Background
Before
the establishment of the Tudor dynasty in England, the people who were
suffering from the atrocities of King John (1199-1216 AD) and his
faulty administrative policies, started opposing him. In 1213 AD, a meeting was
held in which the Charter of Civil Liberties was prepared. This charter became
famous by the name of 'Magna Carta'. King John accepted it on 15 June 1215 AD.
During
the reign of Edward I (1272-1307 AD), Parliament was divided into two houses, 'House
of Lords' and 'House of Commons'. Influenced by Britain, over time all the
countries accepted the duel house system in their countries. It was also
arranged that the king could not spend any money without the prior approval of
the Parliament.
Before
the Tudor dynasty, the power of Parliament was gradually developing in the
country and the feudal class was trying to maintain its traditional rights.
Main
features of Tudor despotism (1485-1603)
in England
In
1485
AD, Henry VII won the 'War of the Roses' and established the Tudor dynasty in
England, through which England entered the modern era.
But
the situation changed significantly with the coming of the Tudors to power. The
Tudor rulers used autocratic power to end the anarchy caused by prolonged civil
wars in the country. For this reason, the reign of the Tudor rulers is named in
history as 'the era of Tudor despotism'. These rulers used the Parliament to
suit their own interests and convenience, but over time its results proved
beneficial for parliamentary development. Three important rulers contributed to
the Tudor dynasty - King Henry VII (1485-1509), King Henry VIII (1509-1547), Queen Elizabeth
(1558-1603), King Henry VII of England was representative of the
new era. As a result of inter-dynastic marital relations and social
consciousness, new knowledge, increase of manpower, establishment of permanent
government and legal development were the main features of this period.
1.
Inter-dynastic
marital relations: A soft means of power
By
marrying Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV of the York dynasty, in 1486 AD, Henry ended
the spirit of conflict and rivalry between the two families. Henry's ties with
the Hapsburg dynasty were strengthened by the marriage of his eldest son Arthur
to Princess Catherine of Spain. Similarly, the marriage of daughter Margaret
with James IV of Scotland also helped in strengthening the relations between
Scotland and England.
2.
Social
expansion of supporting class: Support of middle class
Henry
VII made a law in 1487
AD to reduce the traditional rights of feudal lords so that criminal feudal
lords could be punished. To establish an autocratic monarchy, King Henry VII
started encouraging the middle class of the society in place of feudal lords
and representatives of middle class started being appointed in more
institutions in place of feudal lords in the court. Thus, this middle class
became supporters of the king.
3.
Religious
policy: Emphasis on national church and tolerance.
The
religious policy of King Henry VIII began mainly on the question of divorcing
Queen Catherine. Henry VIII broke relations with the Pope and established a new
church by the name of 'Church of England' and assumed religious authority as
well as political. Queen Elizabeth adopted the principle of liberal religious
system and liberal church system. Individuals had the right to choose their
religion.
4.
Emphasis
on economic prosperity: goal of home policy and foreign policy
Henry
VII had to pay attention to the development of commerce in the empire because
he was aware of the fact that the prosperity of the kingdom depended on the
progress of trade and commerce. Henry VII made trade treaties with many
countries for the export of goods made in England and to discover new trading
markets. Promoted shipping industry. Elizabeth paid attention to colonial
expansion. The East India Company was established in 1600 AD, whose main
function was to trade with eastern countries and India.
5.
Foreign
policy based on the 'Principle of balance of power': Diplomacy
The
main objective was to give England an important place in Europe and to increase
the prestige of England. Henry adopted policies of both aggression and
international and inter-dynastic marriages. King Henry VIII adopted the policy
of helping weak states against powerful states through England to maintain the
principle of 'Balance of Power'. Under this policy of 'Balance of power', in
the conflict between Spain and France, initially England helped Spain against
France, but as the situation changed in 1513
AD, Henry started opposing Spain.
6.
Cultural progress: Expansion of social
consciousness
There
was immense development in the field of literature and art during the reign of
Elizabeth. The new trend that arose in the literature of England in this era in
order to break the ancient barriers and enter the new world, is called
'Elizabethan Literature'. The characteristics of the literature of this era
were awareness of the mind, joyful outlook, abandonment of ancient bonds,
patriotism etc. The most famous litterateur of this era, William Shakespeare,
was a poet, playwriter and novelist all in one. Thomas Byrd was a famous
composer of this era. This literary progress also had an impact on artistic
skills. Architecture and painting developed. London became an attractive city
in England due to the construction of new buildings.
In
short, as a review of the entire Tudor dynasty, it can be said that between
1485 AD and 1603 AD, the Tudor dynasty rulers maintained the pride of England
and peace in the internal region by protecting the country from external
attacks and by taking active part in European politics. And by establishing
security, the country moved forward on the path of economic prosperity.
