Roses of the Tudor Dynasty

Dedicated to the women who were born or married into the Tudor family. The women, after all, are the strong ones. We do not tolerate misogyny, sexism, victim-blaming or slut-shaming in any form on this blog. You do not have to tear down one Tudor woman to build another up. They are all equally worthy of praise and criticism. A complete list of Tudor Women you'll find on this blog.

[peremadeleine]

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England

If any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. 

[madamelamarquys]

Inspired by lochiels

Tudor Queens and their mottos

Elizabeth of York (1466-1503)

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536)

Jane Seymour (c.1508-1537)

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557)

Kathryn Howard (c.1523-1542)

Catherine Parr (1512-1548)

Mary Tudor [Mary I of England] (1516-1558)

Elizabeth Tudor [Elizabeth I of England] (1533-1603)

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[fckyeahtudorwomen]

Katherine, Ambassador of Aragon 

Letters written by Katherine to her father in her seven years of miserable widowhood in England attest to her growing frustration with her situation, but also to her commitment to seeing it through. Katherine had faith that it would work out. As a foreign princess, Katherine was now a minor one. Her value in marital alliance negotiations declined sharply after the death of her mother Queen Isabella I of Castile. The new Castilian queen was her sister Joanna. Katherine was the daughter of King of Aragon. Henry VII made it clear that if her dowry was not paid, he would renege on the marriage to Prince Henry. And Ferdinand made it clear that he lacked the funds to pay the dowry; indeed, it was not even a priority in his tumultuous life.  

She lived with a frightening lack of attention or respect. Her household experienced difficulties: Katherine could not compensate her servants and was unable to purchase clothes or adequate food. A letter to her father in 1507 reflects her frustration with Ferdinand for not listening to her, or at least not believing her. Katherine requested that a new ambassador be sent, someone who would be devoted to her cause, and whom Ferdinand would trust:

I cannot give you to understand the state in which things are here, because, though I knew how to say it to you, I think your highness would not credit me in much of it; and thus the person who should come here, informing you highness of the truth concerning what is going on, I believe your highness would be frightened at that which I have passed through.

Katherine could not imagine that her father would let her live in the conditions that were imposed upon her in England; therefore he must not be aware of them. It followed that, since she had been complaining of the situation for some time, she must not be expressing herself in a way that Ferdinand would take seriously. In her search for reasons why Ferdinand would disregard her complaints, Katherine concluded that, since he must trust his own family, it must be her gender or age that led to her being ignored. Katherine therefore desired that an official ambassador be sent; certainly, Ferdinand would believe his reports.

Ferdinand handled the problem of Katherine’s ambiguous position by making her Aragon’s ambassador to the English court. Her role as ambassador gave Katherine the unusual responsibility of arranging the details of her own marriage. Katherine recognized that some at the English court might not take her seriously, since she was just twenty-two years old and a woman, but she thought she could use this to her advantage:

For they fancy that I have no more in me than what appears outwardly, and that I shall not be able to fathom his designs, or to acquaint your Highness with the truth as respects what is requisite for your interests, but I shall content myself with his promises as though I had not made experience of them. I dissimulate with him, however, and praise all that he does.

As her father’s ambassador, Katherine sent longer and more frequent letters home. Because her correspondence with Ferdinand now served an official capacity, Katherine initially regretted her lack of ability to write in cipher. After a few months she made an attempt at ciphering, but told her father that she thought he and Almazan, his secretary of state, would laugh at her. Her attached communication to Almazan warns him that “he will find great difficulties in deciphering the letter, and will be obliged to guess, rather than to use the key.”

Jennifer R. Daum, GENDERED EXPECTATIONS: An Exploration of Identity and Power in the Life of Katherine of Aragon. 1998

[leroichevalier]

→Mary I’s early years.

