Hello dear readers…

Although this might not be too helpful to people who actually read this site, I just wanted to post something about any spam that appears to be coming from tudorhistory.org. One of the techniques of spammers is to “spoof” a domain name, or in other words, make it appear that an email is coming from a domain that it actually is not. The only legitimate email from my website is from lara@tudorhistory.org or tudorhistory@tudorhistory.org. And I can guarantee you that you won’t get an email from me unless I’m responding to something that you sent me in the first place (either a direct email or a submission to the pen pals page or something to the question & answer blog).

Thanks!

The October podcast is now up!

Back in May I posted about the Headline History chat with William Shakespeare, and now it’s Henry VIII’s turn! On November 15th, they will be hosting a chat with the king and you can also submit questions in advance on their site.

From This is London:

A document that records one of the defining moments behind England’s split from the Roman Catholic Church will go under the hammer next month.

The letter was penned by Catherine of Aragon in 1534 as she desperately tried to cling on to her marriage to King Henry VIII.
In it the estranged noblewoman begs her nephew Roman Emperor Charles V to ask Pope Clement VII to uphold her marriage to the King.

Full article

The article also has a picture of the letter, although not large enough to read.

As I mentioned a few month’s back, Sting’s new album is the music of Elizabethan musician John Dowland. There has been a lot of press on the album since its release last week, so here is a round-up of just a few, as well as links to Amazon US and UK to buy it if you’re intrigued!

From The Telegraph: A Step Back in Time - Sting has exchanged his guitar for a lute, returning to the renaissance for inspiration.

From The Guardian: Sting makes lute popular again

From The Independent: Sting plucks lute composer from obscurity

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has a section on Holbein and his portraiture that is open to non-subscribers. Check it out here!

Here’s another story that has gotten lost in the shuffle over the past couple of months…

From 24 Hour Museum:

TOWER OF LONDON UNVEILS MEMORIAL TO THE EXECUTED
By Richard Moss

English Queens, nobles and a trio of unfortunate Scottish soldiers are amongst the names commemorated on a new permanent memorial, unveiled at the Tower of London on September 4 2006.
…
Comprising two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its centre, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem - written by the artist - around its rim, whilst the upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed in front of the Chapel Royal.

Full article

A couple of people have mentioned this, so I thought I would post something about it… There is a new show on ABC in the States called “Ugly Betty” where the title character wears a necklace with an initial “B” that should look familiar to Tudor fans. You can see the character wearing the necklace here.

And, if you would like a “B” (or any other initial) necklace of your own, you can get them here:
Parrish Relics (who actually supplied the necklaces for the show!)

The book that accompanies the Holbein Exhibition at the Tate is now for sale!

You can get it from the museum itself

or Amazon.com and Amazon.uk. For the US, it is a pre-order for now and there is a 4-6 week delivery on the UK Amazon

I just wanted to mention here that I’ve clarified the $5 entry fee on the story contest. The money is to cover Wendy’s expenses (the prize, mailing it to the winner from Australia, etc.) and any left over money will be donated to UNICEF. Also, Wendy’s Yahoo address appears to be bouncing, so we’ve switched it to her other email address if you need to get in contect with her.

From the article:

“The Tudors” opens in 1520, with Henry still given to enjoying himself, but increasingly troubled. Soon after his accession to the throne, he obtained papal dispensation to marry the widow of his elder brother, Arthur, who had died in 1502. But while Katherine (Maria Doyle Kennedy) has given him a daughter (the future Queen Mary I), five sons have died — and Henry is now worried that God disapproves of his marriage.
…
The look of 16th-century life has also been carefully recreated by Tom Conroy, the production designer, in furniture and tapestries, in pewter, silver and porcelain tableware and in musical instruments. Joan Bergin, the costume designer, has in turn researched Tudor-era paintings to add authenticity — but not too much — to the 2,500 costumes that have been made or rented for the occasion.

Full article

If the image with the article is anything to go by, they are going to be taking liberties with the costumes… I think it is a scene of a masque or something, since the men look like they are wearing Roman outfits.