List of people executed by the Tudors facts for kids

During the time of the Tudor kings and queens in England, many important people were executed by the state. This means they were put to death by the government, often for serious reasons like treason (plotting against the ruler) or heresy (going against the official religion). The Tudor period lasted from 1485 to 1603 and saw big changes in England, including new laws and religious shifts. This list shares some of the well-known individuals who faced execution during these powerful reigns.

King Henry VII (1485–1509)

King Henry VII was the first Tudor king. He came to power after winning a big battle. During his rule, several people were executed for challenging his authority or for their beliefs.

• William Catesby was a key helper to the previous king, Richard III. He was executed in 1485 after Henry VII won the throne.
• Humphrey Stafford was executed in 1486 for leading a rebellion against the new king.
• Joan Boughton was burned at the stake in 1494. She was punished for following the Lollard beliefs, which were different from the official church teachings.
• William Stanley was executed in 1495. He was found to be supporting a person who pretended to be a lost prince, trying to take the throne.
• Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank were leaders of the Cornish Rebellion. They were executed in 1497 for their part in this uprising.
• James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley was captured after a battle during the Cornish Rebellion. He was executed for treason in 1497.
• Perkin Warbeck was a famous impostor from Flanders. He pretended to be one of the lost princes and led several rebellions. He was captured and executed in 1499.
• Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was a real claimant to the throne from the old royal family. He was executed in 1499 for allegedly plotting to escape prison with Perkin Warbeck.
• James Tyrrell was executed in 1502. He was accused of confessing to the murder of the "Princes in the Tower," a famous mystery.

King Henry VIII (1509–1547)

King Henry VIII's reign was a time of huge changes, especially in religion. He broke away from the Pope and established the Church of England. Many people were executed for political reasons or for refusing to accept these new religious rules.

• Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson were important officials under Henry VII. They were executed in 1510 for misusing their power.
• Edmund de la Pole, 6th Earl of Suffolk was a leading claimant to the throne. He was brought back to England and executed for treason in 1513.
• Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham was a powerful noble and a relative of the royal family. He was executed in 1521 for alleged treason.
• Rhys ap Gruffydd was arrested and accused of plotting against English rule in Wales. He was executed for treason in 1531.
• Elizabeth Barton, a Catholic nun, was executed in 1534. She had spoken out against King Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn.
• Edward Bocking and Richard Risby were monks who supported Elizabeth Barton. They were also executed in 1534.
• John Houghton, Robert Lawrence, and Augustine Webster were Carthusian monks. They were executed in 1535 for refusing to accept the King as the head of the Church of England.
• Humphrey Middlemore, William Exmew, and Sebastian Newdigate were also Carthusian monks. They were executed in 1535 for the same reason.
• John Fisher was a bishop and a cardinal. He was executed in 1535 for refusing to accept Henry VIII as the head of the Church. He also supported the King's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
• Sir Thomas More was a famous writer and the King's top advisor. He was executed in 1535 for refusing to accept the King's religious changes. He is now considered a saint.
• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, Henry Norris, William Brereton, Mark Smeaton, and Francis Weston were all executed in 1536. They were falsely accused of treason as part of a plot against Queen Anne Boleyn.
• Anne Boleyn was the Queen of England and Henry VIII's second wife. She was executed in 1536 on false charges of treason, partly because she couldn't give the King a male heir.
• John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford was executed in 1537 for his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace, a large rebellion against the King's religious changes.
• Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare and his five uncles were executed in 1537. They had led a rebellion against English rule in Ireland.
• John Rochester was publicly executed in 1537 for refusing to accept the King as head of the Church.
• Sir Thomas Percy and Francis Bigod were executed in 1537 for leading a rebellion against the King.
• Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy was executed in 1537 for treason. He had given up a castle to the rebels during the Pilgrimage of Grace.
• Robert Aske was executed in 1537 for leading a rebellion in Yorkshire. This uprising was against the King's decision to close down smaller monasteries.
• Edward Neville was executed for treason in 1538.
• Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter and Nicholas Carew were executed in 1538 and 1539. They were involved in a plot to overthrow the King.
• Hugh Faringdon and John Eynon were executed in 1539 for treason. Hugh Faringdon was the Abbot of Reading Abbey.
• Thomas Cromwell was one of King Henry VIII's most powerful advisors. He was executed in 1540 for treason and heresy, partly for arranging the King's marriage to Anne of Cleves.
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was a relative of the old royal family. She was executed in 1541 after being imprisoned for two years.
• Sir John Neville was executed in 1541 for not reporting a planned rebellion.
• Leonard Grey was the Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was executed in 1541 for treason, accused of helping his nephew escape.
• Catherine Howard was the Queen of England and Henry VIII's fifth wife. She was executed for treason in 1542.
• Jane Boleyn was Catherine Howard's lady-in-waiting. She was executed for treason in 1542.
• Anne Askew was burned at the stake in 1546 for heresy, meaning she held religious beliefs that were not allowed.
• Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey was executed for treason in 1547. This was the last execution of King Henry VIII's reign.

