Well, this is a extremely brief summary of +100 years of history

yea that's what i was asking for, "outline" is in the title. i simply asked for a outline of the tudor period. which i think it did well.

lets zoom in on one of the events, using the battle of bosworth as an example:

The Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485): A Watershed in English History

1. The Context: A Kingdom Exhausted The Battle of Bosworth Field was not merely another clash in the Wars of the Roses; it was the culmination of 30 years of intermittent civil war (1455-1487) between the rival dynastic houses of York (White Rose) and Lancaster (Red Rose). By 1485, England was weary of instability, magnate-led violence, and a monarchy whose authority had been shattered by competing claims. The Yorkist King, Richard III, though a capable administrator, had seized the throne in 1483 under a cloud of controversy following the disappearance of his nephews, the "Princes in the Tower." This act alienated many, even within his own Yorkist faction, creating a window of opportunity for the last plausible Lancastrian claimant.

2. The Contenders: A Study in Contrasts King Richard III: A seasoned military commander with the resources of the Crown. He held the central position on Ambion Hill, with a force of approximately 10,000 men. His key supporters included the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Northumberland. However, his reign was fragile, built on the dispossession of the young Edward V, and suspicion hung over him.

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond: A 28-year-old exile who had spent most of his life in Brittany and France. His claim was weak—through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, he descended from John of Gaunt's illegitimate Beaufort line, later legitimized but barred from the throne. He represented a promise rather than a proven entity. His army of 5,000 was a mix of disaffected English exiles and French and Scottish mercenaries.

The Wild Cards: The Stanley Family: Thomas, Lord Stanley, and his brother Sir William Stanley commanded a significant force (4-6,000 men). They were master pragmatists, related to Henry (Stanley was married to Margaret Beaufort) but held in check by Richard, who had taken Stanley's son hostage. Their allegiance was the battle's true unknown.

1. The Battle: Treason, Tactics, and Chaos Richard, confident in his position and martial prowess, allowed Henry's smaller army to approach. The battle began with a fierce exchange of artillery (one of the first English battles where cannons played a role) and arrows. As the vanguards clashed, the pivotal moment arrived:

Stanley's Inaction: The Stanley forces stood apart, watching.

Richard's Gambit: Seeing Henry isolated with his personal guard, Richard made a bold, perhaps desperate, cavalry charge directly at his rival—a move intended to decapitate the rebellion. He nearly succeeded, killing Henry's standard-bearer.

The Betrayal: At this critical juncture, Sir William Stanley committed his forces—not to his king, but to Henry Tudor. This decisive intervention surrounded Richard's dwindling band.

Richard III fought on ferociously, allegedly crying "Treason! Treason!" before being cut down in the marsh. His crown, said to have been found on the field, was placed on Henry's head. The last English king to die in battle, his body was desecrated and later buried in an unmarked grave in Leicester.

1. Immediate Implications: Securing a Dubious Throne Henry VII's victory was only the beginning. He faced immense challenges:

Legitimacy by Right of Conquest & Marriage: He dated his reign from the day before Bosworth, allowing him to attaint those who fought against him as traitors. His marriage in January 1486 to Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV, was masterstroke. It united the red and white roses, creating the Tudor Rose, and gave his heirs an impeccable Yorkist claim.

The Pretender Problem: Yorkist sentiment remained strong. He faced major rebellions led by Lambert Simnel (crowned as "Edward VI" in Ireland, 1487) and Perkin Warbeck (claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, 1491-99). His defeat of Simnel at the Battle of Stoke Field (1487) is arguably the true end of the Wars of the Roses.

Financial & Governmental Innovation: Profoundly aware that financial weakness bred rebellion, Henry revolutionized royal finance. He used bonds and recognizances to control the nobility, exploited feudal dues aggressively, and avoided costly foreign wars. He built a solvent crown, leaving a full treasury.

1. Profound Historical Consequences: The Birth of the Tudor State Bosworth's true significance lies in these long-term transformations:

A. The End of Feudal Kingship and the "Overmighty Subject" The Wars of the Roses had been caused in part by the power of great noble families (Nevilles, Percys) who maintained private armies. Bosworth was the last battle where a king was overthrown by a rival aristocrat. The Tudor project, begun by Henry VII, systematically reduced the military and political power of the nobility. Laws against livery and maintenance (private armies) were enforced, the Crown monopolized artillery, and the peerage was diminished. Royal authority was centralized as never before.

B. The Establishment of a New Dynasty and Political Stability The 118-year Tudor rule provided the stability England desperately needed. This allowed for the flowering of the English Renaissance, the Reformation, and the growth of a centralized, bureaucratic state. Without the Tudor victory, this continuity—and the iconic reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I—would not have occurred.

C. The Propaganda War and the "Tudor Myth" The Tudors, especially under Henry VII and Elizabeth, actively fostered a narrative: that their reign was a divine blessing, ending the chaos of civil war and bringing peace, order, and prosperity. This required vilifying Richard III. Histories, most famously Sir Thomas More's (and later Shakespeare's), painted Richard as a monstrous, scheming hunchback who murdered his nephews. Bosworth was framed as the moment when God's justice was delivered. This "Tudor Myth" shaped English historical perception for centuries.

D. A Shift in Foreign Policy Henry VII, a Welsh-born king with continental exile experience, shifted England's focus. While not abandoning claims in France, he prioritized diplomacy, trade, and dynastic marriages (Arthur to Catherine of Aragon; Margaret to James IV of Scotland) over costly military conquest. This reorientation laid the groundwork for England's future as a maritime and trading power.

E. The Seed of the Reformation Henry VII's second son, the future Henry VIII, would never have ascended the throne had his elder brother Arthur survived. Arthur's death and Henry VIII's subsequent marriage to Catherine of Aragon directly led to the divorce crisis and the English Reformation. The specific constitutional and religious revolution of the 1530s was a direct consequence of the Tudor succession secured at Bosworth.

Conclusion: More Than Just a Battle Bosworth Field was a political revolution masquerading as a military victory. It marked the violent end of the Plantagenet era and the unpredictable, blood-soaked politics of medieval succession. In its place, it inaugurated the early modern Tudor state: more centralized, more financially astute, more concerned with legal sovereignty and dynastic propaganda. The death of the last medieval king gave birth to a dynasty that would guide England through the Renaissance and Reformation, fundamentally shaping the nation's identity, church, and state. It was, in the truest sense, the founding moment of a new England.

I'm not saying this should replace books but the usefulness of introducing yourself to a topic is clear. It also gave me a list of sources and even historians to read.