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Ready for a trip back in time with National Geographic Kids? Then join us as we discover ten terrific facts about the Tudors. Just be sure to mind your head..!

1. The Tudor period is the period between 1485 and 1603. This was when the Tudors were the ruling family in England.

2. The first Tudor monarch was King Henry VII who claimed the throne when his forces defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He ruled until his death in 1509.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Tudors primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

3. The Tudor rose was created when Henry VII brought an end to the Wars of the Roses (an ongoing battle between two royal groups - the House of Lancaster and the House of York). He joined the White Rose of York with the Red Rose of Lancaster, creating the Union Rose (or Tudor Rose), which is still used as the floral emblem of England today!

4. Following his father's death, Henry VIII became King of England in 1509 and ruled until his death in 1547. Today one of England's most famous historical figures, Henry VIII is well known for his six marriages - and for having two of his wives beheaded!

5. Like us today, the Tudors enjoyed eating different types of meat. But without fridges and freezers, they would preserve meat by rubbing salt on it.

6. People in Tudor times didn't eat with a fork - they ate using knives, spoons and their fingers.

7. There were few books in Tudor schools, so pupils read from " hornbooks " instead. Pages displaying the alphabet and religious material were attached to wooden boards and covered with a transparent sheet of cow horn.

8. If you were a child in a Tudor school, you'd better behave! Teachers were very strict and would punish pupils with 50 strokes of the cane. Pupils with wealthy families would often pay for a " whipping-boy " for their child - if the rich child misbehaved, the whipping-boy received the punishment!

9. Some of the boardgames the Tudors played are still enjoyed today, such as chess, backgammon and card games!

10. Tudor houses are very distinctive and many can still be seen today. The houses had a wooden frame with walls made from " wattle and daub" - a building material consisting of wooden strips covered with mud, clay and wet soil. The walls were then painted white giving what is known as " the black and white effect "...

Can't get enough of the Tudors? Check out our fab feature, Henry VIII facts!

What did you make of our Tudor facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below...

Images: Getty Images UK

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10 facts about the Tudors! | National Geographic Kids

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Ready for a trip back in time with National Geographic Kids? Then join us as we discover ten terrific facts about the Tudors. Just be sure to mind your head..! 1. The Tudor period is the period between 1485 and 1603. This was when the Tudors were the ruling family in England.

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V&A and The National Archives | The Tudors | Joust

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This website looks at aspects of life in Tudor England (court of Henry VIII, leisure, religion, lives of rich and poor, trade and jousting) using original historical documents and objects, as well as games and activities.

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Tudors game

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Elizabeth Game

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BBC - History - British History in depth: Elizabethan Spying Game

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Crack Mary's code to uncover the assassination plot

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BBC Bitesize - KS3 History - Tudors and Stuarts (15th to 17th century)

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KS3 History Tudors and Stuarts (15th to 17th century) learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Contents

1. Henry VIII: Early Life

2. Henry VIII: First Years as King

3. Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church

4. Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths

5. Henry VIII: Death and Legacy

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation. He famously married a series of six wives in his search for political alliance, marital bliss and a healthy male heir. His desire to annul his first marriage without papal approval led to the creation of a separate Church of England. Of his marriages, two ended in annulment, two in natural deaths and two with his wives' beheadings for adultery and treason. His children Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I would each take their turn as England's monarch.

Henry VIII: Early Life

Henry was born January 28, 1491, the second son of Henry VII, the first English ruler from the House of Tudor. While his older brother Arthur was being prepared for the throne, Henry was steered toward a church career, with a broad education in theology, music, languages, poetry and sports.

Did you know? An accomplished musician, Henry VIII of England wrote a song entitled "Pastime With Good Company" that was popular throughout Renaissance Europe.

Arthur had been betrothed since age 2 to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella, and in November of 1501 the teenage couple were married. Months later, Arthur died of a sudden illness. Henry became next in line for the throne and in 1503 was betrothed to his brother's widow.

Henry VIII: First Years as King

Henry VIII took the throne at age 17 and married Catherine of Aragon six weeks later. Over the next 15 years, while Henry fought three wars with France, Catherine bore him three sons and three daughters, all but one of whom died in infancy. The sole survivor was Mary (later Mary I), born in 1516.

