Question from Daire - David Loades' books

I was wondering what the opinion on David Loades is. I have read that he is a well respected historian but I purchased his Mary Rose book and was deeply disappointed. I was thinking about buying his biography on Katherine Howard, and his book on Jane Seymour which is due out in January, but I'm not sure to bother. Has anyone read his other books, and would they suggest them?

New survey and “Anne of Hollywood” book give-away!

[Cross-posted from the News blog]

Another thing that I'm still catching up on from the summer....

I received two copies of Carol Wolper's Anne of Hollywood to give away, so I thought this would be a great chance to run another survey! (If you want to see the one I did a few years back, you can read about it here.)

You can go to the survey here and you'll be directed back to the main page once you're finished (and you won't be able to see the results until I post them, sorry!). You can take the survey without being entered in the contest, just leave the space for your email address blank. I'll leave the survey open through November 30, 2012 and contact the winners shortly after and post the survey results here on the blog!

A little about the book:

Skirts are shorter now, and messages sent by iPhone, but passion, intrigue, and a lust for power don’t change. National bestselling author Carol Wolper spins a mesmerizing tale of a twenty-first-century Anne Boleyn.

Wily, intelligent, and seductive, with a dark beauty that stands out among the curvy California beach blondes, Anne attracts the attention of Henry Tudor, the handsome corporate mogul who reigns in Hollywood. Every starlet, socialite, and shark wants a piece of Henry, but he only wants Anne. The question is: can she keep him?

Welcome to a privileged world where hidden motives abound, everyone has something to sell, and safe havens don’t exist. Henry Tudor has more options than most men, and less guilt than is good for anyone. The two may be in love, but even Anne’s wiles and skill won’t guarantee his enduring passion. With Henry’s closest confidante scheming against her, and another beautiful contender waiting in the wings, Anne is fighting not just for the lifestyle to which she has grown accustomed . . . but for love. Can she muster the charm and wit to pull off her very own Hollywood ending?

Question from Stacey - Separate heart burial practice

Why with some kings & queens are their hearts buried in a different spot than their bodies are?

[We've had some other threads on specific people having their heart buried separately, but I don't think the practice in general has been discussed much. - Lara]

Question from Amanda - Catherine Fiennes, possible daughter of Thomas Fiennes

I was looking into my family's genealogy recently and came across the name Catherine Fiennes. She was apparently a granddaughter of Sir John Fiennes (1447-1484) and Alice Fitzhugh (1448-1516), an ancestor of Catherine Parr. According to the genealogy book I have, Sir John Fiennes and Alice Fitzhugh had a son named Thomas Fiennes 8th Baron Dacre (1472-1533); he married Anne Bourchier. They are said to have had a daughter, Catherine Fiennes (born circa 1490). However, I have tried to research this and have found no record of a Catherine Fiennes. The only female child of Thomas Fiennes and Anne Bourchier that I have found records of is Mary Fiennes, Lady Norris (1495-1531). So, my question would be - Who is this Catherine Fiennes? Could it have been possible for Anne Bourchier to have had an illegitimate daughter whose birth went unrecorded? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Question from shtove - Online Tudor bills of mortality

I've looked online for transcripts of Tudor bills of mortality, but no luck.

The bills are lists of deaths in the city of London for the years 1563 and 1592-94.

Help appreciated.

Question from Michele - Katherine of Aragon quote

I love the quote from Queen Katherine of Aragon: "If I had to choose between extreme sorrow and extreme happiness, I would always choose sorrow, for when you are happy you forget about spiritual things, you forget about God. But in your sorrow, He is always with you." Is this just a great scripted line for the Tudors, or is there proof she actually wrote or said it? I'm currently writing a book and want to get the facts!!! Thank you, Michele

Question from Jessa - Family politics in early modern Europe

Can anyone recommend any good sources for learning more about family politics / the way the family functioned in private vs. public in early modern Europe? Although I am mainly interested in English families, those from other countries would be useful as well (maybe French and Italian?). Thank you!

Question from Laura - Dissertation ideas for Katherine Parr, etc.

Firstly I stumbled upon this website today and I can't get over how incredible it is. I am a third year history student and am in awe of all the content!

I am about to start my dissertation and believe that the Tudors is a topic that, despite being a topic many have done before, I don't mind spending the next five months researching.

I've been attempting to think of an "original" (to a certain extent!) topic and quite like the idea of Katherine Parr or even Anne Askew (though it is 10,000 words). I wondered if anyone had any ideas on an interesting angle - I was thinking of Katherine Parr and how her religious activities made her a political figure or how she was important not because of just being Henry VIII wife but because her experiences can sort of highlight the aristocratic women in the Tudor Court.

Thank you - I've been looking at all the archive questions and answer and again they are great!

