How would you rank the Tudor monarchs, from worst to best? Let me know in the comments below and remember to check out: BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): www.historycallingofficial.com/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/historycalling Amazon storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling/
Hi there long time subscriber here. I was wondering if you have covered or will cover "a discovery of witches" I absolutely love when they travel back to the Elizabethan time.
Thanks for showing us your ranking. I thought your explanations were feasible and undestandable. However, I would rank them a bit differently, as follows: 5: Edward VI; because he, like his father and sister Mary, was extremely zealous, and I agree that had he lived longer, he would have been as violent and tyrannical as Mary. Only, his religious zeal had no reason that I find understandable. He spent the first nine years of his short life as the Prince of Wales and his father's favorite child (Henry Fitzroy was dead by 1537), and the remaining six as King of England. He lived a very privileged life, and no doubt felt very entitled because of the position he was born into. I don't blame him for the Seymour brothers' actions, though, as he was still a child whose kingdom was being run by a regency. 4: Mary I; because her reign was very violent, and she was just as zealous as her little brother. But, like you, I place her higher than him because her zeal comes with a very understandable reason. She was treated terribly by her father, and spent most of her adult life feeling rather lonely in my opinion, especially after her mother and she were separated, and even more so after Catherine of Aragon died in 1536. Even Phillip, by all accounts, didn't seem to love her as much as she loved him, and rarely was in England. I do feel sorry for Mary, but, like many people, I find her zeal and violence hard to overlook. 3: Henry VIII; only because of the importance his reign had on England's religious life and policy for the next few centuries. The religious movement he introduced to England set the ball rolling for England to become a Protestant nation, and the fight between Catholicism and Protestantism in England produced the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, the Glorious Revolution, and the Act of Settlement of 1701, which basically made the British monarch a symbolic figurehead, when other Catholic--and even some Protestant--monarchs at the time wielded absolute power. England's foreign policy in those days was influenced by Henry's triggering of the Reformation in England, setting the country against France and Spain and allying it with Protestant German nations like Prussia. The House of Windsor would not hold the English throne had it not been for the religious conficts of the later Tudor and Stuart eras. I do agree though, that Henry VIII was absolutely tyrannical, and if I may say, extremely entitled, often behaving like a spoiled child even though he was a grown man in his late 30s and 40s. The only possible psychological explanation I can think of for his behavior aside from his quite obvious desire for a legitimate son, would be the death of his mother, with whom he was very close, when he was 11. But her death also touched his sisters, too, and while they both had their exploits, neither of them were as childish as Henry. 2: Elizabeth I; because of how very skilled she was at negotiation and diplomacy. She knew how to appease people on both sides of the conflicts of her time, a quality that would be very helpful in our divided world of today. I believe it was her ability to negotiate that stayed her hand when it came to executing people. She showed a very large degree of restraint when executing the Duke of Norfolk, and Mary Queen of Scots. She did suffer much of the same abuses as her sister did, but unlike Mary I, Elizabeth seems to have learned a different lesson from those experiences, a lesson which allowed her to ease the major conflicts of the time, rather than exacerbate them. I agree that her use of privateers is morally corrupt. But, no one is perfect and I'd say her supposed lapses in judgement are minor compared to her father and sister's, as unlike both of them, she didn't go around beheading her subjects on trumped-up charges of treason or burn them at the stake for disagreeing with her about religion. Her decision not to marry is tougher, because a husband would have taken much of her power for himself. Elizabeth saw how well that had gone down when the Queen regnant's husband was a foreign prince, and had he been an Englishman, the entire concept of royalty would have been called into question; a commoner basically ruling the country as a king. If any commoner can be a de facto king, why have a royal dynasty at all? Elizabeth was no doubt aware of these consequences, which would have caused more problems than they would have solved. Not naming a successor was probably one small step too far though, especially given her bout with smallpox. But even that is conflicted, because Henry VIII's will provided for a successor should all of his children die without heirs. 1: Henry VII; because English history from 1485 onward would be unrecognizable to us had he not taken the throne from Richard III. His actions to secure the throne for himself and his successors, by marrying Elizabeth of York, and by neutralizing the pretenders he faced, shaped the entire legacy of the Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII's desire for a legitimate son was at least part of why he dumped Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, which he did by starting the spread of Protestantism in England. Henry VIII would have known very well why he needed a son, as he witnessed the dangers Henry VII faced in trying to keep the throne, so I'm sure Henry VIII was heavily influenced by his father's need to secure the dynasty. And I agree that while Henry VII does have a deserved reputation for being miserly, it's understandable because of how perpetually fearful he was of losing everything dear to him. And, he certainly wasn't bloodthirsty. He was in the most danger of any Tudor monarch, but let all three major pretenders--and alternative claimants in Warwick's case--live for years, never executing Lambert Simnel, and only executing Warwick and Perkin Warbeck when they didn't stop plotting against him, after he had given each of them more than one chance to submit. Henry VII was also completely faithful to his wife, and never even remarried after her death, which is far more than can be said for his infamously infidel son. My main reason for placing Henry VII as number one is because of his reproductive success. His decision to marry his daughter Margaret to the King of Scotland produced James V of Scotland, father of Mary Queen of Scots, and grandfather of James VI of Scotland, and I of England. Every monarch of England and Britain since 1509 has been descended from Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, while Henry VIII has had no verified living descendants since 1603. All in all, I would probably say Numbers 3, 4, and 5 on my ranking are classifiable as generally bad monarchs, despite the religious upheaval Henry VIII's reign produced, and Numbers 1 and 2 are classifiable as generally good monarchs.
Just one more point about Henry VII: unless I’m mistaken (not for the first time), when he came to the throne the country was nearly bankrupted from the Wars of the Roses. When he died the country was financially sound. To some extent this should at least explain if not justify his “grasping” nature. Plus he was devoted to his wife.
I understand Henry VII was miserly but understood the English crown needed fiscal integrity and you don’t read anything about him quarreling with nobles only them plotting against him (-:
Henry VII is an easily slept on Monarch but he's my personal favourite. An underdog who managed to take the thrown and bring relative stability and growth to England. Easily my favourite followed close by Elizabeth I
Same here, underestimated. Plus, his line rules today. Charles III descended from him via his daughter Margaret Tudor. That would have annoyed Henry VIII.
I always questioned how much Edward’s deathbed will was his own doing and how much was Northumberland. I can’t imagine a dying teenager was all that coherent and it’s no coincidence that the move appears to have only benefitted the man who just so happened to have been at Edward’s bedside
Hmm, it's tricky to know how much manipulation went on but Edward did change his Device for the Succession in his own hand. I think he was doing what he wanted in the end.
Henry VII’s life is truly so fascinating and it’s amusing how people then and now argue back and forth about how legitimate his blood claim on the throne is (even tho he won by right of conquest) it still endangered his life
I suppose, if you compare Henry VII’s usurpation with those of Henry IV and Edward IV, then legitimacy is possibly an issue as he did spring from an illegitimate line. However, I agree, he won by right of conquest and always acknowledged that. To me he is the most successful Tudor because it’s his blood which flows in the British Royal Family today. Henry VIII ultimately failed the first duty of a king, which is to produce heirs who can continue his line.
Yes, I wish people paid him more attention as his story is so interesting. It's a shame he's overshadowed by his son and granddaughter. I don't think his blood claim (or lack thereof) really mattered in the end either. Richard III didn't have the best blood claim around either (his nephews the Princes and Lord Warwick did) and no one really claims that he wasn't a King.
Most underrated Monarch. Exiled had to win a battle to be King. As stated, he was a good husband. He is the ancestor of the modern Royals via his daughter Margaret. Always find it funny that Henry VIII's legitimate line died out.
@@HistoryCalling a blood claim only matters as long as its convenient for everyone involved what truly matters is who can win the throne and keep it Hnery Bolingbroke is another good example
@@countofdownable And Henry VIII's Illegitimate Iine also Died Out,His Illegitimate Son,Henry Fitzroy,Who Died Without Producing An Heir,There Was Also Rumors That A Marriage Was Proposed Between He And His Half Sister Mary I,Sibling Marriage,EWWWW!!! 😒😒😒😒😒🤯🤪🤪🤪🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
I like the order in which you ranked the Tudors. I still giggle remembering you calling Edward “a little prick” in a former vid lol 😂 Thank you for another amazing vid!
Er, did I? That doesn't seem like me, if only because I'm such a stickler about not swearing because YT doesn't like it (you have to declare it on a form before the video is released and it can affect ad revenue).
Henry vii is my favourite simply for ticking so many boxes as one of Britain’s most effective kings, but I do agree with your point about Elizabeth doing all this as a woman in a man’s world. I recently listened to a podcast comparing Catherine Medici, Elizabeth de Valois and Mary queen of Scot’s and what I realised is that no matter what they did, they’re seen as failures and really just couldn’t win. Elizabeth I is often criticised because she’s seen as someone who didn’t ever make a decision or do anything unless forced to do so, but actually all her choices were bad when you see how it played out with her contemporaries.
Disagree. The gangsta queen presided over the birth of England's greatness. Defeating the scary armada launched the sea dogs and naval supremacy. Financed pirates played their part charting new routes to the spice islands opening doors to oppurtunity and generational riches. Almost offensive other contenders are touted. Securing succession?!? Her death sees England increased with the union of Scotland. Nobody touches the bestest majesty.
5. Henry VIII .. 4. Edward VI .. 3. Mary I .. 2. Elizabeth I .. 1. Henry VII H8 made tyrants look good. Eddy would of continued the destruction. Mary was a tortured soul but "somewhat" forgive her acts. Lizzy rebuilt a nation but committed unforgivable acts. H.VII was a justified miser, the last warrior, ended the family war & built a kingdom. Years observing the Tudor's, Henry VIII one saving grace was his patronage of Hans Holbein the Younger. As a fellow artist, his sketches & artworks (and his fathers) still amaze me. Oddly, I prefer his draft sketches, as they're spontaneous perfection on paper and some complete drafts like that of William Parr show Holbein thinking on details such as jewellery, fabric, or colours. It's something I still do to perfect the final pieces, to use as a reference of ideas & methods day or often years later. Yet, they're rarely shown or were trimmed & lost. Also of his preparation of painting paper pink in advance for skin tones, use of white chalk, red vermilion, yellow ochre and lamp black pigments, with watercolours for blues & browns often go untold. Apologies for my Hans rant, but he's by far my favourite Tudor Not a Tudor or monarch, but I can't imagine them without him.
Scenario: Henry VIII, laid up with a bad leg, spends a weekend bingeing this channel, even considering dispatching Holbein to paint our hostess for his consideration, until he gets to this entry. History Calling is then sent to the Tower, lands and titles forfeited. Loyal viewers like me hold out for a while, but that rope-knots-in-the-eyes thingy is worse than it looks, and soon we all sing like canaries. May we hear your scaffold speech?
This is very clever. I can see the fat narcissist, sitting on a recliner, with his giant turkey leg and a flagon of ale, smelling like diseased leg. Cheers to you, Surfer Joe.
I think I would have been in Henry's bad books long before this video to be honest :-) I don't have any lands or titles to forfeit though (apart from my Dr title and that was earned, rather than granted or inherited so he couldn't take it). Er, I think I'd rather avoid writing a scaffold speech. Feels a bit weird! :-)
@@HistoryCalling I think mine would be a thoughtful blend of sobbing, begging, and last-minute offers to flip on all my friends, relatives, and colleagues.
