Early Modern 1485 - 1750 | The National Archives

Follow the complex manoeuvres, plots and double dealing of the Tudor and Stuart courts through our records in this period dominated by religious conflict and conspiracy.

Topics
- British Empire
  Rise and decline of the first global empire
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- The Tudors
  Explore the 16th century with The National Archives and V&A
  
  Key stage 2 - 3
- Civil War
  King and subjects fight it out in the 1640s
  
  Key stage 3 - 5
- - The Great Fire of London
    Play the game and escape the flames
    
    Key stage 1
  - Black Presence
    Asian and Black history in Britain from 1500 to 1850
  - Caribbean Histories Revealed
    Explore our collections on the history of the British Caribbean
  - Crime and Punishment
    From heretics and poachers to car crime and walkie-talkies
    
    Key stage 2 - 5
  - Secrets and Spies
    Hidden codes and double agents across three centuries
  - Citizenship
    A history of people, rights and power
  - Uniting the Kingdoms?
    Building the union from the conquest to the Tudors
  - Henry VIII
    Discover the power, passion and parchment
  - Tudor Hackney
    Step into our recreation of 1601 Hackney
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Treasures
    Highlights from the collections of The National Archives
  - Human Rights
    800 years of the struggle for rights
  - Focus on Film
    Investigate film as a historical source
    
    Key stage 2 - 5
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Lessons
- Henry VIII Court Rules
  How did Henry VIII get up in the morning?
  
  Key stage 2 - 4
- The Royal Seal
  What can it tell us?
  
  Key stage 2 - 3
- The King, the Crown and the Colonel
  How did Thomas Blood try to steal the crown jewels in 1671?
  
  Key stage 3
- - William Shakespeare
    What can we find out about his life?
    
    Key stage 3
  - Gunpowder Plot
    Can you uncover the plans of the plotters?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - The Great Plague of 1665-6
    How did London respond to it?
    
    Key stage 3
  - Kirk o' Field
    What happened in 1567?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - God Blew and They Were Scattered
    Did God really help the English defeat the Spanish Armada?
    
    Key stage 3
  - Elizabethan Propaganda
    How did England try to show Spain planned to invade in 1588?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Fire of London
    What happened?
    
    Key stage 1 - 3
  - Native North Americans
    What was early contact like between Europeans and Natives?
    
    Key stage 3
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Workshops
- Henry VIII: Image of a King
  Appearance is everything for a ruler in the 16th century
  
  Key stage 2
- Tudor Revels
  Dance a Masque in the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace
  
  Key stage 2
- The English Civil War
  Why did England become a republic in 1649?
  
  Key stage 5
- - To Catch a King
    Give marriage advice to Catherine Parr at Hampton Court
    
    Key stage 2
  - Tudor Rebellions
    How seriously did they challenge the authority of the crown?
    
    Key stage 5
  - Elizabeth I in her own words
    Examine speeches and letters from the pen of Gloriana herself
    
    Key stage 5
  - What is History? (KS1)
    How documents help us find out about the past
    
    Key stage 1
  - What is History? (KS 3/4)
    What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - Mid-Tudor Crisis Study Day
    Debate Queen Mary I's reign at the Archives and Hampton Court
    
    Key stage 5
  - Mapping the City
    See London develop over four centuries
    
    Key stage 2
  - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - The Great Fire of London
    How can we know what happened back in 1666?
    
    Key stage 1
  - Dissolution of the Monasteries
    Henry VIII changes the face of England with the stroke of a pen
    
    Key stage 5
  - Symbols of Power
    Seals from the time of Edward the Confessor to the present
    
    Key stage 2
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Videoconferences
- Henry VIII: Image of a King
  Appearance is everything for a ruler in the 16th century
  
  Key stage 2
- The English Civil Wars
  Whose side are you on?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- What is History? (KS 3/4)
  What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - The Great Fire of London
    How can we know what happened back in 1666?
    
    Key stage 1
  - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - Symbols of Power
    Seals from the time of Edward the Confessor to the present
    
    Key stage 2
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Virtual classroom
- Virtual Classroom Taster
  Introduction to our innovative interactive online sessions
  
  Key stage 1 - 5
- The Great Fire of London
  How can we know what happened back in 1666?
  
  Key stage 1
- The English Civil Wars
  Whose side are you on?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - Henry VIII: Image of a King
    Appearance is everything for a ruler in the 16th century
    
    Key stage 2
  - What is History? (KS 3/4)
    What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - Symbols of Power
    Seals from the time of Edward the Confessor to the present
    
    Key stage 2
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Podcasts
- How to Win a Duel
  Pistols at dawn from the Past Masters team
  
  Key stage 5
- Was Cromwell's Regime a Military Dictatorship?
  Prof. Barry Coward looks at Oliver's Republic
  
  Key stage 5
- A Bag of Secrets
  Dr. Tracy Sowerby discusses working with Tudor documents
  
  Key stage 5
- - Radicalism and Unrest
    How have people organised to create social change?
    
    Key stage 4 - 5
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