Question from Chloe - Tudor jousting

I am trying to find out any facts about jousting in tudortimes for my year8 (I am 12 years old)homework. Can anyone help me or know of any sites that could help? Thanks

Question from Amy - Name of and musicians at the Field of the Cloth of Gold

I'm doing research for my NaNoWriMo novel, which is going to be primarily based at the Field of Cloth of Gold and concerning court musicians for Henry VIII. I primarily have two questions:

From what I've read, Field of Cloth of Gold was not a contemporary term for the meet-up between Henry VIII and Francis I. Was there another official title to this meeting?

Secondly, I need to know more about housing for court musicians. Did they live in quarters at the palace, or were they responsible for their own outside dwellings?

Question from Kay - 16th century medical training

I am curious about medical training in the sixteenth century. What were the qualifications and studies required to practice medicine?

Question from Penelope - Queens paying their executioner

I've heard that traditionally, the condemned paid the headsman for his services prior to their executions - would this have applied to the executed Tudor queens (Anne, Kathryn, Jane Grey) as well, or, being of noble blood, were they allowed to forgo that? It seems so needlessly barbaric!

Question from Orla - John, heir of Sir George Hastings

I was wondering about John, son and heir of Sir George Hastings who was the ward of Thomas Boleyn. Is there any information on him? Did he live with the Boleyns?

Question from shtove - Chocolate in Tudor England

Chocolate: any evidence for it in Tudor England?

Familiar to the Spanish from about 1520, and imported to Spain comercially from the 1580s.

The first English reference to it that I can find is an ad for a chocolate house in London in 1657.

I find it difficult to believe the English were unfamiliar with it for so long.

Wikipedia has some decent articles on the history, but no answer to my question. One passage says Spain sweetened it up and then kept it a secret for almost 100 years, but doesn't elaborate.

As far as I can tell the drink was popular throughout Spain, at all levels of society, but it was only in the 17thC that the taste spread to France & Italy, eventually to England.

The potato popped up in Europe at about the same time, and seems to have spread through ordinary trade.

I suppose trade monopolies and embargos relating to the wars with Spain might explain its sluggish spread. But still ...

Any insights?

Question from Joycem - Richard III burial

I am facinated by the discovery of the remains that may be Richard III in Leicester Ive always been interested in Tudor history and lived in Leicester for a while (Im in California now) so was a fequent visitor to Bradgate. Also worked around the area where the remains were found.
So will Richard be given a grand buriel? what do folks think

Question from Amelia - Lady Elizabeth Tyrwhitt

Could you tell me about Lady Elizabeth Tyrwhitt, the chief lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth. I haven't been able to find anything on her. I was just curious about her life, family background, what she died of and when and what she looked like. I think she might have been an ancestor of mine and I would really like to know everything about her!

Question from Eva - Henry VIII's political philosophy

Hello!

I am keen to get some opinions on Henry VIII's political philosophy. I find the man fascinating and have just read "The Prince" by Machiavelli for the first time. My impression is that the ideals in this book are certainly applicable to many facets of Henry VIII's reign, but having done some research (admittedly only online thus far) I am not sure I am convinced that Henry actually read this book and absorbed its advice. (I found a note that Cromwell spoke highly of it, but could not trace the source back to a letter or account. Has anyone come across this?)

On the other hand, I feel that the impact of Erasmus' work on Henry is clear. I would like to study more of the political theory that may have shaped Henry's reign, although the very question is tenuous. A book called "The Counter-Reformation Prince" by Robert Bireley came up in a search, and I have never heard of it before. Can anyone shed some light on it or point me in a different direction?

Thanks so much!

Question from Stuart - Badges, liveries and standards of Richard de la Pole

I find Richard de la Pole a most interesting character, particularly his military capability as a Captain in the armies of Louis XII & Francis I.

What intrigues me most are his sustained efforts at launching an invasion of England, particularly that which came the closest to fruition in 1514.

I wonder what standard or banner he would have used. I know that in French service it was common for nobles to use their own heraldic banners and it appears that the swallow tailed standards still being used by the English at this time were peculiar to England.

What banner could he have used had he launched the invasion of 1514?

The ideas I have come up with so far are perhaps a Lion rampant (I know his brother used this)and almost certainly with white roses featuring - in many ways it could have borne a resemblance to similar banners used by Edward IV.

Any suggestions?

The only definite sources I have found so far with regard to badges and livery are;

His guard and minstrels at Metz wore white and blue livery.

He referred to himself as the white rose or blancherosee.

Lions rampant feature on his coat of arms.

Thanks

Stuart

Question from Marie - Personalities of the Tudors

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what Edward vi (Henry the eighth's son) personality was like. I am also curious as to the personalities of his sisters Mary and Elizabeth.

