1999-March 2002 Updates

I haven't been working on the site lately, and don't know when I'll start posting new stuff - probably in a week or so - BUT I found some cool Tudor stuff at one of my favorite museums, the Morgan Library in NYC.  You can order online from their shop.
It's silly and fun stuff -

Click here -
https://www.morganlibrary.org/shop_images/gifts/henry_chocolates.jpg
Who knew that someone actually makes Henry VIII chocolates?  And could they have chosen an uglier picture of Anne Boleyn?
Click here to order the chocolates.

There are also some porcelain boxes of old Hal and his wives -
https://www.morganlibrary.org/shop_images/gifts/henry_wives.jpg
Click here to order them.
 

Your purchases support the Morgan Library, one of the best museums in the world.  And if these products are popular, perhaps they'll add to their Tudor shop....


Updated Tudor Media News.

Two more portraits - Margaret Tudor and Anne Boleyn.  Go to New Tudor Portraits.

Two new quizzes, some new portraits - Katharine of Aragon, Edward VI, rescan of the Rainbow Portrait (at New Tudor Portraits) - and some book news.
Added commentary to the Mary I and Mary, queen of Scots images - go to Tudor England: Images.

A new Tudor England novel is available in time for the holiday season - please visit Greensleeves: An Elizabethan Novel by Marticia Burns McKinney.  She's also included a history of the famous song, links, and more at the website.

Adding new stuff continuously.  Updating this page is the worst - I can never keep track of it all.


Fixed all the links at 'Tudor Articles' (Britannica.com had redesigned their site, and thus changed all the old links.)
I also added the following -
'Henry VIII and the Invention of the Royal Court' by Greg Walker, from History Today.  It's an interesting article.

Other Additions -
First part of Margaret Tudor biography is done; it discusses her life up until the marriage to James IV of Scotland in 1503.  I'll put the rest up after I finishing scanning a color portrait of her.
The Elizabeth I site is up, in abbreviated form.  If the data transfer numbers are good for a week, I'll add the rest.
Two new Anne Boleyn portraits - the Horenbout and Hoskins miniatures.  Visitors to her main page, and the Six Wives main page have already seen them.  I have two more new ones to add soon.

And I bought a new scanner -  yes, I finally broke down and spent the money though I rather liked being the Scrooge McDuck of the internet.  So I'll be rescanning many of the portraits and adding new ones, too.  I'll put the pics up before I write the commentary this time, and they'll be listed at New Tudor Portraits.  There are about half a dozen new pics there now - some rescans - and more to follow.  Fitzroy, Henry VIII c1509, etc

Four new Mary, queen of Scots images at her Biography page (including a rescanned portrait of Bothwell.)  I will add them to New Tudor Portraits soon.  Until then, click here to view them.

The famous Hans Eworth portrait of Mary I is rescanned.  Many visitors have asked about it.  As are -
The 'Ditchley Portrait' of Elizabeth I.
Delaroche's 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey'.
Lady Jane Grey or Katharine Parr.  This image looks much better.
Click here to view them.

And I'm also working on quizzes about Anne of Cleves and Tudor Fashion.

And congrats to Annabel Laurence for winning the Tudor Quiz Contest.  Every single one correct, plus all the extra questions.  A truly impressive display of Tudor erudition.  Many thanks to everyone who participated.



7 May 2001
Good article at the Britannica. com titled 'In Search of Elizabeth' by Melissa Burdick Harmon.  Click here or go to Tudor Articles.
A new section - 'Tudor Media News' which will cover book and film/tv news.  Some new books are on the way so please check it out.
My combined sites had over 16,000 hits in one day (a new high.)  Amazing.  About half go to this site, 40% to the Byron site - and only 10% to poor Keats.  Alas.
On May 15th, we will have been at the new server for exactly a month.  I'll then know how much stuff I can add without  breaking data transfer records.  If all goes well, the Plantagenets can reappear and Good Queen Bess, as well as the rest of the Henry VIII pages and all of the wives.  I hope everyone has had the chance to see the new scan of Anne Boleyn at her main page.  I haven't added it to the images sites yet.
I'll announce the winner of the quiz contest soon, I promise - and post all of the correct answers.

