Educating the Tudors

Educating the Tudors written by Amy McElroy and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 216

Education during the Tudor era was a privilege and took many forms including

schools, colleges and apprenticeships. Those responsible for delivering education

came from a variety of backgrounds from the humble parish priest to the most

famed poet-laureates of the day. Curriculums varied according to wealth, gender

and geography. The wealthy could afford the very best of tutors and could study

as much or as little as they chose whilst the poorer members of society could only

grasp at opportunities in the hopes of providing themselves with a better future.

The Tudors were educated during a time when the Renaissance was sweeping across Europe and Henry VIII became known as a Renaissance Prince but what did his education consist of? Who were his tutors? How did his education differ to that of his elder brother, Prince Arthur and how did Henry’s education change upon the death of his brother? There is no doubt Henry was provided with an excellent education, particularly in comparison to his sisters, Margaret and Mary. Henry’s own education would go on to influence his decisions of tutors for his own children. Who had the privilege of teaching Henry’s children and did they dare to use corporal punishment?

Educating the Tudors seeks to answer all of these questions, delving into the education of all classes, the subjects they studied, educational establishment and those who taught them.

Educating the Tudors is a thorough look into the educational world of the Tudors, looking at the subjects that were taught, types of schooling, lessons and even those teaching various subjects. Amy McElroy writes a very comprehensive and detailed book that even looks at the education of the royal family at the time. McElroy writes such a good book it would be good to see what she writes next and whether it will be about education from another age. In a way, it was very interesting to see the different types of education and how the teaching of the poor and rich was very different. A really interesting and thorough book that would really appeal to those in the educational world.

Cardinal Wolsey - For King & Country

Cardinal Wolsey - For King & Country written by Phil Roberts and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 208

The Wolseys of Suffolk date to Anglo-Saxon times. The earliest notice of a Wolsey as

an inhabitant of Ipswich is Thomas Wolsey’s father, Robert. He was a successful small

businessman and married Joan Daundy. Thomas was probably born in 1471 in an inn,

and was almost certainly baptised in St Mary at the Elms church, Ipswich.

Wolsey graduated from university and then his climb to power was extremely fast. He entered the royal household as the chaplain to King Henry VII. When Henry VIII ascended to the throne, Wolsey became his almoner, which gave him access to the king’s council. Henry was very impressed with Wolsey’s work, and Thomas gained many important clerical positions. In 1515, Wolsey became Lord Chancellor of England. Thomas Wolsey’s most famous peace treaty was signed between Henry VIII and Francis I of France at the glorious Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520.

Henry had not produced a male heir. A woman called Anne Boleyn came on the scene. Henry began to think that she could mother him a son. The king asked Wolsey to seek a divorce from his first wife. He tried his outmost, as always, but the Pope kept delaying the matter. Wolsey failed and fell out of favour with Henry. He was charged with treason and escorted to the Tower of London. On his way, Thomas became very frail and sadly, on 29 November 1530 he died at Leicester Abbey.

This book about Cardinal Wolsey was an interesting one in that it was a lot more balanced book about the Cardinal, a man who was quite an intelligent man who held big roles of power within the land. He is usually saddled with failing to get a divorce for Henry VIII, but he was quite an accomplished man. The book was very well written and nicely balanced, if you're a fan of the Tudor period, I would think you would enjoy this a lot.

Arthur Plantagenet - Henry VIII’s Illegitimate Uncle

Arthur Plantagenet - Henry VIII’s Illegitimate Uncle written by Sarah-Beth Watkins

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 208

Illegitimate son to Edward IV and the uncle of Henry VIII, Arthur Plantagenet’s life is an intriguing story. Raised in his father’s court, he then became a trusted member of Henry VII’s household and after his death, was a prominent figure at the court of Henry VIII. Henry VIII treated his uncle well in the early years of his reign, making him vice-admiral and then Lord Deputy of Calais in 1533.

Arthur did the best he could in his new position in Calais over seven years, including trying to maintain a relationship with Thomas Cromwell against a background of religious change, but there were numerous complaints about him and his paranoid nephew’s suspicions over his loyalty grew – culminating in Lisle’s arrest and imprisonment for two years with no legal reason.

Arthur was released from the Tower in 1542, yet tragically died after receiving a diamond ring from his nephew. He was so excited that his heart – that ‘gentlest living heart’ – failed soon after.

We owe much of what we know about Henry VIII’s uncle to the seizure and preservation of the Lisle Letters, an impressive collection of correspondence obtained at his arrest that has miraculously survived. Not only do they give details of Arthur’s life, but they are an amazing insight into the religious, political, culture and social background of the 16th century. Placed as he was, Arthur Plantagenet’s story gives a whole new, fresh perspective on a turbulent yet vibrant period of history.

