Discussion Questions – ‘The Last Tudor’ by Philippa Gregory

Oct 15, 2018Oct 5, 2018 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Philippa Gregory 'The Last Tudor'

What role do faith and religion play during the time period represented in The Last Tudor? What is the relationship between religion and politics, and how does this relationship affect the cultural climate of England? Is the country mostly united in their faith or divided? What impact does this have on the royals of England?

After the Henrician Reformation, there was the mid-Tudor crisis, already with differences of faith across England.
Edward VI was a devout Protestant as he had been raised, Mary I was a devout Catholic as her mother Katherine of Aragon had been, and Elizabeth I looked for a middle way in religion having seen the chaos of her brother’s and sister’s reigns.
Edward VI altered his Device for the Succession to stop Mary I succeeding to the throne and returning the English church to Rome.
Politics was based on religion – generally people who supported Edward VI and Jane Grey were protestant, and those who supported Mary I were Catholic, although Mary I did at first also attract the support of protestants as the real claimant to the throne by Henry VIII’s will.

What is “the true religion” according to Lady Jane Grey? Why does Jane believe that she and her family do not need to earn their place in heaven as others do? Does her faith ultimately serve her well? Discuss.

Jane Grey believes the true religion is protestant – each is influenced in religion in the way that they were raised.
Protestants believe in pre-destination – that it is already decided whether you go to heaven or hell before you’re even born and you can’t influence that through good works.
Good works leading to heaven is a Catholic doctrine.
Jane Grey relies on her faith and it ultimately helps her to die, but she wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place if she wasn’t staunchly Protestant.
Edward VI settles the succession on Jane Grey because she is Protestant, rather than his Catholic half-sister Mary I.

Continue reading “Discussion Questions – ‘The Last Tudor’ by Philippa Gregory” →

Timetable of Tudor Events

May 11, 2017May 6, 2017 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

1457	28 January	Birth of Henry VII
1466	11 February	Birth of Elizabeth of York
1485	22 August	Henry VII defeats Richard III at Battle of Bosworth
	16 September	Birth of Katherine of Aragon
	30 October	Coronation of Henry VII
1486	18 January	Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
	20 September	Birth of Prince Arthur
1487	17 June	Defeat of Lambert Simnel at Battle of Stoke
1489	28 November	Birth of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland
1491	28 June	Birth of Henry VIII
1496	18 March	Birth of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk
1499	28 November	Execution of Edward, Earl of Warwick
1501	14 November	Marriage of Katherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur
1502	2 April	Death of Prince Arthur
1503	11 February	Death of Elizabeth of York
	8 August	Marriage of Margaret Tudor and James IV of Scotland
1509	21 April	Death of Henry VII and accession of Henry VIII
	11 June	Marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon
	24 June	Coronation of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon
	29 June	Death of Margaret Beaufort
1511	1 January	Birth of Henry, Duke of Cornwall
1513	16 August	Battle of the Spurs
	9 September	Defeat of James IV of Scotland at Battle of Flodden
1515	22 September	Birth of Anne of Cleves
1516	18 February	Birth of Mary I
1519	15 June	Birth of Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy
1520	7 June	Beginning of the Field of the Cloth of Gold
	24 June	End of the Field of the Cloth of Gold
1521	17 May	Execution of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
	17 October	Pope grants Henry VIII title ‘Defender of the Faith’
1533	25 January	Marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
	1 June	Coronation of Anne Boleyn
	7 September	Birth of Elizabeth I
1534	20 April	Execution of Elizabeth Barton, Nun of Kent
1535	6 July	Execution of Thomas More
1536	7 January	Death of Katherine of Aragon
	19 May	Execution of Anne Boleyn
	30 May	Marriage of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
	23 July	Death of Henry Fitzroy
	2 October	Beginning of the Lincolnshire Rising / Pilgrimage of Grace
1537	12 October	Birth of Edward VI
	24 October	Death of Jane Seymour
1540	6 January	Marriage of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
	9 July	Annulment of marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
	28 July	Marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine Howard, execution of Thomas Cromwell
1541	27 May	Execution of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
1542	13 February	Execution of Katherine Howard
1543	12 July	Marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine Parr
1545	19 July	Sinking of the Mary Rose
1546	16 July	Execution of Anne Askew
1547	19 January	Execution of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
	28 January	Death of Henry VIII and accession of Edward VI
	10 September	Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
1548	5 September	Death of Katherine Parr
1549	20 March	Execution of Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour
1552	22 January	Execution of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset
1553	6 July	Death of Edward VI
	10 July	Proclamation of Jane Grey as queen
	19 July	Overthrow of Jane Grey and accession of Mary I
	22 August	Execution of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland
	1 October	Coronation of Mary I
1554	12 February	Execution of Jane Grey
	25 July	Marriage of Mary I and Philip II of Spain
1555	16 October	Execution of Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London
1556	21 March	Execution of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
1557	16 July	Death of Anne of Cleves
1558	17 November	Death of Mary I and accession of Elizabeth I
1559	15 January	Coronation of Elizabeth I
1587	8 February	Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
1588	19 July	First sighting of the Spanish Armada off the English coast
	29 July	Battle of Gravelines and defeat of Spanish Armada
1601	25 February	Execution of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex
1603	24 March	Death of Elizabeth I and accession of James I

Continue reading “Timetable of Tudor Events” →

Discussion Questions – The Fallen Queen by Emily Purdy

Jan 9, 2017Jan 9, 2017 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Discuss the personalities of the three sisters – Jane, Kate and Mary. Who do you like best and why?