Okay, we're at a new server as of April 18th.  I am still uploading pages, but think most pages are up.
Before I upload the new Elizabeth I site, I'm going to check the data transfer numbers for a few weeks.  If there is enough space, I'll put it up.
And if there is lots more space, I'll put the Plantagenet Dynasty site back up.


Read the winning entry in the 'Tudor England Ghost Story Contest' at Suite101.com.
Wendy - the Suite101 webmaster - has also posted the second-place story.
Both are entertaining - and ghostly, of course.
Wendy has also kindly named this site one of the Top 5 Tudor England sites & I will be adding the awards graphic soon.

Book News -
A biography of the Elizabethan astrologer Doctor Dee has been written.  It's called 'The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Doctor Dee' by Benjamin Woolley.   You can read a review and excerpts at the Sunday Times site.
Alison Weir has two new books coming - 'Henry VIII: The King and His Court' and 'Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley'.  The first book is available next month for $28 and the second isn't scheduled for release until May 2002 (according to Amazon.co.uk).
Susan Watkins and Mark Fiennes have published a photographic history called 'Mary, Queen of Scots', a beautiful work in the style of their earlier 'The Public and Private Worlds of Elizabeth I'.
And Antonia Fraser's new biography isn't about a Tudor, but I'll probably read it anyway - 'Marie Antoinette' is due in June.

Site News -
Every month more and more people come to the site - which is great, etc but it means the data transfer numbers go up as well.  And that means I have to spend more money on webhosting.  Not good.  And it's put plans for site expansion on hold as well.  More pages mean more space - and more data transfer.
And so new additions such as the revamped Elizabeth I site - which is huge - can't be put up yet. p; Likewise, the complete sites for all of Henry VIII's wives, all the new images I've scanned since last December.... and so forth.  Most importantly, the Plantagenet Dynasty site had to be taken down.
I am looking for another web hosting plan which allows more data transfer and is hopefully cheaper.  I think I've found one.  But until I actually move to a new server, I'm not adding anything to the site.  I simply can't - it's already too big.
So bear with me, and hopefully everything will be settled in a few weeks.  I realize it's frustrating to find dead links, and no new additions.  But - like everything in life except the best thing (love) - websites aren't free.
And yes, I could clog the site up with ads to help with expenses.  But ads are ugly and slow everything down.
The site will continue at this server until the last week of April - & hopefully, I'll have found a solution by then.  Sending some luck my way couldn't hurt.  And thanks again for your patience.


19th March 2001
Check out the Tudor Quiz Contest - demonstrate your masterful Tudor knowledgge and win some prizes.
A local bookstore is going out of business (which makes me sad) but it was a chance to pick up some Tudor books and mildly vex visitors with odd questions for a chance to win the books.  You have to submit the answers via e-mail because my Java-script sometimes locks up older browsers.  I'll work on it, and might have a submission form for the answers soon.

Also, I added a bit about the right to reproduce public domain images for those of you who asked about it.



Recently finished Simon Schama's History of Britain.  It's too expensive in hardcover (as seems to be the trend with history texts) but there are numerous lovely illustrations - and it is, as always with Schama, beautifully written.  If you're not a poor, struggling student, purchase it.  And even if you are poor and struggling, it's worth a look.

Diarmaid MacCulloch has written a new biography of Edward VI, titled The Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation.  His last work was the definitive biography of Thomas Cranmer, and so I have high hopes for this book.

I just discovered new reprints of AL Rowse's great study of the Elizabethan renaissance - The Cultural Achievement and The Life of the Society.  Thankfully, these wonderful histories are now readily available at the local bookstore.  Now we need only hope for a reprint of LB Smith's A Tudor Tragedy.

The Folger Library has redesigned their website.  It looks fantastic now.  Click here to visit.

The BBC series 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' is now available on DVD.  I don't know about 'Elizabeth R' yet.

Maria Perry's The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France is now available in paperback.  I'm ambivalent about this book, but some Tudor enthusiasts really disliked it.

Also, Harry Kelsey's biography of Sir Francis Drake and Lisa Jardine and Alan Stewart's study of Francis Bacon are still available in hardcover.  I haven't read the former, but did enjoy the latter.  Bacon is one of the most fascinating figures of the Elizabethan age, and was memorably brought to life in Lytton Strachey's Elizabeth and Essex.

The old Images site will continue to be available until the new version is finished.



