This book will delve into how the Tudors exerted their control over their empire and domains, stretching from the Old War to the colonies of the New. The Tudors remain one of Britain’s most fascinating royal dynasties. Their thirst for control surged due to the family’s paranoid obsession about being interlopers who were never destined to be monarchs. Throughout the sixteenth century, the Tudors added more and more territories to their portfolio, but this growth came at a bloody cost. Each monarch attempted to expand their control of the kingdom: Henry VII consolidated his authority across the realm, Henry VIII had visions of a French empire, and Elizabeth I oversaw the travels and travails of the seadogs in the New World. This book will delve into how the Tudors exerted their control over their empire and domains, stretching from the north of England, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, all the way to European possessions, as well as fresh colonies in the New World. It utilizes contemporary sources with further engagement in wider historical debate to provide an accessible introduction into this era for readers.

This book recasts one of the most well-studied and popularly-beloved eras in history: the tumultuous span from the 1485 accession of Henry VII to the 1603 death of Elizabeth I. Though many have gravitated toward this period for its high drama and national importance, the book offers a new narrative by focusing on another facet of the British past that has exercised an equally powerful grip on audiences: imperialism. It argues that the sixteenth century was pivotal to the making of both Britain and the British Empire. Unearthing over a century of theorizing about and probing into the world beyond England’s borders, Tudor Empire shows that foreign enterprise at once mirrored, responded to, and provoked domestic politics and culture, while decisively shaping the Atlantic World. Demonstrating that territorial expansion abroad and national consolidation and identity formation at home were concurrent, intertwined, and mutually reinforcing, the author examines some of the earliest ventures undertaken by the crown and its subjects in France, Scotland, Ireland, and the Americas. Tudor Empire is a thought-provoking, essential read for those interested in the Tudors and the British Empire that they helped create.