the TUDOR TUTOR
Your cheeky guide to the dynastyI Heart London
As write this, London burns at the mercy of horrible rioters. Sorry, no sympathy from me! (So you’ve burned your neighborhood down and now you have a brand-new telly you’ve nicked. Congrats?)
I cannot think of a better time to thumb my nose at these thugs and celebrate my favourite city:
The Tudor connections are many…
- Westminster Abbey, where you can see the tombs of Henry VII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
- The Tower of London, where Elizabeth I was imprisoned, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were executed and are buried, and Lady Jane Grey may be immortalized in graffiti, among lots of other Tudor history
- Hampton Court Palace, my fave Tudor place!
- The Globe Theatre, although it’s a rebuild of the original theater, is a treasure. The exhibition is described here. The ceiling above the stage (“the Heavens”) is gorgeous, as are the wrought-iron gates at the entrance, in front of which I stand here.
But there’s plenty of non-Tudor London to enjoy as well…
- I’m a big fan of the Natural History Museum (and it’s free!); I especially love their dinosaur exhibits. Rawwrr!
- The Sir John Soane Museum is the most interesting crowded collection of art and “stuff” you will ever visit
- The view from St. Paul’s is simply wonderful. I am enjoying it here.
- The church garden of St. Dunstan in the East is charming.
- The Tate Modern is just fab!
- This may be unpopular but I love eating at the Texas Embassy, near Trafalgar Square. It’s a dependable Tex-Mex menu with decent prices and a fun atmosphere.
- The wonderful National Portrait Gallery is also near Trafalgar Square.
- I hear there’s a charming little residence just off Constitution Hill, but I prefer the Victoria Memorial right in front of said residence.
Additionally,
- There are so many things to love about London in this print by Linzie Hunter
- If you are on Twitter and can only follow one Londoner, make it Laura Porter, the knowledgable and dedicated About.com guide to the City
- There are pages and pages of quotes about the City here
- Here’s a clickable map of places with “hidden London” gems
- Lately I’m reading London: A Biography by Peter Ackroyd. I also like London in the Footsteps of the Famous by Nicholas Best, 360º London by Nick Wood, and Frommer’s Irreverent Guide to London by Baillet and Fitzgerald.
- This page offers London recs from Sir Michael Caine, Arlene Phillips, Heather Small, Tom Aikens, and other famous names
- Please never refer toTower Bridge as “London Bridge.” That’s a different bridge. Thanks. =)
Keep London (and other affected areas such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Bristol) in your thoughts and prayers during the current abuses. Updates continue to be posted via video and text on the BBC news website.
The Writing on the Wall
Lady Jane Grey, we hardly knew ye: Today in 1553, Henry VIII’s oldest daughter Mary was proclaimed queen. The Nine-Day Queen, Lady Jane, was imprisoned in the Tower and not executed until the following February! The poor girl.
This bit of graffiti is thought by some to have been made by her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, while he was imprisoned in Beauchamp (“BEECH-um”) Tower; Guildford was executed the day before his wife.
And should you be craving some more graffiti from days gone by, there are 8 fascinating minutes right here for you. The close-ups on the “Jane” graffiti begin at 4:34, for those rushed for time, but the entire piece is worth watching.
The Tudors Come to BBC History Magazine
Another fine Tudor-era BBC History mag cover!
Did you know that the August 2011 issue of BBC History Magazine features our fave family? It is on sale starting 19 July. (Update: Here ’tis!) And I have just received the following press release from the mag and would like to share it with you all; enjoy!
“BBC History Magazine has just launched its very first audiobook, a guide to the Tudor kings and queens. The audiobook features interviews with five leading historians of the period, with each expert discussing the life and times of one of the Tudor monarchs.
- Dr Steven Gunn of Oxford University starts us off with Henry VII
- Professor George Bernard of Southampton University introduces us to Henry VIII
- Reading University’s Professor Ralph Houlbrooke talks about Edward VI
- Dr Anna Whitelock of Royal Holloway, University of London, invites us to reconsider Mary I
- Finally, Oxford University’s Dr Susan Doran reviews the reign of Elizabeth I
Each interview is roughly half an hour long, so there’s just over two and a half hours of discussion on the Tudors. The audiobook is available to download, for £1.99, from www.historyextra.com/audiobooks/tudors
The launch of the audiobook ties in with the August issue of BBC History Magazine, on sale Tuesday 19 July, which is a Tudor special. The issue analyses the lives and legacies of England’s most famous royal dynasty and explores just what it is about the Tudors that ignites our interest.