Streatham Portrait of Jane Grey, copy of a lost original.

Jane comes across as serious, studious, intelligent, logical, quiet, impassioned, determined and resolved. Katherine, on the other hand, comes across as flighty, flirty, likes to be the centre of attention, loved, passionate and impetuous. Mary comes across as the outsider, serious, logical, strong-willed and determined, though most of these only towards the end of her life. The three are completely different and contrasting, and perhaps that it why they get on so well. Mary is the most like me, she is the one that I can most identify with as she is an outsider, but is strong and determined, although people don’t always see it. I like Mary the best, then Jane and then Katherine, possibly because that is the order in which I identify most with them.

The Grey sisters have a little ritual in which they stand before the mirror and identify themselves as “the brilliant one”, “the beautiful one” and “the beastly little one”, making fun of the way other people see them. Discuss the outside world’s perceptions of the three sisters and how they see themselves. Discuss their relationship with each other. If they weren’t united by blood and family ties, would these three girls have been friends?

Making light of harmful comments (“the beastly little one”) or idle gossip means that they don’t have as much power to hurt you. It means that you know how the world sees you but you don’t really care, or seem not to care – it’s a form of armour. The world sees the sisters as very one-sided, but the girls themselves know that there is more to each of them than meets the eye. For example, Katherine is beautiful and seems flighty, but is steadfast in what she wants in the end. Jane has a loving, caring side when it comes to her sisters, but no one else. I think that, had the girls not been related by blood, they wouldn’t have naturally gravitated towards each other, but I think their relationship with each other enhances their own personalities, so I think if they hadn’t been related to each other they wouldn’t have been the same people. Continue reading “Discussion Questions – The Fallen Queen by Emily Purdy” →

What were the Aims, Causes and Consequences of the Tudor Rebellions?

Jul 1, 2016Jun 29, 2016 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

Lambert Simnel / Perkin Warbeck 1487-1499

Henry VII 1505 at the National Portrait Gallery.

The aims of the Simnel and Warbeck rebellions were to replace Henry VII on the English throne with what the people saw as the “true heir”.[1] Henry VII was a usurper, and the only Lancastrian claimant left since the death of Henry VI in 1471.

The cause of the Simnel and Warbeck rebellions was the fact that Henry VII was a usurper with no real claim to the throne. He had taken the throne from the Yorkist Richard III, who had usurped it from the rightful heir, the son of Edward IV – Edward V – and supposedly then had Edward and his younger brother, Richard, killed in the Tower of London. Henry’s claim to the throne came through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who was descended from the illegitimate line of John of Gaunt and his mistress, Katherine Swynford. The Beaufort line had been legitimised but barred from succeeding to the throne.[2] The people of England weren’t entirely convinced that the Princes in the Tower were dead and, even if they were, the Earl of Warwick was another contender with a claim to the throne. Simnel pretended to be the Earl of Warwick, the son of Richard III’s elder brother, George Duke of Clarence.[3] Warbeck pretended to be Richard Duke of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower.[4] Neither were entirely convincing. Continue reading “What were the Aims, Causes and Consequences of the Tudor Rebellions?” →

Potted History of Tudor Homes

Mar 18, 2015Aug 3, 2016 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Bradgate House = Bradgate House is now a ruin, but it was home to the Grey family, descended from the first son of Elizabeth Woodville by her first husband. Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, grew up here. The Grey family lived here for two hundred year until 1739, but a newer house, also in ruins, now stands nearby to the original ruins. More of the Tudor chapel and tower stand now than of the house itself.

Burghley House was the home of William Cecil, advisor to Elizabeth I

Burghley House = Burghley House was built by William Cecil, Lord Burghley. He was the most trusted councillor of Elizabeth I, and very focused on trying to catch Mary Queen of Scots in conducting treason. Burghley’s changes to the house took from 1555 to 1587, but little of the Tudor inside now remains. Burghley House is the only one of Cecil’s many properties still standing today, though it has been much changed. Continue reading “Potted History of Tudor Homes” →

Book Review – ‘Tudor: the Family Story’ by Leanda de Lisle

May 29, 2014Jan 15, 2020 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Leanda de Lisle, ‘Tudor: the Family Story 1437-1603’ (London: Chatto & Windus, 2013) Hardback, ISBN 978-0-701-18588-6

Title: The title suggests that the book doesn’t just discuss the events of the reigns of the Tudors, but actually the people involved – the monarchs, consorts, politicians and wider royal family. The focus on the people offers a different perspective on the Tudor era.

