The Tudors are in fashion. More than 500 years after the key events of the period, scholars, novelists and film-makers are flocking back to the 16th century. Fortunately, the Tudors left behind loads of clues as to who they were and what they wanted from life and for England. For example, in many ways the Tudor portrait painter Hans Holbein was the best publicist before Max Clifford!
The earlier, medieval rulers suffer from poor publicity, and if you want to study them, much of the research involves dry official records (accounts and grants for the most part). If you’re interested in Henry VIII or Elizabeth I, however, you have stacks of correspondence - some of it official, but much of it personal. Busy secretaries and ambassadors were writing everything down. Scholars have even uncovered Henry VIII’s love letters (or at least some of them). Of course, these sources didn’t always get the details right, but that’s where the fun begins. The official records still exist, of course, but with the Tudors you can finally get in touch with England’s leaders as human beings. The Tudor monarchs made mistakes, messed up matters and came up with some very creative solutions - and you can follow all the twists and turns in this book.
Additionally, the Tudors really were important. Many buildings you visit (and perhaps live in) throughout England and Wales were built in the 16th century. Institutions that you may take for granted, such as the Church of England or Parliament, were invented or took on new importance while the Tudors were on the throne.
About This Book
This book aims to tell the Tudor story the way it happened; not the whole story, of course - that would take a whole library of books - but enough to give you an idea of what was going on from 1485-1603. We’re historians who’ve been writing about the Tudors for years, but we know that doesn’t go for most of you and so we keep things simple (no offence!), which isn’t always easy. Henry VIII’s love life, for instance, defies all attempts to simplify, as does Elizabeth’s on/off search for a husband. But we hope to help you understand why these events were so important and why they took up so much time and effort.
This book focuses on English history. Scotland was a foreign country (until King James came along), and so it appears alongside France, the Netherlands and Spain as part of English foreign policy. The Tudors and the Stuarts in Scotland were related by marriage, but that didn’t make them friends. The two kingdoms were fighting each other throughout the first half of the 16th century.
Ireland, meanwhile, was a glorified English colony: it became a kingdom in its own right in 1541 but belonged to the English Crown. In fact, no English monarch visited Ireland between Richard II (1399) and William III (1689). The Tudors made a right royal mess of governing Ireland - and the after-effects still linger. Wales was ruled directly from England; the rulers and citizens may not have liked this situation, but the country received quite a fair measure of home rule after 1536. People began to talk about Britain (and even Great Britain) in the 16th century, but they meant the lands ruled by the monarch of England.
Although the Tudors are very important and fascinating for modern readers, keep in mind that they were small fry in the European political league at the time. England performed a balancing act between France and the Roman Empire in the first half of the 16th century, although Henry VIII always punched above his weight. In the second half of the century Elizabeth led (or in certain cases, didn’t lead) a series of coalitions against Philip II, who ruled the Spanish Empire, the one superpower of the period.
The only European Community of the time was the Roman Catholic Church, from which England had firmly withdrawn. Elizabethan England was a sea power and traded all over the world, but its only colony at Roanoke in the Americas failed and the days of the British Empire were still 100 years in the future.
Therefore, this book provides the ingredients and recipe of half an island, lightly cooked and served (we hope) with enough relish to make it palatable.
Conventions Used in This Book
The system of dating used throughout the Tudor period, and for a long time afterwards, was the Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar who supposedly invented it. This old calendar was known as the Old Style and is important only because continental Europe adopted a New Style or Gregorian calendar from 1582. This new calendar was ten days ahead, and so the Spanish dating of the Armada, for example, was ten days later than the English version. The year also began on 25 March, so that February 1587 by modern-day reckoning would have been February 1586 by the Tudors’ calendar. This situation can be confusing, and so in this book we adopt the modern convention of starting the year on 1 January: therefore, the year 1586 runs from 1 January to 31 December.
We haven’t changed money at all. No paper money existed in Tudor England, and certainly no cheques or plastic! Coins included groats, angels and crowns, but the value of money has changed so much - and historians are still arguing about exactly how much - that we’ve left the original round figures with no attempt to update to today’s currency values.
Foolish Assumptions
We assume that you’ve heard of the Tudors and know roughly when the 16th century was - but not very much more.
Many people studied the period 1485 to 1603 at school and acquired vague impressions of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I but little understanding of the other three Tudor rulers.
You may have watched The Tudors series on television (in which case the facts may well surprise you), or seen David Starkey’s documentary programmes that whetted your appetite to know more. David tells it like it was, but only some of it: the rest is here.