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In March 1603 Elizabeth was described as being unwell and seemed depressed. She took up residence in one of her favourite palaces – Richmond – close to the River Thames. She refused to allow herself to be examined, and she refused take to her bed – standing for hours on end. As her condition deteriorated her ladies-in-waiting spread cushions on the floor, and Elizabeth eventually lay down on them. The painting shown below depicts this scene beautifully. Elizabeth lay on the floor for nearly four days – mostly without speaking.She grew weaker and weaker until her servants insisted on making her more comfortable in her bed. Elizabeth’s Councillors gathered around her bed, and it is said that gentle music was played to soothe her. Death finally came on 24 March 1603, and she is said to have yielded ‘mildly like a lamb, easily like a ripe apple from the tree’.Elizabeth’s body was embalmed and laid in state in a lead coffin at Whitehall – having been carried from Richmond to Whitehall at night on a barge lit with torches.  On the day of her funeral on 28 April the coffin was taken to Westminster Abbey on a hearse drawn by four horses robed in black velvet. In the words of the chronicler John Stow: 

“Westminster was surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streets, houses, windows, leads and gutters, that came to see the obsequy, and when they beheld her statue lying upon the coffin, there was such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or known in the memory of man, neither doth any history mention any people, time or state to make like lamentation for the death of their sovereign” [x]

[mademoisellelapiquante]

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I (as a Princess) | anon. artist and William Scrots (attr.) | 16th century

[madamelamarquys]

The war is won!

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The problem of Mary in England was to draw Elizabeth increasingly into a labyrinth of cause and effect from which there would be no escape. Although ostensibly Elizabeth was in control, with power to affect Mary’s fate, in reality the relationship between the guest-prisoner and host-jailer was much more complex and finely balanced. In her letters to Mary, Elizabeth’s tone was often imperious but would turn tentative with guilt and uncertainty about how best to proceed. Mary’s voice, playing on Elizabeth’s sympathies and reliant on her own sovereign status, was often the most confident and threatening. She might lack temporal power but this gave her access to the emotional power of the innocent in chains. She knew the unassailable moral force of suffering and martyrdom. Against this theatrical high ground, Elizabeth could only appear diminished.

Jane Dunn, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (via mmeserpent)

[heavyarethecrowns]

Royal Signatures spam

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

[olishkanikolaevna-blog]

Women In History: Queens and Princesses

48) “The King’s Beloved Sister”

Anne of Cleves (22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. The marriage was declared never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort. Following the annulment of their marriage, Anne was given a generous settlement by the King, and thereafter referred to as the King’s Beloved Sister. She lived to see the coronation of Queen Mary I, outliving the rest of Henry’s wives. At the age of 11 (1527), Anne was betrothed to Francis, son and heir of the Duke of Lorraine while he was only 10. Thus the betrothal was considered unofficial and was cancelled in 1535. The Duke’s ongoing dispute over Gelderland with Emperor Charles V made them suitable allies for England’s King Henry VIII in the wake of the Truce of Nice. The match with Anne was urged on the King by his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. Henry met her privately on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester on her journey from Dover. Henry and some of his courtiers, following a courtly-love tradition, went disguised into the room where Anne was staying, and Henry boldly kissed her.According to the testimony of his companions, he was disappointed with Anne, feeling she was not as described. Henry did then reveal his true identity to Anne, although he is said to have been put off the marriage from then on. Despite Henry’s very vocal misgivings, the two were married on 6 January 1540 at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. The phrase “God send me well to keep” was engraved around Anne’s wedding ring. Anne was commanded to leave the Court on 24 June, and on 6 July she was informed of her husband’s decision to reconsider the marriage. The marriage was annulled on 9 July 1540, on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine. The former queen received a generous settlement, including Richmond Palace, and Hever Castle, home of Henry’s former in-laws, the Boleyns. Anne of Cleves House, in Lewes, Sussex, is just one of many properties she owned; she never lived there. Henry and Anne became good friends—she was an honorary member of the King’s family and was referred to as “the King’s Beloved Sister”. She was invited to court often and, out of gratitude for her not contesting the annulment, Henry decreed that she would be given precedence over all women in England save his own wife and daughters. Anne died at Chelsea Old Manor on 16 July 1557, eight weeks before her forty-second birthday. The cause of her death was most likely to have been cancer. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, on 3 August, in what has been described as a “somewhat hard to find tomb” on the opposite side of Edward the Confessor’s shrine and slightly above eye level for a person of average height. She is the only wife of Henry VIII to be buried in the Abbey.

