My NEW book is out now! Medical Downfall of the Tudors

 I'm pleased to announce that my NEW book entitled Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession, is OUT today! You can buy a copy on Amazon now. It comes as Kindle & paperback.

Description:

The Tudor dynasty died out because there was no heir of Elizabeth I’s body to succeed her. Henry VIII, despite his six marriages, had produced no legitimate son who would live into old age. Three of the reigning Tudors (Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) died without heirs apparent, the most tragic case being that of Mary Tudor, who went through two recorded cases of phantom pregnancy. If it were not for physical frailty and the lack of reproductive health among the Tudors, the course of history might have been different.

This book concentrates on the medical downfall of the Tudors, examining their gynaecological history and medical records.

• Did you know that an archival source suggests that Henry VIII may have suffered from venereal disease or a urinary tract infection?
  
  
• Did you know that overlooked pictorial evidence suggests that Katharine of Aragon may have suffered from prognathism, a trait that ran through her family?
  
  
• It is generally assumed that Katharine of Aragon went through menopause by 1524, but primary sources tell a different tale.
  
  
• Did Katharine of Aragon really die in the arms of her lady-in-waiting, Maria de Salinas, Lady Willoughby?
  
  
• Did you know that Jane Seymour’s coronation in 1537 was postponed and later cancelled because of the plague? She was originally to be crowned on 29 September 1536.
  
  
• Was Katherine Howard ever pregnant by Henry VIII?
  
  
• Did you know that available evidence suggests Mary I Tudor suffered from severe depression?
  
  
• Did you know that one of the maids of honour at the Tudor court had a C-section?
  
  
• How many pregnancies did Anne Boleyn have?
  
  
• Did you know that there is a hint in the primary sources that in 1534 Anne Boleyn had a stillbirth?
  
  
• Did you know that Henry VII didn't die in his bed?
  
  
• Was Katharine of Aragon's marriage to Prince Arthur consummated?
  
  
• How did Edward VI die?
  

My NEW BOOK is out NOW!

I'm happy to announce that my NEW BOOK entitled Women of the Wars of the Roses: Jacquetta Woodville, Margaret of Anjou & Cecily Neville is published today as Kindle and paperback. You can order it from Amazon.

Jacquetta Woodville, Margaret of Anjou and Cecily Neville are among the best-known female figures during the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict that raged in England from 1455 to 1485. Jacquetta was the mother of Edward IV’s much-hated commoner queen, Elizabeth Woodville, and she is most prominent in this triple biography. Jacquetta’s story is inevitably linked to the lives of two other women: Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI’s queen, and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, mother of Edward IV and Richard III.

Set against the rich background of fifteenth-century court life are the interwoven stories of these three women whose relationships were tested by the changing loyalties of their husbands, sons and daughters.

The Field of Cloth of Gold Virtual Summit

June 2020 marks 500 years since King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France hosted an elaborate festival known as the Field of Cloth of Gold to improve relations between the two countries. Sarah Morris from the Tudor Travel Guide is hosting a special virtual summit that you can attend! Here's what Sarah has to say:

"During a blustery 18 days in June 1520, an historic event took place in the Pale of Calais. Here King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France met in an ostentatious display of power, wealth and status. Masterminded by Thomas Wolsey, the aim was to join the two kingdoms in a pact of solidarity and friendship, notably against the insurgence of the Ottoman Empire, which was threatening Christian Europe at the time.

It was a spectacular event that became famous in its own lifetime. Now 500 years on, over the weekend of the 9-10 May 2020, The Tudor Travel Guide is celebrating this historic event by holding a FREE two-day virtual summit. You will hear from experts in their fields talking about a range of different aspects of the event: from the social, political and cultural context, to original research to locate Henry's celebrated temporary palace, clothing & textiles, food and more..."

Speaker line up:

Saturday 9 May:  

Professor Glenn Richardson: The Context and Aims of the Field of Cloth of Gold - The English Perspective.

Professor Maria Hayward - Clothes and Textiles at the Field.

Tracy Borman: All the King's Men - Influential Courtiers at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Brigitte Webster: Food and Feasting at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Sunday 10 May:

Professor Charles Giry-Deloison: The Context and Aims of the Field of Cloth of Gold - The French Perspective.

Tracy Borman: All the King's Men - Influential Courtiers at the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Julian Munby: Location Henry VIII’s Famous Temporary Palace at Guines.

Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris - Henry VIII and the Road to Calais.

One of the lucky participants will have a chance at winning a book bundle of books written by the speakers!

How to sign up:

This online summit is FREE attend. You simply need to register you name and email address. Don't worry if you can't make the dates and times advertised or are in a different time zone. All the videos will remain available to view until the 24 June 2020 to coincide with the final day of the actual event, 500 years ago. However only those registering for the event will have access to the videos.