Henry was an active king in those years, keeping a festive court, hunting, jousting, writing and playing music. He issued a book-length attack on Martin Luther's church reforms that earned him the title "Defender of the Faith" from Pope Leo X. But the lack of a male heir-especially after he fathered a healthy illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, in 1519-gnawed at the king.

Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church

By the 1520s, Henry had become infatuated with Anne Boleyn, a young woman in his wife's entourage. He also worried that his marriage to Catherine had been cursed by God because of the Old Testament ban on marrying the widow of one's brother. The king decided to seek a papal annulment that would free him to remarry.

With the assistance of his powerful adviser Cardinal Wolsey, Henry petitioned Pope Clement VII but was rebuffed due to pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Wolsey was forced from power for his failure and died in 1630 awaiting trial for treason.

With the backing of the English parliament and clergy, Henry ultimately decided that he didn't need the pope's permission to rule on issues affecting the Church of England. In 1533 Henry and Anne Boleyn were married, and their daughter Elizabeth was born. Mary was declared illegitimate and Elizabeth named his heir. England's monasteries were closed and in most cases sold off to add to Henry's wealth.

Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths

In January of 1536 Henry was unhorsed and injured during a jousting tournament. When news of his accident reached the pregnant Anne, she miscarried, delivering a stillborn son. Henry then spurned her, turning his affections to another woman of his court, Jane Seymour. Within six months he had executed Anne for treason and incest and married Jane, who quickly gave him a son (the future Edward IV) but died two weeks later.

Henry's fourth marriage bore similarities to his first. Anne of Cleves was a political bride, chosen to cement an alliance with her brother, the ruler of a Protestant duchy in Germany. The marriage only lasted a few days before Henry had it annulled. He then married Catherine Howard, but two years later she too was beheaded for treason and adultery.

In the last years of his reign Henry grew moody, obese and suspicious, hobbled by personal intrigues and by the persistent leg wound from his jousting injury. His final marriage, to the widow Catherine Parr in 1543, saw his reconciliation with Mary and Elizabeth, who were restored to the line of succession.

Henry VIII: Death and Legacy

Henry VIII died on his 56th birthday, January 28, 1547. His 9-year-old son Edward VI succeeded him as king but died six years later. Mary I spent her five-year reign steering England back into the Catholic fold, but Elizabeth I, the longest-reigning of the Tudor monarchs, re-entrenched her father's religious reforms.

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Henry VIII: Early Life Henry VIII: First Years as King Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths Henry VIII: Death and Legacy King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation.

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Contents

1. Henry VIII: Early Life

2. Henry VIII: First Years as King

3. Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church

4. Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths

5. Henry VIII: Death and Legacy

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation. He famously married a series of six wives in his search for political alliance, marital bliss and a healthy male heir. His desire to annul his first marriage without papal approval led to the creation of a separate Church of England. Of his marriages, two ended in annulment, two in natural deaths and two with his wives' beheadings for adultery and treason. His children Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I would each take their turn as England's monarch.

Henry VIII: Early Life

Henry was born January 28, 1491, the second son of Henry VII, the first English ruler from the House of Tudor. While his older brother Arthur was being prepared for the throne, Henry was steered toward a church career, with a broad education in theology, music, languages, poetry and sports.

Did you know? An accomplished musician, Henry VIII of England wrote a song entitled "Pastime With Good Company" that was popular throughout Renaissance Europe.

Arthur had been betrothed since age 2 to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella, and in November of 1501 the teenage couple were married. Months later, Arthur died of a sudden illness. Henry became next in line for the throne and in 1503 was betrothed to his brother's widow.

Henry VIII: First Years as King

Henry VIII took the throne at age 17 and married Catherine of Aragon six weeks later. Over the next 15 years, while Henry fought three wars with France, Catherine bore him three sons and three daughters, all but one of whom died in infancy. The sole survivor was Mary (later Mary I), born in 1516.

Henry was an active king in those years, keeping a festive court, hunting, jousting, writing and playing music. He issued a book-length attack on Martin Luther's church reforms that earned him the title "Defender of the Faith" from Pope Leo X. But the lack of a male heir-especially after he fathered a healthy illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, in 1519-gnawed at the king.

Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church

By the 1520s, Henry had become infatuated with Anne Boleyn, a young woman in his wife's entourage. He also worried that his marriage to Catherine had been cursed by God because of the Old Testament ban on marrying the widow of one's brother. The king decided to seek a papal annulment that would free him to remarry.