Something else that's also worth noting in Henry VII's favor is his loyalty as a husband. His marriage to Elizabeth of York was a political one with so much riding on it but they seem to have forged a true partnership based on mutual devotion. Unlike his father-in-law or more famous son, Henry VII never took a mistress. I think Elizabeth of York softened his rough edges and brought a kindness to the monarchy that it desperately needed.
I think Edward IV loved his wife, but he was also used to being adored and getting his own way. He was attractive, rich, related to the king, his father claimed to be king and he was the heir to a powerful Dukedom. Plus he had Warwick pumping up his ego telling him everything could be his for so long and was. He was 18 when they married and she was nearly thirty, so basically a playboy prince used to getting whatever he wanted with a wife not able to keep up. Unlike Henry,, I don't think he intended to put her aside or execute her, even if she had not produced a son.
Oh, I totally agree Edward IV was a better man and king than his grandson. I think he's underrated as a monarch as well. For all intents and purposes, the Yorkists had won the Wars of the Roses by 1471 thanks to Edward IV. The conflict only began again at his sudden, premature death and Richard III's usurpation. I was just pointing out that he (like his grandson Henry VIII) was a total womanizer, though I don't think he had the cruel streak that H8 did.
@@sagenoelle4439 agree. Had he died 10 years later there would be no Tudor dynasty. Edward IV I think became such a good monarch because he was quite fair and not cruel, even if he was cunning and was prepared to throw the rules to the wind to get what he needed. He could have executed Anne Neville but did not and he gave Warwick and his brother more than enough chances. His one failing was not realising he couldn't get what he wanted all the time. Letting his wife's relatives take over the court completely, without any thought of throwing a bone to Warwick or reconciling at least one of his brothers with his wife, ended up ending the dynasty for good.
Absolutely spot on about Henry and Elizabeth. He adored her - when she died, he almost died as well because his grief was so profound, and he refused to remarry unless his advisors could find him what amounted to her carbon copy.
@@LauraFromMarkerQuest They are one of my favorite historical couples of all time. I truly wish they could have reigned as joint monarchs as they both were the heirs to two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty. Elizabeth of York deserved to be queen in her own right. She's such an important yet underrated figure in British history!
👏👏👏Thoroughly enjoyable, HC! I'm rewatching this on YT because it's so much fun as well as being informative. Poor Lady Jane. Eric Ive's book (your recommendation) is a great read but so sad. Have a great week! 🙏🏼
@@chrisbanks6659 Fighting fit, young man! Good news - we have a new puppy. His name's Louie; we may call him King Louie as he has an authoritarian bark despite his small size. 😊 Hope all is well with you!
I am so glad I found your channel. I’ve always been interested in Tudor history and read all of Phillippa Gregory’s books. You explain everything so well to a lay person like me😊
Thanks for the video. I'm in total agreement with your ranking. Its funny but it seems that both Queen Elizabeth's were fantastic Queens. A lucky name for the monarch of our country perhaps?
I assume you mean in case of an abdication? I don't know how likely that is though. It's only ever happened once in English history after all and the former King didn't go on to have a great life afterwards, expelled from his family and his country. I can't see George ever going for that.
I’m going with Henry VII. He came from literally nothing, an exile in a foreign country, to become king of England. And when he became king, England was economically bankrupt from years of internal political strife. By the time he died, the royal coffers were full, and the nation was at peace. (Another possible justification for his miserliness.) Also, he was faithful to his wife, loved his children, and made sure that England had an heir. Elizabeth was a great queen, but I wouldn’t say that the Stuarts who succeeded her were great monarchs, so her refusal to produce an heir of her own is a strike against her, in my opinion.
I definitely agree with your list. I do feel bad for Mary’s story. Elizabeth’s life was a difficult one too. Elizabeth was more resilient than Mary. And Elizabeth was wiser than Mary. That’s just my opinion. Thank you for another great video.
Yes, I have a lot of pity for Mary. Had she died within months of coming to the throne I think history would remember her with a lot more pity and compassion.
I think Elizabeth had more time, being 15 years younger. Mary was in her thirties when she took to the throne, married and tried to have kids. She was also told her whole life she was descended from monarchs and would marry, have royal kids and maybe be queen of either England or another country. She was very aware when that was removed from her and separated from her mother and that left more room for emotional damage and more desire for vengeance. Elizabeth was a toddler. She didn't really know her mother and had very limited knowledge of her role and destiny as a Princess when it was removed. No one needed to threaten her to convince her she wasn't the heir. I also think Elizabeth was ignored, but still had Kat Ashley and the like to look after her. Whereas Mary was threatened and abused.
@@HistoryCalling I do too. Before Anne died she expressed guilt for the way she treated Mary to Lady Kingston. Too bad she couldn’t forgive Anne. It was Henry’s bad doing than Anne’s. He was the king. He could’ve shown more love towards her. I think if Mary would’ve lived longer she would’ve sent more people to their deaths. That makes me so sad. Henry’s cruelty had no bounds.
@@leticiagarcia9025 the children really seemed to respect and admire their father though. They would not let AoC leave England, for fear she might badmouth their father. But children were brought up to honour their father as the head of the household, put there by almighty God, amplified when he is the highest ranking man in the kingdom. Plus Mary had a happy childhood with him, and apparently he doted on her
I’m So Excited for the new video and to Once Again hear my favorite Happy Little Tune in the beginning! So, Thank You for another Wonderful Video History Calling!!
Really enjoyed this video from you, HC! As soon as you said drumroll, please! We both said Henry 8th at the same time! I would have placed them in exactly the same order as you for all the same reasons that you gave so I won't bore you! I have often wondered what Elizabeth might have thought would happen in terms of succession, on the event of her death... 🤔 In life, she proved everyone wrong and made Britain great! The sacrifice she made to protect the crown at a time when you couldn't trust anyone. 👑✨️ Thanks for this, I really enjoyed it! 😊
Thanks Missyme. I think by her later years she probably had a very good idea that James would get the throne. It made the most sense and allowed the two kingdoms to combine, plus he already had multiple sons. In her earlier years she might have thought Katherine Grey would likely get it.
My selection was the same for HL - bravo for another excellent video! Perhaps you could run a similar video in the future for other Royal houses. Brilliant stuff.
I think that Henry VII had seen enough of what conflict could do, firsthand, and this made him not a fan of needless violence. He probably just wanted some stability after the chaotic life he’d led.
Well done HC, i must say your ranking mirrors mine exactly! i have much sympathy for Mary and a lot of respect for Henry VII. i knew as soon as i started watching that Henry VIII would be my worst 🤣
Woohoo! 🤭 I have to say after listening to you talk about Henry VII, I definitely agree with his placement, he definitely fought the hardest for all he had, and seems like he had the welfare of the country on his mind more than his personal wants
(Before finishing the video): I think my favorite Tudor has to be Henry VII. He really gets slept on by Tudor enthusiasts. Probably my favorite thing about him is that he (at least as far as we know) never took a mistress or even a fling and remained loyal to his queen. Obviously we can't truly know for sure, but he'd have had little reason to hide it given the social norms of the time, so I'm inclined to believe it was true. I'm not interested in ascending any particular virtues to any of them, but by most to least interesting to learn about, I think it's; 1. Henry VII 2. Elizabeth I 3. Mary I 4. Henry VIII 5. Edward VI
Ah, now if we're doing most to least interesting that does change things. I'd have Ed VI at the bottom due to his youth, but it's very tough to choose who's at the top.
@@chrisbanks6659Henry VII didn't have a strong claim to the throne Henry's Mother Margaret Beaufort was a Descendant of John of Gaunt and Kathryn Swinford... because they had children before they were married when they finally did marry John's Brother The king did legitimize their children but with the stimpultion that John and Kathryn 's couldn't be in the line of Session to the throne.. Margaret Beaufort was part of this line .. Elizabeth of York had a stronger claim..But when Henry VII and Elizabeth of York got married his claim was a little stronger .. because his mother and Elizabeth's mother made a pact if Henry won the Battle of Bosworth Henry would Marry Elizabeth there for uniting the house of Lancaster and York
I agree with your ranking of the Tudors. There isn't much to like about the bottom 3. I am not a fan of Henry 7th either, but he was reputed to be a good administrator and financially better than the others. Elizabeth 1 shines as the best of the bunch, for her ability to stay alive, to manouvre around European and British politics, her guts regarding the Armada and her determination not to marry. I understood that she did not want to give up her throne to any male, as he would have become King in those days. Her role as the Regnant Queen would have become diminished. She could have declared a successor though. Thanks HC. 🙂
Thanks Elisabeth :-) Yes, it's interesting to speculate what would have happened had Elizabeth I married, especially if she'd died and left a minor heir.
If one knows one's history (Tudor), like a layman as I do, there are so many variables for so many reasons. At the end of the day, it's one of those history periods that the more we find out, the less we know, and that is a good thing. I will never tire of reading / hearing / watching anything about them. I do agree with your list however - for now!!! 😁
Thank you for another excellent video. I have always admired Elizabeth I's incredible survival skills. I've always thought it would be fascinating to be in three-way correspondence with Elizabeth and Roxelana. 😉😉
@@HistoryCalling Roxelana was a Polish/Ukranian woman kidnapped by Tartars and sold into slavery in the Ottoman Empire. She rose from being a harem slave to be the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She died in 1558, the year Elizabeth became queen. I always thought they would have made great penpals for each other, and I would love to know their thoughts on so many aspects of history.
I've watched enough of your videos that i knew exactly what your ranking order would be, and I'm pretty sure i agree. 😂 This was a fascinating discussion of comparison and motivations! Thank you! Have you considered doing a video on Catherine of Aragon's sister? I know you say your non-Tudor content doesn't do as well, but maybe she's Tudor-adjacent-enough?
I actually was getting ready to do a video on her once and then one of the other British YT channels did it first and I didn't want to look like a copycat (although so many channels, that one included, steal from me that I really think I must be stupid to not deliberately copy their content as well).
@HistoryCalling Ooof, I'll never understand all the plagiarism that goes on. :( Hopefully you'll cover her one day. I'm not motivated to go looking for the other video because I know you'll do it best. 😉 There were a couple other history channels i tried watching, but I kept coming across blatantly incorrect information and photos that didn't come close to matching the period/materials being discussed, and comment sections full of people saying it was "just entertainment" and that it didn't matter if it was accurate if anyone tried to point it out. 🙄 I mostly stick to you and Dr Janega these days.
I thought this to be very interesting and I would say I like the order you did. Although I would probably put King Henry the 8th and Mary tied for last place. Those two were just the nastiest they could be. I agree with what you said about Edward, the younger they are can be very detrimental to themselves and not realize what they're doing. Thanks look forward to next week HC
Thanks Vernon. Yes, had Mary lived longer and had more time to do additional damage I might have considered her worse than Henry. I mean I think she was on her way to having Elizabeth executed had she not died first.
Solid ranking. Elizabeth and Henry VII are pretty close for me. One point I might add that you didnt touch on was the fact that Henry VIII, on top of his messy personal life, was also kind of bad at his job. He drained the coffers his father had painstakingly built up on endless unsuccessful wars in France.
