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
The Tudor era is endlessly fascinating. It helped shaped the Britain we live in today and featured so many strong characters.
I love the dynamics of Henry the 8th, what formed his opinions and actions and the forces around him. The drive for an heir and he never knew he sired one of Englands greatest queens.
I am drawn to the Tudors because they were so controversial. Their lives were so tragic and extraordinary all at the same time!
I was first fascinated by “Young Bess” and then when I discovered the story of her mother, I was hooked. The whole Tudor era followed.
I can’t explain my fascination but once I started reading about the Tudors I couldn’t stop. They’ve fascinated me for years! Such an exciting era!
The Tudor era is one of the most colourful, dramatic and epic periods in British history, known the world over and as such, is subject to being mythologised to a large extent. It’s fascinating that we’re uncovering new information all the time about the Tudors as a family, a lineage and a lodestone, in that you can’t help but be drawn towards films, books and documentaries on the subject. From it’s tempestuous beginnings, through the very different backgrounds, lives and fates of Henry VIII’s wives, to the discoveries and spectacle of Elizabeth I’s reign, it is never less than extraordinary. If you are bored of the Tudors, you are bored of life itself.
As a young child about the age of 6, I remember vividly playing Princesses, with my friend Tanya who was 5 years old under an old Queenslander home in Cairns. We were in castles, dressed up in flowing gowns, feasting and dancing, our imagination had no bounds! However, we weren’t Disneyland princesses, we were in England, in our castles, attending court. It was years later as young adults we reconnected and both discovered we had a love of English history especially Tudor history. It has been important to rediscover and see the connections between our family history and English background. This has fuelled my desire to read and research more of these times, as well as linking back to special times in my life.
Hi, i´m writing to you from Mexico. I´m a huge Tudor fan; I´ve been reading their history since recently and I would love to go to England to visit all the castles and the places where tho court traveled. In Mexico we don´t have any historical characters like yours and I would love to have some other books to learn from them. Tks!
The Tudor era is endlessly intriguing. Its people are a world apart yet we can somehow identify with them. The Tudors shaped our country.
I’ve read more books the older I get. The last few years it has been more and more Tudor related. Making my dream come true, I visited London and the surrounding areas in 2002. This fueled my appetite to read more and more. I’ also feel I must have lived in the past, because when I returned to London last year, I had goosebumps when I visited Hampton Court and the Tower. I love Tudor history.
What fascinates me about the Tudor era is the way English society, much like the Tudors, remade itself as it went from being a Roman Catholic country to a Protestant country. Self-identification as “English,” being uniquely “English,” became the way an entire country was transformed.
Hi Natalie! I’m new here, but I’ve been fascinated with the Tudors for many years. As a History major, the Tudor Era is one of the areas in which I am most proficient. What I find most fascinating is that Henry’s most reviled wife was the one who gave England Good Queen Bess.
I love the Tudor times for this era saw the change in religion in the royal line and paved the way that determined our royalty.
A powerful man who got what he wanted his daughter who learned well from her parents, religious reform, and the start of the Renaissance.
The Tudor era shows us that people have not changed over the last few 100 years, only the times around them have changed. Nowadays Henry VIII would have probably done the same thing to his wives minus the beheading. The media is just as brutal as the scaffold in that it can publicly condemn you and force you into oblivion if you get bad press. Henry VIII would have been a media mogul as well as a king so he could be in charge of what everyone thought about him and everyone around him.
Henry Tudor kept great control over his kingdoms .It was off with you head if you disagreed. He loved his ladies and they loved him.
Fascinated because of Henry VIII. He was a true politician, ruler and reformer. People may not have liked his methods of reform but he and his ways were proved right in the end.
because I’m positive I was a part of Henry VIII’s court in a past life as a close friend of Henry’s
Before I answer the question I did try and subscribe but I get an error message (This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.) and then a LOT of code. If there is some other way to subscribe I would love to. I do follow on facebook.
The Tudors are just fascinating; from Henry VII to Elizabeth I you can find it all. Love, hate, war, passion, power, fear, mistrust, lust, and any other sin you might want to contemplate. And new things are still being uncovered.
Tudor times were rich in learning, exploration, political & religious reforms, budding movements for women’s rights & the beginnings of a new, expanded,world view.
i love this historic time period because through my mother we are related to sir thomas more. my mom’s direct relative was mathilda ann moore. (13th great grandfather to me)
Great Britain and it’s history are my escape…I long to be from a place so fascinating. I most admire Elizabeth I and all she overcame. She loved her country. It must’ve been lonely for her at times not knowing the unconditional love of a child. She had the intestinal fortitude to go it alone. If I could meet one person from history it would definitely be her.
