Ranking the Tudors | Who Was the Best Tudor? Who Was the Worst Tudor?

From History Calling

In my opinion, Henry VIII was the best, and Mary I was the best.

How would you go about RANKING THE TUDORS, specifically the Tudor monarchs? There are five to choose from; Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I (no Lady Jane Grey I’m afraid, as she wasn’t really a Tudor and I don’t see her as genuine monarch either). As members of what I think is England’s most famous royal dynasty, much ink has been spilt on all of them, but who’s your favourite Tudor monarch and who’s your least? Do you think Henry VIII was just misunderstood, or that Gloriana was the worst thing to happen to England this side of 1066? In today’s royal history documentary from History Calling, I’m going to take you through my personal ranking and explain why I’m putting them in this order. I’m sure there will be cries of treason in the comments from people who disagree with my choices, but you can share your own ranking with everyone there as well. I’ll be thinking about how hard these Tudor Kings and Queens had to work to get and keep the throne, how they treated their subjects (and sometimes their family members) while they were there, any mitigating factors which might explain their bad behaviour and their posthumous reputations. Events discussed will include the end of the Wars of the Roses, the six wives of Henry VIII, Edward VI’s experiences of being a child monarch with a Lord Protector, the gruesome fate of his two uncles, Thomas Seymour and Edward Seymour, Mary I’s habit of burning Protestants at the stake and Elizabeth I’s famous jealous streak, temper tantrums and refusal to marry.