Teaching the rule of Mary Tudor

Further on from my last post, I am now going to explain how I would teach this topic to students:



The main aim of the lesson would be for the children to be able to answer the following question:

How should Mary's reign be assessed? As a failure or a success?



In order for the children to be able to answer this question, I would explain to the children what are considered to be the main successes and failures of her reign.



Failures

Marriage to Philip II

Restoring Catholicism- punishment of Protestants

Childlessness

Early death

Close alliance with the Habsburgs

War with France and the loss of Calais



Successes

Defeat of Northumberland's coup d'etat (trying to put Lady Jane Grey into power)

Broad support of the majority of people until 1555

Institution of monarchy and state machinery remained intact

Important reforms made during her reign such as the ones to restore the economy



Once I had explained these successes and failures to the pupils, I would ask them to rank them in order of importance to determine which factors were more important to the failure and success of her reign. Once they had ranked them in order I would ask them to discuss amongst themselves where they had placed the factors in this order.


Once they had discussed the successes and failures of her reign, I would ask them to answer the question which I had set at the beginning of the lesson and to determine whether it is easy for them to decide whether her reign was a failure or a success or whether it was a mixture of both and to explain why they think this.


The lesson would be ended by discussing these ideas of the children and asking them what they had learnt from this lesson.