Tudor Times

Confessions of a Ci-Devant Blog has some interesting posts up recently about those who played major Tudor characters throughout film history. So far they have Henry VIII and his six wives (through Anne of Cleves). They also have images of the actors/actresses playing the roles and a bit about them. It is really interesting, especially with the older silent films.

Here’s the link to the first post about Henry VIII. You can then check the side bar for the later posts about the wives.

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Hampton Court is hosting a lot of events for the August bank holiday, including jousting! Click here for more detail, or visit Hampton Court’s official site.

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Finally, a reenactment was held recently for the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth…only it was held at the wrong location! This is because the real location of the battle was recently discovered a few miles away, but unfortunately cannot accommodate the crowds.

Here’s a lovely article on this year’s events as well as information on the actual location of the battle.

The blog Mary Tudor: Renaissance Queen has written a really interesting post on a possible unknown portrait of Mary Tudor. There are a few discrepancies, however. According to the post, the portrait was sold in the 1920’s as being an “‘English Princess’, with the implication that the sitter was Mary.” It was date 1535. The author raises the point that if the date is true, it is unlikely to be Mary as she was currently in disgrace at the time. It wasn’t until 1536 that she came back into her father’s good graces and would have possible had a portrait made.

Here’s the link to her full post.

If not Mary, what Tudor Princess could it be? It would not be Elizabeth, who would have only been about two at the time. The sitter is obviously older. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that perhaps it is one of Henry’s nieces. Now, they would not have been titled “Princess” but they were in line for the throne, and could have been mistakenly identified.

The first niece that came to mind was Margaret Douglas, daughter of Henry’s sister Margaret. However, she was born in 1515. She would have been much older than the lady in the painting.

Margaret Douglas as an older woman

Moving to Henry’s other nieces: The Grey Sisters.

Jane was the eldest, however in 1535 she wasn’t even born yet! Therefore it couldn’t possible be her or her younger sisters. Mary, Henry’s sister Mary, who was a Princess, was dead at this point and would have been too old to be the young woman in the portrait anyway.

Jane Grey

The only other lady the “princess” could be referring (that I can think of) is possible Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. She was wife of Henry’s illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy and the daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. However, again she would have been about 16. It is possible she is the sitter…but the woman in the portrait does look rather young.

Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond

So, despite all of my thought process, I am still unable to think of who the portrait could have been of. Tudor portraits are notorious for being labeled incorrectly (look at the Catherine Parr/Jane Grey portrait!) so it is very likely we shall never know the true identity of the sitter. However, we shall see what the Metropolitan Museum of Art (who currently has the portrait) concludes!

I was perusing the AC website and found two very interesting articles on Anne Boleyn.

The first focuses on her reproductive history. Why did she only have one healthy child? Why did she miscarry her others? Was it a physical or mental condition? The article explores these questions and offers some interesting theories.

Here’s the link.

The second article focuses on Anne’s downfall and some of the theories behind it. I enjoyed reading it, though it didn’t offer too much I didn’t already know. But check it out for yourself! It’s still interesting!

Here’s the link.

I found this interesting article on an astrolab currently housed at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. According to the article, the globe “was made in about 1552 for Edward VI and is engraved with the royal arms, the garter and a Tudor rose. The maker, who gave himself the name Thomas Gemini, settled in London around 1540 from the continent. He was the first important maker of scientific instruments in England.” Here’s the link to the full article.

I have been terribly neglecting the News Blog! I am sorry! But I am trying to get back into the swing of things now that school has died down a bit

The Battle of Bosworth is the beginning marker for the Tudor dynasty. It is where Henry Tudor (later VII) won the English crown from Richard III. Below I have accumulated a number of different articles related to this battle.

Here’s an article about Richard III.

Here is short video from BBC about the Battle site.

Article on how the battle of Bosworth was lost.

There has been recent controversy over the site of the battle, with many archaeologists claiming it is actually 2 miles from the present day “site.” Here are two articles here and here about the moving of the battle site two miles from its present location.

Henry VII who won the battle

And Richard III who lost the battle

I have always found this subject interesting. There is a lot debate about Henry VIII’s cause of death, but no one knows for sure what actually killed him. 