I have a whole video on her death actually, but in the interests of time I couldn't get into it in great detail here. I think what ultimately matters though is that she didn't spare her, though she absolutely could have.
@@HistoryCalling As long as Jane lived, she would have been a rallying point for anyone opposed to Mary. I don't believe Mary had much choice in doing what she could to secure her throne.
@@VA-zr6xwThere's a lot of similarities here between Jane and Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth was reluctant to execute her but ultimately had to due to the threat she posed to her reign and her involvement (indirect and direct) in numerous plots to overthrow Elizabeth
@@HistoryCallingI don’t think Mary had a choice. A threat like that, with uprisings risking her throne and her life would almost always been eliminated at the time, and later
@@Chipoo88 Jane wanted nothing to do with the throne. There was at least some evidence that Mary was actively plotting to get it. Jane was a helpless teenager entirely unequipped to handle the situation she was suddenly put in. Mary was a fully grown adult and a former queen twice over. Jane was executed after less than a year in captivity. Mary was in the Tower for 14 years. There are substantial differences.
I mentally ranked them before I watched your list. I went back and forth between E1 and H7 a few times for the #1 spot, eventually settling for the exact same order you came up with. Great job. ❤
Hi, awesome live history video. I enjoyed it. How are you doing? How is the weather where you are ? I'm doing well. My cat Benjamin is doing well also. We have nice warm weather in Ontario, Canada. In the next video in the future. Could you do King Stephen the first. He was King in the 11 hundreds. Have a great day see you next video. HAPPY VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND to you 😊
Happy Victoria Day weekend to you too. I actually have a video about Empress Matilda which covers Stephen quite a bit too if you want to check it out. Weather here is good, but due to get a bit colder and wetter over the next few days. Give Benjamin a tickle behind the ears from me :-)
I think, along with his earlier advisors, Katherine was a great influence on him. As you just mentioned, she prevented what could have been a successful invasion from the Scots, and generally seems to have helped him through his successful years. Ok, fine, I just took the chance to once again yap about my admiration from her lol, but what can I say haha
@@HistoryCalling but would Mary have been a much better ruler had all that likely very damaging stuff not happened, let alone the reformation. She might have married younger and been able to continue the dynasty to the next generation. And maybe married someone better suited to the role of consort, or even a co-monarch like William and Mary.
Spot on! I agree 100% I think best & worst were pretty much no brainers. There were mitigating factors for the middle 3 just as you mentioned, which gives you sympathy for their "bad sides". Great video & presentation.
Super comprehensive to me now! I could never just place it on a timeline for me to understand. Awesome job! How did we even survive to this day, as a species, is beyond me😂
I generally agree with your rankings - even though I might flip Henry VIII with Mary I as worst Tudor depending on my mood - complete agreement with Elizabeth as the obvious best Tudor of course - ty for another fun video HC
Before I listen and hear your ranking and reasoning, my order from worst to first are Edward VI, Henry VIII, Mary I, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, as I feel if Edward had lived a full life he'd have been worse than his father - but if we go without any hypotheticals, then I'd switch my bottom two.
18:40 Well, not exactly. Some Irish Catholics were persecuted by Elizabeth, we have cases like the massacre on Rathlin Island to prove this, Elizabeth even celebrated when she found out what happened. Also, underground Catholic churches existed during Elizabeth's reign. She was a good ruler, but associate her with a more tolerant image than Mary or Edward... I mean, Mary Stuart was a bad ruler, but much more tolerant than Elizabeth.
ooh this ought to be fun hehe, although we disagree in our rankings, apart from, I suspect, Henry VII somewhere at the top and Henry VIII at the bottom :) Where we likely disagree the most is likely the placings of the sisters, Mary and Bess👀
@@DarthDread-oh2ne hello, interesting one! Idk much abt them but probably Charles V? Personally I rly hate him, and his reign could be seen as a failure in some ways (he certainly thought so himself) but the others managed to he worse imo
@@HistoryCallingI also commented it on your instagram post though- istg I am chased- they wouldn’t let me post the comment at first bc it clashed with their policies??😭 I swear it was only a list💀
It’s because of Henry VIII that we’re even talking about the Tudors 500 years on. He may have been a tyrant, but he’s made billions for the British tourism industry.
Agree completely … worst husband, but not the worst monarch … definitely would have ranked both his daughter (Mary), and his son below him … I understand Mary’s life was quite tragic, but I can’t really think of one positive thing she did for the country … her brother didn’t do much, either, not that he really had the chance - but it was his attempt to change the line of succession that directly led to Lady Jane Grey’s death … both he and Mary were too focused on religion, and not the overall good of the country.
@@LynneConnolly He waged a civil war on the Catholic North of his kingdom and killed more than 75000 people. Meanwhile his daughter, who killed around 300, got the name Bloody Mary.
@@stefaniebraun3319 your numbers are way out. How many soldiers did Mary "kill" when she lost Calais? Henry remained a Catholic to the end of his days, he merely seceded from Rome. His son declared England to be a Protestant country. It was his daughter Elizabeth who persecuted Catholic priests and other Catholics in the latter part of her reign. Henry reigned for 38 years, Mary for 5. Some of the deaths were for treason, after the Pilgrimage of Grace. Similarly, there were many executions in Mary's reign after Wyatt's rebellion. Henry never murdered anyone. Whatever we think of the legalities of his reign, they were all executed under the law. Henry didn't take as much interest in law reform as his father, so most of the laws were in place. When you discount the casualties of war and the people executed for treason after a rebellion, it works out as similar. I would say Mary edges him out.
You had basically the same ranking I did, though I personally didn't bother ranking Edward because of how little of his reign was actually his own. (One of those "this data point is not comparable" sorts of things, I suppose)
When I saw the title in my notifications, I began going through all the Tudors, including Jane Gray and the wives. I got a nice cuppa and a snack whilst contemplating the list. Yes, of course, I had determined Elizabeth was best. I had to reassess when I found we were to consider just the five and there I placed Mary at worst. I had Henry VII second, Henry VIII as third and Edward VI next. This was fun!
I agree with your order but it's only because they were an horrendous bunch that Henry Vii gets second place! I read one article that said, "Never has anyone been given so much credit for being someone's grandfather!" Still I look at my own very small grandchildren and find hope in that!
Haha, I understand what you mean. Even Elizabeth could be ferocious and she's my number one. I think we have to see them in the context of the times in which they lived though and for me, Henry VII was actually pretty decent within those parameters.
Spot on, right down the line; and I'd certainly argue just as you have done. I agree with your reasons for why Elizabeth never married, but I'd be tempted to add another: Anne of Cleves had a very good relationship with Elizabeth. Do you think her apparent contentment as an independent woman might have influenced Elizabeth to some small extent? Also, you make a point that Elizabeth failed to provide for succession. As Robert Cecil had begun communicating with James possibly as early as 1600 (albeit in secret), I've a difficult time believing Elizabeth was completely ignorant of his machinations.
I agree, Elizabeth is #1. When I looked at what today's HC video was, I said in all American verbage, "Well duh, Elizabeth I, that's a no brainer there. Then I cut to the end to see what your #1 pick was. Great minds think alike. lol
Almost the same ranking as I'd put them. I'd swap Elizabeth I and Henry VII. His achievement of outlawing armed affinities is overlooked but very important, while the post-Armada spanish war and conquest of Ireland are under-discussed stains on Elizabeth I. Good job putting H8 at the bottom, he really was just the worst!
I can’t disagree with your rankings. I will disagree with you on one area with Elizabeth I….i believe she was in love with Doctor Who also 😂❤. Excellent analysis…and I hope to keep learning until I shuffle off my mortal coil, and have ceased to be 🦜
Wow.. stunning to see all their portraits together you can definitely tell the influence of Edward IV and his queen, through their daughter Elizabeth of York. The golden red hair, the face... And inversely how Katherine and Anne Boleyn added spice in their daughters. It was quite unexpected having never seen them all laid out in order
There's a poem attributed to Elizabeth I written during her imprisonment under the reign of Mary I. Allegedly, she scratched the following onto her window with a diamond ring while being held at Woodstock: Much suspected by me, Nothing proved can be, Quoth Elizabeth prisoner. That quote has always moved me near to tears, and I really don't know why. Whether it's truly her work, I think it's eery and beautiful.
Another plug for Henry VII: every British monarch since - including Charles III - is descended from him. The family might not carry his name, but it’s his blood that’s still on the throne today.
Great video! The ranking depends strongly to what the criteria you use to rank them. Best for the country, best one in jousting, greatest dealer in foreign affairs, most humain etc. My personal list, solely on clicking preferences😊, is; Edward, Mary, Henry VII, Elisabeth and finally the one i click the most vids on is Henry VIII. He simply is the ultimate clickbait! Thanks for this unique topic!
Good ranking, there is no perfect answer as no monarch is perfect but I'd probably switch Mary I and Henry VIII. 5. Mary I - in some ways a sympathetic character and perhaps a victim of 'history is written by the winners', but as queen it seems like everything she did was an embarrassing failure and she was fighting against the inevitable, which ended up affecting her health and her reign is looked at as an unfortunate 5 year blotch on history. 4. Henry VIII - it's pretty fitting that England's most famous king is probably the most divisive. Although he took power to extreme levels, I feel like he ended up granting more power and freedom to England by taking it away from the Pope/Catholic Church. If there's one thing a country likes, it's more freedom, avoiding possible revolutions in future as a constitutional monarch took over. 3. Edward VI - hard to judge a kid but his reign must have done a good job at stabilising England into Protestantism so that Mary's best efforts to do otherwise proved fruitless. 2. Henry VII - his stern and controlled personality makes him stand out from many other monarchs extravagance and the chaos they brought. 1. Liz I - no question really, I look at her as the bridge between the medieval tyrant monarchs and the modern day people's monarch. Perhaps the top 2 being the first and last Tudor means the dynasty did at least put things in the right order.
Great choices! It’s tough to place Edward, as he was so young, and a lot of decisions were made by the men around him. I have a lot of sympathy for Mary because of everything she endured, but you’re right nevertheless to put her so close to the bottom. Elizabeth as number one is kind of a no-brainer, and Henry VII is a great choice for number two. LOL at putting Henry VIII in last place. Although if even one of his sons with Catherine had survived, we would likely view his reign very differently, and the whole course of English history would have changed.
Oh yes, absolutely. If he and Catherine's New Year's boy of 1511 had lived, the ranking would be totally different. Three of the people on it might never have been born and even if Mary had existed, she'd probably have been married off to some foreign Prince or King. Henry VIII probably would have had just one wife (or maybe two if Catherine of Aragon had still died in 1536 and he'd remarried) and we'd probably all say what a nice chap he was on the whole, right before everyone heads out to mass as the Reformation likely wouldn't have happened. :-) I feel like there's an historical fiction novel in there somewhere :-)
My Ranking (best to worst): 1. Henry 7th ( I’m Welsh, his story is epic, his financial policy was sound, very hardworking) 2. Elisabeth ( Very Wise like her grandfather but she was given a more stable country in many respects) 3. Edward ( Young and religious policy was at least potentially successful) 4. Henry 8th ( Bad person but at least his policies were somewhat rational based on circumstances. ) 5. Mary ( Very sympathetic but ultimately her rule was disastrous and if she had lived longer and had a child there was probably a high likelihood of a civil war) This is all based on my personal opinion.
