Q & A with Tracy Borman

Why do you think readers are insatiable when it comes to the Tudor period?

The Tudor period is one of the most glamorous in history – and with some of the biggest personalities.  As well as being a time of hugely significant political, economic and social change, it also witnessed some of the most extraordinary scandals and events in royal history.  They make the present-day scandals look tame by comparison!

Who is your favourite Tudor personality and why?

I have to say Elizabeth I, and not just because I’ve written a book about her.  She has always been my all-time historical heroine.  I did a lot of research on her childhood influences for my book, and it made me realise just how traumatic her early experiences were.  They really shaped her into the queen that she later became, and gave her a definite edge over rivals such as Mary, Queen of Scots who had enjoyed much more pampered upbringings.

What inspired you to write Elizabeth’s Women?

Elizabeth is one of the most written about and talked about women in history.  Yet so often the topic of debate has been her relationships with men – from her alleged affair with Robert Dudley to her more sober relationships with the likes of Lord Burghley.  I came to realise that nobody had considered Elizabeth in the context of the women who surrounded her – from her mother, Anne Boleyn, to the various stepmothers who took her place, and from rivals such as the sisters of Lady Jane Grey to the so-called ‘Flouting Wenches’ who served her at court.  When you look at Elizabeth through their eyes, a startling different portrait emerges of the iconic Virgin Queen.

Elizabeth’s Women has been described as ‘enthralling’, ‘compelling’ and ‘irresistible’.  Could you share with us a little about the process of researching and writing this book?

It was a joy and a privilege to research and write a book about a woman who has long captivated me – as she has so many others.  Because so much has been written about her, I was apprehensive about the research and wondered if there could be anything new to say.  But coming at it from the perspective of her women brought forward a wealth of new material, some of which has been overlooked or disregarded by historians to date.  I spent a great deal of time in the British Library (my spiritual home) and loved consulting original manuscripts.  For me, that is the best part of any research project: seeing a letter that was written by one of the characters you are writing about.  It literally brings you face to face with history.

Who do you believe played the most important role in shaping the character of Elizabeth I?

That’s a difficult question to answer.  There were different influences at different stages of her life.  But I’m inclined to say that the greatest influences were those from her childhood years.  That’s when Elizabeth’s character was really formed, and it was the likes of Anne Boleyn, her last stepmother Katherine Parr and her faithful governess Kat Astley who arguably had the biggest role to play.  But there were also lesser known influences from that time, and one of the greatest unsung heroines is Anne of Cleves.  She is so often (wrongly) dismissed as the ugly wife rejected by Henry VIII, but there was a great deal more to her than that.  In a way, I think she was the most successful of Henry’s wives, and she taught Elizabeth the wisdom of pragmatism – a lesson that she would employ time and again when she became queen.

In your research into the Tudor and Elizabethan courts have you come across any customs, rituals or traditions that you’ve found particularly interesting or peculiar?

One of the most interesting for me is the fact that Elizabeth obliged all of her ladies in waiting to wear only black or white.  This was so that the vividness and splendour of her own dresses would be shown off to greatest effect.  In Elizabeth’s view, there could only be one queen bee in the hive.  No matter how beautiful they might be in their own right, her ladies were merely a backdrop to the main attraction.

I read that you were appointed Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. What does your organisation do?

The Heritage Education Trust is an independent charity that recognises and promotes good practice in learning services within the historic environment and related collections.

Recognition is made through the annual Sandford Awards for Heritage Education, which assesses the provision of quality education in and about historic sites, buildings, museums, galleries, cathedrals, places of worship, gardens, landscapes and historic artefacts.

It is a fascinating and rewarding job and I feel very privileged to do it.  One of the greatest perks is being able to visit a whole host of amazing historic buildings every year.  It really is a dream come true for a historian.

I believe that you work for the Historic Royal Palaces as Head of Interpretation. Could you tell us about what this job entails as it sounds fascinating?

I was Head of Interpretation for Historic Royal Palaces for a year to cover maternity leave, and it was one of the best years of my career.  It is a wonderful organisation and has some of England’s most iconic historic buildings in its portfolio – notably Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London and Kensington Palace.  My role included working on a major project to represent the Tudor rooms at Hampton Court to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession.  I left this role to go on maternity leave myself, and have recently returned to work on an exciting new gardens project at Hampton Court.

Are you presently working on any books?

Yes, I am working on a biography of Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, which is due to be published in September 2011.  She was an extraordinary woman, and her life has all the drama and intrigue of a soap opera.  Her marriage to William was turbulent and destructive, yet it was also one of the most successful in royal history.  Matilda had ten, possibly eleven, children by William and he entrusted her with the regency of Normandy after the Conquest of England.  William adored his diminutive wife (who was said to be only 4 feet 2 inches tall), but she plotted against him with their eldest son, Robert ‘Curthose’, who led a rebellion against the Conqueror and almost killed him in battle.  As well as the drama of Matilda’s life as the Queen of the Conqueror, this book will also consider her role as a woman of power and influence in the male-dominated world of the eleventh century.  Her legacy was immense.  She was the mother of a dynasty that modern-day royals can trace their lineage to, and she established a model of active queenship that many other royal women after her sought to emulate.

If you were only allowed a few lines in which to describe Elizabeth I to her mother, Anne Boleyn. What would you say?

With her flaming red hair and formidable temper, Elizabeth is often portrayed as being very much her father’s daughter.  But I think she shared more traits in common with her mother.  Like Anne, she was extraordinarily brave, resourceful and resilient, particularly in times of crisis.  She also inherited Anne’s charisma and allure, bringing her courtiers to hell and drawing admirers from across Europe.  But perhaps the greatest characteristic that Elizabeth shared with Anne was her self-discipline.  Anne famously kept Henry VIII at bay for almost a decade.  Learning from her example, Elizabeth also proved infuriatingly out of reach for her many suitors.  But, unlike her mother, she went one step further, remaining forever aloof and at least partly as a result of this becoming one of the greatest monarchs we have ever known – the celebrated Virgin Queen.  If she had lived to see the day, Anne would have been extremely proud.

To learn more about Tracy visit her official website here.

Share