Since taking a history class in college and buying Fraser’s “Mary, Queen of Scots” as part of the required reading, I have been enthralled with the Tudor period. I have probably read “Mary, Q of S, ten times by now – I bought it about 40 years ago, give or take a year. From this book I searched for biographies of Elizabeth I, then Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn who then took me to explore all contributing characters of the Tudor period from the Ladies in Waiting to Grooms of the Stool. One of the most exciting days of my life was the day I discovered that Henry VIII and many others documents had been put on the internet and I could explore their original words to my hearts content. Each new discovery propels me into a new research project to answer the question “Does this discovery change the meaning of any other discovery or event in the Tudor era?” When I see a falling star, I do not wish for romance or riches; I wish for a newly discovered journal or diary of Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth I or any courtier or ambassador that was an eyewitness to any Tudor historical event. I have a copy of Anne Boleyn’s French Hood as shown in her famous painting; it is under glass in a display case so I can see it daily and often it spurs my imagination of what her last day would have been like and how she gained the strength to go to a horrible death with grace and dignity. As a retired person, I do not have the funds to purchase books very often; if chosen to receive these books, they would be treasured and read repeatedly for many years – if you could see my copy of “Mary, Q of S” you would know my books live; they do not sit on a shelf gathering dust as a knickknack.
Ceremony, clothing, royalty…..the Tudor world beckons me. Fascinating to be a fly on the wall – with books and internet I can do just that!
The Tudor era is full of love, betrayal, greed, and mystery. The history of this dynasty is full of twists and turns and never fails to impress those who hear about it. I love to just sit down after a long day to the Tudors as it is my happy place. The food, the dresses, the music, can always just put me in the best mood. 🙂
Henry wanted a male heir that would unite England and bring peace to the realm. Well, Anne did grant Henry his wish, just not the way he thought it should be, in the form of Elizabeth….Queen of the Golden Era. I will always marvel at the irony of the whole predictament. And I must say I love all of his wives for different reasons. When I need a break from my life, I go to the Tudor Era where things made sense! LOL!
I am hooked on the Tudor family and my Land Tour of England and my personal tour of London and the surrounding areas of London (per my cousin who lives there) has peaked my interest even more. Can’t wait to make another trip over and explore more history. I feel that if I had lived in a previous life, that I must have lived during the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Can’t seem to get enough of the history and the people who defined it.
the tudor time is so fascinating to me, since everybody wants to outdo everyone. Always on 1st Place the king. Henry 8th despite all his power does not come at the desired heir apparent, until years later. Nice words, sad wallpapers, unrequited love, and yet all so captivating.
The time of the Tudors was a time of new discoveries, new developments in religion and science, and strong, fascinating characters. It was a time of contrasts, beauty as well as violence and danger.
The most colourful history, which is still relevant today. For me however, the greatest monarch that has ever lived is Elizabeth I and I like to believe as a result of Anne Boelyn’s influence!
I can’t explain my fascination with any coherence, all I know is I love history of all kinds but I am drawn to the Tudor area with almost fanatical power! I find myself reading all I can find and each time I cry, laugh and love with them and admire the amazing people who defined the area and made our country what it is.
I can not explain my Tudor obsession with any coherence, all I know is I love history of all areas but I am drawn to the Tudor’s with an almost fanatical devotion! I read and reread all I can find and each time I live, love, hate, laugh and cry with them and marvel at the amazing people of the time, that still resonate so much with people today, and who in my humble opinion made my country what it is 🙂
The bold characters, earth-shattering revolutions, unsolved mysteries; the passionate love affairs and the triumphs and tragedies — novelists don’t have to change a thing to intrigue you.
So hard to explain why I am so fascinated – I’m just drawn to it – like I lived it in a dream somehow…
I just love the tudors everything about them is intriguing, my love for them encouraged me to study history at university and im about to embark on writing my dissertation all about Anne Boleyn and her downfall 🙂
I´m fascinated not just with the Tudors, but particulary with Anne. I think the fact there is a fascination with Anne Boleyn is partly based on our indignation at injustice. It’s a testiment, and a vindication, of basic human nature. That’s what draws a lot of people to her; the sheer injustice of her end. She unites people who are horrified at the thought that someone can be judicially murdered.
I have been fasicnated by Anne from the moment I read Antonia Fraser’s ‘Six Wives of Henry VIII’. She seems to be close to me even though she lived a couple of centuries ago. But it’s not just Anne, Grandma History has always been present in my life and she made me discover a great number of remarkable people whose life are a real inspiration: from Hatshepsut, the pharaoh of Egypt through Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, and so many others….
