The Tudors were a Welsh-English family that ruled England from 1485 to 1603. Henry Tudor was the son of Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III through an illegitimate line, and Edward Tudor. When Richard III was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485, Henry Tudor then claimed the throne as King Henry VII. Henry and his wife, Elizabeth of York, created a great dynasty that would rule England through their son, grandchildren and one of their great-grandchildren for the next 116 years.

The House of Tudor ruled England and Wales at a key period in Europe. This lengthy period of peace and dynastic stability provided a much need respite from the Lancastrian-Yorkist wars. Under Henry VII, the English government became more stable and centralised. Government ran more efficiently, royal power replaced that of aristocrats and there was a uniform system of justice and taxation throughout the country.