Hardly any other European ruling dynasty has produced such dazzling, sometimes scandalous figures as the Tudors. Whether Henry VIII, Mary the Bloody or the Virgin Queen Elisabeth - they are among the most distinctive and idiosyncratic representatives of the English and European kingdoms. The book presents impressive portraits of the English rulers of the Tudor family from Henry VII's inauguration to the Stewart King James I, Elisabeth's successor, and traces their significance for English and continental European history. This new, extremely legible overall presentation sketches the royal family as well as an epochal picture that encompasses art, literature and architecture in addition to politics and economics; in addition, the changing image of the dynasty is sketched in feature films and television films.