With the assistance of his powerful adviser Cardinal Wolsey, Henry petitioned Pope Clement VII but was rebuffed due to pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Wolsey was forced from power for his failure and died in 1630 awaiting trial for treason.

With the backing of the English parliament and clergy, Henry ultimately decided that he didn't need the pope's permission to rule on issues affecting the Church of England. In 1533 Henry and Anne Boleyn were married, and their daughter Elizabeth was born. Mary was declared illegitimate and Elizabeth named his heir. England's monasteries were closed and in most cases sold off to add to Henry's wealth.

Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths

In January of 1536 Henry was unhorsed and injured during a jousting tournament. When news of his accident reached the pregnant Anne, she miscarried, delivering a stillborn son. Henry then spurned her, turning his affections to another woman of his court, Jane Seymour. Within six months he had executed Anne for treason and incest and married Jane, who quickly gave him a son (the future Edward IV) but died two weeks later.

Henry's fourth marriage bore similarities to his first. Anne of Cleves was a political bride, chosen to cement an alliance with her brother, the ruler of a Protestant duchy in Germany. The marriage only lasted a few days before Henry had it annulled. He then married Catherine Howard, but two years later she too was beheaded for treason and adultery.

In the last years of his reign Henry grew moody, obese and suspicious, hobbled by personal intrigues and by the persistent leg wound from his jousting injury. His final marriage, to the widow Catherine Parr in 1543, saw his reconciliation with Mary and Elizabeth, who were restored to the line of succession.

Henry VIII: Death and Legacy

Henry VIII died on his 56th birthday, January 28, 1547. His 9-year-old son Edward VI succeeded him as king but died six years later. Mary I spent her five-year reign steering England back into the Catholic fold, but Elizabeth I, the longest-reigning of the Tudor monarchs, re-entrenched her father's religious reforms.

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Henry VIII: Early Life Henry VIII: First Years as King Henry VIII: Dissolving a Marriage, Splitting the Church Henry VIII: More Marriages and Deaths Henry VIII: Death and Legacy King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation.

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Execution of Queens Anne Boleyn and Mary Stuart

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Horrible Histories Henry VIII. Royal Execution - ejecución de Ana Bolena y Maria Estuardo - the Tudors - Marie Antoinette

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Secret History Hitlers Hidden Drug Habit

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The Most Evil Women In History Bloody Mary Tudor

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I've uploaded 'BBC Bloody Queens, Elizabeth and Mary" for the "queen Mary defenders, so now you guys can be even with the Elizabeth fans in the "Most evil queens" dept.

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Building the house of Tudor

The Tudor era saw unprecedented upheaval in England. Between them the five Tudor kings and queens introduced huge changes that are still with us today.

The years between the crowning of Henry VII in 1485 and the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 saw the old religious order swept away, the establishment of the American colonies, the foundation of the Royal Navy and the power of Europe challenged.

The Royal Mail is founded

Henry VIII orders the creation of the first national postal service for royal mail.

Called 'The King's Posts', it was devised by Sir Brian Tuke and commanded all towns to have a fresh horse available for anyone carrying mail from the Tudor Court. This royal mail system was opened to the general public in 1635 by King Charles I - the start of the postal system we use today.
An interactive timeline of the Royal Mail

Royal Exchange sees trade flourish

Sir Thomas Gresham, known as the father of English banking, sets up the Royal Exchange - the first purpose-built centre for trading stocks in London.

However stock brokers are not allowed inside the building because of their rude manners, instead they operate from nearby coffee houses. Gresham helps persuade Elizabeth I's parliament to legalise money-lending, which allows the Crown to raise loans from home rather than abroad. Over time London takes over from Antwerp as the financial capital of Europe.
The history of London's Royal Exchange

Provisions for the poor

The dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII leaves many of the poorest without a safety net. Poor laws are introduced to help.

The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 requires each parish to provide for the 'lame, impotent, old and blind'. Overseers collect a regular amount from parishioners according to their ability to pay. Over time this evolved into a more centralised system which is replaced by the modern welfare state in the 20th Century.
How could you survive in Tudor England?

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How the Tudor dynasty shaped modern Britain

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The Tudor era saw unprecedented upheaval in England. Between them the five Tudor kings and queens introduced huge changes that are still with us today. The years between the crowning of Henry VII in 1485 and the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 saw the old religious order swept away, the establishment of the American colonies, the foundation of the Royal Navy and the power of Europe challenged.