Henry VIII Short Medical Overview:

In 1536, Henry suffered a head and leg injury in a jousting accident. From then on he suffered chronic migraines and a leg wound which would never fully heal. He also suffered from gout and chronic constipation. Due to his leg ulcer, Henry was unable to exercise and grew increasingly obese. He also suffered from gout. 

Henry's armor as a young man showing a very fit body type.

Armor of Henry in his older years showing his much larger waist line.

Here’s the link to a short video about the possible causes of death of Henry VIII, all of which I attempt to address below.

We know much of this because Henry VIII had a very well documented medical history. Despite this, it is still difficult to determine what his cause of death was. I am posting several sites/videos I have found on the subject, comparing and contrasting different theories and ailments:

1) Syphilis

I found a site (linked here) that documents Henry’s medical history. 

There are many who think Henry died from syphilis, including the author of the site above. Here is a short bit on the disease:

Syphilis usually takes on four stages. The primary stage is infection. The secondary stage, over a gap of several weeks, may create an unwell feeling such as headaches, general aches and pains, sickness, loss of appetite and fever. Sometimes there are breaks in the skin a dark red rash (on the backs of the legs and the front of the arms, back, face, hands and feet.), which can last for a few weeks or months. There can also be sores in the mouth, nose, throat, genitals or in the folds of the skin. Hair can fall out in patches. The last stage of syphilis can last from between a few months to up to 50 years (Henry did live a long life). Common symptoms are painful permanent ulcers on the skin, lesions on ligaments, joints and on bones. Tertiary syphilis can attack the nervous system, the heart and blood vessels that results in blindness (not reported), paralysis (was extremely week and unable to lift a glass to his lips the last week or so of his life, but not necessarily paralysis), and insanity (hum…mood swings?). 

Many are now beginning to think that this theory is not true. As the video linked below points out, Henry was not treated with mercury, the 15th century “cure” for syphilis. Thus, his contemporaries did not believe he suffered from it.

2) Blood Poisoning (sepsis): 

I personally disagree with the syphilis theory and think that  blood poisoning (sepsis) due to the ulcer(s) on his leg seems more likely.

Symptoms of this are: 

• Fever and chills——-Primary sources say Henry had a fever
• Low temperature
• Paleness of skin color
• Listlessness
• Changes in mental status——hum…his angry mood swings?
• Rapid breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Decreased urine output
• Low blood pressure
• Shock
• Problems with bleeding or clotting

3) Type II Diabetes/Insulin Deficiency

This is another popular theory. Some have purposed that both Henry and his sister Margaret (who died of a stroke) suffered from diabetes. 

The symptoms for this are:

• Heart and blood vessel disease. Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke, narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure.——Henry most likely did not suffer from a stroke, but could have suffered from heart disease.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy). Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves, especially in the legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward. Poorly controlled blood sugar can eventually cause you to lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs. Damage to the nerves that control digestion can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. For men, erectile dysfunction may be an issue.—–Henry had a lot of problems with his legs, but mostly with ulcers. He suffered from intense pain in his legs, not numbness. He also had a problem with constipation which was constantly rhubarb.
• Kidney damage (nephropathy). The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
• Eye damage. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness. Diabetes also increases the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma.—–Eye damage is not reported in his medical records.
• Foot damage. Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections. Severe damage might require toe, foot or even leg amputation.
• Skin and mouth conditions. Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections. Gum infections also may be a concern, especially if you have a history of poor dental hygiene.
• Osteoporosis. 
• Alzheimer’s disease. 
• Hearing problems. 

Here again, he is only recorded to have suffered from a few of these.

4) Cushings Syndrome

Robert Hutchinson, author of The Last Days of Henry VIII, concludes that Henry may have suffered from Cushings Syndrome. Though this disease is pretty rare, Henry may have been a prime candidate for it: If he did suffer from type II diabetes, had trouble controlling his blood sugar, and had high blood pressure (can’t imagine why he would be stressed ) he could have contracted it.

Symptoms vary, but are often represented as:

-upper body obesity, a rounded face—-yes, in his later years (besides his wives it’s what he is most famous for!)

-increased fat around the neck——he had a very swollen face.

-relatively slender arms and legs—-Henry was extremely proud of his muscular calves. He even tied ribbons around them to draw attention.

-fragile and thin skin

-bruising easily

-healing  poorly—-his ulcer(s) was repetitive.

