Between the years 1485 and 1600, England was ruled by a new dynasty: the Tudors. The Tudors were some of the most famous monarchs in European history. There were six Tudor monarchs. The first Tudor monarch of England was Henry VII. The next monarch was Henry VIII, his son Edward VI, Jane Grey, and Henry VIII's two daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I are the best-known monarchs; however, all monarchs experienced both success and failure during their reign. Henry VII began the Tudor dynasty when he ascended the throne in the early autumn of 1485. He earned the title of monarch at the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he defeated King Richard III. Henry VII had no real claim to the throne, so the Tudors rose to power through chance and a bit of luck. Henry VII's father was of Welsh lineage, but his mother was a descendant of Edward III, who was king of England in 1300 (Eakins). However, he was descended from Edward III's illegitimate children, those who were barred from inheriting the throne of England. With the "right of conquest" (Eakins) Henry VII became the new monarch of England. He strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York, who was the daughter of Edward IV, another king of England. This arranged marriage resolved a long-standing dispute between the two families, the Lancastrians and the Yorkists, creating what is called the Tudor Rose. The Tudor rose was the term for combined houses: the white Lancaster rose linked together with the red York rose. Arranged marriages were common during this time period, but they were rarely happy. However, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York reportedly had a successful marriage. Elizabeth took him... to the center of the card... Robert Dudley. Dudley was a widow, but the cause of her wife's death was shrouded in mystery; Elizabeth could not afford a scandal. Elizabeth was a successful queen, but when she died in 1603 she had no male heirs. The throne passed to James I, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. The Tudor dynasty ended with Elizabeth I and the baton of England passed to the Stuart (Eakins) family. The six Tudor monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I, were powerful and famous monarchs of England. None of the monarchs were perfect; in fact, everyone has had more than their share of failures and suffering. However, they strengthened England's power and laid a solid foundation for the monarchs who followed. If it had not been for Henry VII's victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, England's history would be very different.