How Much Do You Know About Tudor England?

By: Jaclyn lavine
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How Much Do You Know About Tudor England?
Image: Youtube

About This Quiz

The reign of King Henry VIII, with his six wives and six siblings, is full of intrigue, betrayal, beheadings and despair. From the reign of his daughter "Bloody Mary" to the death of his 15-year old son, the life and times of Henry VIII make today’s soap operas pale in comparison. Just what happened to each of Henry VIII's wives?

But how much do you really know? Are you a history buff? Or maybe you’re Intrigued as to the role the Church played to assure Henry VIII could divorce? Whatever your level of interest, you’ll most likely learn a bit more by taking this quiz. Do it now and get into a Tudor Period frame of mind.

Did you know that Katherine Howard was a mere 19 years of age when she married the 49-year-old Henry VIII? How about the fact that Queen Mary I imprisoned and threatened to execute her sister, Elizabeth, because Mary was terrified that Elizabeth would seize her crown? The intrigue, the behind-the-scenes alliances, make this historical era thrilling and worthy of study. 

Take the quiz now and see how much you know. See how much you'll learn by getting Tudor tidbits along the way. Start now by clicking the button below.

What was Mary I's nickname when she was queen?
Ugly Mary
Bloody Mary
Mary I was a devout Catholic and sought to reverse any religious freedom that her father had allowed during his reign. Mary, I got the nickname Bloody Mary because she beheaded and executed numerous Protestants​ leaders
Mary Contrary
Mary Be Weary
How many wives did Henry VIII have?
5
15
6
Henry VIII had 6 wives, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Howard.
8
Which wife was originally married to Henry's brother?
Anne Boleyn
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon was first married to Henry's older brother, Arthur. After Arthur passed away and Henry took the throne, Catherine claimed the marriage had never been consummated and she and Henry wed.

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Which woman was rumored to have a physical deformity?
Catherine of Aragon
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Parr
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was rumored to have 6 fingers on one of her hands.
How many of Henry's wives were actually beheaded?
6
2
Henry executed two of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard for supposed infidelity. The jury​ is still out as to whether Anne was unfaithful but Catherine Howard admitted to having an affair with Thomas Culpepper.
1
4
Which wife's sister had an affair with Henry before she married him?
Catherine Howard
Jane Seymour
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn's sister Mary, had an affair with the king before her sister Anne married him.
Anne of Cleves

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How many times did Henry get divorced?
0
1
2
Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon claiming that she had lied and that she had consummated her marriage with Arthur. He also divorced Anne of Cleves because he found her unattractive and was unable to consummate the marriage.
3
Who was Henry's youngest wife?
Anne of Cleves
Catherine of Aragon
Katherine Howard
Henry was 49 when he married Kitty Howard, pretty old for the times and Kitty was only 19.
Jane Seymour
Who was Henry VIII's mother?
Elizabeth of Buckingham
Victoria of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was sister to the two princes who disappeared. She was rumored to have an affair with Richard III who also happened to be her uncle before marrying Henry's father.
Victoria of Winchester

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What color hair did Henry have?
Blonde
Red
Henry was known for his flaming red hair.
Brunette
Gray
Who was Henry VIII's father?
Richard III
Henry II
Charles III
Henry VII
Henry VII was the last king of England to win the throne in battle. He cemented his reign by marrying Elizabeth of York despite speculation that she had an affair with her uncle, Richard III.
How many sons did Henry VIII have?
0
1
Henry only had one son, Edward VI whom he had with Jane Seymour. Unfortunately, at age 15 he became terminally ill and passed on shortly after.
2
3

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How many legitimate children did Henry have?
1
0
2
3
4
Not including stillborns, Henry VIII had 4 legitimate​ children but not all made it to adulthood.
How many of Henry's legitimate children made it to adulthood?
0
1
2
Edward VI only made it to age 15. His other two children made it to adulthood.
3
How many illegitimate children did Henry have?
12
10
8
6
Catherine and Henry Cary, daughter and son of his mistress Mary Boleyn (Anne's sister), John Perrot son of Mary Berkely who was already married, Thomas Stuckley son of Jane Pollard who was also already married, Richard Edwardes born to Mrs. Agnes Edward, and Ethelreda Matle born to Joan Dingley​.

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Which children actually sat on England's throne?
Henry Fitzroy and Elizabeth II
Mary I and Edward VI
Mary I, Edward VI, and Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I and Mary I also took control of the throne​ after Edward VI died.
Elizabeth II and Mary I
How many siblings did Henry VIII have?
2
3
8
6
Henry had 6 siblings, Margaret, Arthur, Mary, Edmund, Katherine​, and Elizabeth.
Which sibling did Queen Mary I imprison and threaten to execute?
Elizabeth I
Mary was terrified that Elizabeth would seize her crown so she had her imprisoned.
Edward VI
Thomas Stuckley
Richard Edwards

