History Resolutions for 2021


My blogging was quite uneven last year with the COVID-19 lockdown and my mental health being quite fragile. Looking forward to 2021 I really want to blog more, and not just about the Tudors and Wars of the Roses – I also have interests in the English Regency, Jack the Ripper, and the British Monarchy.

Read below for my history resolutions for 2021!

1. Blog More on Different Topics

Although my blog is called TudorBlogger, and the Tudors are my first and abiding interest, I also have really started developing other interests over the last few years so I’d love to share some of my other historical passions like the English Regency period, Jack the Ripper, and the history of the British Monarchy. I also like looking at and visiting historical sites including castles and palaces. So keep an eye out for some new content on my blog!

2. Get Up to Date on my Review Copies from Lovely Publishers!

I have a bit of a backlog on my review copies pile which I’ve received from publishers over the last year or so. Because of my mental health issues in 2020 with the lockdown I haven’t felt able to give them my full attention and didn’t want to do half-arsed reviews of them, because they deserve better. So, you can look out for reviews of the following over the next few months!

  • John Ashdown-Hill – Elizabeth Widville: Lady Grey (Pen & Sword)
  • John Matusiak – A History of the Tudors in 100 Objects (History Press)
  • Phil Carradice – Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor (Pen & Sword)
  • John Matusiak – Martyrs of Henry VIII: Repression, Defiance, Sacrifice (History Press)
  • Matthew Lewis – Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me (Amberley Publishing)
  • Kirsten Claiden-Yardley – The Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (Pen & Sword)
  • Robert Stedall – Elizabeth I’s Secret Lover: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Pen & Sword)
  • Amy Licence – 1520: The Field of the Cloth of Gold (Amberley Publishing)
  • Heather Darsie – Anna Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister (Amberley Publishing)
  • Paul Dryburgh – Royal Seals: Images of Power and Majesty (Pen & Sword)
  • Paul Kendall – Henry VIII in 100 Objects: The Tyrant King Who Had Six Wives (Pen & Sword)
  • Nathan Amin – Henry VIII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck and Warwick (Amberley Publishing)

I also have a fiction review coming of Saga Hillborn’s ‘Princess of Thorns’ based on the life of Cecily Plantagenet, sister to Elizabeth of York and daughter of Edward IV. There will also be a surprise guest post from Saga Hillborn to coincide with the release of the book in March 2021.

3. Historical Cross Stitch

I’ve currently got 2 historical cross stitch kits to work on – a Hampton Court mini cushion kit from Sheena Rogers Designs, which you might have seen me start if you follow me on Instagram (@tudorblogger). I also have a Kings and Queens of England cross stitch which I’m excited to start once I’ve done the Hampton Court one. Last year I completed a Henry VIII and his Six Wives cross stitch during the lockdown which has now been framed and is on my study wall. If you want to follow my progress on my cross stitches, updates will be posted to my Instagram.

4. Get Up to Date on my History Podcasts

I have quite a few history podcasts that I listen to, or want to listen to, but I’m really behind on listening to them, again a mental health issue. The following are the podcasts I want to catch up with!

  • You’re Dead to Me
  • Talking Tudors
  • The History of England
  • Hashtag History
  • British History: Royals, Rebels and Romantics
  • The Tudor History & Travel Show
  • Past Loves
  • Vulgar History
  • Queens
  • Historic Royal Palaces

What are your history resolutions for 2021?

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash

Tudor Gift Ideas


Looking around my study I have quite a few things that I’ve collected or been given over the years since I started researching (or became obsessed with!) the Tudors.

Check out some gift ideas for that Tudor-lover in your life, or just to treat yourself if the mood takes you!

One thing that I have that I particularly love are my Tudor rubber ducks – I have Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, which were a Birthday present from my sister, and William Shakespeare, which was a lovely surprise from a good friend left on my desk at work after I handed in my Masters’ dissertation.

The Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn rubber ducks can be ordered from Hever Castle, and the Shakespeare one can be ordered direct from the manufacturer at Yarto, or there is a slightly different one sold by the RSC. Of course you can explore the rest Hever Castle’s shop online as there are plenty of gorgeous things you can give as gifts, particularly if you love Anne Boleyn.

https://shop.myonlinebooking.co.uk/hevercastle/shop/product.aspx?catid=5&id=13690 (Anne Boleyn)

https://shop.myonlinebooking.co.uk/hevercastle/shop/product.aspx?catid=5&id=12881 (Henry VIII)

https://www.duck-shop.co.uk/rubberduck-p818h33s34-Yarto-Shakespeare-Duck.html (Shakespeare)

https://shop.rsc.org.uk/products/shakespeare-rubber-duck (Shakespeare)

Continue reading “Tudor Gift Ideas”

The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England Part 2 ‘The Rich’


First Broadcast 07.06.2013

Ian Mortimer
Ian Mortimer

Ian Mortimer

Elite of society

Paintings from the period focus on the rich – dancing, feasts, furs, silks

Confidence, privilege, wealth, power – doubt, uncertainty, fear

Those who have the most also have the most to lose

Hampton Court Palace = keeping up appearances, Elizabeth I inherited 20 palaces and gave 7 away, packed with the possessions of Henry VIII

Need a letter of introduction – need money

Strict hierarchy – status denoted by clothes, changed by the years, eclectic mix of styles from all over the continent

Queen encourages a feminine look, oversized codpieces gone, allowed to reveal cleavage, but not bare arms or legs = become more lavish as Elizabeth’s reign progresses Continue reading “The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England Part 2 ‘The Rich’”

Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 2


Henry VIII c.1542.
Henry VIII c.1542.

String of failed marriages and a religious revolution

Imagery and reputation

1533 Henry VIII anxious about the Tudor dynasty – no son to succeed him so ditched key advisors, split from Rome, divorced his wife and married Anne Boleyn

Powerful and controlling monarch, successful dynasty

Tapestry, art and palaces designed but plundered religious houses

New image had to be forged quickly as his future depended on it

Wrath of the pope and catholic European nations and English people – Rome refused to sanction divorce so Henry left it behind

Supreme Head of the Church of England

Henry vulnerable so built sea forts and the basis of the royal navy

Army of painters, builders and designers through palaces and paintings

Henry VIII interested in art by story – everything he commissioned told the story of his own self importance

Learn things about Henry from the art he commissioned Continue reading “Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer’ Part 2”