What we now call the English Renaissance was the time period in England of about 1485-1625. During this time period, England faced many changes in her religion, culture, and literature. The most drastic changes, though, came in her leadership�and all that began when the Tudors came to power in 1485.
     When King Henry VII came to power, the nation prospered in a time of economic expansion and peace. But when his successor, Henry VIII, took the throne, England was to be thrust into a mess of religions and power struggles. When Henry VIII didn't have a son with his first wife, he wised to remarry, but the pope would not let him. In an act of defiance, Henry VIII went through with it anyways, severing all ties with Rome. Henry declared himself head of the church and formed the Church of England, or the Anglican Church. Henry married another six times, and finally had a son named Edward with his third wife, Jane Seymour, before his death in 1547. All this political and religious strife began with Henry VIII�it would most definitely continue with his successors.
     The Heir to the throne was Henry VIII's only son, Edward. Edward VI was a frail child and died at age 15 after a six-year reign. With no brothers, the succession went to one of his many half sisters�the first Being Mary I, then passed to Elizabeth I. Throughout this impressive list of leaders, though, England was tossed about in religious turmoil. It seemed that the Tudors could not decide which religion they belonged to, let alone the rest of the country. And even though all this would continue after Elizabeth I's reign, during Elizabeth's rule, England enjoyed another great period of peace and stability.
     Elizabeth I proved to be the Tudor monarch with the most patience for different religious ideas/beliefs. She began a policy of 'religious moderation' that was very popular with the people of England, and although supported by many, two groups; the Catholics and the Protestants; were unhappy with it. When Elizabeth I died in 1603, she passed the throne to Scotland's King James VI.
     England's tradition of bloody successions continued throughout this period, and we're not stopping now. The most famous death of a monarch during this period was probably bloody Mary�
     Mary died a catholic martyr and brought to a head the ongoing conflicts between England and Spain. Spain got so mad at one point that they sent their armada (famous ship army), and Britain's long illustrious reign over the seas began with this battle. Britain won big time.
     Elizabeth died in 1603 and the Tudor reign ended. To prevent a bloody power struggle, she named her successor; Scotland's King James VI; and the reign of the Stuarts began.
     Literature developed in many ways during this period. Sonnets and shorter poetry became very popular, and theater was extremely popular. Shakespeare was very popular during this time, due to his ability to write both sonnets and plays. Some famous ones are Hamlet, MacBeth, and Romeo and Juliet.