Oh and big THANK YOU for running this page Natalie!
Hello Natalie, Thanks for asking!, because of this question I found this excellent Blog!!! Is just amazing!!
My fascination, as many others, is with Anne, her relationship with Henry, her reaction to the birth of Elizabeth, her love of fashion, art and culture, her strong faith, her downfall and the courage and dignity with which she faced her last days, we could see glimpses of the real Anne Boleyn and begin to know her. She is a puzzle and always will be, she is an enigma and we will never know the entire truth about her, history won´t let us, the sources are not there!!! This is what makes me crazy…!!!!! Wanting to know the truth….
The tudor period is just fascinating!!!!!
Thanks again, and keep on writting!!! I´m very happy I found this site 😉
The reign of the Tudors has always been one of immense fascination when it comes to English history, taking into account the fact that it is a complete piece of history, one that already has a beginning and an end, to be studied, restudied, analyzed, reanalyzed, evaluate, and re-evaluated endlessly within the intimacy of its territory.
An era that delivered some of the most extraordinary and charismatic kings and queens – sophisticated and spirited in their personalities, and aggressive in their beliefs, along with a host of other intriguing chief characters of the times. The splendour, grandeur, pageantry, and drama of the members of the Tudors’ royal household all typify the prosperity and glory of an ancient monarchy
Thanks Natalie for the chance to win this books! I´m crossing my fingers!
Who could fail to be fascinated by a period in history where a king puts aside a princess to marry the woman he truly loves?
Backstabbing, treachery, executions, glorious costumes and at the end of the day, a cast of what I believe are some of the most fascinating characters to ever grace the world stage. Thus explains my love of Tudor England history.
What other reason to fascinate a person then the impact they had the world and on the history books.
It’s the era most dominated by powerful but very human women. I can relate to all Tudor women. Even across time they are my sisters.
I think what draws me the most to this period in time is because it was such a vibrant and important period in English history.
The Tudors have definitely enthralled me ever since I was a child because their spirit has invaded many spheres of the world other than history, such as architecture, decoration, literature, music, clothing, cooking, etc.
In my particular case, they were the engine that moved me to study English intensely to later become and Spanish translator. They are an unending inspiration to learning and transmitting their legacy to others.
Anne didn’t save the world, but she did change it. Because of her, England had its first really successful female monarch who brought in a Golden Age, and put Spain in her place – Elizabeth I.
Without Anne, Elizabeth wouldn’t have been born, England wouldn’t have broken with Rome, and Henry VIII wouldn’t be remembered as vividly as he is today.
It is all of these things which make Anne Boleyn such a fascinating woman.
I’m convinced that interest in her will endure.
Thanks Natalie to give us the chance to give our thoughts!!!!!!.
Could you make a summary??? It’s really interesting to know what others think! 😉
I love this era because of the deaths, mysteries, the climb up the ladder to court. The rise and fall of the country. The many changes the both king Henry VIII his daughter made the country. The fascination with Henry’s wife Ann Boleyn and that she shouldn’t of died but the Queen Elizabeth would have be a different queen and the country wouldn’t have change like it did. I would always love this era from all the rest!
The costume, food, daily rituals. Living history is my passion.
I just find the whole era compelling. How so few families had control of so much, the politics, how important it was to be high in the King’s favour, but most of all I find the women the most intriguing. So often they are portrayed as pawns in the game of becoming Queen but in fact they were active players themselves. I adore the whole business of being at court, the glamour and prizes mixed in with knowing that one rumour, one false move could end everything for you. In fact, I am so totally enthralled by the Tudor times that I have changed the curriculum at our school to include a unit on Tudor England. (This is clearly over 25 words but I have revised it several times!)
The Tudors is a fascinating period, they are the cornerstone of modern society, the people that lived during this era are very complex and they lay the foundations for the British Empire starting with it’s founder Henry VII and his interests in navigation. Also it’s important to remember how this dynasty started with its founder being one of the leat thought after candidates during the war of the roses that could become King of England.
He was a self made man, and starting from Henry VII, we see all these new men who are very self made, who in the same fashion start to take destiny by the reins, and not just men but women too making very independent choices. I’d like to read these books, not only for the Tudors themselves but the people around them who, I think influenced by the history of their dynasty’s rise to power, also sought to be self made. Some of them were excellent statesmen, Thomas Cromwell, Wolsey, Lord Burghley, his son who took after his father’s position both in Bess I then in James I of England and VI of Scotland’s government.
There is just so much happening on this period.