Question from Linda - Tonsil and throat treatments

Ive been having some tonsil issues, and am due for a tonsillectomy soon. It made me curious and want to ask some questions about it. Did tonsillectomies exist in this era? If so, were the people put under some kind of anesthesia, or was the surgery done while the person was fully awake? Lastly, what kind of advice wouldve a patient been given for recovery time? Would he/she be told to refrain from things like, talking too much, avoid hot foods/beverages, only eat/drink soft, lukewarm, and/or cold foods/beverages, or wouldve it been different?

Question from Becky - Menstruation, cramps, etc.

How were womens menstrual/period cramps dealt with in 16th century England? What did women use/wear between their legs and underneath their dresses to keep from leaking? How were pms/pmdd symptoms dealt with? Did most women/some men even understand the concept of that, and were they even called that back then? Some answers would be helpful. Thank you.

Previous partially-related thread:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/04/question-from-beth-womens-underwear-and.html

Question from Nathan - Witches and warlocks

In Tudor times, what did the people think of witches/warlocks? Did some people even think they existed, did some revere them, or did many of them demonize witchcraft, and persecuted those who they supposedly thought were warlocks/witches?

Related previous threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/04/question-from-liz-malleus-maleficarum.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2010/11/question-from-marie-witchcraft-and.html

Question from Alicia - Murder of servants

Dear Tudor bloggers, I just read The Door by Mary Roberts Rhinehart, and it made me come here to ask an odd question. I realized the centuries-old double standard, thats older than Feudalism, about how if a servant murders his/her master/mistress, its a horrible scandal, but most likely if an aristocratic employer murdered his/her servant, they wouldnt have been as stigmatized and nobody wouldve batted an eye. For example, you always hear stories about how the butler did it, but we never hear any stories/mysteries about how/why, say, Lord X, Earl of X murders his butler. So, in this era, presumably, how many noble/rich people got rid of their servants, and were they as demonized/villainized for doing so as they wouldve been, had the roles been reversed?

Question from James - Self defense against someone with higher status

What would happen if, say, a king (or queen) hit someone (commoner) and/or tried to hurt and assault them, (btw for no reason, the royal was the one who threw the first punch). With the issues of treason and high treason coming to mind, would/could the person getting hit/beat up hit back in self-defense? The way I look at it is this, if ANYONE hits anyone / tries to physically hurt someone, no matter who the person is, the person whos being attacked/bullied should always have the right to self-defense, and there shouldnt be any double standards about it either. I realize that no one should be hitting anybody, in the first place, so what you think? Some feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Question from Landon - Proof of Elizabeth I's alleged promiscuity

I just came here to ask, is there any proof to Queen Elizabeth I being sexually promiscuous? Did she sleep with any of her male courtiers, or is/was that just a rumor? (Btw, hopefully, I'm not asking something that's already been asked before).

Related threads (I think I found them all... Elizabeth's virginity feels like it has come up a lot more than this in the ~17 years this blog has been around, but I might also be remembering threads on my old email discussion list too!):

https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/01/question-from-lyra-henry-viiis-children.html https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/08/question-from-kelly-elizabeth-and.html https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/11/question-from-angie-elizabeths.html

Question from Laura - Professional modeling

Back in Tudor England, this may seem like an anachronistic question, but Im terribly curious. Were there such a thing as fashion models? Like on the runway or catwalk? Were there any women (or men) who modeled clothing, for a living, as a career? Answers would be appreciated, thanks.

Question from Brian - Famous singers of the era

Were there any famous singers that existed in this era? Such as; opera, or classical music singers. If so, did they perform in theatres, or King Henry VIIIs palace, or some other similar fancy place, like that?

Question from Peter - Tuition and education for children in wills

Dear Lara and friends, In some wills I have seen reference to 'Sam Jones to have tuition/education of my son James' What was entailed by such requests and why couldn't the mother or family be responsible, why did it have to be specified in a will? Many thanks Peter

Question from Jake - Colleges and universities in Tudor times

Hey Tudor bloggers, I'm a college student (going to be a sophomore after summer break is over). I've been researching the history of colleges, in centuries past. I came here to ask did students back in this era go to college after they graduated high school? What were colleges like, back then? Did anyone need to study for, and pass any big tests in order to enroll? I would appreciate some answers.

