The Tudor Fair Blog
Elizabeth Tilney: Grandmother to Queens and Mistresses
Five hundred years ago a woman who was born into the gentry (but not one of the leading noblewomen in the country by any mean) became the founding matriarch of England’s premiere family during the Tudor period. Elizabeth Tilney was the grandmother of two different wives of Henry VIII, as…
Richard III: Knave, Fool or Savior?
The great debate continues – no, not Clinton v Trump, or even Creamy v Crunchy (peanut butter, that is), but Richard III: Knave, Fool, or Savior? The History of England podcast, which I adore, is getting close to wrapping up the Wars of the Roses, the civil war that tore England apart…
Five Things About Jasper Tudor You Really Will Want to Know (if you don’t already)
In my latest episode of the Renaissance English History Podcast I talked to Melita Thomas of Tudor Times about Jasper Tudor, uncle to Henry VII and perhaps the true Kingmaker of the 15th century. I hadn’t know much about Jasper, other than what I’ve read in historical fiction (there is a lovely…
Margaret Beaufort, a woman with nerves (and cojones) of steel
So I want to talk to you today about Margaret Beaufort. This woman is insanely gutsy. If you don’t know of her yet, please read this post. She’s awesome. She was Henry VII’s mother. Henry VII was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, so in a way, she gave…
The Week in Books: The Wars of the Roses – Politics and Constitution in England 1437-1509
When I lived in the UK one of my favorite things to do was go to Cambridge where I’d attend evensong service at King’s, and then go to the Cambridge University Press bookstore on the corner of King’s Parade and the market street, and I’d buy a book that made…
Random Friday Fun Fact: Shakespeare’s Richard III (aka the Victors get to write the History)
I’ve had a project going on over the past few years that I call my Shameful Shakespeare Catch-up (shameful because it’s shameful that so much of my life has gone by without me reading any Shakespeare at all – it’s been since college, which, sadly, was fifteen years ago) and today…