How This Book Is Organised
The parts of the book flow chronologically, and so Part I is (mainly) about Henry VII and his origins, and Part IV focuses on Elizabeth I. Within these parts, the chapters are thematic, allowing you to pick and choose. For example, if you want to know about Henry VIII’s love life, go to Part II, Chapter 5; if Elizabeth I’s war with Spain grabs you, go to Part IV, Chapter 15.
Part I: Encountering the Early Tudors
Henry VII didn’t just spring out of the grass - he had a family and background. This part looks at who he was, his Welsh roots and the civil war that gave him his opportunity. We also lead you on a quick tour of 15th-century England - its social structure, religion and beastly habits - to provide some context. The culture of the Court was a thing apart, and education struggled with an illiterate population. If you think things are bad now, look at the England of Henry VI! When the Crown was weak, the nobility dominated and fought its private quarrels under the cover of the houses of York or Lancaster. This situation created the challenge that greeted Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth. On the whole, he made a pretty good job of getting and keeping his crown.
Part II: Handling Henry VIII
Henry VII became monarch in 1485 and married within six months. His wife Elizabeth bore at least five children, three of whom were sons. Nevertheless, by 1502 the future Henry VIII, whom we meet in this part, was the only son left - a crisis situation. Henry VIII was brought up and educated most carefully as the heir to the throne. As a young man he was very athletic, hunting and jousting with great enthusiasm. He ran his kingdom with a light touch, preferring his hobbies, but he also yearned to prove himself by war, taking Henry V as his role model. As he aged, he became short-tempered, particularly on the subject of sex; he famously married six times and fathered one illegitimate son. His ego also developed to gigantic proportions. He eventually took on the papacy in Rome and changed the direction of English religion forever.
Part III: Remembering the Forgotten Tudors: Edward VI and Mary
The focus in this part is on Edward and Mary, who are notoriously the two little Tudors between the two big ones. They’re often passed over, particularly by popular storytellers. Nevertheless, they’re both important in different ways. Edward’s minority (he was a child of 9, but bright) tested two things: the Royal Supremacy and the Crown’s control over the nobility. Henry VIII surrounded his son with men who turned out to be Protestants. These radical reformers converted both King Edward and the English Church, successfully sweeping away centuries of religious styles of worship. Mary is best remembered as Bloody Mary who burned Protestants, but she was far more than that. She was England’s first ruling queen, and her marriage to King Philip of Spain brought up all sorts of questions about being a good sovereign and a good wife.
Part IV: Ending with Elizabeth
Elizabeth had a different agenda to Mary but took advantage of her halfsister’s reign in several ways. First, the Crown had been ‘ungendered’ for Mary’s benefit, which gave Elizabeth a flying start. Second, she took on-board the lessons of her sister’s example about how tricky marriage can be for a ruling queen. Although Elizabeth entered into several negotiations, she never tied the knot. Third, she exploited Mary’s spiritual fervour and turned the whole religious settlement upside down. Although she’s best remembered as Gloriana who beat the Spanish Armada, you see in this part that Elizabeth was simply a successful ruler who developed her own inimitable style and gave her kingdom status and self-respect. Having never married, sheer good luck enabled her to pass the crown to her cousin, her Protestant ‘brother of Scotland’ James VI, who became King James I of England in 1603.
Part V: The Part of Tens
If you want to impress your friends with your knowledge of Tudor England, you can do worse than start at the end of this book where you find a digest of information. We supply ten crucial moves and developments, such as England’s break with Rome and the start of the war with Spain. We describe ten things that link the Tudors with the present day, including the right of female succession and an independent Church of England, and highlight ten areas where the Tudors got there first. And you can tour ten surviving buildings, some of which are only partly Tudor (such as Hampton Court). The list includes places you’ve probably never heard of but that are well worth a visit.
Where to Go from Here
At this point you can turn the page and start at the beginning of the Tudors’ story. Part I gives you a snapshot overview of the period and introduces you to the first Tudor, Henry VII. Alternatively, you can jump to Parts II or IV and dive into the fascinating reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, respectively.
Each chapter of this book focuses on a specific topic or segment of Tudor history, so you can dive in anywhere. We include cross-references in each of the chapters, and so when something comes up that we mention in more detail elsewhere, you can turn to the appropriate chapter.
Whatever way you choose to enjoy this book, we hope you find the journey fun and interesting.