Tudor and Stuart History

The group is not  about memorising dates, but about diving into real drama: beginning with the war of the roses. The Tudor  dynasty began with Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth Field and ended with Elizabeth I, who died without an heir, leading to the start of the Stuart period.  The Stuart era began when James I inherited the English throne after Elizabeth I died, and it ended with Queen Anne, after which the Hanoverian dynasty began.

We will discuss the lives of rulers who changed the ordinary persons life,  changing  how people worshipped, forcing communities to switch between Catholic and Protestant practices, sometimes more than once in a lifetime, with fines or punishment for noncompliance. Under the Stuarts, tensions between monarchy and Parliament—especially during the reign of Charles I—led to the English Civil War, which brought fighting, taxation, and instability directly into towns and villages, disrupting trade and family life. Royal policies also affected the economy: taxes, enclosure of land, and poor laws shaped whether people could afford food, keep their homes, or find work. Cultural and legal changes filtered down, influencing education, marriage, and social expectations. In short, while monarchs operated at the top of society, their choices shaped religion, security, livelihoods, and the everyday experiences of ordinary people across the country. Along the way we will explore fascinating characters, as well as uncover how ordinary people lived. 

No prior knowledge is needed, just curiosity.