King Edward VI (1547–1553)

Edward VI was Henry VIII's only son. He became king when he was very young. During his short reign, England continued to become more Protestant.

• Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley was the King's uncle. He was executed in 1549 for treason after trying to break into the King's rooms.
• Robert Kett was executed in 1549 for leading a large rebellion known as Kett's Rebellion.
• Humphrey Arundell was executed in 1550 for treason. He led the Prayer Book Rebellion, which was against new religious changes.
• Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset was the King's uncle and the most powerful person in England while Edward was young. He was executed in 1552 after a power struggle.

Queen Mary I (1553–1558)

Queen Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary," was a devout Catholic. She tried to bring England back to the Catholic Church. Many Protestants were executed during her reign for their religious beliefs.

• John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland was a powerful leader under King Edward VI. He was executed in 1553 for trying to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne instead of Mary.
• Sir John Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer were also executed in 1553 for not recognizing Mary as Queen.
• Lady Jane Grey was Queen for only nine days. She was executed for high treason in 1554 because she had been put forward as a rival queen.
• Guilford Dudley was Lady Jane Grey's husband. He was also executed for high treason in 1554.
• Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk was Lady Jane Grey's father. He was executed in 1554 for supporting his daughter's claim to the throne.
• Sir Thomas Wyatt was executed in 1554 for leading a rebellion against Queen Mary. This rebellion was against her marriage to King Philip II of Spain.
• Sir William Thomas was a member of the Queen's council. He was executed for treason in 1554.
• John Rogers was burned at the stake in 1555 for heresy. He had helped create an important Bible translation.
• John Hooper was a bishop. He was burned at the stake in 1555 during Mary's persecutions of Protestants.
• Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were both Anglican bishops. They were burned at the stake in 1555 as part of the "Oxford Martyrs."
• Thomas Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a key supporter of Henry VIII's divorce and the new Church of England. He was executed for heresy in 1556.

Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603)

Queen Elizabeth I ruled for a long time and brought stability to England. However, there were still plots against her, especially from Catholics who wanted to put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne.

• Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk was executed in 1572 for treason. He was involved in a plot to overthrow Elizabeth and marry Mary, Queen of Scots.
• Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland was executed in 1572 for his role in a rebellion of Catholic nobles. They wanted to place Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne.
• Edmund Campion, Alexander Briant, and Ralph Sherwin were English Catholic priests. They were executed for treason in 1581. They are now considered saints by the Catholic Church.
• Francis Throckmorton was executed in 1584 for leading a plot against the Queen.
• William Parry was executed in 1585 after admitting to a plot to kill the Queen.
• Sir Anthony Babington, Chidiock Tichborne, Sir Thomas Salisbury, John Ballard, and Henry Donn were all executed in 1586. They were involved in the Babington Plot, which aimed to assassinate Elizabeth and put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne.
• Mary, Queen of Scots was the Queen of Scotland and a cousin of Elizabeth I. She was executed for treason in 1587 after being found guilty of being involved in the Babington Plot.
• George Errington, William Knight, William Gibson, and Henry Abbot were executed in York for treason in 1596 and 1597. They were Catholic martyrs.
• Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. He was executed for treason in 1601 after leading a rebellion against her.
• Sir Gelli Meyrick, Sir Henry Cuffe, Sir Christopher Blount, and Sir Charles Danvers were executed in 1601 for taking part in Essex's Rebellion.