Henry VII
Henry introduced new designs and denominations to his coinage and was the first to have a life-like profile image.
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Henry VIII
When Henry VIII came to the throne, he had inherited great wealth, but this was never enough for the new king and he continually debased his coinage to raise more funds for his lavish life-style.
Edward VI
The sad expression on most of his coins seem to reflect the short life of this young king. He came to the throne at ten and died at sixteen, little time to establish himself as ruler and the coinage suffered accordingly.
Mary I
Also known as Bloody Mary for her treatment of religious non-conformists, she married Philip of Spain to bolster her Roman Catholic devotion, but he later abandoned her. She died of a flu epidemic that took a fifth of the population at the time!
Elizabeth I
Over her 45 year reign she increased the fineness of the coinage and produced numerous types of denomination, some very strange indeed, such as twopence-farthing!
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