Preface: The introduction/preface introduces the ideas that shaped the Tudor dynasty and the ideas that allowed them to come to the throne – namely the killing of kings. It also discusses the beginnings of the Wars of the Roses (the Yorkist and Lancastrian lines).

Citations: The citations are very well done. They are clear and concise, and make it easy to find exactly the text you’re looking for. Divided down by chapter and then numbered within that makes it very easy. The extra information also included in the notes adds something to your knowledge. Continue reading “Book Review – ‘Tudor: the Family Story’ by Leanda de Lisle” →

Potted History of Prominent Tudor Families

May 24, 2014Aug 5, 2018 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 6 Comments

Katherine Howard miniature by Hans Holbein.

Howards

The Howards were one of the oldest families. They were the family who had the Dukedom of Norfolk. Anne of York, the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, married into the Howard family. Well-known descendents included Anne Boleyn (second wife of Henry VIII) and Katherine Howard (fifth wife of Henry VIII). Mary Howard married Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII and Duke of Richmond and Somerset. It was probably their ambitions that brought them down in the end.

Seymours

The Seymour family were pretty obscure until Henry VIII fell in love with Jane Seymour, who later became his third wife after the execution of his second, Anne Boleyn. Their triumph was short-lived. Jane’s only child became Edward VI, but he had no children. Jane’s two brothers, Edward and Thomas, were both executed in the reign of their nephew, Edward VI. Edward Seymour had been Lord Protector, until he was overthrown by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Thomas Seymour tried to get control of Edward VI and was killed for it. Continue reading “Potted History of Prominent Tudor Families” →

Spotlight: Lady Jane Grey

Dec 11, 2013Feb 4, 2015 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Name: Jane Grey / Jane Dudley.

Title/s: Queen of England / Nine Days Queen / Lady Dudley.

Birth / Death: 1536? – 12 February 1554.

Spouse: Guildford Dudley 1535? – 1554.

Children: None.

Parents: Henry Grey 1^st Duke of Suffolk 1517-1554 & Frances Grey nee Brandon 1517-1559.

Siblings: Katherine Seymour, Countess of Hertford 1540-1568 / Mary Keyes c.1545-1578

Noble Connections: Jane Grey was the grand-daughter of Henry VIII’s sister, Mary, and Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. She was therefore the niece of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. She married into the Dudley family; the Duke of Northumberland was her father-in-law, and Robert Dudley, the future Earl of Leicester, was her brother-in-law.

Continue reading “Spotlight: Lady Jane Grey” →

Tudor Executions within the Tower of London

Dec 10, 2013Aug 3, 2016 ~ Helene Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Very few executions actually took place within the walls of the Tower of London. Most executions took place on the nearby Tower Hill, like those of Thomas Cromwell, Edward Stafford Duke of Buckingham, and Thomas More. These will be discussed in another post. Below are the notable executions that took place within the Tower during the reign of the Tudors. Lord Hastings was the first real execution in the Tower in 1483, although it is also suspected that the Princes in the Tower (Edward V and Richard Duke of York) were also secretly killed here around the same time.

Anne Boleyn 1536

Anne Boleyn was executed on 19^th May 1536 on charges of adultery, incest and treason. I fully believe she was innocent and was actually executed because she failed to give Henry VIII a son and he had fallen in love with Jane Seymour who did eventually give him a son. Her so-called ‘accomplices’ had died two days earlier, including her brother and a court musician, Mark Smeaton. The other accused were William Brereton, Francis Weston and Henry Norris. All perished. Continue reading “Tudor Executions within the Tower of London” →

What Made the Tudor Dynasty Unique?

Dec 8, 2013Jan 27, 2015 ~ Helene Harrison ~ 1 Comment

The Tudor dynasty was unique in several ways, not least that two of our most remembered monarchs were Tudors – Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Furthermore, the dynasty was unique in issues of marriage, succession, political unity, religion, and love. Read on to find out more.

Henry VIII is the only reigning monarch to have married more than twice. He was also only the second to have a wife who had already been married (the first was Edward IV whose Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, already had two sons when they married). He is also only the second King to have married a commoner (Edward IV was, again, the first). He is also the only monarch to have had one of his wives (let alone two!) executed. Even more shocking that the two executed were in fact cousins.[1]

Edward VI was the third reigning English monarch not to marry, the first two being William II and Edward V, the second of whom was too young to be married when he died, and the former appeared to have been too busy with wars and dissenters to think about a family. Continue reading “What Made the Tudor Dynasty Unique?” →

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