Six Documentaries to Watch During Lockdown

Feb 14, 2021Feb 14, 2021 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries during lockdown so I thought I’d pull together some of my favourites here – not all Tudor so if you’re looking for something different, look no further!

If there are any that you’ve particularly enjoyed watching, please leave a comment, always looking for new things to watch and learn from!

David Starkey’s ‘Monarchy’

Episodes: 16

Period: Anglo-Saxons to Queen Victoria

David Starkey explores how the British monarchy has evolved over time, from the patchwork of counties that made up Anglo-Saxon England to how they united under a single king, working through the monarchs right up to Queen Victoria. It focuses less on the monarchs themselves but rather how their actions informed the idea of monarchy.

David Starkey has been involved in some controversy over the last few years with some of his comments hitting the news headlines, so I was a bit wary of including this one on my list, but I don’t think that some of his personal opinions affect the historical research that went into this documentary series. I have this on DVD and have watched it several times, making me interested in aspects of our history that I haven’t been before.

Simon Schama’s ‘A History of Britain’

Episodes: 15

Period: Stone Age to Modern Day

Simon Schama takes a different approach to our history than David Starkey, looking less at the monarchs and more at the general population and how life changed for them from the Stone Age to the modern day through times that have shaped our history.

I have this on DVD as I thought it looked different to other histories of Britain, and I wanted something definitive to widen my area of interest and my knowledge. This certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s not completely definitive, being unable to cover the entire history of Britain in 15 episodes, but it covers some of the most pivotal moments in our history in detail, drawing extensively on primary source research.

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‘The Dig’ on Netflix

Feb 1, 2021Feb 1, 2021 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

At the weekend I watched ‘The Dig’ on Netflix, starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, and Lily James. A lot of people seem to have been talking about this film, even before it was released. The film follows the story of Basil Brown (Fiennes), who discovers an Anglo-Saxon burial ship under a mound in a field in rural Suffolk. The land belongs to the widowed Edith Pretty (Mulligan) who asks Brown to excavate the mounds. The discovery takes place in the run-up to the Second World War and the preparations to go to war.

I’ve known about Sutton Hoo from a young age, as my grandparents live not far from the dig site. Obviously as a child I didn’t really know the history or what I was seeing when we visited the site, but when I visited the British Museum a few years ago and saw the Sutton Hoo treasures it really hit home what I had seen at the dig site, and now I want to go back.

I really enjoyed the film; it was excellent Saturday watching. I told a friend of mine how much I enjoyed the film, and he went and watched it. He didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I did, saying that the interpersonal drama seemed contrived to liven it up, and the social commentary has been done before. I can understand that, but the film is brilliantly done, and the cast are fantastic. Carey Mulligan really carries the film for me.

Basil Brown, who made the initial discovery at Sutton Hoo, has largely been left out of history, but now he gets a film based on what he discovered. The film itself is based on a book called ‘The Dig’ by John Preston (click here to see the book on Hive). The excitement of finding an Anglo-Saxon boat buried under a mound in a field is really portrayed in the film, and I really felt it myself watching the action unfold on screen.

History is often reduced to objects that we can see and touch, and this is certainly the case with Sutton Hoo – it was said to be a burial ship and the most famous part of Sutton Hoo even today seems to be the treasure: the helmet, brooches, and jewels. What ‘The Dig’ demonstrates is that there are human stories behind the objects that we see today. Not just the stories of the Anglo-Saxon people who buried the ship, but the stories of those who unearthed it as well.

If you want to visit Sutton Hoo, it is looked after by National Trust (Sutton Hoo | National Trust) and the treasure is on show in the British Museum in London (Sutton Hoo and Europe | British Museum).