11th January 2001
Next Tuesday on the 16th of January, the Bravo Channel will show two excellent 16th century epics - 'Anne of the Thousand Days' at 8 pm and 'Queen Margot' at 11 pm.  'Anne' will be repeated at 5 am.

Visit Bravo's website.
As visitors to the Tudor Films page know, I like 'Queen Margot' which stars Isabelle Adjani as the ill-fated French princess.  It's a strange but lovely film - and Vincent Perez plays the male lead.  Sigh.
'Anne' stars Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn and Richard Burton as Henry VIII.  It's not my favorite Tudor film simply because I think Bujold is badly miscast.  But it's worth a watch for the costumes and screenplay.
It's really quite odd to have two historical films from this period shown back-to-back - so cheers for the Bravo network.

Bravo will also show 'The Lion in Winter' about the lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine on the following dates -
Thursday, January 18th at 8 pm & 11 pm
Friday, January 19th at 1 pm

'Anne of the Thousand Days' will be repeated on....
Saturday, January 20th at 8 pm
and six hours later at 2 am
'Queen Margot' will be repeated on....
Wednesday, January 17th at 1 pm
Saturday, January 27th at 12 pm



30th November 2000
Read this news bit a while ago, and meant to post it but forgot.  It's an entertaining look at the royal past of the two American presidential candidates - & includes the interesting fact that George W Bush is descended from Henry VIII's sister, Mary!


21st November 2000
Scanned a new portrait of Queen Mary.  Click here to view it.
This is a copy of the famous Mor portrait at the Prado.


30th October 2000
I want to remind everyone - again - that The History Channel will premiere 'A History of Britain' tonight at 9 pm ET/PT.  It runs for two hours, and continues on Tuesday & Wednesday nights.
Wednesday night's episode should be most entertaining for Tudor enthusiasts since it covers the Reformation, and ends with our favorite queen, Elizabeth I.

26th October 2000
On 5th November, Pope John Paul II will officially proclaim Thomas More the patron saint of.... you guessed it.... politicians.  Read Suzanne Fields' editorial titled 'A Patron Saint for Politicians' at the Washington Times site.
And, as all Tudor enthusiasts will readily note, Fields has an important point wrong - More wasn't guillotined; he died on the block.



17th October 2000
For American visitors....
The BBC miniseries 'A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? 3500 B.C. to 1603 A.D.' will air on The History Channel starting the 30th of October.
The lengthy series is hosted by Simon Schama, who wrote the book on which it is based.  The book is now available in the U.S. as well.

The November 2000 issue of Talk magazine has a feature on Schama and the book/series.  It also includes a two-page excerpt from the book about the execution of Mary, queen of Scots.
The excerpt includes several illustrations.
Of course, one must wonder - why did the magazine choose to spotlight that particular event?  After all, Schama's work spans over five thousand years of fascinating history.
Well, as Schama himself explains in the excerpt, Mary's execution 'was the last act of a historical drama that for sexual havoc and hapless pathos has never been bested.'
Most Tudor enthusiasts would undoubtedly agree.  The excerpt doesn't contain any new information about the execution, but the accompanying pictures are quite interesting.



10th October 2000
A biography of Mary, queen of Scots, airs on A&E's 'Biography' program this Friday the 13th, from 8-9 pm.
Here is A&E's program synopsis:
Mary, Queen of Scots: Heroine or Harlot?
The tragic story of one of the most romantic and intriguing royal figures in history.  Dramatic reconstructions and observations by expert historians tell the unforgettable story of Mary's life: How she became Queen of Scotland when she was just six days old; how she became entangled in a power struggle with Queen Elizabeth I of England; and how Mary was accused of plotting Elizabeth's death and was held captive for 19 years before Elizabeth finally ordered her execution.

If you miss the show at 8 pm, take heart - it will be repeated at midnight.

And I've taken heart that Penguin 20th Century Classics has reissued one of the best historical romances ever written - and one that coincidentally concerns a Tudor (albeit a Tudor by marriage) - Ford Madox Ford's wonderful book, 'The Fifth Queen'.  (It is, in fact, three novels in one - 'The Fifth Queen', 'Privy Seal' & 'The Fifth Queen Crowned'.)