Question from Emily - Pica in Tudor times

As an eating disorder and mental health specialist, I came here to ask how was pica seen/treated in this era? You know, the disorder where someone craves and/or eats inedible and non-food objects. Are there any surviving documents or any record of anyone, from Tudor times, that suffered from this condition? If so, can you please give me an example, or two, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Question from Jessica - Elizabeth I's temper

This question may not exactly be 'Tudor,' but it is Elizabethan which I though it was close enough. Several years ago when I was in junior high, I had a history teacher who told me that Queen Elizabeth I had a violent, abusive temper and would do things like throw objects, cuss like a sailor, and even bully and torment both her courtiers and servants by starving them, beating them, pressuring them to look/act a certain way, threatening to behead them, and expecting them to be as meek as a mouse, all the while. So, exactly how much of this info is true? Was Good Queen Bess actually this horrible? Did she really mistreat those around her, or is that all just a big myth/rumor?

Related threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2006/11/question-from-carlyn-elizabeth-i.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2012/01/question-from-stacey-incidents-with.html

Question from Laurence - Toilet privacy

This may be a strange question, but one I just need to get out and in the open! Did the people in this era have shy bowels or bladders; aka; parcopresis or paruresis? Because often when I'm in public I find it hard to do #.2, or even #.1 in the restroom stalls. So, did people back then simply not have the expectation for privacy we do now, or were there still some people who had trouble going if there were other people around them?

Related threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2013/10/question-from-george-toilet-facilities.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2017/03/question-from-george-further-inquires.html

Question from Harriet - Self-poisoning

This may seem like a redundant question, but can I ask, what would've happened if a king or queen, or nobleman or noblewoman tried to poison themselves? I mean, nobody else put anything into the food or drink, except himself/herself; like arsenic, for instance. Whether their motivation was suicide, a weight loss method, a coping mechanism to try to gain more sympathy from others, or a disturbing experimentation just to simply see what poison does to ones body, cause they were curious, what would be done about it? How would the rest of society, and their courtiers react? Thanks, I would appreciate a reply from a fellow blogger.

Question from Amanda - Going to the theater in Tudor times

What was going to the theater like in Tudor/Elizabethan times? Was seeing a play to them the equivalent of a movie theater from today? Did the theaters offer people popcorn? Were women and/or children allowed to even go, or was it just an all adult male audience? Were there any restrooms to go if one needed to in the midst of a show?

Question from Clara - Shopping in Tudor times

Did people go shopping in Tudor times? Were there grocery stores or shops as we know them today ?

Question from Niles - Food-borne illness

How was food poisoning dealt with in this era? My job as a full-time waiter in a fine dining restaurant makes me curious to ask this. I would assume since unfortunately there was no such thing as refrigeration that it might have been quite common. Wouldve they have been given the same advice/treatment as we would today, or did the concept of foodborne illness just not exist? Good day, Niles.

Question from William - Views on suicide in Tudor times

*Trigger warning* I wanted to be courteous enough to put that there because I want to ask about the sensitive topic of suicide. How was killing onesself viewed back then? Did they consider it a sin? Did they believe the person who killed themselves would not be allowed to enter Heaven, or was this just simply a subject that no one ever talked about or had any modern day concept of? Answers please, William.

Question from Nigel - Exercise in Tudor England

As a frequent gym-goer, I wanted to ask how did people of Tudor England exercise? Did they jog, lift weights, do pushups, or run laps?

Question from Oswald - Punishment of children for misbehavior

How were teenaged kids punished in Tudor times when they misbehaved or broke a parents rule? Did he / she get grounded as in; having privileges taken away, made to do extra chores, prohibited from leaving the home, hanging out with friends; etc. ? Or were they whipped, beaten, or what?

Question from Jane - Learning horse riding

What age were teenagers when they learned how to ride a horse/horse-drawn carriage? Did they learn when they were 16? (Because its the equivalent of learning how to drive cars nowadays, since horses to them were their main source of transportation). Or were they younger or older?

Question from Peter - Non-belief in Tudor England

God bless you Tudor bloggers. Im a pastor at my town's church, here's my question; I hope this is a question someone can help me with. What percentage of the population in this time in history believed in God? Did they worship our one true God, or did they worship many gods? How many people were atheists (non-believers)? Yours truly, Peter. Editor's note - related thread here: https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/09/question-from-zoe-atheism-in-tudor.html

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.