To register:

Sign up will open on Thursday 9 April 2020 and will remain open until 48 hours before the event, i.e. Midnight on Weds 7 May 2020.

Follow this link to the sign-up page: https://thetudortravelguide.lpages.co/the-field-of-cloth-of-gold-500-register 

Katharine of Aragon's "miscarriages" (MYTH BUSTER)

Sometimes myths and misconceptions about the Tudors are so well-entrenched that they often gain the status of "truths". I've seen historians referring to Katharine of Aragon's "many miscarriages" in almost every book about the Tudor period but guess what, this is a myth.

Katharine didn't have MANY MISCARRIAGES. Six of her pregnancies are recorded - perhaps there were more, but we're talking about those that we know of. And none of them ended up in miscarriage!

Let's start in the beginning, Katharine's first recorded pregnancy and its outcome. On 31 January 1510 she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. It wasn't a miscarriage - a fully formed child was born dead towards the end of Katharine's pregnancy.

Despite the stillbirth, Katharine "took to her chamber" because her belly was still swollen and her physicians assumed she was still pregnant with another child. No baby was born - and no miscarriage followed.

On 1 January 1511 she gave birth to a baby boy who was named Henry - sadly, Henry died on 22 February.

On 30 September 1511 Cardinal Wolsey wrote that “the Queen is THOUGHT to be with child” but noting further was heard about her condition - this, perhaps, was a miscarriage. Or she wasn't pregnant after all.

In October 1513 the Venetian ambassador reported that Katharine "had given birth to a son". Nothing further is known about this boy, he probably died following the birth.

Another son was born to Katharine and Henry in November 1514. According to the Venetian ambassador “the Queen has been delivered of a stillborn male child of eight months to the very great grief of the whole court”.

On 18 February 1516 Katharine gave birth to Princess Mary - her only child who would live to adulthood.

In November 1518 Katharine was delivered of a stillborn daughter in the eighth month of pregnancy.

So when you look at the evidence, you come to a startling conclusion - most of Katharine's pregnancies ended in stillbirths, not miscarriages.

She perhaps miscarried in 1511 - but her pregnancy wasn't even confirmed. 

Read an excerpt from my NEW BOOK!

This is an introduction to my newest book entitled "Jacquetta Woodville, Margaret of Anjou & Cecily Neville: Women Behind the Wars of the Roses". Enjoy it!

Jacquetta Woodville, Margaret of Anjou and Cecily Neville are among the best-known female figures during the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict that raged in England from 1455 to 1485. Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Saint-Pol, married John Plantagenet of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, and became one of the highest-ranking women in England and France. After Bedford’s death, she married Sir Richard Woodville, a mere knight and squire, with whom she produced a large brood of children, including Elizabeth, the future Queen consort.

In her lifetime, Jacquetta was best known as the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner who married King Edward IV. In her afterlife, she is best known as the heroine in Philippa Gregory’s bestselling novels of The Cousins’ War series, The Lady of the Rivers and The White Queen, wherein she is depicted as an intelligent, strong woman with psychic abilities. Portrayed on screen by Janet McTeer, Jacquetta became one of the most beloved characters in The White Queen.

Yet the real Jacquetta, a woman who was the mother and grandmother of kings and queens, is buried beneath a thick layer of myths. Was she really a witch, as suggested by contemporary rumours and modern fiction? Did she have a sinister influence of her son-in-law, Edward IV? Was she really a power-thirsty individual who sought the advancement of her family at all costs? Jacquetta is an elusive historical figure, but her importance cannot be emphasised enough. Through the marriage of her daughter to Edward IV, she is the ancestress of entire houses of royals: Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII, Margaret and Mary Tudor, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth Tudor and many, many more. Her blood flows through the veins of modern royalty, and it’s only fitting that Jacquetta should become the subject of a biography.

Jacquetta’s story is inevitably linked to the lives of two other women: Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England, and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. In 1445, fifteen-year-old Margaret of Anjou made the perilous sea journey from France to England, where she married King Henry VI. Jacquetta was among the noble ladies selected to welcome Margaret and escort her from France to England. Soon Jacquetta became one of Margaret’s favourite ladies-in-waiting and chief confidante. The Queen’s failure to provide a male heir, as well as her part in ceding French territories to her husband’s political enemies, gained her many enemies among the nobility and general populace. When she finally gave birth to a son in 1453, her world came to a crashing halt.

In 1453, shortly before Margaret gave birth, Henry VI descended into a mysterious mental illness. Richard, Duke of York, who had hitherto been denied an important role in the government, seized the opportunity and became lord protector. But this powerful lord’s ambitions clashed with Margaret of Anjou’s own plans. As her husband rebelled against Henry VI, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, found herself in the position of queen-to-be. England slid into chaos and war.

Set against the rich background of fifteenth-century court life are the interwoven stories of these three women whose relationships were tested by the changing loyalties of their husbands, sons and daughters.