Ford is most famous as the author of 'The Good Soldier', a great work in its own right.  But he spent nearly a decade researching Tudor history, ostensibly planning a biography of that ambiguous figure Henry VIII.  His research instead inspired a fictional treatment of Catherine Howard's life.  Tudor purists will argue that the book renders Catherine more intelligent and devout than historical fact suggests.  But this is historical fiction (thankfully lacking the ubiquitous 'heaving bosoms' etc of recent Tudor fiction.)  It's beautifully written, well-researched, and the final scene between Catherine and Henry - in which she aptly sums up his character - is superb.  Oh, the entire book is superb but the ending is worth the purchase alone.

The reissue is only $12.95 in the US - which makes it cheaper than most other historical fiction.  Buy it, read it - & be grateful that Penguin reissued it.  Needless to say, all other Tudor fiction suffers terribly in comparison.

Now we have to cross our fingers and hope LB Smith's biography of Catherine is reissued.  I'm tired of carrying around fifty year old copies of great works.

And since Tudor fans might also be interested in other historical figures....
PBS premieres a show about Napoleon on Wednesday, 8 November.  There is a fantastic accompanying website which features some of his famous love letters to Josephine as well as a detailed discussion of his great battles.


4th October 2000
Added another quiz - this one tests your knowledge of Catherine Howard.

The Tudor England site at Suite101.com is sponsoring a writing contest & the topic is 'A Tudor England Ghost Story'.  The collected works of Elizabeth I is the grand prize, plus publication of your story at the site.
Click here to visit the site and learn more; the contest ends on the 15th of December.  Good luck to everyone.



27th September 2000
I finally added Thomas Wyatt's two poems about Anne Boleyn to her main page.
I added a PicoSearch engine to the website as well.  Verio - my host provider - directed me to the free service.  If you have a site and would like to add a customized search engine, visit the PicoSearch site.

Added a new quiz as well - on the sisters of Henry VIII.
>



13th September 2000
Very interesting epistolary addition to the site....
'Letters of the Six Wives of Henry VIII' - & each letter is accompanied by detailed explanatory notes.
Fans of Henry's wives should enjoy these - among them.... Katharine of Aragon writes home about her miserable life in England, her last letter to Henry; Anne Boleyn's only surviving love letter to Henry; Anne of Cleves consent to her divorce from Henry; Catherine Howard's love letter to Thomas Culpeper; and many others.
I really enjoyed reading these, and I will be adding some letters of Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth of York soon.

I have added a couple of new bits of trivia.

And for those who live in the DC area, or will be visiting here this autumn, here are some entertaining Tudor-related events.....

The Folger Consort is performing the musical works of Bluff King Hal from 13-15 October at the Folger Shakespeare Library.  The program is titled 'Fit for a King' and marks the opening of their fall music season.
And keep in mind that their exhibition featuring the 'Sieve' portrait of Elizabeth I, an etching of Anne Boleyn, a letter from Leicester to Elizabeth about the Armada, and a contemporary account of Mary, queen of Scots's execution in a German newspaper, continues through 25 November.

The Shakespeare Theatre features three great Tudor-related plays for their 2000-2001 season.  First is Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.  Second is Shakespeare's Richard II, the story of the tragic king who lost his throne to Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV), thus ending the legitimate line of Plantagenet kings and giving the throne to the Lancastrians - and this led to the Wars of the Roses and the rule of Henry VII.  The third play is Friedrich Schiller's Don Carlos.  This work explores the life of Mary Tudor's husband, Philip II of Spain, and his relationship with his only son and heir, Don Carlos.
Call 202.547.1122 for ticket information.

And the Maryland Renaissance Festival starts on 26 August and continues until 22 October.  It's the second largest Renaissance festival in the country.
They do sell 'Henry VIII and His Six Wives' t-shirts, though they switched the portraits of Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves.  But only a real Tudor aficionado would notice that - right, Tracey?

There is a wonderful Tudor England site at Suite101.com.  If you're conducting research, it's a worthwhile visit.

And I keep winning awards for my Byron & Tudor sites - this means that visitors have sent the URRLs in for consideration, which I appreciate very much.

There are many more additions on the way so please visit again in a few weeks.

On that note, I hope everyone has a lovely end of summer.
-Marilee



PRIOR UPDATES:
14 July 2000
Ten new portraits at the 'Portraits of Tudor Nobility' page.

