page_title: History of Southampton
section_title: Tudor period (1485–1603)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Southampton / Tudor period (1485–1603)
caption_attribution_description: English: Detail of John Speed's 1615 map of Isle of Wight
context_page_description: Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its proximity to Winchester and London; the ancient and modern capitals of England. Having been an important regional centre for centuries, Southampton was awarded city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1964.
  Southampton became an important port in medieval times, experiencing several hundred years of fluctuating fortunes until it was expanded by the Victorians.
  As a centre of commerce, an industrial town and an important military embarkation point, Southampton was a strategic target for the Luftwaffe and was severely damaged in World War II.
  Post-war re-development and the need to accommodate 20th century innovations such as the motor car has significantly altered the character of Southampton.
context_section_description: Southampton's Tudor House otherwise known as Huttofts or Lady Ann Guidotti's House was built in 1495 for Sir John Dawtry. It has formerly been a family home, an artist's studio and housed businesses including a dye-house and a bookbinder. It is now a museum.
  Southampton's economic fortunes fluctuated during the Tudor period From 1492 to 1531, all exports of tin and lead were required to pass through Southampton. Trade with the Channel Islands increased. In 1554 Southampton was granted a monopoly on the export of wool to the Mediterranean and on the import of sweet wine. At other times during this period, the port was in decline, mainly because trade was shifting to London.Southampton was also a convenient port for the buccaneers that plundered Spanish ships in the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.
  The development of Hurst, Calshot, Cowes and Netley castles along Southampton Water and the Solent, by Henry VIII in about 1540, meant that Southampton was no longer so dependent upon its fortifications.
  In 1553, the Free Grammar School off the Mayor Baliffs and Burgesses of the Towne and County of Southampton was granted letters patent by Edward VI, establishing the new school and thus fulfilling the legacy of William Capon who left money for that purpose in his will. The schools survives as King Edward VI School, Southampton.
caption: John Speed's 1612 map of Southampton
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