Question from Mark - Elizabeth on the "Great Harry"

In the movie "Young Bess" Elizabeth was on the ship "Great Harry". I asked if this was in fact? Thanks for any answers.

Question from Orla - Katherine Tudor, daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

Hi, was wondering about Katherine Tudor, the youngest child of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII. How long did she live for roughly? And where was she buried? Did Henry VII ever see her, and did Henry VIII or his other sisters visit her?

Question from Michelle - Ladies in waiting spying on Queens

First, thank you for such a helpful and informative blog!

My questions are in regard to using ladies-in-waiting to spy on a queen's doings, particularly Catherine of Aragon, and how such "arrangements" were made.

Firstly, do we actually know of any instances where a lady-in-waiting was known (or at least highly suspected) as a spy who willingly and freely passed on information about her mistress to a third party? Would love some definitive documentation (e.g. letters to/from said spy, financial transactions, arrest warrants, etc), but would also love to hear what courtiers thought or suspected as well (e.g. if someone like Chapuys thought a particular woman was untrustworthy or betraying the Queen, etc) Also, do we know if there's any truth to that habit in period Tudor dramas where the Queen always dismisses her ladies before important conversations, and if so, was this due to fear or knowledge of spies?

Particularly, do we have any evidence of Cardinal Wolsey using Catherine of Aragon's English ladies-in-waiting to spy on her? I remember hearing somewhere that he used his influence to dismiss CoA's Spanish ladies-in-waiting and replace them with English ladies that reported to him (or at least ladies that CoA couldn't trust), but I can't remember if I heard it from a "factual" source or from fiction. It does seem something that Wolsey (or Cromwell) might do, though! What do we know of CoA's ladies informing other parties about her private dealings?

In a more general sense, if someone like Wolsey did wish to use a lady-in-waiting as a spy on the Queen, how would such an arrangement be made? For example, would he approach the woman directly, or would he approach her family so that her father/male relatives could instruct her? Would he likely suborn an existing lady-in-waiting, or might he try to arrange for a loyal family/woman to be placed with the Queen's household? Would these likely be long-term and all inclusive arrangements, or would they likely be negotiated for specific incidents (e.g. "The Queen is meeting with Bishop Fisher tomorrow. Tell me what they discuss.")? What sorts of bribery might be used? Would the lady be likely to use letters to pass on the information, or would she do it person, and if so, how and with who? (meeting in private areas with loyal servants, knocking on Cromwell's office door, etc?) Lastly, what would be the potential penalties for a woman who refused to inform on her mistress, or passed along lies/glossed over important information?


(Thanks so much for your answers! I will likely be back with other questions re: CoA and ladies in waiting. As a side note, if anyone could recommend some good texts about Catherine of Aragon and her ladies-in-waiting, I'd definitely appreciate it. I would even love some fiction recommendations for that topic, as long as they're not too wildly inaccurate.)

Question from Sarah - Attitudes towards animals

Hello. I was wondering where I could read more about Tudors' attitudes to animals?

Related threads:

http://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/06/question-from-juju-pets-of-elizabeth-i.html

http://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/04/question-from-alex-edward-vi-and.html

http://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2007/11/question-from-maynard-vegetarianism-and.html

Comment from Tracy - Mary Tudor Brandon's hair color

I have been following the Tudors since I was 14 years old after having seen "Anne Of The Thousand Days". I'm 57 now so my fascination borders on obsession.

I wanted to add an interesting tidbit to the ongoing discussion about the color of Mary Tudor Brandon's lock of hair. Whether her hair was actually a "reddish gold" or "pure gold" really can't be judged properly because of this little known fact - Did Mary use the old English beauty secret of the common use of lye for making hair more blonde than red? We won't know the answer unless there is a test for lye that can be done without compromising the condition of the lock of hair in the museum. I read this information in Maria Perry's excellent book "The Sisters Of Henry VIII". This is found on page xiv of the Introduction.

Sincerely,

Tracy Holt McClary

Related thread:
http://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/03/question-from-kathy-description-of-mary.html

Question from Laura - "Secrets of the Virgin Queen"

I recently watched Secrets of the Virgin Queen on NatGeo, and one of the "secrets" was the discussion of a rumor about "the Bisley boy." I had never heard this before, and I while I think it's clear it's a ridiculous rumor, I'm wondering how many people believed it, and whether it was a rumor known during Elizabeth's time, or did it come from a later era?

The show also claimed that Elizabeth wore her makeup to hide pox scars from a bout of small pox. Is it true that she had smallpox? I've never read that before. I was under the impression that she started using the makeup to hide signs of aging (and achieve the desired pale English complexion), and that the use of the white lead makeup discolored her skin causing her to need to use more to cover the effects.

I've focused most of my reading on Henry and his wives so I'm not as familiar with the rumors and common misconceptions about Elizabeth as I am about those of her mother.