Documentary Notes – ‘Elizabeth’ with David Starkey – Part 1, From the Prison to the Palace

Jul 12, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

January 1559 Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England
She was the last of the Tudor dynasty and dazzled the nation and the world
Elizabeth reigned for 45 years and her ships sailed round the world and defeated the Armada, Shakespeare wrote plays and Spenser wrote poems
English noblemen and foreign princes wooed her
Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII
The right of women to succeed to the throne was still in doubt
Her father would kill her mother and she would be disinherited.
Her sister would imprison her in the Tower and threaten to execute her
She would be molested by her own stepfather
Most monarch have their crowns handed to them on a plate, but Elizabeth would get hers by cunning and courage
Elizabeth’s sex was a disappointment to Henry VIII when she was born in September 1533
Henry already had a daughter, Mary, aged 17
Elizabeth had a magnificent christening with every detail seen to
She was declared princess as heir to the throne
According to the French ambassador the occasion was perfect, and nothing was lacking
But things were far from perfect as Elizabeth was the child of a second marriage
The Imperial ambassador refused to attend the baptism and refused to recognise Anne Boleyn as Henry VIII’s wife – referring to Anne as whore and Elizabeth as bastard
“Hot but not hot enough” – one ambassador when asked if the baby Elizabeth had been baptised in hot or cold water
Henry VIII divorced his first wife Katherine of Aragon because she didn’t give him a son
Anne had a stillborn baby boy after 2 miscarriages
Anne had failed in her principle duty and Henry had fallen in love with another woman
Anne was accused of multiple adultery with 4 men and incest with her brother
Anne was executed on Tower Green on 19 May 1536 with a single stroke of a sword rather than an axe
Elizabeth was only aged 3 when her mother was executed
Elizabeth seems to have airbrushed her mother from her memory and her father filled her world instead
Henry and Anne’s marriage was declared null and void
Elizabeth was made illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne
She became Lady Elizabeth, second bastard daughter of the king
Elizabeth’s governess didn’t know what to do and wrote to Cromwell for guidance on Elizabeth’s treatment and clothes
No one could forget that Elizabeth was Anne’s daughter and it was to marry Anne that Henry had broken with Rome
The monasteries had fallen victim to Henry’s desire to marry Anne – assets were seized, and the buildings destroyed
Glastonbury Abbey was one of those that fell
There was also spiritual damage – out of the ruins would form a new faith which would divide his country and his family
Just over a year after his marriage to Jane Seymour she gave him a son and heir – Edward
Elizabeth and Mary were minor royals
Elizabeth also lost her governess, Lady Bryan, who was transferred to look after the new baby prince
Kat Ashley replaced Lady Bryan and she became close to Elizabeth
Her father rarely saw her as she was brought up away from the court

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Documentary Notes – ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ with David Starkey – Part 3, Jane Seymour & Anne of Cleves

Jun 16, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

These notes are from part 3 of ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ documentary with David Starkey. For part 1 on Katherine of Aragon, click here and part 2 on Anne Boleyn, click here.

