On the Tudor Trail’s Birthday Giveaway
On 30 July, On the Tudor Trail turns 4! To celebrate, and thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement, I am giving away paperback copies of The Boleyns: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Family and The Tudors by Richard Rex.
For your chance to win this prize pack (1 x copy of each book), leave me a comment below answering this question:
In 25 words or less, tell me why you are fascinated by the Tudor era?
One lucky commenter will win both books!
This competition is now closed
Further Conditions of Entry
For your chance to win this fantastic prize pack you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage).
The competition closes on 30 July 2013.
This giveaway is open worldwide!
Don’t forget to leave your name and a contact email.
Good luck!
Natalie
I’ve been fascinated by this time period for years, and became even more so when I discovered I’m a descendant of Anne Boleyn Shelton.
The story of the Tudors is better than any soap opera ever written & has us intrigued & fascinated 500 years on which says a lot.
As a young girl my mom introduced me to the story of the Tudors. As I grew so did my interst in the Tudors, it was also something mom and I shared. Now I have a daughter and I have introduced her to this era. It is now something three generations share.
Tudor history has great characters, love, lust, treachery, glamour & murder. What more do you need in a good thriller? An ideal read.
Henry Tudor the man you Love and Hate. Anne Boleyn, guilty of nothing, persecuted for everything. Why her family needed status so bad they felt the need to Sacrifice EVERYTHING THEY HELD DEAR!! Then Queen, Elizabeth the 1st. The greatest of them all.
I’m fascinated by the hidden way women influenced history. They were considered the weaker sex but look at how each Queen changed England forever!
Reading Tudor books takes me to a place of childhood dreams. Castles, Kings and Queens!
Written tudor history has such great characters, love, lust, treachery, treason, glamour & murder. What more do you need in a good read?
Well, I tried to keep my comment short, but honestly I could write you an essay on why I love Tudor history so much:
I’m fascinated by the Tutor Era because there’s a kind of romance in kings and queens. It’s also so different than US History, and I just can’t get enough.
I hope I win!! 🙂
I am fascinated because they were such strong people who created a world of their own. So grand that they are never to be forgotten.
Always been fascinated by the monarchy and castles. Once I started reading about King Henry VIII and his eccentricities I was hooked. Learning that castles were cold and damp and that people wore small bags filled with bait to attract the fleas on their bodies put it all into a clearer context. Love learning about the minutiae!
Love how the women all think that they are going to be the one to hold Henry’s heart. I Truely
can’t read enough about them all!
The Tudor period could never be fiction, murder, romance, intrigue. It has it all, but at the heart of it human stories bind them together.
Beyond the larger than life personalities, what fascinates me about the Tudor era is their involvement with the reformation. For one fairly small family, they had huge on-going impact.
From Birth – My parents 1st date was ‘Anne of a Thousand Days’, also my pram sat under an 16th engraving of the Tower of London.
Henry’s wives
Deaths and lives
Courtly drama
Men in armour
daughters and sons
battles lost and won
need for a Tudor son
my heart won
I began reading Tudor fiction in fifth grade. I devoured it. I had to have more and more. Since then I have continued to read Tudor fiction and non fiction. I love how I feel drawn to it. I love the knowledge I acquire and how I feel as if I truly know some of these people. I think it is something only fellow Tudor lovers can really understand.
Since I was a child and watched the television version about Henry VIII, I have been fascinated with this time in history. I have read many books the Tudors and would appreciate the opportunity to read these books. I have been a local elected official for 20 years and my first introduction to politics was through Henry VIII.
While studying Shakespeare, I began to look into the time period. I also visited the Folger Shakespeare Library and became enamored with the period.
I became obsessed with the Tudors after Youtubing THE TUDORS. Knowing the show is full of misinformation, I’ve started reading to discover the true Tudors.
I have a thing for Henry. In school all we ever learned about was fat, mean Henry who killed his wives. As an adult I wonder, “What happened to humanist, fun-loving, handsome Henry.” I think the man is a fascinating psychological study.
Their plots, their fates, hardships that those monarchs had to face, are so perfectly planned as it was a real play, a play of power.
The fascination for me is their ambition. While we may no longer accuse and imprison/behead our rivals, it’s still a relevant contemporary value.
It seems I have always been drawn to the Middle Ages… I was a member of the S.C.A. for many years and still go occasionally. When I was in my late 20’s I saw a History Channel Documentary on the Tudor’s and the war of the roses and this is where my obsession with all things Tudor and ultimately, all things Anne Boleyn began! I have spent many years since researching and learning all that I can about the Tudor and Boleyn Dynasties! My “Dream Job” would be to return to college, major in Tudor History, move to England and become a Tudor tour guide!! I would never work a day in doing that!! Alas I am now in my 40’s but, I can still aspire to at least go visit England and take EVERY Tudor tour I can possibly find!! 🙂
This period in our history fascinates me for many reasons, Henrys lust for Anne Boleyn caused him to break away from Rome & start the Church of England. Anne Boleyn was part of the reformation of the new faith & a very strong woman in a time when women were supposed to meekly obey. Thomas Cromwell famed for the dissolution of the monasteries was also a very good lawyer & statesman who shaped our laws & parliament. Thomas Wolsey although quite an avaricious man also set up colleges to help those who came from less privileged backgrounds. Thomas Cranmer was of the new faith, he even had a wife, he wrote up the new tenants of faith which are still used today. I think ALL the characters from this time are fascinating & they ALL shaped our country in a way that still exists today.