Excellent, as always, HC. Thank you. I cannot defend Mary, but (here goes) the serious emotional abuse from her father and his cronies exacted such serious trauma on her that she was basically unable to function, really, as a sane person. I cannot feel sorry for her just as I can't feel much for any ruler or person who orders executions for their versions of the divine (Looking at you H8 & Gloriana.).
I have a video all about how Matilda lost the throne which is quite similar to what you're asking for. It didn't do as well as I would have liked though, so I don't know if I'd revisit the topic.
@@HistoryCalling It's too bad, given cousin marriage was accepted, that they couldn't marry and unite their claims. Although being of a rather obstinate nature and having been an empress, Matilda might have been a difficult bride.
I agree that Elizabeth I is the obvious pick for number 1…. you did win me over to consider Henry 7th as second. Your description of both Henrys, highlights how the father and son were seemingly polar opposites
1) Henry VII. I dropped an essay about why on the poll, lol, but I think your assessment of him is very accurate & fair. 2) Elizabeth- the usual reasons; I just rate Henry higher overall- far less executions, for starters. 3) Mary- not amazing, but very unfairly maligned, & probably would've been a decent queen of a Catholic country. 4) Edward- I agree that he didn't do enough to judge, but seemed like a religious tyrant in the making. 5) Henry VIII- he was Henry VIII.
I think historians are a bit too harshon Edward. He was a kid who never even reached the age of consent before he died. 15 is DEFINITELY not to young to be manipulated. Kings (like his father) struggled well into their early twenties with being controlled by much older advisors. What chance did Edward have? His entire life, his so called "Protecters" manipulated and used him for their own ends. They isolated him from those who actually loved him, like Mary. Not to mention the kind of tramua a kid like him would have. His tradgedies are muxh overshadowed by his sisters', but even as the King's golden child he would have had issues. One stepmother was beheaded, one who he was close with more or less betrayed him then died, his uncle also betrayed him then killed his dog. Je was made to believe his sister was betraying him. And again, he spent his life being isolated from his sisters and manipulated. And I don't think it's fair to blame him for Jane's death either. He was a child on his death bed, probably with adults whispering in his ear that he's about to be tortured for eternity and damn the souls of his subjects if he didn't do that. I blame her father and father-in-law much more than Edward.
Yes, I agree that Edward was certainly not his own man (or boy) and a lot of what happened in his reign was the fault of his Protectors and advisors. I still think he was probably on his way to becoming a tyrant mind you.
Ah, this video was one bright spot on a sad Monday! I agree with all of your rankings. Re: Henry VIII, much as I love Anne B, Catherine was a pretty terrific queen, the way you sum up their 20 year marriage. I’d never blamed Edward that much, because of his youth, but yes, you’re right, he could have caused a civil war. On the other hand, I think Mary would have been a terrible queen no matter what. If only Henry had never killed Anne and made Elizabeth his heir… this would have been the best scenario with the benefit of a lot of hindsight.
Thanks Mary. Glad I brightened up your Monday :-) It's interesting to speculate what would have happened if Henry remained with AB with Elizabeth as heir. She would have become Queen at 13, so I wonder if her big sister might have made a bid for the throne? There would have been a messy minority at the very least I think.
@@HistoryCalling Excellent point I didn't really think about (maybe because I have my Anne B/Elizabeth goggles on). Although perhaps Anne would have solidified her legitimacy, had she lived, and bolstered support for Elizabeth enough that Mary might not have wanted to challenge her half-sister's support. On the other hand, public opinion may have remained against Anne and Elizabeth, which again would have resulted in conflict. Regardless, as complicated as representative democracies can be...at least we no longer have situations where kids are literally put in charge of entire friggin' countries just because they happen to be born to the right parents, which is quite a relief!
I agree with your top two, however I placed young Edward last because of his relative lack of lifelong accomplishments, good or bad. As you stated, he wasn't really in charge for most of his reign, so there's very little by which to judge him. Other than him, we're right in sync.👍
I would swap Henry VII and Elizabeth I, and swap Mary I and Edward VI. I always find Elizabeth overrated, I blame English historians, some of them sound like Swifties making documentaries about Taylor. Henry VII signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland, Henry VIII basically destroyed it for no reason, he wanted to prove himself at war, that was it. Henry VII would never have gone into a war he didn’t think was necessary. To be Mary I, she didn’t want to execute Lady Jane Grey, she held out even when her advisors wanted her to execute Jane. It was only after Wyatt’s rebellion, the execution was carried out. She was quite conciliatory at the start of her reign. The only execution which seems vengeful was Thomas Cranmer. If she had been bloodthirsty Elizabeth wouldn’t have survived.
Haha, the Swifties comparison made me smile. :-) I wonder sometimes if Mary had lived if she would have ended up killing Elizabeth though? I kinda think that's the way it was headed. I know she didn't want to kill Jane initially, but at the end of the day she still did even though the girl (and her husband) were blameless with regards to the rebellion. When it comes to killing someone, I just don't think almost letting them live counts.
Wasn’t the Tudor Rose a creation of Henry VII? That was an incredible bit of PR. I don’t really have favorites/rankings. Each was so multifaceted. I enjoy the whole era.
Yes, he blended together his red rose and his wife's York white rose. One of the best PR stunts in English history, I agree, as we're still using it today.
I agree with your rankings. Henry VII comes across as a good administrator and much more even tempered than any of his descendants. Elizabeth could be argued as having set the country on the path to a dominant position in world affairs. With the exception of Henry VII I think life anywhere near the throne would be a high anxiety affair. A fascinating but largely unpleasant group.
Absolutely. It's sad that they were destined to be such rivals. I wonder what their relationship would have been like if they'd both been the same religion?
HC, thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I agree with you 100% on your assessment. I think H VIII being ranked in last place is entirely just since he was the worst kind of tyrant and caused so much misery in his lifetime. It will always be unknown if his jousting accident caused a brain injury resulting in terrible behavior - I prefer to think that this was the cause, but it doesn't totally excuse him. I think history has treated H VIII as he deserved, being left in a temporary vault in St. George's Chapel to this day, with his casket reportedly broken open from either damage by the burial of others (KC I and an infant daughter of QA), or gas building in the body causing the casket to rupture. Nobody ever thought H VIII was worthy of a better burial.
Henry the 8th ? In last place ? Yes. That's where I would have placed him. Indeed if I could have placed him in a negative position I would have done so.
How would you rank the Tudor monarchs, from worst to best? Let me know in the comments below and remember to check out:
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Hi there long time subscriber here.
I was wondering if you have covered or will cover "a discovery of witches"
I absolutely love when they travel back to the Elizabethan time.
I would rank them in the same order as you, for the same reasons.
Thanks for showing us your ranking. I thought your explanations were feasible and undestandable. However, I would rank them a bit differently, as follows:
5: Edward VI; because he, like his father and sister Mary, was extremely zealous, and I agree that had he lived longer, he would have been as violent and tyrannical as Mary. Only, his religious zeal had no reason that I find understandable. He spent the first nine years of his short life as the Prince of Wales and his father's favorite child (Henry Fitzroy was dead by 1537), and the remaining six as King of England. He lived a very privileged life, and no doubt felt very entitled because of the position he was born into. I don't blame him for the Seymour brothers' actions, though, as he was still a child whose kingdom was being run by a regency.
4: Mary I; because her reign was very violent, and she was just as zealous as her little brother. But, like you, I place her higher than him because her zeal comes with a very understandable reason. She was treated terribly by her father, and spent most of her adult life feeling rather lonely in my opinion, especially after her mother and she were separated, and even more so after Catherine of Aragon died in 1536. Even Phillip, by all accounts, didn't seem to love her as much as she loved him, and rarely was in England. I do feel sorry for Mary, but, like many people, I find her zeal and violence hard to overlook.
3: Henry VIII; only because of the importance his reign had on England's religious life and policy for the next few centuries. The religious movement he introduced to England set the ball rolling for England to become a Protestant nation, and the fight between Catholicism and Protestantism in England produced the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, the Glorious Revolution, and the Act of Settlement of 1701, which basically made the British monarch a symbolic figurehead, when other Catholic--and even some Protestant--monarchs at the time wielded absolute power. England's foreign policy in those days was influenced by Henry's triggering of the Reformation in England, setting the country against France and Spain and allying it with Protestant German nations like Prussia. The House of Windsor would not hold the English throne had it not been for the religious conficts of the later Tudor and Stuart eras. I do agree though, that Henry VIII was absolutely tyrannical, and if I may say, extremely entitled, often behaving like a spoiled child even though he was a grown man in his late 30s and 40s. The only possible psychological explanation I can think of for his behavior aside from his quite obvious desire for a legitimate son, would be the death of his mother, with whom he was very close, when he was 11. But her death also touched his sisters, too, and while they both had their exploits, neither of them were as childish as Henry.
2: Elizabeth I; because of how very skilled she was at negotiation and diplomacy. She knew how to appease people on both sides of the conflicts of her time, a quality that would be very helpful in our divided world of today. I believe it was her ability to negotiate that stayed her hand when it came to executing people. She showed a very large degree of restraint when executing the Duke of Norfolk, and Mary Queen of Scots. She did suffer much of the same abuses as her sister did, but unlike Mary I, Elizabeth seems to have learned a different lesson from those experiences, a lesson which allowed her to ease the major conflicts of the time, rather than exacerbate them. I agree that her use of privateers is morally corrupt. But, no one is perfect and I'd say her supposed lapses in judgement are minor compared to her father and sister's, as unlike both of them, she didn't go around beheading her subjects on trumped-up charges of treason or burn them at the stake for disagreeing with her about religion. Her decision not to marry is tougher, because a husband would have taken much of her power for himself. Elizabeth saw how well that had gone down when the Queen regnant's husband was a foreign prince, and had he been an Englishman, the entire concept of royalty would have been called into question; a commoner basically ruling the country as a king. If any commoner can be a de facto king, why have a royal dynasty at all? Elizabeth was no doubt aware of these consequences, which would have caused more problems than they would have solved. Not naming a successor was probably one small step too far though, especially given her bout with smallpox. But even that is conflicted, because Henry VIII's will provided for a successor should all of his children die without heirs.
1: Henry VII; because English history from 1485 onward would be unrecognizable to us had he not taken the throne from Richard III. His actions to secure the throne for himself and his successors, by marrying Elizabeth of York, and by neutralizing the pretenders he faced, shaped the entire legacy of the Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII's desire for a legitimate son was at least part of why he dumped Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, which he did by starting the spread of Protestantism in England. Henry VIII would have known very well why he needed a son, as he witnessed the dangers Henry VII faced in trying to keep the throne, so I'm sure Henry VIII was heavily influenced by his father's need to secure the dynasty. And I agree that while Henry VII does have a deserved reputation for being miserly, it's understandable because of how perpetually fearful he was of losing everything dear to him. And, he certainly wasn't bloodthirsty. He was in the most danger of any Tudor monarch, but let all three major pretenders--and alternative claimants in Warwick's case--live for years, never executing Lambert Simnel, and only executing Warwick and Perkin Warbeck when they didn't stop plotting against him, after he had given each of them more than one chance to submit. Henry VII was also completely faithful to his wife, and never even remarried after her death, which is far more than can be said for his infamously infidel son. My main reason for placing Henry VII as number one is because of his reproductive success. His decision to marry his daughter Margaret to the King of Scotland produced James V of Scotland, father of Mary Queen of Scots, and grandfather of James VI of Scotland, and I of England. Every monarch of England and Britain since 1509 has been descended from Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, while Henry VIII has had no verified living descendants since 1603.
