the TUDOR TUTOR
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Be My Guest, Claire Ridgway! Part 2
I hope you all enjoyed Part 1 of Claire Ridgway’s guest post on Alison Weir’s “Tudor women” talk (click here if you missed it). Let’s go to Part 2!
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Henry’s Queens:
Obviously King’s wives were not like the average Tudor woman, but even though they were in charge of large households and budgets, Alison pointed out that the decisions were still made by the King. The queen’s role was to produce heirs and be the perfect model wife for the court.
But, what was the model wife? Here, Alison used Catherine of Aragon’s words when she pleaded with Henry VIII at the divorce hearing, saying that she was his “true, humble, obedient wife.” This summed up what a wife should be and her accepted role in the divine order. Even Catherine Parr applauded this ideal in her book Lamentations of a Sinner, writing that young women should be “sober-minded.” Alison pointed out the mottoes of Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard – “Bound to Obey and Serve” and “No Other Will but His” – these women accepted their role!
Adultery:
Alison emphasised that on marriage a woman became a man’s property and that it was even a man’s legal right to kill his wife on the spot if he caught her in the act of adultery. An adulterous woman brought shame on her family. Here, Alison mentioned Catherine Parr’s brother, William Parr, and his call for his unfaithful wife to be put to death. Fortunately, a divorce was granted instead! But look at Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both accused of adultery and both executed. The man’s word was law and although Weir stated that Anne was the “victim of a bitter court struggle” and was “framed by her enemies,” the adultery charge stood and Anne lost her life. After Catherine Howard was executed, a law was passed that it was high treason for a woman of dubious past to marry the king.
Education
In Medieval times, people believed that women should not be taught to write unless they were nuns and that the only education they needed was in home-making, to make them fit to be a good wife. However, the Renaissance made education for women more acceptable and Alison gave the examples of Margaret Roper (Sir Thomas More’s daughter), Catherine of Aragon, and Catherine Parr as models of educated and virtuous women. Too much learning could get a woman into trouble though–take the example of Catherine Parr, who was plotted against.
Mary and Elizabeth:
Alison pointed out that the only experience England had had of a female ruler was Empress Matilda in the 12th century and she didn’t last long. Mary I was England’s first real female monarch and she had many difficulties to contend with. For example, she couldn’t even do the ceremony of the Knights of the Bath because she couldn’t get into a bath with a bunch of men! Then, there was the question of marriage because of the traditional roles of husband and wife, with the woman being submissive to the man, yet she was Queen of England!
Alison spoke of how it was Elizabeth I who proved that a woman could rule successfully, but she wasn’t afraid of using her femininity to her advantage and using her feminine wiles to get her own way. The marriage issue was still a problem for Elizabeth though, but she solved it by remaining single while encouraging suitors to gain political advantage. Alison quite rightly noted that Elizabeth paved the way for future queens and that she was “one of the most important women to wield power.”
Final Words:
Alison Weir concluded her talk by stating that although 16th century women were seen as second to men, they still managed to rule countries and run businesses and estates. Life certainly was not easy for Tudor women, but, according to Alison, it did have its compensations and many marriages were loving relationships.
It really was a joy to hear Alison speak and to talk to her afterwards. She has so much knowledge and is happy to share this and answer questions. It was a great night and it raised £600 for the Mary Rose Appeal too.
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Claire Ridgway writes The Anne Boleyn Files (blog here, Facebook page here) and the Elizabeth Files (blog here, Facebook page here). Thanks again, Claire, for your fantastic article!
“You Just Wait Until Your Father Gets Home [from Sacking the Monasteries]!”
“Our first-born is the greatest ass, the greatest liar, the greatest canaille, and the greatest beast in the whole world and we heartily wish he was out of it.”
Whew, tell us how you really feel about your son, George II! Two hundred years post-Tudor, the Hanoverians were famous for poor father-son relations, but George II’s feelings toward his son (who died before he could become George III, so it went to his own boy) were probably the most extreme. Victoria’s male successors weren’t about to win any father-son awards, either. And although Henry VIII was very proud of his intelligent and talented children, we see how he used the girls in a genetic shuffleboard when it came to the succession, and famously obsessed over the XY chromosome.
Under the crown, children were primarily potential heirs and/or devices to marry into other royal families. Most royals did not have hands-on parenting experience either, as their kids were raised by nannies, and even breastfed via a wet-nurse. No attachment parenting for them! (And I suspect no “mommy wars,” either.)