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How many years did Queen Mary I sit on the throne?
2
10
3
5
Mary was queen from July 1553 until her death.
How did Mary I die?
She was murdered by angry English Catholics
Elizabeth II had her beheaded
She died during childbirth
She died from some type of cancer
No one knows what Mary died f​rom. Her inability to get pregnant and the location of her pain lead many people to believe she died from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer.
Who was Elizabeth I's mom?
Catherine of Aragon
Jane Seymour
Anne Boleyn
While Henry VIII, loved all of his children, the fact that Anne had only given him one child, and a daughter at that, became one of the reasons why Henry had her executed (under the guise of infidelity). ​
Anne of Cleves

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How old was Elizabeth when her mother was executed?
6 months
1 year old
4 years old
2 years old
After her mother's death, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the royal succession.
What came between Mary I and Elizabeth I?
A man
The fact that Elizabeth's mother, Anne, was the reason why Henry divorced Mary.
Bloody Mary executed numerous English Protestants. At the start of her reign, she still trusted and loved her sister. Mary soon saw Elizabeth as a Protestant threat and a potential​ rebellion starter.
Religion
Their brother
How old was Elizabeth when she became queen?
15
30
25
At 25 Elizabeth became queen. The people of England were quite happy to have her on ​the throne after the terror caused by her sister and was well-liked by all the citizens.
18

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Was Elizabeth as staunchly a Protestant as Mary was a Catholic?
Yes, Elizabeth seized many English Catholics and had them imprisoned.
Yes, she enacted many laws declaring that Protestantism was the only religion allowed in England.
No, she wasn't religious at all.
No, she was actually quite tolerant of other religions even though she was a declared Protestant herself.
Elizabeth was very pragmatic when it came to religion. She never wanted to alienate either group even though she was a supporter of the Church of England​.
What color hair did Elizabeth have?
Dark brown like her mother
A soft shade of blonde
Jet black
Red, just like her father.
Elizabeth was the only child of Henry (out of the 3 surviving​ legitimate children) to inherit Henry's hair.
How many times was Elizabeth married?
0
Elizabeth never got married and insisted that she was instead, married to her kingdom and her subjects.
1
2
3

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Did Elizabeth always plan not getting married?
Yes. Elizabeth didn't believe in love. Growing up around her father and his many wives completely turned her off to the idea of marriage.
Yes, after the execution of he mother, Elizabeth swore never to lay with a man.
Yes, she did declare she would never get married but she was very young.
During the earlier years of her reign, there were several foreign suitors vying for Elizabeth's hand and she was considered quite pretty.
No, she desperately wanted to get married but nobody wanted to marry her.
Why didn't Elizabeth marry Robert Dudley?
He was married
English nobility wanted her to marry someone else in order to form an alliance.
After his wife died many accused Robert of killing her so that he could marry Elizabeth.
All of the above.
There are many possible reasons why Elizabeth never married Dudley, and most of them are probably true in some way or another. Her close confidantes and advisers did not want her to marry him. Instead,​ they wanted her to form an alliance through marriage. After Dudley's wife died, the scandal and the accusations that he murdered her, were too much for Elizabeth's reputation to handle.
Did Robert Dudley love Elizabeth?
No, he loved his wife.
Yes, he was in love with Elizabeth.
Numerous uncovered letters between the two suggest that they were indeed in love. He was known as her "favorite​" and even had his bedchamber moved next to her own.
No, he just thought of her has a friend.
No, he had preferred her sister, Mar.

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Who was Mary Queen of Scot's?
Mary Queen of Scott's was duh, the Queen of Scotland and Elizabeth's cousin.
Mary was also a catholic and had a distant claim to the English throne.
Mary Queen of Scotts was duh, the Queen of Scotland and Elizabeth's half sister
Mary Queen of Scott's was duh, the Queen of Scotland and Henry VIII's bastard child.
Mary Queen of Scott's was duh, the Queen of Scotland, was a renegade that stole the Scottish throne and was coming for England.
What happened to Mary?
Elizabeth defeated her in battle and she lived out her life in the Tower.
Elizabeth defeated her and had her executed after many years in prison.
Elizabeth did not want to kill her cousin which is why she was left in prison for 19 years. Unfortunately for Mary, the Catholic rising in the north aimed to free Mary and put her on the English throne. Pretending to the crown was punishable by death but Elizabeth claims she never order it and most accounts actually say she didn't. Either​ way, Mary was beheaded and Elizabeth carried remorse the rest of her life.
Elizabeth defeated her and made her a lady in waiting for the rest of her life.
Mary defeated Elizabeth and became Queen of England.
How many years did Elizabeth reign?
5
15
25
44
Elizabeth held the thrown for 44 years through war and political and religious turmoil​. In fact, the Elizabethan Era is named after her!

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What famous playwright did Elizabeth support?
Christopher Marlowe
Ben Jonson
William Shakespeare
Elizabeth loved the theater. She probably supported many other famous playwrights at the time but most notable is of course, Shakespeare​, During her reign, professional theaters were built all around England.
Francis Beaumont
How did Elizabeth die?
Depression and old age
Although she was getting older, her health had remained fair until 1602. In a short span of time, ​many of her closest friends died which plunged Elizabeth into a horrible depression of which she never recovered. On March 24th, 1603 the last Tudor monarch died of old age and a broken heart.
Poison
Assassination
She never did!
You Got:
/35
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