The changing course of Tudor England

The course on Tudor England makes use of the Hatier Classes Européennes History Geography textbook (chapter 3).

Teacher’s comments on the title:

“To change course” means “changer de cap” (it is a nautical term). In the title, it means that changes occurred during the Tudor period. These changes were to do with religion, power and society.

The Tudors were the ruling dynasty of England from the end of the 15^th century to the start of the 17^th century.

1485 (ascension to the throne) Henry VII > 1509 Henry VIII > 1547 Edward VI > 1553 Jane Grey > 1553 Mary > 1558 Elizabeth I

French kings during the Tudor period: (Valois) Charles VIII > Louis XII > François I (reigned from 1515 to 1547) > Henri II > François II > Charles IX > Henri III > (Bourbons) Henri IV (reigned from1589 to 1610)

So, in this chapter, we are going to study the religious, political and social changes that occurred in England during (mostly) the 16^th century.

Shakespeare (1564-1616) lived most of his life (he died aged 52) under the reign of Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Elizabeth became Queen in 1558 at the age of 24. She was 31 when Shakespeare was born.

Shakespeare was 39 when Elizabeth I died (at the age of 69, after 44 years on the throne).

From 1603 to 1616, Shakespeare lived under the reign of James Stuart (1566-1625), known as James VI of Scotland (he reigned over Scotland from 1567 to 1625) and James I of England and Ireland (from 1603 to 1625).

Dictation:

During the Age of Discovery (from the 15^th century to the 18^th century), European maritime powers (Portugal, Spain, England, France, the Netherlands) discovered new territories and set up colonies.

The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg (1390-1468) in the 1450s helped to spread new ways of thinking.

Church abuses led to the Protestant Reformation, a schism from the Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther and continued by John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other early Protestant Reformers in 16th-century Europe. It is usually considered to have started with the publication of the Ninety-five Theses by Luther in 1517 and lasted until the end of the Thirty Years' War with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

In England, Tudor rulers Henry VIII (1509 to 1547) and Elizabeth I (1588 to 1603) wanted to reign as absolute monarchs. They ruled with a large administration and spent a lot on the army and navy. They also brought great changes to the religious life of the country.

Pupils read the FACTFILE (and note any new vocabulary).

Teacher reads comments in French on the "Portrait of a Tudor Queen".

Pupils answer the questions (using the WORD BOX).