We still have 5 hours to go here in Texas, but most of the world has already started 2009. Here’s hoping for a good year to come!
Year: 2008
Season Two of “The Tudors” now on iTunes
Since someone asked about this a while back, I thought I would post an update now that it is available. And Season 1 and Season 2 are available in both HD (and standard definition) for any of you who got fancy new TVs or computer monitors for Christmas.
16th century wood carvings from Stirling Castle studied
From The BBC:
Researchers are working to uncover the mysteries of 33 wood carved medallions which would have decorated the Royal Palace at Stirling Castle.
Historic Scotland is trying to find out why the works, known as the Stirling Heads and carved between 1530 and 1544, were created and whom they depict.
The carvings are thought to feature monarchs such as James V and England’s Henry VIII.
The research is part of
A bargain Holbein
From The Telegraph:
Rare Holbein work bought for a few thousand could fetch millions
An art collector who bought a painting for less than
Alison Weir’s Katherine Swynford book US pre-order
After changing release dates a few times, it is finally due out on January 27, 2009 here in the US. And of course, it has a different title…
Amazon pre-order link below:
Christmas Greetings from Henry VIII (and me!)
Check out the Historic Royal Palaces’ YouTube Channel for more videos
(Tip of the Tudor flat cap to Tim for the link)
And from me, a repeat of last year’s Christmas image (sorry, I didn’t get a chance to make a new one this year!). I’m not traveling this year so I won’t be taking any lengthy breaks from the site or blogs during my time off.
(click for a larger view)
No matter what you celebrate at this time of year, all the best from me to you!
500th anniversary celebrations page
I’ve been compiling a “master list” of events, exhibitions, conferences, etc. taking place to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession. I’m going to put a permanent link to it over on the side bar and I’ll update it as new information comes in. Please email me (lara [at] tudorhistory.org) or post a comment if you know of things that I don’t have listed. I haven’t gone looking for stuff yet (just posting what people have emailed to me) so I’m sure there are things out there I’m missing.
And… If anyone gets a chance to attend any of these, I’d some write-ups to post here on the blog. I seriously doubt I’m going to get to any of these so I’ll have to live vicariously though all of you who do get to them!
http://tudorhistory.org/files/henry500.html
(edited July 2013 – the page was removed a couple of years ago after the events had passed)
An update
Since I’ve been getting a few emails of late about the podcast, I thought I would go ahead and post a short update here for anyone who stumbles by. As you can see, I didn’t get around to starting the podcast back up in the fall, and now I’m just not sure when it will be. There are a lot of things competing for my time these days. But, with the big 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne in 2009, I feel that I have to do something with the podcast in the months to come, so keep checking back or stay subscribed. 🙂
In the meantime, I’m still updating things on the website here and there and actively updating and moderating both of the blogs on the site – the main News blog and the Tudor Q&A blog.
[Comments are closed on older posts. If you wish to make a comment, please contact Lara via the link in the sidebar.]
New meaning to an old Christmas carol
It’s later than our period, but I have to agree with Kathy (who sent this in) that it is fascinating.
From The Daily Mail:
It has been sung at carol services across the country but a centuries-old secret political code has been found in a popular Christmas song.
According to one musical expert, O Come All Ye Faithful, also called Adeste Fideles, is actually a birth ode to Jacobite pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Born on December 20 1720, Bonnie Prince Charlie was the grandson of England’s last Catholic monarch, James II.
…
‘Fideles is Faithful Catholic Jacobites. Bethlehem is a common Jacobite cipher for England, and Regem Angelorum is a well-known pun on Angelorum, angels, and Anglorum, English.‘The meaning of the Christmas carol is clear: ‘Come and Behold Him, Born the King of Angels’ really means, ‘Come and Behold Him, Born the King of the English’ – Bonnie Prince Charlie!’
Professor Zon said there were other clues to the subversive political message contained in the carol.
Windsor Castle Henry VIII exhibition in 2009
I’ve started making a page to keep track of all of these events and exhibitions. I’ll upload it over the holidays and update it as more news comes in.
From the BBC:
A special exhibition to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne is launching at Windsor Castle, the monarch’s one-time home and final resting place.
