The Tudors Quiz
Six wives, two beheadings, a nine day queen and the Armada: 15 questions on the dynasty that remade England.
Which Tudor monarch reigned from 1558 to 1603, a period often called England's golden age?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I came to the throne in November 1558 at the age of 25 and ruled for more than 44 years, presiding over Shakespeare's theatre, Drake's voyages and the defeat of the Armada.
She never married and was the last of the Tudors, so the crown passed to her cousin's son, James VI of Scotland.
Henry VIII broke with the Pope mainly because Rome refused to annul his marriage to which queen?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon had given Henry only a surviving daughter, Mary, and when Pope Clement VII would not annul the marriage Henry had his own archbishop do it in 1533 and made himself head of the English church.
Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and had first come to England to marry Henry's elder brother.
In which year did the English fleet defeat the Spanish Armada?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1588
Philip II's Armada of about 130 ships sailed in 1588 to carry an invasion army from the Netherlands, but fireships, English gunnery and Atlantic storms scattered it with heavy losses.
Elizabeth's famous speech at Tilbury, with its line about having the heart and stomach of a king, was given while the Armada was still at sea.
How many of Henry VIII's six wives were beheaded?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Two
Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London in 1536 on charges of adultery and treason, and Catherine Howard followed her to the block in 1542 for the same offence.
Anne was beheaded with a sword by an expert executioner brought over from Calais rather than with the usual axe.
Which wife of Henry VIII died in 1537 shortly after giving birth to his only legitimate son?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour gave birth to the future Edward VI on 12 October 1537 and died of complications twelve days later, which is why Henry chose to be buried beside her at Windsor.
She had served as a lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn before becoming queen herself.
Which of Henry VIII's marriages was annulled after only six months in 1540?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Anne of Cleves
Henry married the German princess Anne of Cleves in January 1540 as a Protestant alliance, disliked her on sight and had the marriage annulled in July on the grounds it was never consummated.
Anne accepted the deal, was styled the King's Beloved Sister and outlived Henry and all his other wives.
Which author of Utopia was executed in 1535 for refusing to accept Henry VIII as head of the Church of England?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Thomas More
Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor rather than back the break with Rome, refused the Oath of Supremacy and was beheaded on Tower Hill on 6 July 1535.
The Catholic Church made him a saint in 1935, and his story was dramatised in the play and film A Man for All Seasons.
Who was proclaimed Queen of England in July 1553 and deposed after just nine days?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Lady Jane Grey
The dying Edward VI named his Protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey as heir to keep out his Catholic half-sister, but Mary rallied support and Jane was deposed after nine days and later beheaded.
Jane was only about 16 and had been married that spring to the son of the Duke of Northumberland, who had engineered the whole plan.
Which queen was executed at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587 after years of imprisonment in England?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England in 1568 and was held captive for 19 years until letters linking her to the Babington Plot against Elizabeth led to her beheading in February 1587.
Her son James VI inherited Elizabeth's throne in 1603, so Mary's bloodline, not Elizabeth's, continued the English monarchy.
Which Thames-side palace did Cardinal Wolsey hand over to Henry VIII in 1529 as his own power crumbled?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hampton Court
Wolsey had built Hampton Court from 1514 into the grandest house in England, and he gave it to Henry in 1529 in a failed attempt to save himself after the annulment collapsed.
Henry added the Great Hall and vast kitchens, and five of his six wives lived there at some point.
Which chief minister masterminded the dissolution of the monasteries and was executed in 1540?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell closed England's roughly 800 religious houses between 1536 and 1540, transferring their wealth to the Crown, but the Anne of Cleves fiasco gave his enemies the opening to destroy him.
He was beheaded on 28 July 1540, the very day Henry married Catherine Howard, and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy later retold his rise and fall.
Which Spanish king married Mary I at Winchester Cathedral in 1554?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Philip II
Mary married Philip of Spain in July 1554 in a deeply unpopular match, and he became king consort of England while she lived, though the couple had no children.
Philip later sent the Armada against Mary's half-sister Elizabeth, the woman he had once been suggested as a husband for.
Which sea captain was knighted aboard the Golden Hind at Deptford in 1581 after sailing around the world?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Francis Drake
Drake returned to Plymouth in September 1580 after a three year circumnavigation laden with Spanish treasure, and Elizabeth had him knighted on his ship the following April.
The actual dubbing was carried out by a visiting French envoy at the queen's request, a diplomatic nod to France while Spain seethed.
Henry VIII became heir to the throne only after which elder brother died in 1502?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Arthur
Arthur, Prince of Wales, died at Ludlow in April 1502 at the age of 15, just months after marrying Catherine of Aragon, leaving his younger brother Henry as heir to their father Henry VII.
Whether Arthur and Catherine ever consummated their marriage became the central legal question in Henry's later bid for an annulment.
Which 1536 uprising in northern England protested against the closure of the monasteries?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace saw around 30,000 people in Yorkshire and the north march under the banner of the Five Wounds of Christ in late 1536, the largest popular revolt of the Tudor age.
Henry promised pardons and a parliament, then had the leader Robert Aske hanged in chains at York once the crowds had gone home.
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All History quizzes →About the The Tudors Quiz
The Tudors ruled England for 118 years, from Henry VII's victory at Bosworth in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, and few dynasties have left a bigger mark. Henry VIII married six times, broke with Rome and had two of his queens beheaded, while his daughter Elizabeth saw off the Spanish Armada and gave her name to a golden age.
