Tudor themed books to look forward to in 2016: Part 2

The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty by Tracy BormanRelease Date: 19 May 2016 (UK & US)
Description: 'I do not live in a corner. A thousand eyes see all I do.' Elizabeth I

The Tudor monarchs were constantly surrounded by an army of attendants, courtiers and ministers. Even in their most private moments, they were accompanied by a servant specifically appointed for the task. A groom of the stool would stand patiently by as Henry VIII performed his daily purges, and when Elizabeth I retired for the evening, one of her female servants would sleep at the end of her bed.

These attendants knew the truth behind the glamorous exterior. They saw the tears shed by Henry VII upon the death of his son Arthur. They knew the tragic secret behind 'Bloody' Mary's phantom pregnancies. And they saw the 'crooked carcass' beneath Elizabeth I's carefully applied makeup, gowns and accessories.

It is the accounts of these eyewitnesses, as well as a rich array of other contemporary sources that historian Tracy Borman has examined more closely than ever before. With new insights and discoveries, and in the same way that she brilliantly illuminated the real Thomas Cromwell - The Private Life of the Tudors will reveal previously unexamined details about the characters we think we know so well.

Insurrection: Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and the Pilgrimage of Grace by Susan Loughlin
Release date: 4 April 2016 (UK), 1 July 2016 (US)
Description: Autumn 1536. Both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn are dead. Henry VIII has married Jane Seymour, and still awaits his longed-for male heir. Disaffected conservatives in England may have seen an opportunity for a return to Rome and an end to religious experimentation. However, Thomas Cromwell has other ideas. In August, the Lutheran influenced Ten Articles of the Anglican Church was published and the dissolution of the monasteries had started. The obstinate monarch, enticed by monastic wealth, is determined not to change course. Fear and resentment has been unleashed in northern England in the largest, spontaneous uprising against a Tudor monarch. That rebellion is the Pilgrimage of Grace, in which 30,000 men have taken up arms against the king. This book reviews the evidence for that opposition and examines the abundant examples of religiously motivated dissent. It also highlights the rhetoric, reward and retribution used by the Crown to enforce its policy.

Scourge of Henry VIII: The Life of Marie de Guise by Melanie Clegg
Release Date: 30 August 2016 (UK & US)
Description: Although Mary, Queen of Scots continues to fascinate both historians and the general public alike, the story of her mother, Marie de Guise, is much less well known. A political power in her own right, she was born into the powerful and ambitious Lorraine family, spending her formative years at the dazzling and licentious court of Francois I. Although briefly courted by Henry VIII, she instead married his nephew, James V of Scotland, in 1538. James' premature death four years later left their six day old daughter, Mary, as Queen and presented Marie with the formidable challenge of winning the support of the Scottish people and protecting her daughter's threatened birthright. Content until now to remain in the background and play the part of the obedient wife, Marie spent the next eighteen years effectively governing Scotland, devoting her considerable intellect, courage and energy to safeguarding her daughter's inheritance by using a deft mixture of cunning, charm, determination and tolerance.The last serious biography of Marie de Guise was published in 1977 and whereas plenty of attention has been paid to the mistakes of her daughter's eventful but brief reign, the time has come for a fresh assessment of this most fascinating and under appreciated of sixteenth century female rulers.

Tudor themed books to look forward to in 2016!

I've been asked to compile a list of Tudor themed books to look forward to in 2016, so here it is! If you have other suggestions, please share them in the comment section.

So Great a Prince: England in 1509 by Lauren Johnson

Release Date: 10 March 2016 (UK), 1 March 2016 (US)

Description: The King is dead: long live the King. In 1509, Henry VII was succeeded by his son Henry VIII, second monarch of the house of Tudor. But this is not the familiar Tudor world of Protestantism and playwrights. Decades before the Reformation, ancient traditions persist: boy bishops, pilgrimage, Corpus Christi pageants, the jewel-decked shrine at Canterbury.