All in all, I would probably say Numbers 3, 4, and 5 on my ranking are classifiable as generally bad monarchs, despite the religious upheaval Henry VIII's reign produced, and Numbers 1 and 2 are classifiable as generally good monarchs.
Just one more point about Henry VII: unless I’m mistaken (not for the first time), when he came to the throne the country was nearly bankrupted from the Wars of the Roses. When he died the country was financially sound. To some extent this should at least explain if not justify his “grasping” nature. Plus he was devoted to his wife.
Correct on all counts.
Yes, he was really pretty good at the job. I wish people knew more about him. He suffers from having a super famous son and granddaughter.
And he was Welsh
@@andreamiles9325 🏴
I understand Henry VII was miserly but understood the English crown needed fiscal integrity and you don’t read anything about him quarreling with nobles only them plotting against him (-:
Henry VII is an easily slept on Monarch but he's my personal favourite. An underdog who managed to take the thrown and bring relative stability and growth to England. Easily my favourite followed close by Elizabeth I
I feel like the fact that he is slept on makes in #1. His reign , after it's bloody behind was peaceful.
Throne
Agree 100%
Yes, I like him too. Had he reigned longer he might even be number 1. It's hard to beat Elizabeth and her 44+ years.
Same here, underestimated. Plus, his line rules today. Charles III descended from him via his daughter Margaret Tudor. That would have annoyed Henry VIII.
I always questioned how much Edward’s deathbed will was his own doing and how much was Northumberland. I can’t imagine a dying teenager was all that coherent and it’s no coincidence that the move appears to have only benefitted the man who just so happened to have been at Edward’s bedside
Hmm, it's tricky to know how much manipulation went on but Edward did change his Device for the Succession in his own hand. I think he was doing what he wanted in the end.
Henry VII’s life is truly so fascinating and it’s amusing how people then and now argue back and forth about how legitimate his blood claim on the throne is (even tho he won by right of conquest) it still endangered his life
I suppose, if you compare Henry VII’s usurpation with those of Henry IV and Edward IV, then legitimacy is possibly an issue as he did spring from an illegitimate line. However, I agree, he won by right of conquest and always acknowledged that. To me he is the most successful Tudor because it’s his blood which flows in the British Royal Family today. Henry VIII ultimately failed the first duty of a king, which is to produce heirs who can continue his line.
Yes, I wish people paid him more attention as his story is so interesting. It's a shame he's overshadowed by his son and granddaughter. I don't think his blood claim (or lack thereof) really mattered in the end either. Richard III didn't have the best blood claim around either (his nephews the Princes and Lord Warwick did) and no one really claims that he wasn't a King.
Most underrated Monarch. Exiled had to win a battle to be King. As stated, he was a good husband. He is the ancestor of the modern Royals via his daughter Margaret. Always find it funny that Henry VIII's legitimate line died out.
@@HistoryCalling a blood claim only matters as long as its convenient for everyone involved what truly matters is who can win the throne and keep it Hnery Bolingbroke is another good example
@@countofdownable And Henry VIII's Illegitimate Iine also Died Out,His Illegitimate Son,Henry Fitzroy,Who Died Without Producing An Heir,There Was Also Rumors That A Marriage Was Proposed Between He And His Half Sister Mary I,Sibling Marriage,EWWWW!!! 😒😒😒😒😒🤯🤪🤪🤪🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
I like the order in which you ranked the Tudors. I still giggle remembering you calling Edward “a little prick” in a former vid lol 😂 Thank you for another amazing vid!
Er, did I? That doesn't seem like me, if only because I'm such a stickler about not swearing because YT doesn't like it (you have to declare it on a form before the video is released and it can affect ad revenue).
@@HistoryCallingI could have sworn it was you (my fav creator) but now you have me doubting …. Hmmm ….
Doesn't matter to be honest, as whether I said it or not, I do kinda think it :-)
Whether she did or not, it’s definitely a true fact lol
Did you call Ed6 "a little prig"? He was certainly that too
Henry vii is my favourite simply for ticking so many boxes as one of Britain’s most effective kings, but I do agree with your point about Elizabeth doing all this as a woman in a man’s world. I recently listened to a podcast comparing Catherine Medici, Elizabeth de Valois and Mary queen of Scot’s and what I realised is that no matter what they did, they’re seen as failures and really just couldn’t win. Elizabeth I is often criticised because she’s seen as someone who didn’t ever make a decision or do anything unless forced to do so, but actually all her choices were bad when you see how it played out with her contemporaries.
Yes, I agree. She was working with limited options a lot of the time and navigated a very difficult situation as best as she probably could.
Agreed. Henry did it all and understood the importance of securing the succession.
Disagree. The gangsta queen presided over the birth of England's greatness. Defeating the scary armada launched the sea dogs and naval supremacy. Financed pirates played their part charting new routes to the spice islands opening doors to oppurtunity and generational riches.
Almost offensive other contenders are touted. Securing succession?!? Her death sees England increased with the union of Scotland. Nobody touches the bestest majesty.
5. Henry VIII .. 4. Edward VI .. 3. Mary I .. 2. Elizabeth I .. 1. Henry VII
H8 made tyrants look good. Eddy would of continued the destruction. Mary was a tortured soul but "somewhat" forgive her acts. Lizzy rebuilt a nation but committed unforgivable acts. H.VII was a justified miser, the last warrior, ended the family war & built a kingdom.
Years observing the Tudor's, Henry VIII one saving grace was his patronage of Hans Holbein the Younger. As a fellow artist, his sketches & artworks (and his fathers) still amaze me. Oddly, I prefer his draft sketches, as they're spontaneous perfection on paper and some complete drafts like that of William Parr show Holbein thinking on details such as jewellery, fabric, or colours. It's something I still do to perfect the final pieces, to use as a reference of ideas & methods day or often years later. Yet, they're rarely shown or were trimmed & lost. Also of his preparation of painting paper pink in advance for skin tones, use of white chalk, red vermilion, yellow ochre and lamp black pigments, with watercolours for blues & browns often go untold.
Apologies for my Hans rant, but he's by far my favourite Tudor
Not a Tudor or monarch, but I can't imagine them without him.
Scenario: Henry VIII, laid up with a bad leg, spends a weekend bingeing this channel, even considering dispatching Holbein to paint our hostess for his consideration, until he gets to this entry. History Calling is then sent to the Tower, lands and titles forfeited. Loyal viewers like me hold out for a while, but that rope-knots-in-the-eyes thingy is worse than it looks, and soon we all sing like canaries. May we hear your scaffold speech?
Very clever! 😊
This is very clever. I can see the fat narcissist, sitting on a recliner, with his giant turkey leg and a flagon of ale, smelling like diseased leg. Cheers to you, Surfer Joe.
I think I would have been in Henry's bad books long before this video to be honest :-) I don't have any lands or titles to forfeit though (apart from my Dr title and that was earned, rather than granted or inherited so he couldn't take it). Er, I think I'd rather avoid writing a scaffold speech. Feels a bit weird! :-)
@@HistoryCalling I think mine would be a thoughtful blend of sobbing, begging, and last-minute offers to flip on all my friends, relatives, and colleagues.
I love this!
Something else that's also worth noting in Henry VII's favor is his loyalty as a husband. His marriage to Elizabeth of York was a political one with so much riding on it but they seem to have forged a true partnership based on mutual devotion. Unlike his father-in-law or more famous son, Henry VII never took a mistress. I think Elizabeth of York softened his rough edges and brought a kindness to the monarchy that it desperately needed.
I think Edward IV loved his wife, but he was also used to being adored and getting his own way. He was attractive, rich, related to the king, his father claimed to be king and he was the heir to a powerful Dukedom. Plus he had Warwick pumping up his ego telling him everything could be his for so long and was. He was 18 when they married and she was nearly thirty, so basically a playboy prince used to getting whatever he wanted with a wife not able to keep up. Unlike Henry,, I don't think he intended to put her aside or execute her, even if she had not produced a son.
Oh, I totally agree Edward IV was a better man and king than his grandson. I think he's underrated as a monarch as well. For all intents and purposes, the Yorkists had won the Wars of the Roses by 1471 thanks to Edward IV. The conflict only began again at his sudden, premature death and Richard III's usurpation. I was just pointing out that he (like his grandson Henry VIII) was a total womanizer, though I don't think he had the cruel streak that H8 did.
@@sagenoelle4439 agree. Had he died 10 years later there would be no Tudor dynasty. Edward IV I think became such a good monarch because he was quite fair and not cruel, even if he was cunning and was prepared to throw the rules to the wind to get what he needed. He could have executed Anne Neville but did not and he gave Warwick and his brother more than enough chances. His one failing was not realising he couldn't get what he wanted all the time. Letting his wife's relatives take over the court completely, without any thought of throwing a bone to Warwick or reconciling at least one of his brothers with his wife, ended up ending the dynasty for good.
Absolutely spot on about Henry and Elizabeth. He adored her - when she died, he almost died as well because his grief was so profound, and he refused to remarry unless his advisors could find him what amounted to her carbon copy.
@@LauraFromMarkerQuest They are one of my favorite historical couples of all time. I truly wish they could have reigned as joint monarchs as they both were the heirs to two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty. Elizabeth of York deserved to be queen in her own right. She's such an important yet underrated figure in British history!
👏👏👏Thoroughly enjoyable, HC! I'm rewatching this on YT because it's so much fun as well as being informative. Poor Lady Jane. Eric Ive's book (your recommendation) is a great read but so sad. Have a great week! 🙏🏼
Thanks Stephen. Yes, his bio of Jane is excellent, as was all his work. His bio of Anne is top notch too.
Good evening chum. Hoping you are well?
@@chrisbanks6659 Fighting fit, young man! Good news - we have a new puppy. His name's Louie; we may call him King Louie as he has an authoritarian bark despite his small size. 😊 Hope all is well with you!
@@stephencarrillo5905 Am ok thanks. And great that you found a new wee friend. Not named after the Motorhead song, I trust (Louie Louie). LOL
Eric Ives, RIP. 😢
I am so glad I found your channel. I’ve always been interested in Tudor history and read all of Phillippa Gregory’s books. You explain everything so well to a lay person like me😊
Thanks for the video. I'm in total agreement with your ranking. Its funny but it seems that both Queen Elizabeth's were fantastic Queens. A lucky name for the monarch of our country perhaps?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DONATION GILL. Yes, it has turned out to be a good name. I wonder if there will ever be an Elizabeth III (or a Victoria II)?
@@HistoryCalling Charlotte may well be Monarch so she may decide to use Elizabeth.
I assume you mean in case of an abdication? I don't know how likely that is though. It's only ever happened once in English history after all and the former King didn't go on to have a great life afterwards, expelled from his family and his country. I can't see George ever going for that.
