On the Tudor Trail

Interview with Amy Licence and Giveaway!

I have just published my interview with historian Amy Licence, author of In Bed With the Tudors: The sex lives of a dynasty from Elizabeth of York to Elizabeth I published by Amberley Publishing. Synopsis: First ever book on the sex lives of the Tudors. Comprehensive coverage of all the major Tudors: Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Prince Arthur, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's various mistresses, … [Read More...]

Henry VIII’s Expenditure on Anne Boleyn

The Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII, from November 1529 to December 1532, is a very useful and fascinating primary source that brings to life Henry VIII’s courtship of Anne Boleyn. During this period the king showered his beloved with gifts and ‘met individual bills on Anne’s behalf totalling nearly £750’ (Ives, Pg. 217). In December 1530, Henry even paid Anne for his own New Year’s Gift! (Privy Purse, Pg. 101) There are numerous entries relating to Anne Boleyn or the ‘Lady Anne … [Read More...]

Mathew Parker’s Pulpit

Matthew Parker was chaplain to Anne Boleyn and later archbishop of Canterbury under Elizabeth I. In 1535, Queen Anne Boleyn appointed Parker dean of the collegiate church of Stoke by Clare and took a keen interest in his reforms that included, ‘as well as regular preaching, the appointment of a lecturer on the Bible to teach four days a week in English and Latin, a new grammar school with a well-paid master and facilities for fee-paying as well as free pupils, and finally eight or ten choral … [Read More...]

Tudor Historical Figures by George Stuart

Over the last fifty years, George Stuart has created 400 sculptures of historical figures, including Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and a number of other well-known Tudor personalities. In addition to the highly realistic sculptures, George Stuart also writes and performs monologs about his intriguing subjects, many of which you can watch on the online gallery. The Museum of Ventura County acquired the Tudor figures, along with 175 other figures in 1975. They are modelled in mixed media and a … [Read More...]

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I’s Coronation

A friend of mine recently wrote to me to share some information he’d read about Anne Boleyn in a book by Trea Martyn, called Elizabeth in the Garden. The book tells the story of how two of the most powerful men in Elizabethan England (Dudley and Cecil) used garden designs to woo their queen. Here is the synopsis: Taking a fresh and original approach to the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth I, this book tells the incredible story of her great passion for gardens, and how the two … [Read More...]

Winner of On the Tudor Trail’s Birthday Competition!

On the 30th of July, On the Tudor Trail turned three and to celebrate we hosted a competition inviting readers to submit a letter, written as Anne Boleyn, to another Tudor personality of their choice. After much deliberation (such great entries!), I am delighted to announce that we have selected M.L. Gordon's letter as the winning entry. Congratulations! Anne Boleyn to Jane Seymour, May of 1536 by M.L. Gordon To Mistress Seymour, late my lady and soon my supplanter— I congratulate … [Read More...]

Anne Boleyn’s Jewellery and the Princess Elizabeth

The lovely Ashlie Jensen from Being Bess recently left a comment on a discussion thread about Anne Boleyn’s jewellery that immediately caught my attention. She mentioned that in ‘Henry VIII King & Court’, Alison Weir asserts that, ‘Personalised jewellery was highly popular. Anne Boleyn owned at least three initial pendants: an AB and a B, which appear in portraits of her, and an A, which is worn by her daughter Elizabeth in the Whitehall family group.’ (Pg. 192) This portrait, also … [Read More...]

Sir Henry Wyatt’s Portrait by Holbein

The portrait of Sir Henry Wyatt by Holbein has an interesting backstory. The story goes that Sir Henry was imprisoned and tortured under Richard III for his unwavering fidelity to Henry Tudor. It is said that his captors tortured him with a horse-barnacle, a farrier’s tool, sharply serrated and used to subdue horses. According to Nicola Shulman, ‘An open barnacle would be positioned where the horses’ muzzle is soft and loose, then pinched shut and twisted. It would be used much the same … [Read More...]

Mary I’s Marriage to Philip of Spain

On this day in 1554, Mary I married Philip of Spain, the son of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, at Winchester Cathedral. To mark the occasion I would like to share a series of guest posts by Tudor historian, John A. Murphy, that I published earlier this year. Mary I's Marriage - Part 1 Mary I's Marriage - Part 2 Mary I's Marriage - Part 3 Happy reading! … [Read More...]

On the Tudor Trail in Italy

A guest post by historian Catherine Fletcher, author of The Divorce of Henry VIII. Italy might not be the first place you associate with the Tudors. Henry VIII famously broke with Rome, after all. But for almost half a century before that break there were numerous contacts between Italy and England, and evidence of some of them can still be seen today. From medieval times, English diplomatic representatives in Rome had often stayed in the English Hospice, or pilgrim hospital. This later … [Read More...]

Interview with Catherine Fletcher

I am delighted to share my interview with historian Catherine Fletcher, author of The Divorce of Henry VIII: The Untold Story from Inside the Vatican. Dr Fletcher specialises in Renaissance and early modern Europe and is currently a Lecturer in Early Modern History at Durham University. Synopsis: In 1533 the English monarch Henry VIII decided to divorce his wife of twenty years Catherine of Aragon in pursuit of a male heir to ensure the Tudor line. He was also head over heels in love with … [Read More...]

Anne Boleyn’s Childhood Home – Hever Castle

Day three of our research trip began with a private tour of Hever Castle in Kent, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. I had been looking forward to this day since the moment we booked and could hardly believe that we’d have the castle and a guide all to ourselves. I think it’s a little unusual for individuals to book private tours because when we arrived we were met by a lovely lady in the parking lot that enquired as to the whereabouts of the two tour busses… Instead of expecting two people, they … [Read More...]