So Great a Prince offers a fascinating glimpse of a country and people that at first appear alien - in calendar and clothing, in counting the hours by bell toll - but which on closer examination are recognisably and understandably human. Lauren Johnson tells the story of 1509 not just from the perspective of king and court, but of merchant and ploughman; apprentice and laundress; husbandman and foreign worker. She looks at these early Tudor lives through the rhythms of the ritual year, juxtaposing political events in Westminster and the palaces of southeast England with the liturgical and agricultural events that punctuated the year for the ordinary people of England.

In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII by Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger

Release date: 15 March 2016 (UK), 19 May 2016 (US)

Description: This guidebook takes a fresh perspective on the tale of Henry VIII's six wives, by taking you on a journey through a selection of manors, castles, and palaces that played host to Henry’s unforgettable queens. Explore the Alhambra Palace in Spain, childhood home of Katherine of Aragon; stand in the very room at Acton Court where Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII publicly dined; visit Düsseldorf in Germany, birthplace of Anne of Cleves; and wander the picturesque gardens and panelled rooms of Sizergh Castle in Cumbria, where Katherine Parr spent time in mourning, after the death of her first husband. Each location is covered by an accessible and informative narrative, which unearths the untold tales and documents the artefacts, as well as providing practical visitor information based on our first-hand experiences of visiting each site. Accompanied by an extensive range of 130 images (many in colour), including family trees, maps, photographs and sketches, this book brings you closer than ever before to the women behind the legends, as it takes you on your own personal and illuminating journey in the footsteps of the six wives of Henry VIII.

Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen by Josephine Wilkinson

Release date: 7 April 2016 (UK, US)

Description: Looming out of the encroaching darkness of the February evening was London Bridge, still ornamented with the severed heads of Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham; the terrible price they had paid for suspected intimacy with the queen.

Katherine now reached the Tower of London, her final destination. 

Katherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII and cousin to the executed Anne Boleyn. She first came to court as a young girl of fourteen, but even prior to that her fate had been sealed and she was doomed to die. She was beheaded in 1542 for crimes of adultery and treason, in one of the most sensational scandals of the Tudor age.

The traditional story of Henry VIII's fifth queen dwells on her sexual exploits before she married the king, and her execution is seen as her just dessert for having led an abominable life. However, the true story of Katherine Howard could not be more different.

Far from being a dark tale of court factionalism and conspiracy, Katherine's story is one of child abuse, family ambition, religious conflict and political and sexual intrigue. It is also a tragic love story. A bright, kind and intelligent young woman, Katherine was fond of clothes and dancing, yet she also had a strong sense of duty and tried to be a good wife to Henry. She handled herself with grace and queenly dignity to the end, even as the barge carrying her on her final journey drew up at the Tower of London, where she was to be executed for high treason.

Little more than a child in a man's world, she was the tragic victim of those who held positions of authority over her, and from whose influence she was never able to escape.

Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen: Six Tudor Queens Part 1 by Alison Weir

Release date: 5 May 2016 (UK), 31 May 2016 (US)

Description: In this captivating novel, the first in a dramatic new six-book series about each of English King Henry VIII’s wives, bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir brings to life the tumultuous tale of Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first, devoted, and “true” queen.

The names of Henry VIII’s wives: handwriting and signatures

“What is this post about?” you may wonder. “I know that Henry VIII had six wives and I know their names”. Indeed. Henry VIII had six wives and they are all very well-known historical figures: 

Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr. 

But when you actually read the original contemporary letters, the names of Henry VIII’s wives are different! So what were their real names?

Katherine of Aragon

Married Henry on 11 June 1509. He was 17, she was 23. Marriage annulled on 23 May 1533.

Married for 23 years and 11 months.

Born in Spain, Katherine’s Spanish name was “Katalina”, but when she became Queen she used the anglicized version of her original name. She signed her letters with “Katharine”, “Katherine”, “Katherina”, and “Katharina”. In one of her prayer books, Katherine left the inscription: “This boke ys myn Katherina the qwene”.