@@HistoryCalling God forbid but something might happen to George before he inherits. Nobody can predict the future.
That's true, but let's hope for George VII :-)
I’m going with Henry VII. He came from literally nothing, an exile in a foreign country, to become king of England. And when he became king, England was economically bankrupt from years of internal political strife. By the time he died, the royal coffers were full, and the nation was at peace. (Another possible justification for his miserliness.)
Also, he was faithful to his wife, loved his children, and made sure that England had an heir.
Elizabeth was a great queen, but I wouldn’t say that the Stuarts who succeeded her were great monarchs, so her refusal to produce an heir of her own is a strike against her, in my opinion.
I like Henry VII too and there's certainly an argument there to put him in first position. :-)
I think without his mom it would have been much different
He thought with the wrong head...sorry, but it's the truth.
I definitely agree with your list. I do feel bad for Mary’s story. Elizabeth’s life was a difficult one too. Elizabeth was more resilient than Mary. And Elizabeth was wiser than Mary. That’s just my opinion. Thank you for another great video.
Yes, I have a lot of pity for Mary. Had she died within months of coming to the throne I think history would remember her with a lot more pity and compassion.
I think Elizabeth had more time, being 15 years younger. Mary was in her thirties when she took to the throne, married and tried to have kids. She was also told her whole life she was descended from monarchs and would marry, have royal kids and maybe be queen of either England or another country. She was very aware when that was removed from her and separated from her mother and that left more room for emotional damage and more desire for vengeance. Elizabeth was a toddler. She didn't really know her mother and had very limited knowledge of her role and destiny as a Princess when it was removed. No one needed to threaten her to convince her she wasn't the heir. I also think Elizabeth was ignored, but still had Kat Ashley and the like to look after her. Whereas Mary was threatened and abused.
@@HistoryCalling
I do too. Before Anne died she expressed guilt for the way she treated Mary to Lady Kingston. Too bad she couldn’t forgive Anne. It was Henry’s bad doing than Anne’s. He was the king. He could’ve shown more love towards her. I think if Mary would’ve lived longer she would’ve sent more people to their deaths. That makes me so sad. Henry’s cruelty had no bounds.
You’re right. Henry’s cruelty had no bounds.
@@leticiagarcia9025 the children really seemed to respect and admire their father though. They would not let AoC leave England, for fear she might badmouth their father. But children were brought up to honour their father as the head of the household, put there by almighty God, amplified when he is the highest ranking man in the kingdom. Plus Mary had a happy childhood with him, and apparently he doted on her
I’m So Excited for the new video and to Once Again hear my favorite Happy Little Tune in the beginning! So, Thank You for another Wonderful Video History Calling!!
You are so welcome :-)
Really enjoyed this video from you, HC! As soon as you said drumroll, please! We both said Henry 8th at the same time! I would have placed them in exactly the same order as you for all the same reasons that you gave so I won't bore you! I have often wondered what Elizabeth might have thought would happen in terms of succession, on the event of her death... 🤔 In life, she proved everyone wrong and made Britain great! The sacrifice she made to protect the crown at a time when you couldn't trust anyone. 👑✨️
Thanks for this, I really enjoyed it! 😊
Thanks Missyme. I think by her later years she probably had a very good idea that James would get the throne. It made the most sense and allowed the two kingdoms to combine, plus he already had multiple sons. In her earlier years she might have thought Katherine Grey would likely get it.
My selection was the same for HL - bravo for another excellent video! Perhaps you could run a similar video in the future for other Royal houses. Brilliant stuff.
Thank you. I actually have a short ranking of the Windsors over on my Patreon. It just came out last week.
You called it dead on this go around. Perfect line up and we'll reasoned. Nicely done.
Thanks Lee :-)
I think that Henry VII had seen enough of what conflict could do, firsthand, and this made him not a fan of needless violence. He probably just wanted some stability after the chaotic life he’d led.
Yes, I think so too. He could have been a lot more bloodthirsty but he wasn't. It's a pity he didn't pass more of that restraint to his second son.
Thanks!
THANK YOU SO MUCH @MESAMIES FOR SUCH A GENEROUS DONATION. It's very kind of you. I hope you enjoyed hearing my ranking :-)
@@HistoryCalling Your work is excellent. Thank you!
Well done HC, i must say your ranking mirrors mine exactly! i have much sympathy for Mary and a lot of respect for Henry VII. i knew as soon as i started watching that Henry VIII would be my worst 🤣
Yeah, he was a bit of a stinker, wasn't he (though if he'd died in about 1528 I wouldn't have much bad to say about him)?
yes!!! how different the rankings would be then 😮
Ooh I feel like Elizabeth is gonna be number 1! She's definitely my favourite out of the listings 😊
Hope you have a good week!
Thanks Claire. You might just get your wish, but you'll have to watch and see. Have a lovely week too :-)
Woohoo! 🤭
I have to say after listening to you talk about Henry VII, I definitely agree with his placement, he definitely fought the hardest for all he had, and seems like he had the welfare of the country on his mind more than his personal wants
(Before finishing the video): I think my favorite Tudor has to be Henry VII. He really gets slept on by Tudor enthusiasts. Probably my favorite thing about him is that he (at least as far as we know) never took a mistress or even a fling and remained loyal to his queen. Obviously we can't truly know for sure, but he'd have had little reason to hide it given the social norms of the time, so I'm inclined to believe it was true.
I'm not interested in ascending any particular virtues to any of them, but by most to least interesting to learn about, I think it's;
1. Henry VII
2. Elizabeth I
3. Mary I
4. Henry VIII
5. Edward VI
Ah, now if we're doing most to least interesting that does change things. I'd have Ed VI at the bottom due to his youth, but it's very tough to choose who's at the top.
Great commentary many thanks
Glad you enjoyed it :-)
AHHH can’t wait to find out who is the best Tudor!! Thanks for the new video!❤
Thanks Gabriella. You can let me know what you think of my rankings after :-)
@@HistoryCallingI agree on Elizabeth you can just tell she was one of the best monarchs from the results of what the people said
There's going to be a poll on my Community Tab in a few minutes too and it'll be interesting to see the results of that as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thank you so much 😊
You're welcome :-)
Even before watching, that's an easy one; a no brainer if you will. Elizabeth 1 - saved the best Tudor for last. Her legacy lives on .......🙂
Not giving away anything over here :-)
Put princess instead of Queen but definitely Elizabeth the 1st.
@@HistoryCalling Not seen #1 yet. Just my opinion. 🤓
Are you forgettg she beheaded mary q o s her cousin a tudor thru and thru !!
@@chrisbanks6659Henry VII didn't have a strong claim to the throne Henry's Mother Margaret Beaufort was a Descendant of John of Gaunt and Kathryn Swinford... because they had children before they were married when they finally did marry John's Brother The king did legitimize their children but with the stimpultion that John and Kathryn 's couldn't be in the line of Session to the throne.. Margaret Beaufort was part of this line ..
Elizabeth of York had a stronger claim..But when Henry VII and Elizabeth of York got married his claim was a little stronger .. because his mother and Elizabeth's mother made a pact if Henry won the Battle of Bosworth Henry would Marry Elizabeth there for uniting the house of Lancaster and York
I agree with your ranking of the Tudors. There isn't much to like about the bottom 3. I am not a fan of Henry 7th either, but he was reputed to be a good administrator and financially better than the others. Elizabeth 1 shines as the best of the bunch, for her ability to stay alive, to manouvre around European and British politics, her guts regarding the Armada and her determination not to marry. I understood that she did not want to give up her throne to any male, as he would have become King in those days. Her role as the Regnant Queen would have become diminished. She could have declared a successor though. Thanks HC. 🙂
Thanks Elisabeth :-) Yes, it's interesting to speculate what would have happened had Elizabeth I married, especially if she'd died and left a minor heir.
If one knows one's history (Tudor), like a layman as I do, there are so many variables for so many reasons. At the end of the day, it's one of those history periods that the more we find out, the less we know, and that is a good thing. I will never tire of reading / hearing / watching anything about them. I do agree with your list however - for now!!! 😁
Absolutely. It totally depends on who you ask and there are reasons for almost every ranking.
Clicked like even before watching.. I know, in advance, the content will be awesome ❤😊
Thank you so much. All likes (and comments for that matter) help with the algorithm, so I appreciate them all :-)
Thank you for another excellent video. I have always admired Elizabeth I's incredible survival skills. I've always thought it would be fascinating to be in three-way correspondence with Elizabeth and Roxelana. 😉😉
Roxelana???
@@HistoryCalling Roxelana was a Polish/Ukranian woman kidnapped by Tartars and sold into slavery in the Ottoman Empire. She rose from being a harem slave to be the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She died in 1558, the year Elizabeth became queen. I always thought they would have made great penpals for each other, and I would love to know their thoughts on so many aspects of history.
I've watched enough of your videos that i knew exactly what your ranking order would be, and I'm pretty sure i agree. 😂 This was a fascinating discussion of comparison and motivations! Thank you!
Have you considered doing a video on Catherine of Aragon's sister? I know you say your non-Tudor content doesn't do as well, but maybe she's Tudor-adjacent-enough?
I actually was getting ready to do a video on her once and then one of the other British YT channels did it first and I didn't want to look like a copycat (although so many channels, that one included, steal from me that I really think I must be stupid to not deliberately copy their content as well).
@HistoryCalling Ooof, I'll never understand all the plagiarism that goes on. :( Hopefully you'll cover her one day. I'm not motivated to go looking for the other video because I know you'll do it best. 😉 There were a couple other history channels i tried watching, but I kept coming across blatantly incorrect information and photos that didn't come close to matching the period/materials being discussed, and comment sections full of people saying it was "just entertainment" and that it didn't matter if it was accurate if anyone tried to point it out. 🙄 I mostly stick to you and Dr Janega these days.
Thanks
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE VERY KIND DONATION CATHERINE. I hope you enjoyed hearing my ranking of the Tudors :-)
I thought this to be very interesting and I would say I like the order you did. Although I would probably put King Henry the 8th and Mary tied for last place. Those two were just the nastiest they could be. I agree with what you said about Edward, the younger they are can be very detrimental to themselves and not realize what they're doing. Thanks look forward to next week HC
Thanks Vernon. Yes, had Mary lived longer and had more time to do additional damage I might have considered her worse than Henry. I mean I think she was on her way to having Elizabeth executed had she not died first.
I haven’t watched most of it yet but so far it’s similar to mine
Worst to best
Henry VIII
Mary I
Edward VI
Henry VII
Elizabeth I
Great minds think alike :-)
Ahhh one of my favorite videos by you. Thanks!
Solid ranking. Elizabeth and Henry VII are pretty close for me.
One point I might add that you didnt touch on was the fact that Henry VIII, on top of his messy personal life, was also kind of bad at his job. He drained the coffers his father had painstakingly built up on endless unsuccessful wars in France.
Thank you for the video
You're welcome Lynda and thanks for supporting by watching, especially right as the video comes out too. :-)
Thanks for this I’m surprised you left out the reasons for Jane’s execution and that Mary had wanted to spare her. It changes the narrative
I have a whole video on her death actually, but in the interests of time I couldn't get into it in great detail here. I think what ultimately matters though is that she didn't spare her, though she absolutely could have.