Regardless of norms in royal parenting, it’s a good weekend* to hail those women who carried and gave birth to some of the biggest names in history. Let’s have a roll call of prominent Tudor moms…
- Lady Margaret Beaufort (mom to Henry VII)
- Elizabeth of York (mom to Henry VIII)
- Catherine of Aragon (mom to Mary I)
- Anne Boleyn (mom to Elizabeth I)
- Jane Seymour (mom to Edward VI)
- Mary de Guise (mom to Mary Queen of Scots)
- Lady Francis Brandon (mom to Lady Jane Grey)
These moms may not have received macaroni necklaces made with sticky fingers, but I suppose “look at me, Mom, I’m the ruler of the whole country” had a certain caché.
(* Mother’s Day is this Sunday, 9 May, in the U.S. Mothering Sunday in the U.K. is celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent; this year that date was 14 March.)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Wedding Band
The Six Ladies of Henry VIII were part of a fraternity that fascinates history buffs as well as those who just plain love a good, juicy soap opera. While it may have seemed the Massive Monarch blew through the line quickly, the amount of time he was married to each may surprise you. Here’s how long each gal wore that traveling wedding band:
1. Catherine of Aragon About 24 years, not together for the last few (June 1509 – May 1533)
2. Anne Boleyn 3 1/2 years(January 1533 – May 1536)
3. Jane Seymour 1 1/2 years (May 1536 – October 1537)
4. Anne of Cleves A measley six months (January 1540 – June 1540)
5. Katherine Howard 1 1/2 years (July 1540 – February 1542)
6. Catherine Parr 3 1/2 years (July 1543 – January 1547)
♥ A Very Tudor Valentine’s Day ♥
Out of Henry VIII’s six wives, who do you think was his true love? Get a quick rundown of all the Real Housewives of Tudor Court here, and cast your vote below!
Viva les Tudors!
I just love this fan-made video, combining an excellent song (Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”) with well-edited scenes from “The Tudors.” The lyrics really nail the essence of our favorite dysfunctional family. Enjoy!
Go Catherine, It’s Your Birthday, You’re a Princess, You’re a Tudor
On this date in 1485, the original Real Housewife of Tudor Court was born: Catherine of Aragon. Although she was the daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon, this princess’ reign was not to be in Spain. At the ripe old age of three, she was betrothed to marry the future Henry VIII’s older brother, Arthur, who was the heir to the English throne at the time. She became his queen when she was a lovely and plump teenager, a gracious and popular princess with wide blue eyes and long reddish-gold hair.
As fate would have it, her marriage to Arthur was short-lived. By the time she was 23, this well-educated catch married the next prince in line, our Henry. And the rest is history, poor girl.
Well Of Course She’s Going to Vote for Herself …
Thanks to the official Historic Royal Palaces account on YouTube, tomorrow’s birthday girl Cat of Aragon tells us why she should be considered Henry’s best wife. See here!
Eenie Meenie Miney Mo
With six wives to choose from, surely Henry VIII had a favorite, no? The demure and tactful Jane Seymour usually gets credit for being the favorite, but that sounds too easy to me. Sure, compared to his previous wife (Anne Boleyn, that cheeky and marvellous icon of girl power), Jane knew when to keep her trap shut and didn’t stir the pot. And her uterus nurtured the elusive XY chromosome that Henry was obsessed with.
And then she dropped dead, and really could do no wrong after that, could she? It’s called “bowing out at the top of your game,” and an unwittingly wise move on her part, as history paints her as the Golden Wife. She didn’t live long enough to have miscarriages or dreaded baby girls, or to enter middle age, or to be grossed out by his oozing leg sore or mid-life obesity.
Let’s take a look at Henry’s other girls. Catherine of Aragon was a thorn in his side toward the end of their marriage, for sure, and only gave him one daughter. But she was a dutiful and loving wife for nearly 20 years, not to mention a popular Spanish princess and a devout Catholic (he was too, for the most part). Wife #2, the sassy (to put it mildly) Anne Boleyn was such an effective flirt that the king was convinced she was flitting around with others, although it’s never been proven. She certainly tapped into his saucy side and I think he definitely admired her moxie and intelligence.
