HENRY VIII

3. Imagine you could go back in time and become Henry VIII. What would you have done in such circumstances ? Debate what he should or shouldn't have done. Afterwards, write an essay expressing on opinion on the issue.

In Tudor times the City was the centre of trade and commerce as well as the overcrowded home of thousands. Westminster housed both the king and parliament while Southwark was devoted to louche pleasures such as bear-baiting, prostitution and the theatre. These three distinct areas were surrounded by countryside.Find out a bit more about the London where both Elizabeth and Shakespeare lived. Identify the places shown in the next pictures of Tudor London View of London by J.C. Visscher, from Londinum Florentiss[i]ma Britanniae Urbs, 1616 The Guildhall Library, Corporation of London London in 1616 by Claes Van Visscher The Guildhall Library, Corporation of London

Tudor London can be described as a _prosperous_ city during the Tudor 
dynasty. In fact, the population increased from _75 000_ inhabitants with Henry VII to _200 000_ at the end of the 16th century.

The Tudor monarchs had a royal residence in London called _Whitehall Palace_ and another in the countryside,called _Hampton Court_, after _Cardinal Wolsey_ gave it to Henry VIII.These Tudor kings and queens used what are now famous parks , such as _Richmond Park_ or _Hyde Park_, as Royal hunting forests.

Not many Tudor buildings survive today, mostly because of _the Great Fire_ , which happened in _1666_. Besides, , the 13 religious houses in London were _either converted for private use or pulled down for building materials_ after the Dissolution of the monasteries, which was _a measure of Henry VIII to control the church's power, because he felt they had too much _.

Apart from that, the theatres were banned from the city by _the city authorities_ because _they thought they wasted workmen's time_. Then, they were built in _Southwark_, where now a reconstruction of the _Globe Theatre__ can be visited to learn about Tudor theatre.

At that time, London's financial rival was the city of _Amsterdam_, and to be able to compete with it , the _Royal Exchange_ was created in 1560.

So, all in all, and because of many other events and facts, we can say that both London and England were _powerful_.