@@HistoryCalling As long as Jane lived, she would have been a rallying point for anyone opposed to Mary. I don't believe Mary had much choice in doing what she could to secure her throne.
@@VA-zr6xwThere's a lot of similarities here between Jane and Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth was reluctant to execute her but ultimately had to due to the threat she posed to her reign and her involvement (indirect and direct) in numerous plots to overthrow Elizabeth
@@HistoryCallingI don’t think Mary had a choice. A threat like that, with uprisings risking her throne and her life would almost always been eliminated at the time, and later
@@Chipoo88
Jane wanted nothing to do with the throne. There was at least some evidence that Mary was actively plotting to get it. Jane was a helpless teenager entirely unequipped to handle the situation she was suddenly put in. Mary was a fully grown adult and a former queen twice over. Jane was executed after less than a year in captivity. Mary was in the Tower for 14 years. There are substantial differences.
I would've put Henry vii as number as he fascinates me but agree with your opinions about Elizabeth I.
Why wud you put h7th with any credibilty he was a coward and a usurper!!
@@robynwalker3742
You're a Ricardian, aren't you?
Yes, Henry VII is very interesting. I can totally understand putting him at no. 1.
Excellent video! I agree with your list. Please rank some of the other royal houses, the Stuarts and the Stewarts, the Plantagenets, etc.
I mentally ranked them before I watched your list. I went back and forth between E1 and H7 a few times for the #1 spot, eventually settling for the exact same order you came up with. Great job. ❤
Hi, awesome live history video. I enjoyed it. How are you doing? How is the weather where you are ? I'm doing well. My cat Benjamin is doing well also. We have nice warm weather in Ontario, Canada. In the next video in the future. Could you do King Stephen the first. He was King in the 11 hundreds. Have a great day see you next video. HAPPY VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND to you 😊
Happy Victoria Day weekend to you too. I actually have a video about Empress Matilda which covers Stephen quite a bit too if you want to check it out. Weather here is good, but due to get a bit colder and wetter over the next few days. Give Benjamin a tickle behind the ears from me :-)
I Completely Agree With Your Placements On The Tudors! Great Video As Always :D ✨
Thanks Lydia :-)
I think, along with his earlier advisors, Katherine was a great influence on him. As you just mentioned, she prevented what could have been a successful invasion from the Scots, and generally seems to have helped him through his successful years. Ok, fine, I just took the chance to once again yap about my admiration from her lol, but what can I say haha
Yes, I think he was a twit to let her go for many reasons, though of course it gave us Elizabeth I in the end, so I'm afraid I wouldn't undo it.
Excellent point. It never occurred to me about Katherine being with Henry during his successful years.👍🏻
@@HistoryCalling but would Mary have been a much better ruler had all that likely very damaging stuff not happened, let alone the reformation. She might have married younger and been able to continue the dynasty to the next generation. And maybe married someone better suited to the role of consort, or even a co-monarch like William and Mary.
Spot on! I agree 100% I think best & worst were pretty much no brainers. There were mitigating factors for the middle 3 just as you mentioned, which gives you sympathy for their "bad sides". Great video & presentation.
Super comprehensive to me now! I could never just place it on a timeline for me to understand. Awesome job! How did we even survive to this day, as a species, is beyond me😂
I generally agree with your rankings - even though I might flip Henry VIII with Mary I as worst Tudor depending on my mood - complete agreement with Elizabeth as the obvious best Tudor of course - ty for another fun video HC
Yes, I could understand flipping those two. Had Mary reigned longer and had a chance to do more damage, perhaps I'd have reversed them too.
Before I listen and hear your ranking and reasoning, my order from worst to first are Edward VI, Henry VIII, Mary I, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, as I feel if Edward had lived a full life he'd have been worse than his father - but if we go without any hypotheticals, then I'd switch my bottom two.
Reading this, I think you'll be happy enough with my rankings :-)
@@HistoryCalling just finished and yes very similar! Right down to shared speculation of what Edward could have been had he reigned for a long time.
Yes, it's tough to know what would have been worse - five more years of Edward or the five years England got with Mary.
So much love from New Orleans ♥️⚜️♥️⚜️♥️⚜️♥️
Thanks Lisa and just as much back to you ♥️ :-)
Good evening to history calling from Bea
Hi Bea. Let me know how'd you rank them if you get the chance :-)
@@HistoryCallingiareagee with you
Thanks Bea :-)
This is the exact order that I would have chosen, and for the exact same reasons that you have stated. Well done!
18:40 Well, not exactly. Some Irish Catholics were persecuted by Elizabeth, we have cases like the massacre on Rathlin Island to prove this, Elizabeth even celebrated when she found out what happened. Also, underground Catholic churches existed during Elizabeth's reign. She was a good ruler, but associate her with a more tolerant image than Mary or Edward... I mean, Mary Stuart was a bad ruler, but much more tolerant than Elizabeth.
ooh this ought to be fun hehe, although we disagree in our rankings, apart from, I suspect, Henry VII somewhere at the top and Henry VIII at the bottom :)
Where we likely disagree the most is likely the placings of the sisters, Mary and Bess👀
Hi friend. Who is your favorite Hapsburg Monarch ?
Ah, let's see what you think. You can tell me after you've had a chance to watch. I look forward to hearing your own list.
@@DarthDread-oh2ne hello, interesting one! Idk much abt them but probably Charles V? Personally I rly hate him, and his reign could be seen as a failure in some ways (he certainly thought so himself) but the others managed to he worse imo
@@HistoryCalling I just did, in reply to your question in the comments :)
@@HistoryCallingI also commented it on your instagram post though- istg I am chased- they wouldn’t let me post the comment at first bc it clashed with their policies??😭 I swear it was only a list💀
It’s because of Henry VIII that we’re even talking about the Tudors 500 years on. He may have been a tyrant, but he’s made billions for the British tourism industry.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. 101% agree
Agree completely … worst husband, but not the worst monarch … definitely would have ranked both his daughter (Mary), and his son below him … I understand Mary’s life was quite tragic, but I can’t really think of one positive thing she did for the country … her brother didn’t do much, either, not that he really had the chance - but it was his attempt to change the line of succession that directly led to Lady Jane Grey’s death … both he and Mary were too focused on religion, and not the overall good of the country.
He wasn't a tyrant, though. He actually gave Parliament more powers, and started the road to democracy!
@@LynneConnolly He waged a civil war on the Catholic North of his kingdom and killed more than 75000 people. Meanwhile his daughter, who killed around 300, got the name Bloody Mary.
@@stefaniebraun3319 your numbers are way out. How many soldiers did Mary "kill" when she lost Calais? Henry remained a Catholic to the end of his days, he merely seceded from Rome. His son declared England to be a Protestant country. It was his daughter Elizabeth who persecuted Catholic priests and other Catholics in the latter part of her reign. Henry reigned for 38 years, Mary for 5. Some of the deaths were for treason, after the Pilgrimage of Grace. Similarly, there were many executions in Mary's reign after Wyatt's rebellion. Henry never murdered anyone. Whatever we think of the legalities of his reign, they were all executed under the law. Henry didn't take as much interest in law reform as his father, so most of the laws were in place. When you discount the casualties of war and the people executed for treason after a rebellion, it works out as similar. I would say Mary edges him out.
I totally agree with your rankings with all of your reasons given!
Thank you :-)
You had basically the same ranking I did, though I personally didn't bother ranking Edward because of how little of his reign was actually his own. (One of those "this data point is not comparable" sorts of things, I suppose)
Haha, yes that's a good way of putting it with regards to Edward.
When I saw the title in my notifications, I began going through all the Tudors, including Jane Gray and the wives. I got a nice cuppa and a snack whilst contemplating the list. Yes, of course, I had determined Elizabeth was best. I had to reassess when I found we were to consider just the five and there I placed Mary at worst. I had Henry VII second, Henry VIII as third and Edward VI next. This was fun!
I agree with your order but it's only because they were an horrendous bunch that Henry Vii gets second place!
I read one article that said, "Never has anyone been given so much credit for being someone's grandfather!"
Still I look at my own very small grandchildren and find hope in that!
Haha, I understand what you mean. Even Elizabeth could be ferocious and she's my number one. I think we have to see them in the context of the times in which they lived though and for me, Henry VII was actually pretty decent within those parameters.
Spot on, right down the line; and I'd certainly argue just as you have done.
I agree with your reasons for why Elizabeth never married, but I'd be tempted to add another: Anne of Cleves had a very good relationship with Elizabeth. Do you think her apparent contentment as an independent woman might have influenced Elizabeth to some small extent?
Also, you make a point that Elizabeth failed to provide for succession. As Robert Cecil had begun communicating with James possibly as early as 1600 (albeit in secret), I've a difficult time believing Elizabeth was completely ignorant of his machinations.
I agree, Elizabeth is #1. When I looked at what today's HC video was, I said in all American verbage, "Well duh, Elizabeth I, that's a no brainer there. Then I cut to the end to see what your #1 pick was. Great minds think alike. lol
They do indeed :-)
I agree, my immediate thought was Elizabeth as Nr. 1 as well.
Woow great video thanks @Historycalling
@Historycalling I have to say Henry VII BECAUSE what he went through and to boot and how hard he fought ...I agree about the worst is He ry the VIII
Almost the same ranking as I'd put them. I'd swap Elizabeth I and Henry VII. His achievement of outlawing armed affinities is overlooked but very important, while the post-Armada spanish war and conquest of Ireland are under-discussed stains on Elizabeth I. Good job putting H8 at the bottom, he really was just the worst!
I can’t disagree with your rankings. I will disagree with you on one area with Elizabeth I….i believe she was in love with Doctor Who also 😂❤.
Excellent analysis…and I hope to keep learning until I shuffle off my mortal coil, and have ceased to be 🦜
Little known historical fact. Elizabeth I did marry the Doctor, but the groom ran off before the marriage could be consumated.
Haha, yes they did have great chemistry, didn't they? :-)
Wow.. stunning to see all their portraits together you can definitely tell the influence of Edward IV and his queen, through their daughter Elizabeth of York. The golden red hair, the face... And inversely how Katherine and Anne Boleyn added spice in their daughters. It was quite unexpected having never seen them all laid out in order
There's a poem attributed to Elizabeth I written during her imprisonment under the reign of Mary I. Allegedly, she scratched the following onto her window with a diamond ring while being held at Woodstock:
Much suspected by me,
Nothing proved can be,
Quoth Elizabeth prisoner.
That quote has always moved me near to tears, and I really don't know why. Whether it's truly her work, I think it's eery and beautiful.
Another plug for Henry VII: every British monarch since - including Charles III - is descended from him. The family might not carry his name, but it’s his blood that’s still on the throne today.
I agree with you 👑
Great video! The ranking depends strongly to what the criteria you use to rank them. Best for the country, best one in jousting, greatest dealer in foreign affairs, most humain etc.
My personal list, solely on clicking preferences😊, is; Edward, Mary, Henry VII, Elisabeth and finally the one i click the most vids on is Henry VIII. He simply is the ultimate clickbait!
Thanks for this unique topic!
Ah, now who is the most clickbaity is another matter. In that case Henry VIII might indeed take the top spot.