This was a good book in which learn about a character who we usually don’t hear anything

about in Kind Henry VIII’s uncle, Arthur Plantagenet. This is an excellent book written by the

author Sarah Beth Watkins, who has written very comprehensively with depth, a simple

throwaway answer was greatly explained. I enjoyed this book and I would have thought

most people into Tudor history would get a lot out of it.

The Private Life of Thomas Cromwell

The Private Life of Thomas Cromwell written by Caroline Angus and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

Thomas Cromwell was King Henry VIII’s most faithful servant, the only man the king ever openly regretted executing. But Thomas Cromwell came to royal prominence late in life, and had 45 years of family, friends and experiences behind him before catching Henry’s eye.

Born a common boy at a time of significant change in England in 1485, Cromwell grew up in a happy, close-knit family, before heading to Europe for dramatic adventures. Returning to England a decade later, Cromwell emerged with the skills of a lawyer and merchant, with the European language skills and connections to match. Marriage, children, friends, family and manor homes all furnished Cromwell’s life, a man happy and settled in London. But more beckoned for the Italian-Englishman, when a special friendship with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey grew, along with the attention of the king.

The tragic personal loss affected Cromwell, hidden behind the more-recorded professional accolades. But friendships remained throughout time, changes in allegiance and even religion. Men who had met the young Cromwell stuck close to him through the years, and Cromwell never forgot a single loyal friend. Cromwell’s desire to support his son saw Gregory become brother-in-law to the king himself, only for more tragedy to harm the ever-growing Cromwell family.

Far from the seemingly dour, black-clad, serious man, Cromwell lavished those around him with gifts, parties, extravagant games, entertainments, animals and outfits. But the glamour and beauty of Cromwell’s life would come to a sudden end, leaving a trail of devastated men and women, and an extraordinary manor home, Austin Friars, scattered to the wind.

Using a wide variety of primary material, this exciting biography weaves a new narrative on the indefatigable Thomas Cromwell, illustrating him more vividly than we've known him before.

Thomas Cromwell has to be one of the most written-about men in history who wasn’t a King or from royalty. But he was a man who occupied an important position in history being almost Henry VIII’s right-hand man. In fact, the English reformation and closure of the monasteries was something he was strongly influential in. Cromwell was a highly educated man and we learn about his family, his influence in Europe and his ability to be fluent in a number of European languages. I found this book to be written very well with a lot of detail to the research but also written in a largely positive manner as he is seen as a rather decisive character in history. I really enjoyed this book, reading it in a few days but I would highly recommend it.

House of Tudor - A Grisly History

House of Tudor - A Grisly History written by Mickey Mayhew and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 200

Gruesome but not gratuitous, this decidedly darker take on the Tudors, from 1485 to 1603, covers some forty-five ‘events’ from the Tudor reign, taking in everything from the death of Richard III to the botched execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and a whole host of horrors in between. Particular attention is paid to the various gruesome ways in which the Tudors despatched their various villains and lawbreakers, from simple beheadings, to burnings and of course the dreaded hanging, drawing and quartering. Other chapters cover the various diseases prevalent during Tudor times, including the dreaded ‘Sweating Sickness’ – rather topical at the moment, unfortunately – as well as the cures for these sicknesses, some of which were considered worse than the actual disease itself. The day-to-day living conditions of the general populace are also examined, as well as various social taboos and the punishments that accompanied them, i.e. the stocks, as well as punishment by exile. Tudor England was not a nice place to live by 21st century standards, but the book will also serve to explain how it was still nevertheless a familiar home to our ancestors.

This book follows the House of Tudor dynasty but we have just the grisly bits, kind of like the grown-up version of Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories. The book is split into 45 chapters and starts with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, the following chapters are then titled along the lines of The Terrible Death of a Tudor Traitor, Hacking the Head of Margaret Pole, Henry VIII Horrible Leg, The Rough Wooings of Mary Queen of Scots and The Babington Plot: Tudor Honey Traps to name a few. Now the book is very well written and I loved the fact that the chapters were short, punchy and to the point. After all, this was about the best bits of Tudor history. 

There were however a couple of things that I wasn’t really keen on in the book and the first was all the popular culture or modern-day references made throughout the book. I don’t watch much television so the film and TV references kind of went over my head a bit. The second problem was the little mention about Henry VII other than I think the opening chapter, yet as usual plenty of mentions about Henry VIII. But other than that, I really did enjoy this book and especially the snappy little chapters, I would happily recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into Tudor history or students that would like to study the period.