After the dearly-departed Jane, Anne of Cleves (we’re at number 4, now) was a bit of a dull dishrag, but the poor girl couldn’t speak a lick of English and communication is so important, isn’t it? Plus, there was her not-quite-supermodel appearance and the fact that she was surely repulsed by this jiggling mass of conceit and rage. Just assuming. After their divorce, Henry viewed Anne of Cleves as a sister, gave her a lovely settlement, and invited her to court quite a bit. The favorite, no, but not the outcast, either.
In sashays Wife #5, Katherine Howard. Katherine seemed to be low on brain cells but high on the vixen-factor. Henry appreciated the coquette angle, sure, but I really feel he wanted more than just glossy paintwork. And her cheating on him didn’t help matters any. Finally we have Wife #6, Catherine Parr, who was really just the king’s companion and caregiver during his last years.
Out of that cast of characters, do you think Henry VIII really had a favorite? Who do you think he held most near and dear? Or do you feel that his greatest love was actually the one he saw in the looking glass, the whole time?
He Said, She Said
Mention Henry VIII and most people think either (1) robust ginger guy, gnawing on a turkey leg, or (2) ABC’s “The Bachelor” 500 years ago. His appetite for food, drink, and women is well-known, but the fact that he was married to his first wife for 20 years is not. What went wrong? When and how did he go from settled-down to serial groom?
We have to remember that, while Catherine of Aragon was married to the king for two decades, this was actually her second marriage. Before she married Henry, she was married to his brother, Arthur. This is starting to sound creepy, isn’t it?
The “ick” factor isn’t as bad as it may seem. Arthur, Henry’s older brother, was the heir to the throne and a newlywed at just age 15. And then, dead – possibly of a sweating sickness. His Spanish princess, Catherine, was also sick but recovered to find herself a 16-year-old widow in a country far from home.
Arthur’s dad, Henry VII, wasn’t that eager to ship his daughter-in-law back to Spain since her father (Ferdinand, the king of Aragon) had handed over quite a wad of cash as her dowry. Instead, Henry Senior pocketed the money and simply matched her up with his next available son, the tall and handsome Henry Junior.
This next part is important: She was able to marry Henry only because she swore to the pope that her marriage to The Other Tudor Boy was never consummated. This, for the church, meant that they weren’t actually “married” to begin with and that she was free to marry Henry without being seen as an adultress or trollop of some sort.
Fast-forward a few decades into the marriage and ginger-haired Mr. Turkey Leg still had no boys to carry on the family business, so he figured he’d just divorce Catherine and remarry. A devout Catholic, he looked to the Bible to guide his decision and found his “ah-ha!” moment in Leviticus 20:21.
This passage states that a man who marries his brother’s wife will be childless (and for Henry VIII, “childless” and “no sons” were practically synonymous). Therefore, Henry believed that God was punishing him for having married his brother’s wife. Even Arthur’s servants had claimed that, the morning after his wedding, he asked for wine, stating that (TMI alert!) he had “been in Spain, and it was thirsty work.”
However, Catherine continued to deny that they ever had relations, even though onlookers claimed they were a fun and loving young couple for the short time they were married. Catherine was very popular, and her reputation is still very good to this day. Did she lie? Why would she? But at the same time, why wouldn’t a young couple who seemed to be happy and in love not consummate their marriage?
Do we believe what he said? Or what she said?
Catherine: The “It” Girl of 1501
Imagine that the most popular girl in school — the one who is the nicest person, the star soccer player, the best actress, and the one with the most school spirit — is dating the guy who is the class president and valedictorian. This was exactly the kind of couple that Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur (oldest son of Henry VII) were.
The highly-educated fifteen-year-old prince was the heir to the English throne (which was just fine with his younger brother Henry, who was happy to be the tall, handsome, athletic, and musical one) and needed a wife. His family and the royal family of Spain decided to get together by way of their children and sent their lovely and vivacious daughter Catherine over in a boat with a huge entourage.
After their marriage in November of 1501, the couple were enormously popular. The sixteen-year-old Princess of Wales won the people over with her beauty and grace, much like the late Diana Spencer did back in 1981 when she’d just married Prince Charles. And then …
… the prince died. Five months after their wedding! Since England and Spain wanted to keep the good relationship that the marriage had brought, it was decided that Catherine should marry her late husband’s brother, Henry. The only problem was that Henry was only eleven years old! So Catherine waited. And waited. And waited. In a strange land, away from her family. Seven years later, Henry was thrilled to marry this fine catch and stayed married to her for twenty years before he became Henry VIII the Fickle, Beheading, Power-Mad Monarch.