Good ranking, there is no perfect answer as no monarch is perfect but I'd probably switch Mary I and Henry VIII.
5. Mary I - in some ways a sympathetic character and perhaps a victim of 'history is written by the winners', but as queen it seems like everything she did was an embarrassing failure and she was fighting against the inevitable, which ended up affecting her health and her reign is looked at as an unfortunate 5 year blotch on history.
4. Henry VIII - it's pretty fitting that England's most famous king is probably the most divisive. Although he took power to extreme levels, I feel like he ended up granting more power and freedom to England by taking it away from the Pope/Catholic Church. If there's one thing a country likes, it's more freedom, avoiding possible revolutions in future as a constitutional monarch took over.
3. Edward VI - hard to judge a kid but his reign must have done a good job at stabilising England into Protestantism so that Mary's best efforts to do otherwise proved fruitless.
2. Henry VII - his stern and controlled personality makes him stand out from many other monarchs extravagance and the chaos they brought.
1. Liz I - no question really, I look at her as the bridge between the medieval tyrant monarchs and the modern day people's monarch.
Perhaps the top 2 being the first and last Tudor means the dynasty did at least put things in the right order.
Excellent ranking and reasoning. I know it's not perfectly aligned with mine, but you make great points as to why you've flipped Mary and H8.
I enjoy your Tudor videos very much.
I understand your ranking, although I can't agree.
my ranking is:
1. Elizabeth I
2. Henry VII
3. Henry VIII
4. Edward VI
5. Mary I
Ah well, we agree on the top two at least :-)
Great choices! It’s tough to place Edward, as he was so young, and a lot of decisions were made by the men around him. I have a lot of sympathy for Mary because of everything she endured, but you’re right nevertheless to put her so close to the bottom. Elizabeth as number one is kind of a no-brainer, and Henry VII is a great choice for number two. LOL at putting Henry VIII in last place. Although if even one of his sons with Catherine had survived, we would likely view his reign very differently, and the whole course of English history would have changed.
Oh yes, absolutely. If he and Catherine's New Year's boy of 1511 had lived, the ranking would be totally different. Three of the people on it might never have been born and even if Mary had existed, she'd probably have been married off to some foreign Prince or King. Henry VIII probably would have had just one wife (or maybe two if Catherine of Aragon had still died in 1536 and he'd remarried) and we'd probably all say what a nice chap he was on the whole, right before everyone heads out to mass as the Reformation likely wouldn't have happened. :-) I feel like there's an historical fiction novel in there somewhere :-)
What a great video and I’m in total agreement with you.
Thank you very much :-)
My Ranking (best to worst):
1. Henry 7th ( I’m Welsh, his story is epic, his financial policy was sound, very hardworking)
2. Elisabeth ( Very Wise like her grandfather but she was given a more stable country in many respects)
3. Edward ( Young and religious policy was at least potentially successful)
4. Henry 8th ( Bad person but at least his policies were somewhat rational based on circumstances. )
5. Mary ( Very sympathetic but ultimately her rule was disastrous and if she had lived longer and had a child there was probably a high likelihood of a civil war)
This is all based on my personal opinion.
ooo yes please! can’t wait to hear it HC :)
Thank you. Enjoy :-)
@@HistoryCalling always!!
Excellent, as always, HC. Thank you. I cannot defend Mary, but (here goes) the serious emotional abuse from her father and his cronies exacted such serious trauma on her that she was basically unable to function, really, as a sane person. I cannot feel sorry for her just as I can't feel much for any ruler or person who orders executions for their versions of the divine (Looking at you H8 & Gloriana.).
Yes, I think she was terribly damaged by him too. It's sad to think of what she could have been if only she'd been allowed to grow up in peace.
And I agree with your #5. He wouldn't have got far without the help of all those Thomases and Audley as Lord Chancellor.
Precisely. He was lucky he had better men (and women) to lean on throughout so much of his life.
Wow I have a whole new respect for Henry VII. I didn’t know a lot about him before. Thank you for this video
Henry VIII is my favourite Tudor because of his wives! He is not the reason for being my favourite but his wives especially Anne Of Cleves!
I like you videos but I would love to see a comparison between Stephen & Matilda. Who was more legitimate & who would have been the better ruler
I have a video all about how Matilda lost the throne which is quite similar to what you're asking for. It didn't do as well as I would have liked though, so I don't know if I'd revisit the topic.
@@HistoryCalling I must have missed that one somehow. I’ll go back & look! ❤
@@HistoryCalling It's too bad, given cousin marriage was accepted, that they couldn't marry and unite their claims. Although being of a rather obstinate nature and having been an empress, Matilda might have been a difficult bride.
I agree that Elizabeth I is the obvious pick for number 1…. you did win me over to consider Henry 7th as second. Your description of both Henrys, highlights how the father and son were seemingly polar opposites
They were indeed so different. I think had Henry VIII had to work for the throne and gained it a bit later in life, it would have been much better.
Henry 7 is my favorite...the reason is his settling of the wars of the roses and his hanging onto the throne and beginning England's turnaround
Agree with your rankings 💯! 😀
Yay, thank you! :-)
I just love how as soon as you say "before we get to number 1" (elizibeth) there's just 5 thumbnails with her on it
1) Henry VII. I dropped an essay about why on the poll, lol, but I think your assessment of him is very accurate & fair.
2) Elizabeth- the usual reasons; I just rate Henry higher overall- far less executions, for starters.
3) Mary- not amazing, but very unfairly maligned, & probably would've been a decent queen of a Catholic country.
4) Edward- I agree that he didn't do enough to judge, but seemed like a religious tyrant in the making.
5) Henry VIII- he was Henry VIII.
I think historians are a bit too harshon Edward. He was a kid who never even reached the age of consent before he died. 15 is DEFINITELY not to young to be manipulated. Kings (like his father) struggled well into their early twenties with being controlled by much older advisors. What chance did Edward have?
His entire life, his so called "Protecters" manipulated and used him for their own ends. They isolated him from those who actually loved him, like Mary.
Not to mention the kind of tramua a kid like him would have. His tradgedies are muxh overshadowed by his sisters', but even as the King's golden child he would have had issues. One stepmother was beheaded, one who he was close with more or less betrayed him then died, his uncle also betrayed him then killed his dog. Je was made to believe his sister was betraying him. And again, he spent his life being isolated from his sisters and manipulated.
And I don't think it's fair to blame him for Jane's death either. He was a child on his death bed, probably with adults whispering in his ear that he's about to be tortured for eternity and damn the souls of his subjects if he didn't do that. I blame her father and father-in-law much more than Edward.
Yes, I agree that Edward was certainly not his own man (or boy) and a lot of what happened in his reign was the fault of his Protectors and advisors. I still think he was probably on his way to becoming a tyrant mind you.
Queen bess is certainly top Tudor HC, and my rankings are the same as yours, a very interesting Topic thank you as always.
Thanks Simon :-)
Ah, this video was one bright spot on a sad Monday!
I agree with all of your rankings. Re: Henry VIII, much as I love Anne B, Catherine was a pretty terrific queen, the way you sum up their 20 year marriage.
I’d never blamed Edward that much, because of his youth, but yes, you’re right, he could have caused a civil war. On the other hand, I think Mary would have been a terrible queen no matter what.
If only Henry had never killed Anne and made Elizabeth his heir… this would have been the best scenario with the benefit of a lot of hindsight.
Thanks Mary. Glad I brightened up your Monday :-) It's interesting to speculate what would have happened if Henry remained with AB with Elizabeth as heir. She would have become Queen at 13, so I wonder if her big sister might have made a bid for the throne? There would have been a messy minority at the very least I think.
@@HistoryCalling Excellent point I didn't really think about (maybe because I have my Anne B/Elizabeth goggles on). Although perhaps Anne would have solidified her legitimacy, had she lived, and bolstered support for Elizabeth enough that Mary might not have wanted to challenge her half-sister's support. On the other hand, public opinion may have remained against Anne and Elizabeth, which again would have resulted in conflict.
Regardless, as complicated as representative democracies can be...at least we no longer have situations where kids are literally put in charge of entire friggin' countries just because they happen to be born to the right parents, which is quite a relief!
I agree with your top two, however I placed young Edward last because of his relative lack of lifelong accomplishments, good or bad. As you stated, he wasn't really in charge for most of his reign, so there's very little by which to judge him.
Other than him, we're right in sync.👍
Elizabeth, Henry VII, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward.
Another comment I'm so glad you explained that Henry VIII didn't turn the country protestant as do many commentators do
I would swap Henry VII and Elizabeth I, and swap Mary I and Edward VI. I always find Elizabeth overrated, I blame English historians, some of them sound like Swifties making documentaries about Taylor.
Henry VII signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Scotland, Henry VIII basically destroyed it for no reason, he wanted to prove himself at war, that was it. Henry VII would never have gone into a war he didn’t think was necessary.
To be Mary I, she didn’t want to execute Lady Jane Grey, she held out even when her advisors wanted her to execute Jane. It was only after Wyatt’s rebellion, the execution was carried out. She was quite conciliatory at the start of her reign. The only execution which seems vengeful was Thomas Cranmer. If she had been bloodthirsty Elizabeth wouldn’t have survived.
Haha, the Swifties comparison made me smile. :-) I wonder sometimes if Mary had lived if she would have ended up killing Elizabeth though? I kinda think that's the way it was headed. I know she didn't want to kill Jane initially, but at the end of the day she still did even though the girl (and her husband) were blameless with regards to the rebellion. When it comes to killing someone, I just don't think almost letting them live counts.
W idea i should do a ranking like this too
Wasn’t the Tudor Rose a creation of Henry VII? That was an incredible bit of PR.
I don’t really have favorites/rankings. Each was so multifaceted. I enjoy the whole era.
Yes, he blended together his red rose and his wife's York white rose. One of the best PR stunts in English history, I agree, as we're still using it today.
I agree with your rankings. Henry VII comes across as a good administrator and much more even tempered than any of his descendants. Elizabeth could be argued as having set the country on the path to a dominant position in world affairs. With the exception of Henry VII I think life anywhere near the throne would be a high anxiety affair. A fascinating but largely unpleasant group.
Mary and Elizabeth might not have gotten along, but the both had to fight hard to get to the throne
Absolutely. It's sad that they were destined to be such rivals. I wonder what their relationship would have been like if they'd both been the same religion?
Its a question we will sadly never know the answer too.@HistoryCalling
HC, thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I agree with you 100% on your assessment. I think H VIII being ranked in last place is entirely just since he was the worst kind of tyrant and caused so much misery in his lifetime. It will always be unknown if his jousting accident caused a brain injury resulting in terrible behavior - I prefer to think that this was the cause, but it doesn't totally excuse him. I think history has treated H VIII as he deserved, being left in a temporary vault in St. George's Chapel to this day, with his casket reportedly broken open from either damage by the burial of others (KC I and an infant daughter of QA), or gas building in the body causing the casket to rupture. Nobody ever thought H VIII was worthy of a better burial.
Henry the 8th ? In last place ? Yes. That's where I would have placed him. Indeed if I could have placed him in a negative position I would have done so.
I think a lot of people would feel the same way :-)
You can come for me but me... Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon 🔛🔝