15 June 2000
I have started to collect Tudor articles from the internet.  They are listed here.  The articles on Geoffrey Elton's work on the Reformation and Whitehall Palace are particularly interesting.  I will be adding more soon.

8 June 2000
I read something interesting at Commentary Magazine (from James Wilson's review of Robert Fogel's new book):
'In the early 19th century, the average member of the British aristocracy was five inches taller than the average Englishman; today, the gap is only one inch.  In 1875, a member of the British upper class lived seventeen years longer than the average Englishman; today, the rich enjoy only a two-year advantage. This means that, in about one century, the typical Englishman improved his life expectancy by 34 years, an increase that in Fogel's estimation exceeds any other such gain in the preceding 200 millennia.'
I had no idea that the material wealth of the aristocracy translated itself into such superiority of health (though, as a less-than-tall person, I don't necessarily equate height with good health....)

31 May 2000
Yet another article about Catherine Howard's ghost haunting Hampton Court - the story was featured on ABC's 'Good Morning America' program.

30 May 2000
An interesting article about Catherine Howard's ghost haunting Hampton Court - & the scientific team determined to find out if it's true. Click here to read it at The Washington Times site.
Thanks, Jeremy, for passing along the info.

26 May 2000
Added another quiz - on the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn.

25 May 2000
Three new quizzes are up (with more on the way) - the new ones are all about Elizabeth I.
I redid the Lady Jane Grey site - changed the image on the main page, etc.

1 May 2000
I finally redid the Boleyn family page - scanned some new color pics from Hever Castle postcards.  I also redesigned the Genealogy page a bit.
And I have fixed all the links on the Images page.
And some new quizzes are on the way as well.

April 2000
Many new portraits - a plethora of rare new portraits!
Mary I, Elizabeth I, Prince Arthur, etc.  Also a miniature portrait that may be of Mary, queen of Scots.  Please click here to see the list.  I also have included background information on the portraits.
I haven't seen some of these portraits in most history books so please take the time to view them - they're lovely.

I have also scanned portraits of various Tudor nobles - simply looking at the magnificent gowns is fun.  They are located at a new section called 'Portraits of Tudor Nobility.'  I've been working on that for a long time.... when not distracted by my John Keats site.

Mid-January 2000
I'm quite excited that I finally found a beautiful portrait of Margaret, countess of Salisbury - daughter of George, duke of Clarence, niece of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, and cousin of Henry VIII.  Despite her close relationship with the second Tudor king (she was also Princess Mary's governess), Margaret was executed in a botched and horrific manner in 1541.

And I was also excited (I'm very excitable these days, I think) to learn that a new Folger exhibit (opening January 17th) will focus on their acquisitions/donations of the last decade.  Included are the 'Sieve' portrait of Elizabeth I from the middle period of her reign, a letter from Leicester to Elizabeth about the Armada, and a contemporary account of Mary, queen of Scots's execution in a German newspaper.  Another exhibit (also opening in late January) will focus on the concept of 'Fortune' in Tudor England.
The Folger site provides meticulous details on their exhibitions, past and present, so I urge you to visit.

Again, please check the new Images section to view other additions.  And the Primary Sources section contains many new and interesting pieces, including Cavendish's account of Anne Boleyn and Henry Percy's love affair.
Also, you can now read accounts of Henry VIII's famous jousting accident, the executions of Fisher, More & others, Henry VII's obituary, the announcement of Jane Seymour's pregnancy (what a happy day for Great Harry!), and another account of Prince Arthur's death in 1502.  I think I've listed them all!

And be sure to test your knowledge of Tudor England with my favorite new feature - TUDOR QUIZZES.  I am gathering up tough questions for a batch of new quizzes soon.

Late December 1999
The most obvious 'news' is that the site is now located at englishhistory.net.  The stupid watermark finally drove me batty.  Farewell to 'java-script error' messages and the like.

Please bear with me while I transfer and update the Tudor England pages from GeoCities to the new server.  It is a time-consuming process, particularly since I'm redoing many pages (adding texts and graphics.)  But it will be done shortly.  If something is missing, write to me.  I will happily send you the files from the old site (text only) - simply specify if you need them in .html or text format.

I appreciate your patience, but the end result will hopefully be worth it.  Questions and comments can be sent to my new e-mail address.

Updates to the site will be listed here in the future.

Have a great day!
-Marilee

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