of tension; sovereignty, financing the government, war and foreign policy, religion and local control.

Exploring the 14-year dominance over English politics; the government of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who rises to be the principal favorite of both James I and his son, Charles I.

Examining the impact of the different and problematic religious settlements reached in each of the three kingdoms ruled by the Stuarts; England, Scotland and Ireland.

In 1637, Charles I attempts to impose an Anglican liturgy on Presbyterian Scotland; a chain of crises that ultimately leads to the complete breakdown of understanding between the king and Parliament; a resulting declaration of civil war in England.

How the wealth controlled by Parliament wears away Charles I's advantage in experienced fighting men; leading to an event unprecedented in English history; the execution of a king on a charge of high treason against the people of England.

Examining the first part of England's 11-year period without a king; the flowering of a period of relative political, social and religious freedom; the conquests of Ireland and Scotland.

Parliament and the army ask Cromwell to administer England as Lord Protector of the realm; after five years of effective rule, Cromwell dies; unleashing a period of instability that leads to the negotiated restoration of the Stuart monarchy.

The restoration settlements in Church and State seem to turn the clock back; the king dependent on Parliament, the Church of England is reestablished; Puritans are made outlaws; defeat at the hands of the Dutch plunges the nation into crisis.

Charles II and his new ministry (the Cabal) begin a bold attempt to solve all of his problems; signing the Treaty of Dover with France, England's ancestral enemy.

An alleged Popish plot to kill the king and establish James, Duke of York, on the throne leads to the rise of the Whig and Tory parties; the pursuit by Charles known as the Tory Revenge; a conversion to Catholicism; the peaceful succession of James.

The unpopular reign of James II and his attempts to restore toleration for Catholics; no one contemplates rebellion; the surprise birth of a Catholic heir leads seven prominent noblemen to invite invasion by the Protestant William, Prince of Orange.

James flees in the face of William's invasion; a compromising Parliament declares his abdication; placing William on the throne and marking England's final break with the Great Chain and her entry into the modern world.

The necessities of the war with France bring about a fundamental shift in the respective roles of England's two political parties; irrevocably extending the reach of Parliament's power and role in the constitution.

The economic strategy that enables victory over France; the Act of Settlement solves England's succession question (at least on paper); two royal deaths bring England to the brink of another war with France; a hunting accident claims William's life.

Taking a close look at a queen greatly underestimated in both her own time and by historians; whose strong common sense and identification with her people's hopes and dreams makes her the most successful of the Stuarts.

The War of the Spanish Succession decides the thrones of Spain and Britain; settling the balance of power in Europe and North America; even after a series of major victories, it is the queen's political maneuvering that paves the way for peace.

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ends the war; England's commercial and military dominance of Europe; issues of religion and succession are still in play when Queen Anne's lifelong fragile health finally fails; the last of the Stuart monarchs dies.

The peaceful accession of George I, combined with Britain's win in the War of the Spanish Succession, solves most of the tensions that wrack England under the Stuarts; Great Britain becomes the most powerful country in Europe during the 18th century.

Examining the social and economic state of the country as the reign of the Stuarts comes to an end.

England moves into the 18th century; the face of artistic and intellectual life changes; primary patronage of the arts passes from the Church and court; replaced by noble and popular sponsorship of architecture, literature, music and painting.

Getting a summary of what 21st-century Americans should take from English history under the Tudors and Stuarts; a time when ideas and concepts that still lie at the heart of one's notion of democratic civilization are pioneered.