HistoryExtra Monarchy Masterclass: Tudors and Stuarts (1485–1649) with Tracy Borman

The sheer drama of the Tudor period, with a king who married six times, a Virgin Queen and a royal court that eclipsed all others in magnificence, has made it one of the most enduringly popular in English history. They withstood rival claimants and overseas foes to become one of the greatest dynasties in English royal history. Henry VIII brought the crown to the apogee of its power, but the lack of male heirs plagued him and his successors and in 1603 the Tudors gave way to the Stuarts. The kingdoms of England and Scotland were united for the first time in their history, but as this talk will show, the Stuarts’ obsession with the Divine Right of Kings almost destroyed the monarchy forever.

Tracy Borman is a best-selling author and historian, specialising in the Tudor period. Dr Borman has presented a number of history programmes for Channel 5. She is a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine and gives talks on her books across the country and abroad. She works part-time as joint chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces and as chief executive of the Heritage Education Trust.