BBC History Magazine will also be running edited versions of all of the audiobook interviews on its weekly podcast, starting with Steven Gunn’s discussion on Henry VII which will be available to download later today, and finishing with Susan Doran’s review of Elizabeth I which will be available from 12 August. The BBC History Magazine podcasts are available to download free of charge every Friday from the website www.historyextra.com/podcast-page, or you can subscribe via iTunes.”
Let’s Have Some Fun…
The Disney-ified Anne B?
YouTube is a great place to find fun vids on our favorite dysfunctional family, so why not check out:
A Spare is Born
520 years is a big number, so let’s start the party early! Tomorrow, 28 June, marks the 520th anniversary of Henry VIII’s birth. What we have to remember is that his older brother, Arthur, was the boy upon whose shoulders the Tudor future rested. Little Henry was simply “the spare.” The above sketch was made when the boy was but two years old.
Although he wasn’t groomed to be king, he collected quite a few titles before the age of four: Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Duke of York, Knight of the Garter, All-Around Lovely Chap.
His education was well-rounded; the kid was immersed in the classics, maths, reading, writing, and French. Music was his forte, one that would follow him to adulthood. (But no, he probably didn’t write “Greensleeves.“) Tennis, archery, jousting, fencing, wrestling … there was no shortage of physical activity for the little prince.
Who knew that the spare would not only step up to the plate when the heir dropped out, he would also rock the monarchy (and the institution of marriage) in an unprecented way? But for now, let’s think back to a more innocent time, when Henry VIII: Tyrant / Serial Husband / Big-Boned Gastronome was merely an adored little newborn in the royal Tudor household.
Henry VIII’s Annus Horribilis
I didn’t want to get started on reviewing books; I first dipped my toe into that water when I ranted about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and her spoiled crew. I still plan on leaving book reviews to others, but there is a relatively new book I believe you should add to your queue, Tudor fans!
This isn’t as much a review (I don’t feel I’m qualified as a book reviewer) as it is a recommendation for the book I read just after that one, which I have recently finished, and that is 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII by Suzannah Lipscomb.
One of the tragedies of Henry VIII’s character is his change from charming, athletic prince to paranoid, gross, and cruel king. Dr. Lipscomb explores the events of 1536 and puts forth why that year was a crucial turning point in the change we see. She easily conveys her vast knowledge of the subject in a well-organized and conversational manner, making 1536 a pleasure to read. It is only 209 pages, perfect for getting your Tudor fix during a long day at the beach or during a quiet weekend!
Dr. Lipscomb has been a research curator at Hampton Court, and a university lecturer. She’s now the subject convenor and Senior Lecturer for history at New College of the Humanities in central London. The complete goods, including video clips, can be found on her website. And if you are on Twitter, give her a follow! @sixteenthCgirl
A Prayer from the Dying
Image via Wikipedia
Poor Lady Jane Grey! Just a queen for nine measly days in July 1553, then Mary I’s prisoner for seven long months. The stress made her hair start to fall out and gave her flaky skin, but that was going to be small potatoes next to, you know, losing her head the following February.
She carried this little prayer book to her execution (it’s now on display at the British Library, and there is a full transcript here); inside it, she’d jotted some final goodbyes. This one was to Sir John Bridges, the tower lieutenant:
“Forasmutche as you have desired so simple a woman to wrighte in so worthye a booke (good) mayster lieutenaunte therefore I shall as a frende desyre you and as a christian require you to call uppon god to encline youre harte to his lawes to quicken you in his waye and not to take the worde of trewthe utterlye oute of youre mouthe.”
After mounting the scaffold and giving the requisite “I’m here to die, good people” line so common of the future headless at that time, she devoutly recited the Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51) –in English, of course, because Latin was only for papists and she’d embraced the reformist cause. It goes like this:
“ Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness
According to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences.
Wash me throughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and clear when Thou art judged.
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
Turn Thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
O give me the comfort of Thy help again: and stablish me with Thy free Spirit.
Then shall I teach Thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of Thy righteousness.
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall shew Thy praise.
For Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: but Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise.
O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they offer young calves upon Thine altar.”*
The composure necessary to recite all this just moments before being beheaded baffles me. I have the feeling that, if Jane were allowed a long reign, she wouldn’t have been a queen to mess with!
*This translation is from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer which is, of course, after Jane’s time.
