The House of Tudor ruled England and Ireland from 1485 to 1603 through Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Its rise followed the Wars of the Roses, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field and claimed the crown by conquest. His marriage to Elizabeth of York united the rival Lancaster and York factions, symbolized by the Tudor rose.
The dynasty strengthened royal finances, united England and Wales, asserted authority in Ireland, and reshaped religion through Henry VIII’s break with Rome. Succession remained dangerous: Edward VI’s death produced the short reign of Lady Jane Grey before Mary I reclaimed the throne. Mary restored Catholicism violently, while Elizabeth established a Protestant settlement and defeated major domestic and foreign threats. Elizabeth’s death without children ended the Tudor line, and James VI of Scotland inherited the English crown, beginning the Stuart era.