[cbpbookblog]

Anne of Cleves by Elizabeth Norton

RATING:3.5/5

BLURB: “‘I like her not!’ was the verdict of Henry VIII on meeting his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time. Anne could have said something similar upon meeting Henry and, having been promised the most handsome prince in Europe she was destined to be disappointed in the elderly and corpulent King. Forced to proceed with their wedding for diplomatic reasons, Henry and Anne tried to make the best of the situation, but attempts to consummate the marriage were farcical. After only seven months of marriage Henry was so desperate to rid himself of Anne that he declared himself impotent in order to secure a divorce. Anne was also eager to end her marriage and, with her clever handling of Henry obtained one of the biggest divorce settlements in English history. Anne of Cleves is often portrayed as a stupid and comical figure. The real Anne was both intelligent and practical, ensuring that, whilst she was queen for the shortest period, she was the last of all Henry VIII’s wives to survive. Henry’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, lost his head for his role in the marriage, but Anne’s shrewdness ensured she kept hers.”

REVIEW: Prior to reading this biography, I had only ever read about Anne of Cleves in historical fiction or in books that were about all six of Henry VIII’s wives – never before had I read a factual book dedicated entirely to her. Although Norton’s biography of Anne is short, this makes it both concise and easy to read – packing such a large amount of information in so few pages makes the book engaging and interesting the whole way through as each page tells the reader something new. This biography reveals Anne of Cleves to be a fascinating historical figure, highly undeserving of the reputation she generally holds as being dull and unintelligent. Her marriage to Henry was Anne’s first marriage, and in order for it to take place she was separated from her family and sent to a country where she knew no-one and had barely any grasp of the native language – just as Catherine of Aragon had done so many years before. As Anne’s relationship with Henry so famously began to crumble, the reader cannot help but feel sorry for this woman who is unable to seek advice from those around her and is left adrift and unsure of herself in a strange new land. The way Anne handles her separation from Henry, however, is highly admirable, showing a great level of independence and authority for a woman in this time period when her rights would have been so constrained. Anne cleverly and willingly took up her new position as the King’s Sister and showed every honour to Henry, his children and his next two wives until her own demise during the reign of Mary I, many years after the death of Henry himself. Anne was clearly much more strong and intelligent than she has been perceived to be and that was thoroughly well-illustrated in Norton’s book. I did feel, however, that the book could have been longer to avoid parts of it seeming rushed. I also felt that, at time, Norton placed far more of a focus on Henry’s character and feelings rather than those of Anne. Overall, though, I still enjoyed the book greatly and am pleased to have learnt more about this fascinating woman.

[minervacasterly]

Here is the French Ambassador Charles de Marillac’s report regarding Henry VIII’s relationship with his teenage wife:  ‘

The King is so amorous of her that he cannot treat her well enough and caress her more than he did the others.”

Other envoys also reported favorably on Katherine, stating what had attracted her to Henry: “It was upon a notable appearance of honor, cleanness and maidenly behavior and that High Highness was finally contented to honor that lady with his marriage, thinking in his old days -after sundry troubles of mind which had happened to him by marriage- to have obtained such a perfect jewel of womanhood and very perfect love towards him as should have been not only to his quietness but also to have brought forth the desired fruits of marriage.”

Which brings me to my next point: With all this said countless times, why does she still get to be portrayed as a bubbly head? They are doing a huge disservice to Katherine portraying her like an idiot when she clearly WASN’T. And sex sells and the Tudors were full of sex scandals but half of those scandals come from hundreds of years after they were dead and are mere inventions and shouldn’t be regarded as fact. So let’s do the poor girl justice once more and appreciate her for all her achievements, as insignificant as they might seem to us, she fulfilled her queenly obligations and her motto speaks millions of the role she intended to play, one as I said in my previous post, similar to Jane Seymour’s. Her one flaw was her past, and being young and fallen for a dangerous rogue who unlike the fictitious characters we love to fawn over in the movies, had nothing commendable about him.

So here I leave you with the only portrayal I’m able to stomach of Katherine, because she is not bubbly in this one and they do her more justice than any other series, albeit they still exaggerate in some things (it’s drama after all).

[tiny-librarian]

The Jezebel Effect: Why the Slut Shaming of Famous Queens Still Matters eBook: Kyra Cornelius Kramer: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Ooooooh this looks like it could be really interesting! I might have to get myself a little present!

