Tudor Dynasty

Misremembering Mary I: History’s Largest Misconceptions about England’s First Crowned Queen

Leave a Comment

Guest post written by Johanna Strong Mary I, England's first crowned queen regnant (1553-1558), is often popularly remembered as either a tragic figure or as a tyrannical one. While traditional histories such as G.R. Elton's focus on the religious persecution undertaken throughout Mary's reign, others attempt to soften her character by narrating her phantom pregnancies and the frequent absences of her husband, Philip II of Spain. Both of these approaches and styles of [More]

Can We Give Mary Tudor a Break? (Guest Post)

10 Comments

Guest post by Juliana Cummings She is known as one of the most evil women in history and is responsible for burning more protestants at stake than any other English Monarch.  There are alcoholic drinks and children's sleepover games named after her, but in all fairness was Mary Tudor, the first Queen regnant, evil? Born on February 18, 1516, Princess Mary would be the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. By the time Mary was born, [More]

Movie Review: Mary, Queen of Scots

Leave a Comment

When it was announced that there would be a film about Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I was over the moon. My hope was that it would do both women the justice they deserve. If you have not seen the trailer, here it is: How exciting does that look, right!? Since I am not sure how long it will be before I am able to see the film myself I had two wonderful friends who offered to write reviews for the blog. A special thanks to Sari Graham and Karen L. Largent for [More]

Binge Drinking During the Tudor Dynasty (Guest Post)

Leave a Comment

Guest post written by Patrick Bailey The royal lineage of Tudor dynasty started with Henry VII in 1485 and ended with Elizabeth I in 1603. Lasting for 118 years. This dynasty was one of the most influential and greatest in Britain. But like all other historical stories surrounding the royal throne, not everything is all tea and biscuits. Speaking of tea and biscuits, you would be amazed by what the commoners, as well as royalties, drank during those times.

Why The Tudors?

1 Comment

I was having a difficult time coming up with a topic for this week's podcast. I reached out to my followers on Facebook and a couple of them mentioned that they would be interested in finding out what got me interested in The Tudor dynasty in the first place. I thought it was a fantastic idea and so I ran with it. This episode begins talking about Henry VII and the Battle of Bosworth as well as Elizabeth of York and leads up to the birth of Prince Arthur. I discuss my [More]

Early Letter from Princess Elizabeth to Lady Knollys

3 Comments

Catherine Carey, Lady Knollys was the daughter of Mary Boleyn and William Carey. When Catherine's cousin Queen Mary came to the throne they fled the country for fear they would be persecuted for their Protestant beliefs. This letter was written in 1553 making Elizabeth twenty years old. Elizabeth and Catherine always had a close relationship - is it possible because Elizabeth had a feeling they were sisters instead of cousins? We'll never know for certain. Relieve your sorrow [More]