-weak bones

-routine activities such as bending, lifting, or rising from a chair may lead to backaches and rib or spinal column fractures.—–in his last years he was often carried around in a chair.

-severe fatigue

-increased thirst and urination—-Henry often suffered from an unquenchable thirst (possibly a sign of low insulin levels also)

-irritability, anxiety, or depression—-Henry irritable, no!

I am also leaning more toward this theory as well.

Conclusion:

I did not set out to prove what caused Henry’s death, as we will probably never know. Medicine was very different back then than it is today. However, with the great detail in Henry’s medical records, it does give us an idea of what may have caused his death. Honestly, I believe it was a number of things, not just one specific disease. All we know for sure is that he was in a great deal of pain and spent the last few weeks of his life shut up in his chambers, lying in bed, reluctantly facing his inevitable end.

I am hoping to add more to this as soon as I can get my hands on the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII which will offer more primary sources. When I find out more I will update. I am also hoping to take all this information and eventually putting it on a new page on the site!

I’m sorry I am posting this so late, but I am in the process of moving and have been very busy packing today! But, this week I was interested to find out more about a relatively unknown character from the Wars of the Roses, Sir Anthony Woodville, brother of the more famous Elizabeth Woodville (mother of the Princes in the Tower). The reason for my curiosity is that he is one of the main characters in a new novel I am reading, A Secret Alchemy by Emma Darwin.

In my search for who this man was I found out that he was the eldest son of Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Lady Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Originally he fought on the Lancastrian side, but interestingly he later switched to the Yorkist side (when his sister married Edward IV).

In 1469 Anthony was promoted to Lieutenant of Calais and Captain of the King’s Armada. The same year, Anthony’s father and brother were beheaded after the Battle of Edgecot, and he succeeded the earldom, becoming the 2nd Earl Rivers. Loyal to the king, Anthony accompanied Edward IV in his temporary exile in France. On his return to England he fought and won in the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury and defended London from the Lancastrian forces.

In 1473 he became guardian and governor to the young prince of Wales, the future Edward V. At this point, Anthony was the premier peer in the land. 

When Edward IV died in 1483, Anthony accompanied the now King Edward V (one of the Princes in the Tower), to London. However, the Duke of Gloucester, soon to be Richard III, imprisoned Anthony and then had him beheaded at Pontefract Castle on June 25, 1483. 

Though not much is heard about him, as most think of important characters like Richard III, Henry VI, and Henry Tudor when they think about the Wars of the Roses, it is clear Anthony Woodville played an important part in the war, and had great influence before the rise of Richard III.

I was doing some research on Hans Holbein this week and found some interesting articles on symbolism in his paintings. It made me flash back and remember my visit to the Richard III museum in York in April. In the museum they had a large copy of Holbein’s “The Family of Sir Thomas More.”

The museum had offered an interesting perspective on the fate of the Princes in the Tower I had never heard before. They said that Holbein knew that at least one of the boys had survived and was being housed by the More family! Rather than reveal the true identity of the boy (now a grown man) Holbein left clues in his paintings (sounding very Da Vinci Code-ish here). I was intrigued. However, I soon forgot about it and just now, a few months later, was reminded. I started searching around for more on this theory and found an interesting site about it. 

The Family of Sir Thomas More

Jack Leslau has written an interesting article about this very subject where he takes a look at More’s “The History of King Richard III,” breaks down the symbolism in the “Family of Sir Thomas More” painting, and looks at other documented evidence on John Clements to create an interesting hypothesis about the fate of the Princes in the Tower. He concludes that not only did the Princes survive, but one is actually pictured in the More family portrait…as John Clements. 

Here is the link to the article. It is a very interesting read! 

And here is the link to a page on the break down of the painting. It is long and very detailed. I found it very fascinating.

Now, I am not saying that I believe this. It is kind of like the Anastasia Romanov mystery. But I do love reading hypothesis like this, especially when the true fate of the person involved is unknown!

Since deciding to highlight a Tudor book every week on the Tudor Book Blog, I have decided to highlight something from Tudor history every week that grabs my attention that particular week. This is open to everyone. If you want to write up something really interesting you found out recently just send it in here and I will post it for everyone else to see. This could probably lead to some interesting discussions in the comment panel on the posts! 

I will post every Monday, but feel free to send in your post anytime!