[ohfairmaidenofyork]

I like to imagine that Henry VIII and Mary Tudor, both children of Henry VII and EoY, were so 'passionated' in their love life (with secret weddings or lovers) because of their parents. Of course the royal couple only wished political alliances for their heirs, but the kids grew up with the picture of happily married parents, with a couple who clearly loved each other. Maybe *unconsciously*, it was something that Mary and Henry wanted as well, and their 'romantic hearts' came from that.

I COMPLETELY AGREE, DEAR ANON

I think it was the book ‘The Winter King’ but I’m not sure, that stated that Henry VIII spent his entire life finding a marriage similar to that of his parents. I do think other historians share this opinion

I also think Henry VIII cherished the memory of his mother a lot, who was beloved and popular queen who had given her husband a sons within 8 months of the marriage. In those days they were not aware how gender was determined and saw it as a token of loyalty for a woman to give her husband a male heir. I think this probably contributed to Henry VIII’s obsession in wanting a son.

Mary was only 6 when her mother died but the first years of a child’s life are crucial in the development of social and emotional bonding and I’m sure infant Mary received and perceived affection and love from and between her parents that was unusual for royal couples in that age. 

So yes I 100% agree, also with the ‘unconsciously’ part. They may not always have been aware of the influence their parent’s had on them but surely seeing their parents happily married caused them to desire a similar fate. Henry recklessly continued his search his entire lifetime and Mary sternly refused to be wed to anyone else but Charles Brandon to safe herself from another politically arranged marriage. 

Say what you want about Henry and Mary they certainly inherited their parent’s passion. 

[bestfreedocs]

Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant

Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant - #monarchy #thetudors #royalty #henryviii #biography #documentary

Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant is a history documentary series on Henry VIII of England presented by David Starkey. It premiered on Channel 4 from 6 to 27 April 2009.

Episode 1: Prince (1485–1509) – Henry’s childhood and youth, prior to his accession

Episode 2: Warrior (1509–1525)– Henry’s continental military ambitions, the Battle of the Spurs and their final frustration by Charles V, Holy…

View On WordPress

[recycledmoviecostumes]

This snood, accented with pearls has been seen at least twice.  It was first worn on Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn in the 2008 second season of Showtime’s The Tudors. Most recently it was seen in the 2015 mini-series Wolf Hall, where it was worn on Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn.

Costume Credit: Emilie

E-mail Submissions: [email protected]

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Calling all artists on tumblr with an interest in the Tudors!

I’ll be releasing a fiction ebook soon and I’d love to have some artwork to promote the book! It involves the Tudors and is aimed at eight years and older.

I am first and foremost looking for someone to illustrate and design the cover (but I understand this is a lot of work and I can’t really offer too much in return.) Secondly, I’d love to have images to go along with example passages from the book. At the moment, I can’t promise to include these images in the actual ebook, but they would be on all my social media sites.

I know this is rather vague, but if anyone is interested, I’ll send you more details.

I’m looking for art that’s realistic with a little bit of a fantasy element. (I know that’s rather vague too, but again if you’re interested I’ll explain further).

Requirements:

You don’t need to be a professional artist (In fact I can’t afford a “professional” at the moment), but it must be professional quality.

Confidentially. No details of the book can be shared until it’s fully ready for publication! This is incredibly important to me.

Commitment.

What’s in it for you?

Your name and any contact links you would like promoted will be on every social media site I use to promote the book.

If I find someone who I think would work well for the cover, we can negotiate a stipend (I really don’t have much money at the moment so it would be a small stipend and when I mean small, I mean small. Think $20. Please don’t be expecting the price of a professional publisher. I am self publishing this and I am a student. If it ends up making any money or I decide to publish a paper edition, we can renegotiate.) If you’ve done this before and demand a huge fee, this is probably not for you. This is more for students that just want to get their work out there). Artwork not used for the cover will not receive pay.

If you are interested, send me a message and I will give you my email.

Signal boost this post if you can! Thanks!

*For clarification, the images will not be published inside of the ebook. They will be posted on social media sites. This is mainly a fun thing for those who enjoy making art.