Who is it?

• First Tudor Monarch
• Won the Battle of Bosworth Field in the War of the Roses
• Began the process of centralizing control of England under one king, is thus known as one of the "New Monarchs"

Who is it?

• Combatant in the "Manly Man" dynastic wars of the early 16th century
• Earned the title "Defender of the Faith" when he protected the Pope in the early 1520s
• Broke with the Pope when the pope refused to grant his divorce request when he pushed through parliament the "Act of Supremacy" which declared that he was the head of the ANGLICAN church, not subject to the Pope.

Who is it?

• Rose to the throne after the death of her half brother Edward VI.
• Daughter of Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
• DEVOUT Catholic.
• Nicknamed "Bloody ____" for her brutal supression of Protestants during her five year reign 1553-1558
• Died of a bouncing Baby Tumor, which she thought, at first was a real baby.

Who is it?

• Second Daughter of Henry VIII
• Born to Anne Boleyn
• Called self the "Virgin Queen" because she never married
• Stabilized Religious situation in England, made it more "Protestant" with the Thirty Nine Acts
• Defeated Philip II's "Spanish Armada" in 1588
• Her reign is sometimes called the "Golden Age" of England as she supported the Arts and Literature (Shakespeare) and began exploration of the "New World"

Who is it?

• First Stuart dynasty monarch--also king of Scotland, the first time the English and Scotish crowns are united.
• Cousin of Elizabeth, son of Mary, Queen of Scots whom Elizabeth had executed in 1587.
• Authorized the development of the what is often called the "Authorized Version" of the Bible, in the English language
• James fought with Parliament over his rights as a king (wanted to be Absolute, but they wouldn't let him).
• Survived several assassination attempts, the most notable being the 1605 "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up Parliament.
• The ever handsome George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham was his "Court Favorite"

Who is it?

• Even more stubborn than his father, he fought with Parliament as he tried to be an Absolute Monarch.
• His fights, including his refusal to follow through with  the "Petition of Right" that he signed, led to civil war in England from 1642-1649. 
• Civil War between the "Roundheads"(Puritans/supporters of Parliament) and the "Cavaliers" (supporters of king)
• Was beheaded in 1649

Who is it?

• Dissolved the Commonwealth (Republic) that was in charge of England after the execution of Charles I.
• Came to power in 1653 when he used a law called the "Instrument of Government" to create a "Protectorate" in England--which essentially made him a military dictator.
• He tried to legislate morality by banning dance, pubs, theatre, secular music etc. etc.
• Period of his rule is often called the "Interregnum" or "Period between kings"

Who is it?

• Asked to return to rule England after the death of Oliver Cromwell
• His reign is called the "Restoration" after the return of the monarchy. 
• His 25 years in power were relatively peaceful.

Who is it?

• Refused to learn lessons of his father and attempted to make England an absolute monarchy
• Was very Catholic and wanted to return England to the Catholic fold.
• Was ousted in 1688 by the bloodless revolution called the "Glorious Revolution" which put his daughter and her husband on the throne instead.

Who is it?

• Ruled as "Co-rulers" of England starting in 1688.
• Invited by Parliament to "invade" England in a bloodless revolution called the "Glorious Revolution"
• Agreed to sign the "English Bill of Right(s)" which established Parliament and the English government as superior to individual rulers.
• England's first "Constitutional Monarchs"

Who is it?

• Ruled England from 1760-1820
• Third of the Hanoverian kings (from Hanover in Germany)
• It was under his rule that the American Colonies broke from England.
• It was under his rule that England faced the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars
• He is said to have slowly gone insane and was "mad" by the end of his reign.

Who is it?

• Longest reigning monarch in English history (1837-1901)
• Presided over radical social changes in England.
• Rise of Mass Politics and second wave of Imperialism.
• Closely allied with conservative politician Benjamin Disraeli.
• Lends her name to an era of conservative social attitudes.

Who is it?

• Felt that having a german dynasty rule England during WWI was not a good idea so he changed his family name from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (branch of the Hanoverians) to Windsor.
• Ruled England from 1910-1936 

Who is it?

• Was the king of England for less than a year.
• Chose to abdicate his throne to his younger brother and go into exile in France rather than give up the love of his life, Wallace Simpson, who was an American and a Divorcee.

Who is it?

• Presided over England during WWII.
• Came to the throne after his brother abdicated in order to marry the woman he loved.
• He and his wife were seen as heroic because as the German Luftwaffe attacked London, they refused to evacuate but suffered the air bombings along with their population.

Who is it?

• Queen of England from 1952-?.
• Is currently the second longest reigning monarch.
• Presided over the dissolution of the British Empire and the Cold War.
• Is, more than any monarch before her, mostly a figurehead/head of state with little actual power.

Who is it?

• Able and powerful (most powerful man in Britain from 1721-1742) Prime Minister of England under the two "German Georgies"
• He was a dynamic speaker, an intelliegent man, and a hard worker.
• He was first minister of the treasury and used that to create the firm position of Prime Minister (First Minister of the State).
• Brought fiscal (money) responsibilty to Britain and pursued peace which allowed British government to grow.
• His period in power in Parliament established the model for which all other Prime Ministers would follow.

Who is it?

• Led the British Parliament through the Liberal Party in the late 19th century.
• Classic liberal--supported free enterprise with no state intervention in business (Laissez Faire)
• Good government should remove obstacles to talent, competition, and indivudual initiative.
• Did many things to reform Britain including:
  
  • abolishing tariffs and cutting defense spending, lowering taxes, sound budgets.
  • pulled the Church of England out of Ireland, which was upsetting the Irish.
  • Reformed the army--promotion by Merit rather than by buying/politics/seniority.
  • Did the same in Civil Service.
  • Secret Ballot made the law.
  • Elementary education available to all.

Who is it?

• Conservative leader of Parliament
• Supported state intervention on behalf of the weak and disadvantaged.
  
  • Factory Act, Public Health Act, Artisans Dwelling Act, Trade Union Act. 
• Supported the importance of traditional institutions to English society including monarchy, House of Lords, and the Church of England.
• Adapted his party to deal well with the new age of Mass Politics.
• Because he believed in interventionist policies (government intervenes to correct and protect its citizens/subjects) he can be put in the same category as Otto von Bismarck and Napoleon III (his contemporaries).

Who is it?

• Sent to "reason" with Adolph Hitler in 1938 over the issue of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia.
• Convinced France to give the Sudetenland to Hitler out of his belief that this would "appease him".
• This action, taken at the Munich Conference in 1938, became known as "Appeasement".
• Often seen by people looking back as "weak and cowardly" for appeasing Hitler, but he was operating under the assumption that Hitler was a reasonable and sane man who wanted to avoid war.
• Announced upon appeasing Hitler that the Munich conference had "achieved peace for our time."

Who is it?

• Was Prime Minister of England during WWII
• Gave heroic speech before the Parliament during the Battle of Britain "whatever the cost may be,
  we shall fight on the beaches,
  we shall fight on the landing grounds,
  we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
  we shall fight in the hills;
  we shall never surrender"
• Was one of the "Big Three"--the other two being Stalin and FDR who ruled the major allied combatants during WWII.
• After World War II is famous for coining the term "Iron Curtain" to define the area of Eastern Europe under Soviet Rule as the Cold War began.

Who is it?

• Known as the "Iron Lady" she was Britains first female Prime Minister.
• she established economic conservatism in England during the 1980s.
• Was committed, however, to expanding England's role in the European Union.