Tudor History
Ambition, Betrayal, Conspiracy, Death, Exciting, Fear, Glorious, Hierarchy, Intrigue, Jealousy, Kings, Love, Murder, Narcissism, Omnipotence, Passion, Queens, Reality, Suspense, Treachery, Uncompromising, Violence, War.
Because they are…Scintillating, Despicable, Intriguing, Cunning, Quixotic, Treacherous. Scandalous, Absorbing, Callous, Egocentric. Glorious, Pompous, Scandalous, Majestic, Chimerical, Rancorous, Poignant and Contumacious for a start.
subscribed:) Obsessed with the Tudor era because of Henry, plain and simple. I want to love the man but find few reasons to do so.
What’s not to like? It’s got everything you could ask for, all the “deadly sins” and then some! Truth, truly is stranger than fiction! 😉
I was and still am fascinated by the Tudors. It has it all. Love, hatred, envy, power. And in between is the affair of religion. The punishments for (in my eyes) nothng wrong they did. It keeps on interesting me.
I love the studying the Tudor Dynasty and era, I am fascinated with the Boleyn’s, and the Brandon’s, Cromwell, – all of the politics of the time. I want to know more and more all the time – total addict. Thankfully I am not alone with this (from what I see from the previous posts -thank you all so much)~ I have been asked to stop talking about this subject by those around me ~ lol
The Tudor era is rich with drama, passion, rage, and retribution. One of the many times that history is better than fiction!
The Tudor era has it all: interesting people, history in the making, passion, danger and plenty of exciting events!!
There is something compelling about many of the characters who peopled England during the Tudor era – it was such a life and death period. In some ways, the colourful Tudor court resembled a cross between Hollywood and Washington, DC – glittery and ruthless, fixed on recognition and power.
I have been fascinated with Anne Boleyn since I was fourteen. I am now approaching the 60 mark. I have since found that I am related to her, and the Tudors, and Plantagenets many times over.
I started out at age 9, reading The Captive Princess, about Elizabeth. That was over 45 years ago! I often fantisize about being able to travel back in time and just be a ‘ghost’, able to observe what happend between Arthur and Cathrine, and Henry and Cathrine, and so on….just the ‘voyer’ in me I guess.
Tru
It was an age of change in religion, politics and gender. The destiny of this family were to change the destiny of England.
For me it’s one of the most captivating, glittering, exciting parts of history. Full of unforgettable people, with still plenty more to discover about them.
Henry VIII’s story captured my interest in elementary school – I went to Catholic school and he dared to go against the almighty Roman Catholic church! And a a young woman, the soap opera style intrigue kept me interested. There is nothing like real true life drama!
I am fascinated by a family that had so much promise yet achieved so little that was good, in my humble opinion!!!
Henry VIII marrying six women and not having at least the same amount of children. Also the language, clothing, ambition for power, the huge castles.
I’ve been fascinated with thse Tudors since I read a (fiction) book about Elizabeth I in elementary school. I am now in college and am still deeply intrigued by the people from this time period. The Tudors as well as other historic figures have influenced me and have led me to study history. There’s nothing I’d rather do!
I have always loved reading of Kings/Queens, dreaming of living in a castle(or at least visiting one) and of course Knights in shining armor are just sooo awesome =). I enjoy discovering neew information about Anne Boleyn and can`t stop wondering what her life was really like.
The history in the US is okay, but across the pond is where you`ll find the most interesting history. The things you`ll see, the places you`ll go..England haas it all!! Long live the Queen.
What’s not love? A time when one man did what he wanted and to hell with the consequences! How could you not fall in love with all that drama? LOL
i have always been interested in kings and queens. after seeing the movie the other boleyn girl i was hooked. i started reading every book i could find. i am most fascinated by anne boleyn. i am fascinated by the tudor way of life. i like how back then all the children would be tutored for music, sewing, and various languages. i am fascinated by the way that they were very religious and attended church alot. i am also fascinated by the battles. such as the war of roses, it was hard to believe they were cousins killing cousins. im fascinated by the way noble families sent their kids away to be trained for court life. i wonder how this affected children to grow up never really knowing their parents. i am also fascinated by the way that they used plants and herbs and other things from nature as medicine. i am fascinated by the court life. (the gossip,scandel,murders,spys,love trysts, the ambitious people always finding a way to advance in any way possible) im fascinated by henrys children mary, henry fitzroy, elizabeth, and edward.
I love the Tudor era…especially the women. Can you imagine how strong a woman would have to be to try to win a king and than set aside because you do not produce a son?? Or as in Elizabeth I, what an amazing woman she was, setting her own goals and not intimidated by the males of her time who were used to dominating woman…thank you!
momkelly2003@yahoo.com
I am fascinated by the Tudor era because a lot of the history of our monarchy lies in the love and bloodshed of the Tudors!
Im fascinated with everything old! I love history & this is the part of history that got my full interest. This got me started digging books, learned all by myself.It gives beautiful inspiration to fictions createdby many writera
I’m an amateur student of history and a carded member of the SCA… What can I say? The clothes, the intrigues, not to mention the Dynasty itself. The Family is just darned fascinating!
First they brought the country peace, then they ripped it apart again with their religions. Most vital English history.