Recent Posts

On the Fourth Day of Christmas – Book 2

On the fourth day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me the chance to win a copy of Queen of Martyrs: The Story of Mary I by Samantha Wilcoxson. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of Queen of Martyrs: The story of Mary I, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter Subscription’). Then simply leave a … [Read More...]

On the Fourth Day of Christmas – Book 1

On the fourth day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me the chance to win a copy of Struck with the Dart of Love: Je Anne Boleyn Book One and Truth Endures: Je Anne Boleyn Book Two by Sandra Vasoli! To be in the running to win this book duo, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win the Je Anne Boleyn Book duo, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free … [Read More...]

On the Third Day of Christmas – Book 2

On the second day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me… the chance to win a copy of So Great a Prince: England and the Accession of Henry VIII by Lauren Johnson. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of So Great a Prince: England and the Accession of Henry VIII, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter … [Read More...]

On the Third Day of Christmas – Book 1

On the third day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me… the chance to win a copy of Unleash Your Inner Tudor: Henry VIII’s Inspirational Guide to a Completely Sizzling, Sparkly, Tyrannical, Much Wider, Demanding, and Sexier You by Andy Demsky/aka Henry VIII. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of Unleash Your Inner Tudor, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not … [Read More...]

Feast & Fast in 1509

I'm delighted to welcome historian and costumed interpreter Lauren Johnson to On the Tudor Trail. Lauren has written an informative and entertaining guest post about feasting and fasting during the Christmas season, in early Tudor England. Enjoy! Feast & Fast in 1509 For me the run-up to Christmas is signaled by the taste of advent calendar chocolate before breakfast. For others this is the season of dieting, ‘getting ready for party season’ as certain magazines insist on calling such … [Read More...]

On the Second Day of Christmas – Book 1

On the second day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me... the chance to win an autographed copy of Jane the Quene by Janet Wertman. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of Jane the Quene: Book One of the Seymour Saga, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter Subscription’). Then simply leave a comment … [Read More...]

On the Second Day of Christmas – Book 2

On the second day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me… the chance to win a copy of Cranmer in a Nutshell by Beth von Staats and a Cape Cod themed gift. To be in the running to win this prize, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of Cranmer in a Nutshell, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter Subscription’). Then simply leave a … [Read More...]

On the First Day of Christmas – Book 2

On the 1st day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me… the chance to win an autographed copy of Owen – Book One of The Tudor Trilogy by Tony Riches. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win an autographed copy of Owen – Book One of The Tudor Trilogy by Tony Riches, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter … [Read More...]

On the First Day of Christmas – Book 1

On the 1st day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me… the chance to win a copy of Sexuality and Its Impact on History: The British Stripped Bare by Hunter S. Jones. To be in the running to win this book, leave a comment after this post. Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of Sexuality and Its Impact on History: The British Stripped Bare, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free … [Read More...]

12 Days of Christmas Mega Book Giveaway!

I'm absolutely thrilled to share that I'll be hosting a Mega Book Giveaway in December. This fortnight of fun is made possible by the generosity of the following wonderful historians and authors: Starting on 1 December, I will post details of two giveaways per day, all open internationally! All you need to do to be in the running to win the daily giveaways is leave a comment after each individual post. Winners will be randomly selected and notified by email in early … [Read More...]

Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence

“Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived”: Henry VIII’s six wives must be among the most famous groups of women in history, a collection of brides bundled together by historians, teachers and TV producers despite them having very little in common beyond their having married the same man. Biographies have often tended towards this all-encompassing approach, focusing more on the monarch than the individual women, and it’s been refreshing in recent years to see the queens given … [Read More...]

Review of The House of Beaufort by Nathen Amin

The House of Beaufort – The Bastard Line That Captured the Crown by Nathen Amin This book charts the origin, rise and fall of one of the most notorious dynasties in English history, the Beaufort family. The Beaufort family line descends from the union of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of Edward III and Katherine Swynford. They had four children together: John, Henry, Thomas and Joan. Katherine was initially a mistress of John of Gaunt, but the pair eventually married in 1396 … [Read More...]