Question from Stacey - Crown wearing

Lara, just watching the video on Henry's crown, loving it! Thank you for posting it.
How often were the crowns actually worn? Especially for the royal women....the only paintings you see have them in hoods. Also,(men & women), is there a size/design difference based on their rank?

Question from Sarah - Mary Tudor Brandon and Anne Boleyn's Coronation

I've read several times that Mary Rose Tudor died just before the coronation of Anne Boleyn. I have also read that she didn't die until three weeks after the ceremony, and that she did refuse to go. What is the truth?

Question from Jan - The Regale of France

The Regale of France, donated by Louis VII, and purloined by Henry VIII from the Shrine of Thomas Becket, was made into a ring for Henry. Somewhere - and I cannot now find the source - it was mentioned that this jewel found its way into a collar for Queen Mary (Bloody Mary). Does anyone know the whereabouts of the Regale now or did it just disappear.

Also information and description is confusing. The Regale is most often referred to as a Cabuchon Ruby but elsewhere I've seen it referred to as a diamond. Could anyone elucidate please.

Thank you in anticipation.

Question from Caitlin - Burial and mourning customs

Trying to research for a novel set in the late Medieval - early Tudor period. The Duke has died shortly after announcing the engagement of his grandson (then earl, now marquis). I am trying to make sure I get all the details about burial and mourning correct.

First libations are said, then there is a wake, then burial in the church. Black was the color of mourning. Is there a mourning period where celebrations such as a wedding would be put on hold or is that only for a widow to ensure she isn't pregnant. Any other details about how the household would be run or "decorated" (i.e. cloth on mirrors such as in Judaism)?

Thanks!!


Related thread linked below. - Lara

http://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/07/question-from-ashley-mourning-and.html

Question from Reyna - Henry VIII's possible divorce of Katherine Parr

I learned that Cathrine Parr was Henry VIII's sixth and last wife. I also heard rumors he wanted to divorce her and marry someone else. Is this true?
Thanks. :)

Question from Courtney - Introductions

I'm trying to find out some information about introductions - namely, how people introduced themselves to each other. My particular interest is in the nobility and how they would have been introduced to each other at court. Did a man just walk up to a girl he liked and say "Hi, I'm the earl of So-and-So"? And how would she respond? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Question from Sarah - Backlash against Spaniards

When Henry VIII was annuling his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, was there a backlash against other Spaniards at Court and in London?

Question from Bron - Men's rings

Men wearing rings in Tudor portraits.

I am intrigued by Holbein's Man with a Lute and I note the young man is wearing a ring on the 'ring finger' of his right hand.

And yet I can find very little information on men's rings at this time. Does anyone have more information, please?

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!