Our Lady of the Perpetual Neck Ruff
I’m just back from the National Portrait Gallery in D.C., where I saw a certain Tudor monarch’s portrait displayed prominently at the end of a hallway. This one is dated 1558 and it’s by an unidentified artist. (Click the pic for a better view.)
It was painted shortly after she got the crown, so there are a few references to leave no question as to who is the rightful monarch. The words “Elizabeth Regina” & her father’s square-cut stone (“the Mirror of France”) around her neck drive home the point quite well, don’t you think?
Post-Medieval Match.com
Remember Henry VII’s true schmoopie from the last blog post? That lovely Elizabeth of York died in 1503 after giving birth to the couple’s seventh child, and England had one sad king on their hands. Two years later, he may have thought it a good idea to get on Spain’s good side by marrying over that border.
Sensing that her daughter (and Henry VII’s widowed daughter-in-law) Catherine of Aragon might be in his line of vision, her mother Queen Isabella was all “Hey, look, over there, something shiny! It’s Joan, Queen of Naples!” The king was interested enough to send his ambassadors to get the goods on this girl.
The document detailing his desires was printed in 1761 (!) and was on display at the Vivat Rex! exhibit in Washington D.C. last fall. The king clearly wanted to know what he might be getting into. Aside from needing to know the height of her forehead and the possibility of hair on her upper lip, he had the ambassadors report on:
- How was her complexion?
- Were her arms big or small, long or short?
- Was the palm of her hand thick or thin?
- Were her hands fat or lean, long or short?
- Were her fingers long or short, small or great, broad or narrow?
- Was her neck long or short, small or great?
- Were her breasts and “pappes” big or small?
…you know, the usual concerns. The answers were promising:
- Her complexion was clean, fair, and sanguine
- Her arms were somewhat round and not very small, but “of good proportion to her personage and stature of height”
- Her hands were somewhat full, soft, fair, and clean-skinned
- Her fingers were fair and small
- Her neck was full and comely, not misshapen, not very short nor very long. However, her neck appeared shorter “because her breasts were full and somewhat big.”
- More on the breasts! They appeared to be somewhat great and full, as they were “highly trussed.”
In the end, it just didn’t work out, money and politics and all. No word on if Henry VII gave Joan the “It’s not thee, it’s me” reason.
And You Thought the TUDORS were Dysfunctional
Cover of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
The Tudors are the Waltons next to the Cavendishes/Spencers, I have learned. If you are following me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve heard my occasional groanings/rantings as I soldiered through Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman. I finally finished it last night so see ya, spoiled 18th century brats!
Don’t get me wrong: Foreman did a bang-up job in her writing and research. It’s a fine book. But I hated these people more and more with each passing chapter.
So Henry VIII married six times, so he had two of his wives executed, so he ripped the common thread of religion out from under the feet of the entire country just so he could pass on his XY chromosome. So Elizabeth I practically wiped out the Irish and had her own cousin beheaded. So Mary I had so many Protestant bonfires there’s a drink named after her with the word “bloody” in it. So the long-awaited heir to Henry VIII was, well, kind of a bore.
The Tudors were one big happy family compared to the gambling, drunkard, speech-affecting, spouse-sharing opium addicts of the Devonshire house circle. I agree that Georgiana seemed remarkable in her magnetism, devotion to friends and family, and rabid interest in politics and science.
But was she as dumb as a box of rocks to insist that her husband’s girlfriend stay in their house, let alone accompany them on all their travels?? Yes, Elizabeth Foster, that manipulative social climbing shrew. Back in the good ol’ 16th century, having a hold on a person like that could only mean one thing: witchcraft! In our Tudor era, pathetic and conniving Bess would have been riding a dunking stool instead of… oh nevermind.
I vacillated between wanting to strangle Bess with her own hat ribbons and pitying her sorry self. And when Foreman mentioned that Georgiana chose to nurse Bellatrix Bess through a high fever instead of celebrate her own daughter (Little G)’s birthday, there was no turning back for me.
Now I’m back with our Tudors for a while! I have started the next book in my queue, 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII by Suzannah Lipscomb (who is on Twitter as @sixteenthCgirl if you are there are well; she is just lovely and I highly recommend giving her a follow).
However, after my time in 1536 I plan to resume reading Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser (which I’d started last fall). As the French queen and Georgiana were very close friends, I fear I haven’t seen the last of the Duchess of Devonshire. Mon dieu!
