History

History

Terrible Tudors

This term we have been looking at The Tudors. In Autumn 1, we studied Henry VIII and his reasons for splitting from the Catholic church and this half term we have been focusing on his daughter Elizabeth I and the defeat of The Spanish Armada. We have really enjoyed presenting our work in different ways including drama, diary entries and newspaper reports. We have used both primary and secondary sources to gather our information on this period of history, being sure to take in to consideration just how reliable the source is. We were shocked to discover how Henry VIII's eldest sister was not allowed on the throne due to the line of succession (luckily, Queen Elizabeth II changed this rule when Prince Louis was born), and how Henry VIII treated his first two wives because they could not give him a male heir. Thankfully, Queen Elizabeth I proved to them just how powerful a female monarch could be!

Did you know that Catherine of Aragon was originally married to Henry VIII's older brother Arthur? Unfortunately, Arthur passed away due to a 'sweating sickness'. To keep the alliance between Spain and England, young Catherine had to marry Henry. We thought about how all those involved might have reacted to this news at the time. We acted out scenes including Catherine talking to her ladies in waiting; Henry and Catherine meeting for the first time and what the town's people of London might have thought.

The Spanish Armada

This term our attribute is 'Critical Thinking' and my word have we had to be thinking critically in our history lessons! We have been having some great discussions about the reasons why King Philip II of Spain may have had for wanting to attack England. These reasons have ranged from Francis Drake raiding his Spanish Ships to Elizabeth I beheading Mary Queen of Scots. Please be sure to ask us which we thought was the most important reason for his attack.