Tudor

the nightmare of Henry I in 1130, from the Worcester Chronicle, c.1130-40.

In Bed with the Tudors

Did Tudor beds have footboards? The conundrum illustrates the challenges of early modern history.

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1542 and Katherine of Aragon, unknown artist, c.1520.

Gone But Not Forgotten

The Dissolution of the Monasteries is a well-worn tale. Are we getting the whole story?

Matters of Importance

There are several obstacles between Tudor women and their biographers. Bypassing them is a slow but necessary process.

Dancing la volta, often said to depict Elizabeth I with Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, 16th century.

The Black Legend of the House of Dudley

Three generations of the cursed House of Dudley stained the executioner’s block in 16th-century England. Were its members murderous villains working to overthrow the monarchy, or shrewd political agents struggling to survive?

Fools at Court

People with learning or physical disabilities occasionally had unique opportunities in Tudor society.

Anne Bacon, by Henry Bone (after an unknown artist), 1813.

William Cecil’s Perilous Year

Cecil feared the Tower, until his kinswoman Anne Bacon stepped in.

Life in the Time of Plague

The long-awaited christening of Prince Edward was tempered by the plague.

The Field of Cloth of Gold

Five hundred years ago, in a spirit of rivalry and cooperation, two young Renaissance monarchs asserted their power and authority at one of the last great demonstrations of the chivalric age.

Travels Through Time #16 – Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn

A plot, a rebellion and a triumph from the life of Thomas Cromwell.

The coronation procession of Anne Boleyn, by James Stephanoff, c. early 19th century. Folger Shakespeare Library. Public Domain.

Divided Loyalties in Tudor England

For the lesser-known members of the great Tudor dynasties, loyalties were divided by Henry VIII’s Great Matter. Should you support your king, queen or family?