 “This boke ys myn Katherina the qwene”

"Katharina"

Anne Boleyn

Married Henry on 14 November 1532 and 25 January 1533. He was 41, she was either 26 or 32.

Beheaded on 19 May 1536.

In a letter written in French to her father from the Low Countries when she was a teenager, Anne used the French version of her surname: “Anna de Boullan”. A letter she wrote to Cardinal Wolsey sometime prior to the Cardinal’s disgrace in 1529 bears the signature “Anne Boleyn”. Between December 1529 and August 1532 Anne started signing her letters as “Anne Rochford”. In 1533 she became Queen and adapted a new signature: “Anne the Queen” or, in original, “Anne the Qwene”.

"Anna de Boulan"

Jane Seymour

Married Henry on 30 May 1536. He was 44, she was 26. Died on 24 October 1537. Married for 1 year and 4 months.

Jane Seymour seems to be the only wife of Henry VIII who spelled her name the same way we do it today, “Jane the Queen”.

Anne of Cleves

Married Henry on 6 January 1540. He was 48, she was 24. Marriage annulled on 9 July 1540. Married for 6 months.

Anne was born in Germany and her name was spelled “Anna”. She signed herself as “Anna, the daughter of Cleves” in a letter she sent to Henry soon after the annulment of their marriage.

Catherine Howard

Married to Henry on 8 August 1540. He was 49, she was between 17 and 22. Beheaded on 15 February 1542. Married for 2 years and 6 months.

The only extant letter by Catherine Howard was addressed to “Master [Thomas] Culpeper”, a gentleman of Henry VIII’s court who was later beheaded as the Queen’s lover. Catherine signed this letter: “Yours as long as life endures, Katheryn”.

"Yours as long as lyffe endures, Katheryn"

Katherine Parr

Married Henry on 12 July 1543. He was 52, she was 31. Survived the King. Married for 3 years and 6 months.There are several samples of Katherine Parr’s handwriting from the period when she was Queen. She always signed her letters “Kateryn the Quene KP” adding her initials in the end.

So, in the end, we have Katharina, Anne, Jane, Anna, Katheryn and Kateryn. What a diversity!

Picture Sources:

http://exetercollegespecialcollections.com/tag/katherine-of-aragon/

http://smalldogsyndrome.com/tag/travel/page/3/

Pet Monkeys: Marmosets at the Tudor court

Yesterday I’ve been to the zoo with my family and we saw a curious little creature called marmoset. Marmoset is a small tropical American monkey with a silky coat and a long tail. I remembered that at least two Tudor personages were painted with this funny-looking creature so I’ve decided to post these portraits together with some photos of the charming marmosets.

Henry VIII received a marmoset as a Christmas present in 1539 and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, was painted with this animal in the late 1520s. Henry VIII’s elder sister, Margaret Tudor, was also painted with a marmoset sitting on her hands. Not everyone was into marmosets, however. When Lady Honor Lisle wanted to present Anne Boleyn with a pet monkey, she was informed that Anne “loveth no such beasts nor can scant abide the sight of them”. 

Sources:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/64629/9-bizarre-objects-owned-henry-viii

Alison Weir, Henry VIII: King and Court, 2011.

Joanna Denny, Anne Boleyn, 2010.

Thomas Cromwell’s illegitimate daughter Jane

Thomas Cromwell and his daughter Grace
 in "Wolf Hall"

Thomas Cromwell’s two known daughters, Anne and Grace, died from the fatal infectious fever called “the sweating sickness” that swept through England in 1528. However, in his History of the Lives and Actions of Thomas Cromwell, written c. 1761, Arthur Collins made a reference to Thomas Cromwell’s son Gregory “and a daughter Jane”.[1] In her recent biography of Thomas Cromwell, historian Tracy Borman wrote this about Jane:

“Little is known about her, except that she married William Hough of Leighton in Wirral, Cheshire, sometime between 1535 and 1540. Girls were often married as young as twelve years old, but even if the latter date for Jane’s marriage is accepted, she must have been conceived while Cromwell’s wife was still alive. Jane’s husband, a staunch Catholic, was the son of Richard Hough, who was Cromwell’s agent in Cheshire from 1534 to 1540. It is therefore likely that Cromwell arranged their marriage, which was a good one for a girl of Jane’s obscure origins. But he would arguably have performed this favour for any loyal servant, and there is little other than the girl’s surname to suggest that she might have been his daughter.” [2]

There’s also a curious reference to a daughter in a letter to Cromwell from his colleague, Richard Southwell, in 1537. Southwell wrote that “I saw a child of my Lady your daughter’s at a nunnery in Yorkshire”. [3] Sadly, nothing more is known about her. 

Sources:

[1] Michael Everett, The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, p. 197.

[2] Tracy Borman, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, Kindle edition.

[3] Michael Everett, The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, p. 197. 

“Don’t ask, don’t get”: Mary Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell in “Wolf Hall”

In Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall”, there’s an apparent chemistry between Thomas Cromwell and Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne. We meet Mary after her first husband William Carey, member of the King’s Privy Chamber, has died of sweating sickness in 1528. Mary regrets being widowed because “I am to be swept out after supper like the old rushes. Now I’m no one’s wife, they [the Boleyns, her family] can say anything they like to me”. She reveals to Thomas Cromwell that she “needs a new husband” and tells him that she needs a husband who would upset her family. “I want to marry a man who frightens them”, says Mary in the course of her conversation with Thomas Cromwell and Hilary Mantel clearly hints that Cromwell, who had recently lost his beloved wife, seems like a great catch to Mary Boleyn: “There is a sudden light in her blue eyes. An idea has dawned. She rests one delicate finger on the grey velvet she so admires, and says softly, ‘Don’t ask, don’t get’”.

“Don’t ask, don’t get”: Mary Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell's apparent chemistry in "Wolf Hall" 

Is there any truth to this? Was Mary Boleyn ever interested in Thomas Cromwell? Was he interested in her? Well, there is no historical evidence to prove that Mary Boleyn was romantically linked with Thomas Cromwell. Or that she was poor and couldn't afford grey velvet, as implied both in the novel and in the TV adaptation of "Wolf Hall". Mary and Cromwell certainly knew each other socially and when in 1534 Mary made a secret match to one William Stafford,  her social inferior, she appealed to Thomas Cromwell because she knew he could help her. According to Mary:

“I saw that all the world did set so little by me, and he [William Stafford] so much, that I thought I could take no better way but to take him and forsake all other ways, and live a poor, honest life with him. And so I do put no doubts but we should, if we might once be so happy to recover the King’s gracious favour and the Queen’s. For well I might have had a greater man of birth and a higher, but I assure you I could never have had one that should have loved me so well, nor a more honest man.”

Thomas Cromwell’s reply does not survive and, sadly, we don’t know if he interceded with Henry VIII and the Boleyns on Mary’s behalf. Mary's letter is the only recorded interaction between her and Cromwell. 

Sources:

Hilary Mantel, "Wolf Hall", (Fourth Estate, 2009)

Mary Stafford to Thomas Cromwell (1534), Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII, (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1862-1910), Volume 7: 1655.

New book releases: Summer Reads

Here's a fresh selection of books to look forward to this summer! 

1. The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, her daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal That Ignited a Kingdom by Nancy Goldstone (non-fiction)

Release date: 18 June 2015 (UK), 23 June 2015 (US)

2. The Seymours of Wolf Hall: A Tudor Family Story by David Loades (non-fiction)

Release date: 15 June 2015 (UK), 19 August 2015 (US)

3. Margaret Pole: The Countess in the Tower by Susan Higginbotham (non-fiction)

Release date: 15 August 2015 (UK), 19 August 2015 (US)

4. The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory (novel)

Release date: 13 August 2015 (UK), 25 August 2015 (US)