These 15 questions cover the wives, the ministers who rose and fell, the religious upheaval, the nine day reign of Lady Jane Grey and the drama of Mary, Queen of Scots. The early questions are fair game for anyone who has watched a Tudor drama, and the later ones dig into rebellions and the royal family tree.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Hard. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Which Tudor monarchs does the quiz cover?
All five: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, plus Lady Jane Grey and key figures such as Thomas Cromwell and Mary, Queen of Scots.
How many questions are about the six wives?
Five questions touch on the wives, including Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, so brushing up on them helps.
Is the quiz suitable for students?
Yes. It matches the Tudor topics taught in British schools and every answer comes with a short explanation and an extra fact.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which Tudor monarch reigned from 1558 to 1603, a period often called England's golden age?
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I came to the throne in November 1558 at the age of 25 and ruled for more than 44 years, presiding over Shakespeare's theatre, Drake's voyages and the defeat of the Armada. She never married and was the last of the Tudors, so the crown passed to her cousin's son, James VI of Scotland. - Henry VIII broke with the Pope mainly because Rome refused to annul his marriage to which queen?
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon had given Henry only a surviving daughter, Mary, and when Pope Clement VII would not annul the marriage Henry had his own archbishop do it in 1533 and made himself head of the English church. Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and had first come to England to marry Henry's elder brother. - In which year did the English fleet defeat the Spanish Armada?
1588 Philip II's Armada of about 130 ships sailed in 1588 to carry an invasion army from the Netherlands, but fireships, English gunnery and Atlantic storms scattered it with heavy losses. Elizabeth's famous speech at Tilbury, with its line about having the heart and stomach of a king, was given while the Armada was still at sea. - How many of Henry VIII's six wives were beheaded?
Two Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London in 1536 on charges of adultery and treason, and Catherine Howard followed her to the block in 1542 for the same offence. Anne was beheaded with a sword by an expert executioner brought over from Calais rather than with the usual axe. - Which wife of Henry VIII died in 1537 shortly after giving birth to his only legitimate son?
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour gave birth to the future Edward VI on 12 October 1537 and died of complications twelve days later, which is why Henry chose to be buried beside her at Windsor. She had served as a lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn before becoming queen herself. - Which of Henry VIII's marriages was annulled after only six months in 1540?
Anne of Cleves Henry married the German princess Anne of Cleves in January 1540 as a Protestant alliance, disliked her on sight and had the marriage annulled in July on the grounds it was never consummated. Anne accepted the deal, was styled the King's Beloved Sister and outlived Henry and all his other wives. - Which author of Utopia was executed in 1535 for refusing to accept Henry VIII as head of the Church of England?
Thomas More Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor rather than back the break with Rome, refused the Oath of Supremacy and was beheaded on Tower Hill on 6 July 1535. The Catholic Church made him a saint in 1935, and his story was dramatised in the play and film A Man for All Seasons. - Who was proclaimed Queen of England in July 1553 and deposed after just nine days?
Lady Jane Grey The dying Edward VI named his Protestant cousin Lady Jane Grey as heir to keep out his Catholic half-sister, but Mary rallied support and Jane was deposed after nine days and later beheaded. Jane was only about 16 and had been married that spring to the son of the Duke of Northumberland, who had engineered the whole plan. - Which queen was executed at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587 after years of imprisonment in England?
Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England in 1568 and was held captive for 19 years until letters linking her to the Babington Plot against Elizabeth led to her beheading in February 1587. Her son James VI inherited Elizabeth's throne in 1603, so Mary's bloodline, not Elizabeth's, continued the English monarchy. - Which Thames-side palace did Cardinal Wolsey hand over to Henry VIII in 1529 as his own power crumbled?
Hampton Court Wolsey had built Hampton Court from 1514 into the grandest house in England, and he gave it to Henry in 1529 in a failed attempt to save himself after the annulment collapsed. Henry added the Great Hall and vast kitchens, and five of his six wives lived there at some point. - Which chief minister masterminded the dissolution of the monasteries and was executed in 1540?
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell closed England's roughly 800 religious houses between 1536 and 1540, transferring their wealth to the Crown, but the Anne of Cleves fiasco gave his enemies the opening to destroy him. He was beheaded on 28 July 1540, the very day Henry married Catherine Howard, and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy later retold his rise and fall. - Which Spanish king married Mary I at Winchester Cathedral in 1554?
Philip II Mary married Philip of Spain in July 1554 in a deeply unpopular match, and he became king consort of England while she lived, though the couple had no children. Philip later sent the Armada against Mary's half-sister Elizabeth, the woman he had once been suggested as a husband for. - Which sea captain was knighted aboard the Golden Hind at Deptford in 1581 after sailing around the world?
Francis Drake Drake returned to Plymouth in September 1580 after a three year circumnavigation laden with Spanish treasure, and Elizabeth had him knighted on his ship the following April. The actual dubbing was carried out by a visiting French envoy at the queen's request, a diplomatic nod to France while Spain seethed. - Henry VIII became heir to the throne only after which elder brother died in 1502?
Arthur Arthur, Prince of Wales, died at Ludlow in April 1502 at the age of 15, just months after marrying Catherine of Aragon, leaving his younger brother Henry as heir to their father Henry VII. Whether Arthur and Catherine ever consummated their marriage became the central legal question in Henry's later bid for an annulment. - Which 1536 uprising in northern England protested against the closure of the monasteries?
The Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace saw around 30,000 people in Yorkshire and the north march under the banner of the Five Wounds of Christ in late 1536, the largest popular revolt of the Tudor age. Henry promised pardons and a parliament, then had the leader Robert Aske hanged in chains at York once the crowds had gone home.
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