The day after Anne Boleyn’s execution her lady-in-waiting was rowed up the Thames to the royal palace
Jane Seymour was to be Henry VIII’s new wife
Anne Boleyn’s body was barely cold, but Jane was getting betrothed to the king who banished one wife and beheaded another
There was a complete contrast between Anne and Jane
Anne Boleyn was a dramatic brunette with dark eyes with a spirit and temper to match, arousing Henry to rage
Jane was fair, almost pallid with pale blue eyes, a receding chin, and a doormat personality
She had helped to engineer Anne’s downfall
Could she really have been such a doormat to step over Anne’s body to the throne?
To marry Anne Boleyn Henry made himself Supreme Head of the Church
Traditional Catholics were appalled by Henry’s religious changes, including Jane
Jane had served Katherine of Aragon
As Henry flirted with Jane traditionalists wanted to take advantage
Thomas Cromwell would always fight Jane’s influence
Henry wasn’t taking Jane seriously at first, wanting her as a mistress
He sent her a letter and purse of money, but she rejected the money and returned the letter unopened
She flung herself on her knees, saying that she had no greater riches in the world than her honour – she would only accept a gift of money when she was married
“Masterpiece of seduction”
For Henry it was powerfully attractive
Jane was coached by Nicholas Carew to play up her demureness
Carew had chosen the right moment and the right woman
Henry’s behaviour transformed from seducer to suitor, only seeing her with a chaperone
Jane, her brother and her sister-in-law moved into an apartment beside the king
10 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution Henry and Jane were married in private
She took as her motto ‘bound to obey and serve’
She kept her traditional Catholic faith
She put her own stamp on the court, with her ladies told to be demure and dress in the English style rather than the French
“We have come from a hell into heaven”
Religion was a key area where women had a certain freedom of action
Anne had pushed that freedom for reform, but Jane’s beliefs were the opposite
Would Jane be as persuasive as Anne had been?
The first test of Jane’s influence was in defence of the Princess Mary, a devout Catholic who refused to accept the illegality of her mother’s marriage
Nicholas Carew urged Jane to approach Henry directly
Jane made Mary’s cause her own – even to name Mary heir was treason
Jane’s position wasn’t secure, but she was prepared to risk everything out of conviction
Jane begged Henry to restore Mary to the succession, saying that their children would only be safe if Mary was restored
Jane was playing with fire as Henry still required Mary to surrender to his will
Mary’s friends were summoned before the council and questioned about their activities on her behalf
Mary confronted with a choice between her friends and her conscience gave in and submitted to the king’s will
Jane had hoped Mary’s restoration would signal a Catholic resurgence
This backfired, but she would try again whatever the risks

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Documentary Notes – ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ with David Starkey – Part 1, Katherine of Aragon

Jan 20, 2020Mar 9, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 2 Comments

Katherine of Aragon c.1502 by Michael Sittow.

1501 16-year-old Spanish princess stands on brink of destiny to become Queen of England
Katherine of Aragon entered old St Paul’s Cathedral 14 November 1501 to marry the Prince of Wales
Ally England to the most powerful royal house in Europe
Future of upstart Tudor dynasty seemed secure
Wedding a mixture of fairy tale and international relations – took place on a raised walkway with bride and groom dressed in white
Future Henry VIII stole the show – escorted Katherine along the aisle
Prince Arthur (Henry VIII’s elder brother) was the groom
Katherine was the daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile – one of the great military partnerships of Europe
Conquered Granada and began conquest of Latin America
1491 Spanish royal family entered the Alhambra in Granada
Katherine’s upbringing was founded on Catholicism, Inquisition and military conquest
Faith underpinned her life
Katherine’s role model was her mother, Isabella – monarch in her own right
Ferdinand and Isabella had an unusually equal relationship
Given an impressive education to prepare for queenship – betrothal to Prince Arthur aged 5 knowing she would leave for England aged 16
December 1501 Katherine was at Ludlow Castle – Arthur’s seat as Prince of Wales
Katherine didn’t find her life entirely strange at Ludlow, still a luxurious palace and a familiar pattern of life
Only common language between Katherine and Arthur was Latin
Katherine was allowed to keep her own Spanish attendants
Couples as young as Katherine and Arthur didn’t necessarily live together straightaway – Katherine was 16 and Arthur aged 14
The pair got on very well on their wedding night, so it was decided they would live together straightaway in the hope that Katherine would produce an heir quickly
Weather was foul and disease broke out at Ludlow
End of March 1502 both Arthur and Katherine were gravely ill
2 April 1502 Prince Arthur died, probably from TB aged 15, married less than 5 months
The funeral procession struggled through mud and rain, abandoning horses and using oxen instead to make it
Katheirne was left vulnerable by sudden death of Arthur, in strange country
Two solutions – return to Spain or marry again in England
Henry VII and Ferdinand of Aragon bargained – Katherine would marry Arthur’s younger brother, Henry

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Documentary Notes – British History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley: the Wars of the Roses

