Many thanks to Sylvia Barbara Soberton for sending me such an interesting post! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did, and that you give her new book on the health of the Tudor monarchs a look Did Henry VIII suffer from venereal disease or a urinary tract infection? The theory, first… Read more Guest Post by Sylvia Barbara Soberton on the Health of Henry VIII
Alison Weir, who is a very famous popular historian, just had an article published in History Extra about Henry VIII’s reproductive problems. In it she wrote: “One theory is that Henry suffered from McLeod Syndrome [a neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in boys and men and affects movement in many parts of the body],… Read more Incorrect Information in the History Extra Article by Alison Weir
Long before John Knox first blasted his trumpet about the ‘monstrous regiment of women’ rulers, the fear of a female head of state was considered just and natural in Medieval Europe. Several kingdoms had codified Salic Law from 500 AD onward to prevent a woman from inheriting a throne. In the 12th century, England had… Read more The Medieval Fear of Women Rulers
Anne Boleyn miscarried a male fetus on 29 January 1536. This also happened to be the day of Katherina of Aragon’s insultingly small funeral. One wonders what the superstitious Tudors made of that? Henry’s queen was most likely into the second trimester when the fetus spontaneously aborted. In spite of continued speculation to the contrary,… Read more Miscarried of Her Savior
Sometime in January of 1502, Arthur Tudor and his bride, Katherina of Aragon, arrived at Ludlow Castle. There the young prince was to begin learning kingship by governing Wales, and to officially have some time to honeymoon with his spouse. But did Arthur consummate his marriage while they were together? According to Katherina, he did… Read more Did Arthur Tudor Consummate his Marriage?
Henry VIII’s third Queen, Jane Seymour, died on the night of the 24/25 October 1537 as a result of complications from the birth of her son, Edward VI. For the first ten days after Edward’s arrival, all seemed well with both mother and child. Then, on the afternoon of the 23rd, the Queen suffered from… Read more The Death of Queen Jane
I have noticed that nearly everyone, regardless of how staunchly they disavow astrology, is curious about the traits of their sign if someone is talking about it at a party. I am no different. When I was researching Tudor medical practices, I confess that I was enthralled while reading about latromathematics, or “medical astrology — an… Read more Latromathematics
Without John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, there may have never been a Tudor reign. John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, was born on 8 September 1442 to John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford and Lady Oxford, Elizabeth Howard. The Oxfords were devout Lancastrian loyalists, determined to fight to the death for… Read more The Oxfords and the Tudors
I adore Queen Elizabeth II. Many people have lauded QE2 for her scandal-free life. Her kids have scandals and her relatives have scandals and her husband gets in trouble for gaffes (i.e. he says racist, stupid things sometimes), but the Queen does none of that. Queen Victoria has had more ‘sex scandals’ than Queen Elizabeth.… Read more Queen Elizabeth II and Her Descent From Jezebels
On 1 September 1532, one year and six days before the birth of the their daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England, King Henry VIII invested his intended bride, Anne Boleyn, with Marquessate of Pembroke and its income of more than ₤1,000 per annum. Anne was now the highest ranking peeress in Great Britain.… Read more The Lady Marquesse of Pembroke