Teacher video: Extracting evidence from Tudor portraits

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Tudor portraits as evidence

This History video introduces teachers to the use of Tudor portraits as primary sources for investigating the past. It sets the scene with the end of the Wars of the Roses, when Henry VII became king and reunited the rival York and Lancaster factions. Establishing peace was his biggest challenge, and the new Tudor dynasty sought to demonstrate its authority at home and abroad. Portraits became a tool of propaganda, used by Henry VIII and later Elizabeth I to reinforce the strength of the monarchy and project an image of total authority.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s History scheme – Tudor. It supports teachers in helping pupils evaluate Henry VIII’s rule through both portraits and written descriptions. The video explains how to analyse portraits using guiding questions, with the famous Hans Holbein painting showing Henry’s wealth, power, and warrior image, contrasted with an anonymous engraving of an older Henry that portrays a less authoritative figure. Pupils will compare these sources, identify how different artistic choices shape our view of Henry VIII, and decide whether he was a fair ruler or a tyrant, justifying their interpretations with evidence.

History, Upper key stage 2, Year 5, *New* British history 5: What was life like in Tudor England? Lesson 1: Henry VIII – fair ruler or tyrant?

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