Question from Roger - Tudor-era attitudes toward bodily functions, dissections, etc

As a beginning med student, my morbid curiosity has lead me to this site to ask this. My question is were the people back then, less squeamish or less easily grossed out by things such as bodily functions, anatomy, dissected, skinless bodies, just reading about how the body works books, etc. than we are nowadays? Or was everyone, even back then, just as nowadays their own individual person? Like, some people simply were more squeamish, whereas others were not.

Question from Sally - Phobias in Tudor times

How were phobias seen/regarded/treated in this time? Just to name some; arachnophobia, acrophobia, social phobia, claustrophobia; etc. Did people treat those that had them with respect and kindness, or did they shun them from proper Tudor society regarding them as an oddity, a freak, or 'mad'?

Interruptions and delays in posting and comment approvals over the next few weeks

Hello to the people who still periodically check this blog! I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I'm in the process of moving across town over the next few weeks so I'm not going to be able to post submissions (which oddly seem to have ramped up in frequency lately) and approve comments as quickly as usual. "Regular" service will resume in early June depending on how quickly I get things set up at the house.

Question from Anne - Treatment of girls and women

Greetings! I would like to ask a rather unusual question. It is; In an era where women/girls were treated as lessers, were discriminated against, and/or even abused, were there still some men who genuinely loved/cared about their wives and were good and kind to them? Also, were there some fathers (and mothers too), who were truly good to and treated their daughters well and with kindness? Or was every single girl/woman who lived in this era mistreated by her father and/or her husband?

Question from Barbara - Nobles cooking their own meals

Message Hello everyone, I just had a very odd thought, that I want to drop by. I doubt its even been asked before. Here goes; Would a rich English nobleman back in this time be allowed to cook his own meals if he wanted to and not have a servant to do it for him? It wouldve allowed him some independence I would think, because if he was hungry he wouldnt have to wait on a personal cook to get it for him! Lol!

Question from Samantha - Leap day birthdays

Greetings Tudor bloggers, Ive got an extremely odd question I just couldn't help but ask! My college professor was born on February 29th. So, its been getting me curious, did the concept of Leap Day birthdays exist back in this era, or is the technically aging only every 4 years thing that we sometimes joke about, a more modern concept? With gratitude, Samantha.

Question from Craig - Disabilities in Tudor times

I am curious to find out how disabilities were viewed/treated at this time? For example ; blindness, deafness, being stuck in a wheelchair, being mute, not having all your limbs; etc,.. Did the people of this era treat those who were disabled with kindness and compassion, or were they bullied, mistreated, and made to feel like an outcast?

Question from Zach - Life of a noble child vs a peasant child

I'm 9 years old. My history teacher has assigned me to write a history report, imagining I'm a noble vs a peasant in the 1500s, and then compare. I need to know more of what a boy my ages life would have been like, what I wouldve eaten, what I would wear, my school life, and fun and games, and entertainment would have been like.

Question from Ms Smith - Bullying in schools

I'm a middle school teacher. I've been wondering, in this era, how would bullying in the schools be handled? Would the bully get in trouble, or would they victim-blame the kid being bullied?

Question from Jim - Domestic violence and abuse in the Tudor era

I was wondering about domestic violence and abuse in this era. If a man in this era abused or beat his wife and / or his children, how would it be dealt with? Likewise, what would society think about a woman abusing her husband, or children and teenagers getting violent with or abusing their parents? Would there be any double standards there, depending on who was the victim and who was the perpetrator? Sincerely, Jim

Question from Max - Penalties of public nudity in 16th century

Dear everyone reading this, I got a question I hope somebody has an an swer to. (Hopefully, it hasn't already been asked). What would happen if a noble gent of this era, like one of Henry VIII's courtiers decided to take all his clothes off and run naked; a.k.a go streaking through the palace or in public? Would he be punished, charged with indecent exposure, or would he just be pardoned, with everyone turning a blind eye to it?

Question from Nicole - Celebrity of actors in the 16th century

Hey, I'm thinking about writing a story about a Tudor era gentleman who is a very famous actor / celebrity from the English theatre. So, I have a couple of questions; would being a famous celebrity back then be harder or easier than it is nowadays? Also, would he get bombarded with people asking him to sign autographs, or have some 16th century version of the paparazzi all up in his business and private life constantly?

Question from Alex - Eating disorders in Tudor England

I have some questions. They're for an assignment I'm doing in history class for school. (I'm in 9th grade) (female). We've been researching about the history of eating disorders in Medieval / Tudor times. I realize that more females than males did, ( and still do ) suffer from eating disorders, but I want to know did some men ,if any, suffer from them as well? For example, Ive read that if Medieval knights got fat / put on too much weight, it would be easier for them to be defeated in battle, and therefore not fit to become or stay knights. Also, if say, King Henry VIII or some other aristocratic gentleman from Tudor times starved himself / refused to eat because he wanted to lose some weight, or was afraid of / obsessed about getting fat, how do you think his courtiers or servants would respond to his behavior around food and his body image? Would they respond the same or differently depending on whether the person was female or male?