Mar 16, 2019Jan 14, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Story of past open to interpretation
Carefully edited and deceitful version of events
Not just a version of what happened – more a tapestry of different stories woven together by whoever was in power at the time
Wars of the Roses was invented by the Tudors to justify their power
Immortalised by Shakespeare – darkest chapter in English history
Lancaster and York locked in battle for the crown of England – kings deposed, innocent children murdered, cousin fought against cousin
1485 Richard III slain and Henry Tudor took the throne
Henry VII’s victory hailed the ending of the Medieval period
Line between fact and fiction often gets blurred

Late 16th Century portrait of Richard III, housed in the National Portrait Gallery.

1455 Stubbins in Lancashire scene of a legendary battle in the Wars of the Roses beginning with volleys of arrows but ran out of ammunition
Lancastrians pelted the Yorkists with black pudding – local legend
Yorkists pelted the Lancastrians with Yorkshire puddings – local legend
Wars of the Roses in national memory
History books – rivalry between Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) – bloody rivalry largely a creation of the Tudors

1461 bloodshed real in the middle of a snowstorm at Towton
Lancastrians started out well but tide turned against them, chased by the Yorkists down the slope to a river and so a massacre began
Blood stained the snow red, so location became known as the bloody meadow
Shakespeare portrayed the battle as a bloody Armageddon – represented a country torn apart by war, nothing as bad in our history
Somme 19,000 British soldiers killed on the first day, Towton 28,000 killed

20 years ago Bradford University revealed barbarity of fighting with remains of 43 men killed at Towton
Head forced down into the spine, poleaxes – exceptional even for the Wars of the Roses
Skirmishes, but real battles only around 8 in 30 years
Not ravaged by all-out war – later myth
Out of 32 years of wars, fighting on lasted a total of 13 weeks

Continue reading “Documentary Notes – British History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley: the Wars of the Roses” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 4, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr

Sep 18, 2018Jan 14, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Katherine Howard miniature by Hans Holbein.

After 4 failed marriages Henry VIII married Katherine Howard
She had a guilty secret
Final wife Katherine Parr more obedient but not all she seemed
1539 Henry VIII aged 48, first 3 wives dead
Henry stuck in a loveless marriage with Anne of Cleves – called her fat and ugly, he was so disgusted he couldn’t have sex with her
Big problem for Henry and the Tudor dynasty
The king only had one son, and child deaths were common
Just months into his marriage to Anne Henry began to look around for her replacement but didn’t look far
1539 aged 17 Katherine Howard arrived at the Tudor court – came from a rich and powerful noble family
Henry fell in love at first sight
Katherine was everything Anne wasn’t – made him feel manly
Henry saw Katherine as virginal “blushing rose without a thorn”
Within months of arriving at court it is believed Katherine became Henry’s lover
Spring 1540 Henry was seen making regular trips day and night to Katherine’s house, and planned to wed her
Anne had to go – just 6 months after the wedding Henry left Anne
Used her previous engagement to a French nobleman to annul the marriage – she was paid off and sent away
28 July 1540 Henry and Katherine married, just 2 weeks after the annulment of Henry’s previous marriage
Being queen was everything Katherine dreamed it would be
Henry showered Katherine with jewels and showed her off at banquets and hunting expeditions
Henry in love and lust, drunk with desire – sexual problems disappeared

Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 4, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 3, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves

Jul 21, 2018Jan 14, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Jane Seymour often overlooked – Henry called her his true love
Taught Henry the importance of family, battled to reunite him with his daughter and gave him a son and heir
Cruel twist of fate – Jane was snatched from him
Death and betrayal turned Henry into a bitter and cruel man
Made his most disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves
1536 Henry VIII was aged 44, divorced one wife and other in the Tower awaiting execution for adultery and incest
Anne’s infidelity humiliated Henry and cast doubt over his sexual prowess
While Anne was in the Tower Henry tried to find her replacement
Jane Seymour caught the king’s eye, age 24 and had served both Katherine of Aragon anf Anne Boleyn
Virtuous, unassuming and honest
Henry sent Jane a letter but she sent it back unopened – wanted to make an honourable marriage
Henry’s chivalrous side and aroused his desire
Once Henry set his mind on having something he would do anything to get it
Henry courted Jane in earnest – before Anne Boleyn was executed Jane was in sight as wife number 3
19 May 1536 Anne Boleyn beheaded on Tower Green
Anne still hoped for a last minute reprieve and mercy from Henry who had loved her but Henry had already switched his affections to Jane
Henry and Jane were planning their future together
Less than 24 hours after Anne’s death Henry and Jane were engaged
No record of how Jane reacted to Anne’s beheading but didn’t hesitate to step over Anne to the throne
Far steelier than anyone realised
11 days after Anne’s beheading Henry and Jane married, Henry in love
Not everyone shared Henry’s affection for Jane
Chapuys reported that Jane was of middling stature and no great beauty, proud and haughty, of no great wit
Why did Henry marry Jane? Had previously been married to 2 attractive and intelligent women
Henry liked Jane because she was so different – compassionate, loyal and do what he told her without question

Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 3, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home’ with Suzannah Lipscomb

Jul 15, 2018Jan 14, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Tudor home is icon of Britishness
Quaint relics of the past – changed them and us
Age of discovery and anything is possible – change most evident in the home, domestic life transformed
As with anything new there were risks
Life threatening changes made their way into the heart of the Tudor home
Emergence of people with new wealth – aspirations for their homes
New homes introduced hidden killers to the home
Newly discovered lands brought killers home into the kitchen and dining room
Boom in trade, prospering in trade and new goods including food and furniture, home became more comfortable than ever home
Increase in material goods
Dining room – taste for the new and exotic
Until the 1540s the English didn’t have a word for orange
Sugar became more available with lower prices – slave trade
Medieval diet rather bland, enhanced with sugar in Tudor period
Sugar needs to be broken up – work hours as well as expense, desirable way of displaying status
Could play with sugar to shape and dye it
Huge release of energy when sugar introduced to a diet that had none before
Consumption more widespread but caused trouble – changes in disease patterns over time, impact of sugar on health
Dental health – marked change in dental health. Medieval teeth much healthier than Tudor skulls as sugar introduced
Methods of cleaning teeth in the Tudor period made things worse
Used solutions to clean their teeth containing sugar or alabaster
Kissing comfits were sweets which took away bad breath but damaged teeth
Sugar also affects chemicals in the body – serotonin, pleasure chemical

Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home’ with Suzannah Lipscomb” →

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 2, Anne Boleyn

Apr 3, 2018Jan 14, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Anne Boleyn was the most notorious mistress in English history

Intelligent, sophisticated, ambitious

Captivated Henry VIII

Together Henry and Anne destroyed Katherine of Aragon

Anne became too confident and paid for the crown with her life

1529 Henry VIII in love with Anne for 3 years

Was lady in waiting to Katherine of Aragon – tired of being mistress

Anne promised Henry a living son – the one thing Katherine had failed to give him – but she wouldn’t sleep with Henry until he left his wife

Katherine refused to step aside – loyal wife for 2 decades

Katherine wouldn’t give up Henry without a fight – Katherine asked Henry to allow marriage to be judged in public court

Katherine had chance to save marriage and crown

Katherine had been preparing for this her whole life – not to be crushed by any man

All or nothing

21 June 1529 great hall at Blackfriars priory – struggle made public

Henry and Katherine faced each other in the divorce court in front of public audience

Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 2, Anne Boleyn” →

I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries during lockdown so I thought I’d pull together some of my favourites here – not all Tudor so if you’re looking for something different, look no further!

If there are any that you’ve particularly enjoyed watching, please leave a comment, always looking for new things to watch and learn from!

David Starkey’s ‘Monarchy’

Simon Schama’s ‘A History of Britain’

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