Henry VII - Plays for Ks2

The Turbulent Tudors: Henry VII - The King’s Monkey

Bring the Tudor period to life with this fun and engaging historical play for primary and lower secondary pupils. Based on the reign of Henry VII, this resource combines history, drama and storytelling to help children explore the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.

The resource includes:

A Tudor fact file covering the Wars of the Roses, Bosworth Field and the rise of the Tudor dynasty.
A full play script, The King’s Monkey.
Character and cast list.
Synopsis and historical background information.
Drama activities including tableaux, thought tracking, hot seating and role-on-the-wall.
Simple staging and classroom performance ideas.

In this humorous play, the miserly Henry VII carefully records everything in his precious book of accounts. When his mischievous pet monkey escapes and destroys the book, chaos erupts in the royal palace. The disaster ultimately leads to Henry arranging the marriage of his eldest son, Prince Arthur, to Catherine of Aragon, setting the stage for future Tudor events.

Ideal for:

KS2 History
KS3 History
Drama lessons
Tudor topic work
School assemblies
Class performances
Cross-curricular learning

Suitable for ages 7-13. This resource encourages historical understanding, speaking and listening skills, teamwork and confidence through performance.