Summary of Tracy Borman's The Private Lives of the Tudors

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 When the Tudors came to power in 1485, it signaled the closing stages of more than thirty years of civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Henry Tudor’s ambitions for the throne had been sparked by the death of Edward IV in 1483.
#2 Henry Tudor, the king who overthrew Richard III in 1485, was a very private man who lacked the charisma of his Yorkist predecessors. He was also a very patient and sharp observer who was well trained by his uncle.
#3 Henry VII inherited an impressive suite of palaces from his Yorkist predecessors. The easternmost was Greenwich, originally built as Bella Court by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1453. It was the favorite palace of Edward IV, who in 1480 built a new Great Hall complete with a magnificent hammer-beam roof.
#4 The Tower of London, the Archbishop of York’s residence, was the most impressive royal residence in London. It was originally built by William the Conqueror after 1066. The London headquarters of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses, it was more suited for defence than for comfort.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History
• Renaissance
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 16 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798822510654
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Tracy Borman's The Private Lives of the Tudors
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11 Insights from Chapter 12 Insights from Chapter 13 Insights from Chapter 14 Insights from Chapter 15 Insights from Chapter 16
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

When the Tudors came to power in 1485, it signaled the closing stages of more than thirty years of civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Henry Tudor’s ambitions for the throne had been sparked by the death of Edward IV in 1483.

#2

Henry Tudor, the king who overthrew Richard III in 1485, was a very private man who lacked the charisma of his Yorkist predecessors. He was also a very patient and sharp observer who was well trained by his uncle.

#3

Henry VII inherited an impressive suite of palaces from his Yorkist predecessors. The easternmost was Greenwich, originally built as Bella Court by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1453. It was the favorite palace of Edward IV, who in 1480 built a new Great Hall complete with a magnificent hammer-beam roof.

#4

The Tower of London, the Archbishop of York’s residence, was the most impressive royal residence in London. It was originally built by William the Conqueror after 1066. The London headquarters of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses, it was more suited for defence than for comfort.

#5

The royal court was a place of pageantry and ceremony, and was only made possible by the large level of activity and preparation that took place behind closed doors. The king’s household was divided into two sections: the Domus Magnificence, which was controlled by the Lord Chamberlain, and the Domus Providencie, which was controlled by the Lord Steward.

#6

The private life of the monarchy was long subject to a strict order of routine, tradition, ceremony, and etiquette. This was reflected by the structure of the court and the architecture of the royal palaces.

#7

The first man that Henry appointed to the important position of tailor was George Lovekyn, a Parisian by birth who had worked for both Edward IV and Richard III. His style of dress was consistent with that of his Plantagenet predecessors.

#8

The king spent the greatest sums on his apparel during the early years of his reign, when he felt most insecure on his newly won throne. His expenditure dropped to around a third of this for the remainder of his reign, by which time he had become more established.

#9

The Tudor king and his family had a dedicated department of the royal household called the Great Wardrobe of Robes and Beds, which was responsible for storing the king’s priceless tapestries, clothes, and other material possessions.

#10

The first Tudor king, Henry VII, wanted to enhance his legitimacy by taking a bride of impeccable pedigree. In 1483, while he waited for the right moment to contest Richard III’s throne, his mother Margaret made a tacit agreement with Edward IV’s widow, Elizabeth Woodville, that if Henry succeeded in taking the crown of England, he would marry her daughter Elizabeth.

#11

The marriage between Henry and Elizabeth of York was an attempt by Henry to end the civil war with the House of Lancaster. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Edward IV, the greatest prize of the House of York, and in making her his wife, Henry was signaling an end to the war.

#12

The wedding took place two days later at Westminster Abbey, where the bride had been christened almost twenty years before. The king and his bride then processed the short distance from the abbey to Westminster Palace, followed by the Lord Chamberlain, bishops, cardinals, lords, Knights of the Bath, nobles, heralds, officers, trumpeters and minstrels.

#13

The wedding feast was a prelude to the main event: the bedding ceremony. The king knew that his claim to the throne was weak, and that his rivals from the House of York were preparing to challenge it. An undisputed heir born of a Yorkist princess might just silence them.

#14

The bedding ceremony was also subject to a set of strict rules. The bride was escorted to her chamber by her ladies, who undressed her and put her to bed. The groom, meanwhile, was stripped down to just his shirt. Then, a concoction of wine and spices was served.

#15

The painted chamber at Westminster Palace was the most luxurious room in the palace. It was decorated with a mural of the coronation of Edward the Confessor, and a fourteenth-century description noted that all the warlike stories of the Bible are painted with wonderful skill.

#16

The fact that the child was born a month earlier than expected raises the tantalizing prospect that Henry had sex with Elizabeth before the wedding. He may have considered that he had too much at stake to risk it all on a barren wife.

#17

After the formal ceremony of bedding that had marked the beginning of her marriage to Henry Tudor, Elizabeth was established in her own chambers. She was pregnant, and her husband would not have sex with her until she was carrying a child.

#18

The Tudor king, Henry, knew that his first child would be born in Winchester, England’s ancient capital. The queen, Elizabeth, loved fine clothes, and the gift was well chosen.

#19

The Book of the Royal Household, written by Lady Margaret Beaufort, dictated every detail for the successful delivery of an heir. It was reiterated by a set of ordinances drawn up for the government of the household in 1494.

#20

The birthing chamber was a womb-like environment filled with rich perfumes and braziers lit in each fireplace. The bed was specially constructed for the royal baby, and two cradles were installed in the chamber: one for ceremonial use and one for sleep.

#21

The more experienced midwives employed methods that were surprisingly modern. They would encourage the labouring mother to walk up and down the chamber until the matrice or womb ruptured. If the waters did not break naturally, the midwife would pierce the womb with her fingernail, knife, or shears.

#22

The birth of a prince was celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. The first sustenance to be given to the baby was not his mother’s milk, but a spoonful of wine and sugar. The court held its breath as Elizabeth survived her ordeal and founded a chapel in Winchester Cathedral where her son was christened Arthur.

#23

The birth of Arthur was a huge event in England. He was moved to Farnham in Surrey, where he was served by a veritable army of attendants, including his wet-nurse, dry-nurse, yeomen, grooms, and, at the head of the nursery, Lady Governess.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The coronation of Elizabeth of York was a public relations triumph, but the couple was still unable to produce another heir. There was some evidence of a short-lived prince named Edward, but the date of his birth is not certain.

#2

The couple was very affectionate towards each other, and the queen was pregnant by April 1489. She had a love of fine clothes that would last throughout her marriage. Queens were expected to pay for their own wardrobes, which they did from the grants of land and offices provided to them by the king.

#3

The atmosphere at Elizabeth’s household was convivial, engaging, and open, reflecting her own personality. Lady Margaret, on the other hand, was as sober, strict, and pious as Lady Margaret herself. She ruled her attendants with a rod of iron.

#4

The queen was pregnant again in 1490, and gave birth to a son, Henry, in June. The king and queen were happy to have another male heir in the royal nursery, but little official attention was given to Henry’s birth.

#5

When Henry was three years old, his mother, Elizabeth Woodville, fell pregnant again. She chose another new location for her confinement: the Palace of Sheen. The princess was born on 2 July 1492, and was named Elizabeth in honor of her late mother.

#6

The Tudor dynasty was becoming more established, but this did not guarantee the safety of Henry’s throne. Henry was constantly plagued by rumors of Yorkist plots and rebellions, which deepened his natural suspicion and paranoia.