Henry VIII was proclaimed king on 23 April 1509, just before his 18th birthday, and reigned for almost 38 years until his death in 1547.
The exhibition explores the life of one of the most significant figures in the history of the English monarchy, bringing together treasures from the Royal Collection and the archives of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Sisters Who Would Be Queen thread at Tudor Q&A
Leanda de Lisle’s new work The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: The Tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey will be coming out January 19, 2009 in the UK and is expected in September 2009 in the US. PhD Historian has offered to blog his reading of the book over on the Q&A blog. He and I both received advance copies, but I’m already in the middle of reading a couple of other books so I don’t think I’ll be getting to this one for a while!
Here’s the Amazon UK pre-order link. I don’t have one for the US release yet, but I’ll post it when it comes along.
Big sale of ebooks and CD-ROMS at TannerRitchie
Thanks to kb for alerting me to this sale from TannerRitchie Publishing! If you aren’t familiar with them, they publish hundreds of rare and out of print historical sources as ebooks and specialize in British History, especially Tudor and Stuart England, British Colonial history (especially in North America and the Carribean), Medieval history and Scottish medieval and early modern history.
TANNERRITCHIE’S AMAZING YEAR END SALE!!
* ALL DOWNLOADS $10 (CAD)
* 50% off all CD-ROMsBeat the credit crunch blues with TannerRitchie Publishing! All eBook downloads are an incredible $10 each, and all CD-ROMs are half price. Build up your personal library or treat yourself to an entire series of eBooks. Don’t miss out on this limited time offer. Buy now – this sale will end on 1 January 2009!
2008 Ghost Story contest winners!
The winner and an honorable mention for this year’s ghost story contest have been selected!
Here’s the report from the judge, Sandra Worth:
So nice to see so much talent! The stories were an amazingly good crop of entries and it was difficult to choose from amongst them, especially for Honorable Mention. I feel they were so good, they all deserved that. The winner of the contest wrote a story that was gripping the first time I read it, and also when I re-read it and knew what to expect. The winner also displayed a flawless grasp of fundamentals such as dialogue, structure, word choices, characters, point of view, all of which were expertly handled in a complex and tense story of time travel.
The winner is Innocent Ghost
I have also chosen Why, This is Hell for Honorable Mention.
You can read the stories at the links above on Wendy’s site or here on this site:
Innocent Ghost by Madeline Martin
Why, This is Hell by Kathy Marcella
Congrats to the winners and thanks to Wendy for organizing the contest and to Sandra for judging!
Upcoming British Library exhibition
Yet another celebration of Henry VIII’s 500th!
From the British Library website:
Henry VIII: Man and Monarch
22 April
Answers to your questions from Sandra
Thanks to Sandra for answering the questions and for getting back to me so quickly!
Kathy said:
What is your background?
Rick Wakeman to perform at Hampton Court next May
From Historic Royal Palaces:
In 1972, Rick Wakeman, the keyboard player with the supergroup Yes, released one of the most iconic albums of all time, The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
The album was a massive success all over the world and to date has sold more than 15,000,000 copies on both vinyl and CD.
Amazingly, the music has never been performed in its entirety but all that is about to change. On 1 and 2 May, The Six Wives of Henry VIII will be performed in spectacular style on Hampton Court Palace’s West Front, to a limited audience of 5000 for each performance.
You can find out more about the event here
And just for the heck of it, here are Amazon links to the CDs:
Haven’t you always wanted a house with a moat?
You can have this one for about
Upcoming conference at the UK National Archives
Another event next year to mark the big Tudor anniversaries of 2009:
Tudor power, pageantry and propaganda
A one-day conference to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s coronation and the 450th anniversary of Elizabeth I’s coronation
Saturday 21 March 2009
This one-day conference celebrates the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII
Portrait of Mary Neville and Son Purchased by NPG
If I remember correctly, this portrait had been on loan to the gallery from the private owner for sometime, but now the gallery permanently owns it.
From the BBC:
Lady Dacre, and her son, Gregory Baron Dacre, by Hans Eworth, is described as “one of the finest works to be painted in Britain in the mid-16th century”.
The gallery paid just under
