On the Tudor Trail

Exclusive interview with Jeane Westin and Tudor book giveaway!

I have just posted our exclusive interview with Jeane Westin author of His Last Letter, a novel about Elizabeth I and The Earl of Leicester. I found Jeane's responses tremendously informative and interesting. We talk about everything from the lure of the Tudors, traditions of the Elizabethan court, to Elizabeth and Dudley's tempestuous relationship. Read the full interview here. To coincide with our interview I am giving away a copy of Jeane Westin's His Last Letter! Entry is open to … [Read More...]

King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn at Waltham Abbey

I get so excited when I add another Anne Boleyn place to our extensive list. Number 26 On the Tudor Trail is Waltham Abbey in Essex. The Augustinian abbey was a popular place for kings to stay during hunting trips in nearby Waltham Forest. Henry VIII was a regular visitor and on several occasions was accompanied by Anne Boleyn. Read the full post here. … [Read More...]

The Tudor Time Traveller

The Tudor Time Traveller has arrived at On the Tudor Trail. Each Friday I will showcase a new ‘Tudor photograph’ and tell its story and history. Many of the photos will be from my own private collection taken on my ‘Tudor Pilgrimage’ trip last September. Today’s Tudor Time Traveller location is The Cloisters in Westminster Abbey. I took this photo while at Westminster Abbey last year and it is one of my favourites of the trip. My sister and I arrived at Westminster early one … [Read More...]

The Courier’s Tale and Heartstone

The fact that I love books is no secret. To me they are among my most valuable possessions because of their ability to transport you to a different time and place. The joy of losing myself in a book is indescribable. The feel of the freshly printed pages and the promise of what lies ahead inspires me to continue filling my library with book after book. I recently received two new books set in Tudor England. The first is The Courier's Tale by Peter Walker, a New Zealander living in London. The … [Read More...]

Did Henry VIII have syphilis?

Inside the Body of Henry VIII is an entertaining and informative program that recently aired on the history channel. It is a treasure trove of information about Henry VIII’s medical conditions and the role they played in transforming him from gentle and charming prince to obese and cruel tyrant. I will be doing a series of posts based on the investigations carried out by historian, Dr Lucy Worsley, Henry biographer, Robert Hutchinson and medical doctor, Catherine Hood and would like to begin … [Read More...]

Our exclusive interview with Suzannah Dunn

I feel very honoured that so many talented authors have taken time out of their busy schedules to answer some questions for us at On the Tudor Trail. Our latest interviewee, Suzannah Dunn author of four Tudor books, is no exception. Her first Tudor novel, The Queen of Subtleties, was described by Alison Weir as offering: 'A stunningly refreshing way of retelling an old story. I often abandon historical novels nowadays, but I really could not put this one down. It brings Anne Boleyn to life as … [Read More...]

Exclusive interview with Alisa Libby

I have just posted On the Tudor Trail's exclusive interview with Alisa Libby, author of The King's Rose a novel about Catherine Howard. In our interview Alisa and I discuss King Henry VIII's court, her favourite of Henry's queens, the ghost of Catherine Howard and much more! Read the full interview here. … [Read More...]

Hotel de Cluny joins our list of Anne Boleyn Places

On our journey to follow in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn we have travelled around England, crossed the English Channel to France and present day Belgium and today we venture to Paris and the Hotel de Cluny. With this latest addition, our list of Anne Boleyn places rockets to 25! I am very proud of the resource that I have built up and hope that it will help you when planning your 'Tudor Pilgrimages'. In the weeks following the death of old Louis, Francis I kept a close eye on Mary Tudor. … [Read More...]

On this day in 1533 Elizabeth I was Christened

Henry VIII spent the last days of Anne Boleyn’s confinement trying to decide whether to call his son Edward or Henry. Though in the end neither was of use to him as the child born was a girl. On Wednesday 10th September 1533, a magnificent christening was held at the church of the Observant Friars. The Church was some distance from the main palace of Greenwich and had also been the setting of Henry VIII’s christening. The location in itself was a final blow to those hostile to the king’s … [Read More...]

The Tudor Chronicles by Susan Doran

I cannot believe that I have only just discovered The Tudor Chronicles by Susan Doran! With over 400 pages of information and images about the Tudor dynasty it's a treasure for any Tudor aficionado. The book blurb reads: The Tudor Chronicles is a compelling year-by-year chronology of this tumultuous and critical period in the development of the modern English nation. Each year is covered by a concise and accessible narrative, amplified by extensive quotations from contemporary sources and … [Read More...]

Our exclusive interview with Kate Emerson

I have just completed the third of my series of exclusive interviews with historians and authors of the Tudor period. This time I was lucky enough to interview Kate Emerson, author of The Pleasure Palace and Between Two Queens, the first two novels in The Secrets of the Tudor Court series. The third novel in the series, By Royal Decree, the story of Bess Brooke, Marchioness of Northhampton, will be available in December 2010. I enjoyed Kate's insights into the process of researching novels … [Read More...]

Birth of the Princess Elizabeth

On this day in 1533, Anne Boleyn gave birth to Princess Elizabeth at Greenwich. Only two weeks earlier, on the 26th August 1533, after a relatively trouble-free pregnancy, Anne Boleyn took to her chambers at Greenwich to do what the royal physicians and astrologers had already predicted as certainty, give birth to a son and heir to the Tudor Throne. In Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne, Starkey describes the chamber in great detail: The walls and ceiling were close hung and tented … [Read More...]