The big story of the week was the re-opening of The Mary Rose Museum, which now gives visitors a full view of the dried remains of the ship. Here is a selection of stories about the event:
Category: Tudor History news and events
Sunday Short Takes
Time for a Sunday Short Takes!
* Dynastic Rivalry and Digital Reconstruction at Bradgate House – Interesting work on the reconstruction of Bradgate House for a new visitors center at Bradgate Park.
* Tudor Calendar Photography Competition – The Anne Boleyn Files is hosting a calendar photo competition again this year, so pick out your best Tudor-related photos!
* Tudor women: what was life like? – Elizabeth Norton writes about the life of women in all levels of Tudor society
Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for July 2016
New Books
First up is J. Stephan Edwards with The Lady Jane Grey
Sunday Short Takes
Sorry I’ve gotten so far behind again… Some of this is kind of old news now, but still worthwhile to link to.
* Art Fund and Royal Museums Greenwich launch appeal to save Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I
& Britain has two months to raise
Upcoming Books and Continuing Exhibitions for June 2016
New Books
The Tudor Brandons: Mary and Charles – Henry VIII’s Nearest & Dearest by Sarah-Beth Watkins is due out June 1 in the UK and June 24 in the US:
And one new release I missed from last month:
Terry Breveton’s Henry VII: The Maligned Tudor King was released May 15 in the UK and will be out at the end of July in the US (possibly with the alternate title Henry VII: Destiny’s King):
And one book that came out in the UK a few months ago and now out in the US – Amy Licence’s Red Roses: Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort:
There were a few other books I’ve been tracking that now have confusing (or non-existent) release dates that I decided to just leave off and will post when I get more definitive information.
Continuing Exhibitions
America’s Shakespeare opened on April 7 and will run through July 24 and is the second of three exhibitions they will put on, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.
The British Library’s Shakespeare in Ten Acts opened April 15 and will run through September 6. The exhibition is a “Journey through 400 years of history
Sunday Short Takes
A number of big stories lit up my news alerts this week so I guess I couldn’t procrastinate my way though another Sunday without doing a wrap-up! And I’m actually healthy again, which helps a lot. 🙂
This was probably the biggest story that came through:
* Altar cloth kept in rural Herefordshire church confirmed as Tudor cloth linked to Queen Elizabeth I
* And a great video from Historic Royal Palaces – The Bacton Altar Cloth:
Followed by this:
Sunday Short Takes
There were a bunch of Shakespeare events last weekend for the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death (and 452nd anniversary of his birth), and here are a few related articles:
* William Shakespeare, Playwright and Poet, Is Dead at 52 – The New York Times obituary for Shakespeare
* Shakespeare’s ‘original classroom’ revealed – The original classroom where William Shakespeare is believed to have studied and seen his first plays opens to the public for the first time this weekend.
* BBC Shakespeare Lives – The main page for all of the Shakespeare celebrations of the BBC. It looks like at least some (maybe all?) of the videos on this site are viewable outside the UK – yay!
And in other news…
* Princely pleasures at Kenilworth: Robert Dudley’s three-week marriage proposal to Elizabeth I –
Described as Elizabeth I
Upcoming Books and Events for May 2016
I meant to get this post up several days ago but the virus I mentioned a couple of weeks ago has continued to kick my butt so it took a little longer to get around to it than I had anticipated!
Books
The US release of Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger’s In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII will be on May 19, coincidentally the 480th anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution. The book was released in the UK in March.
And in the good timing department – releasing today is Charles Brandon – The King’s Man by Sarah Bryson.
John Guy’s latest Tudor work, Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years, which covers the later years of the Queen’s reign, will be released on May 3 in the US and May 5 in the UK.
The first novel in Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen will be released May 5 in the UK and May 31 in the US.
Kristie Dean’s newest book, On the Trail of Richard III will be out on May 5 in the UK and the US edition will be released later in the summer.
Next up is The Reluctant Ambassador: The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Chaloner, a Tudor Diplomat by Dan O’Sullivan, which is out May 15 in the UK and will be out in July in the US.
And finally for this month – The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman is out May 19 in the UK and July 12 in the US.
New Event
Alison Weir will give a talk entitled Richard III: The Man and the Myth in conjunction with the Red Rose Chain’s production of Shakespeare’s Richard III at The Avenue Theatre in Ipswich on Saturday May 7 at 6:00 p.m. Click the link for more details!
Continuing Exhibitions
Ending this month:
Westminster Abbey’s 500 Years of Wonder will celebrate the quincentennial of the completion of Henry VII’s Lady Chapel with some special events between April 21st and May 5 including a concert, services, and lectures.
By me William Shakespeare: A Life in Writing opened at the National Archives on February 3 and will run through May 29 and features Shakespeare’s will as the centerpiece of the exhibition.
The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin launched Shakespeare in Print and Performance on December 21, 2015 and it will run through May 29, 2016. (I finally got a chance to go over and see this on my lunch hour a few weeks ago and I’ll have a write-up sometime soon.)
And things you still have a little more time to catch:
America’s Shakespeare opened on April 7 and will run through July 24 and is the second of three exhibitions they will put on, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.
The British Library’s Shakespeare in Ten Acts opened April 15 and will run through September 6. The exhibition is a “Journey through 400 years of history
Sunday Short Takes
A terse round-up this week since I think a cold virus has finally managed to catch me… I’m really surprised it took this long given the exhaustion I’ve had over the past 8 months and the fact that I interact with college students, globe-trotting faculty and research scientists, the general public, and school-aged kids on a regular basis! I guess my immune system just didn’t have enough energy left to fight off this one.
* Conservation plan set to preserve Woking Palace’s future
* Shakespeare first folio discovered at stately home on Scottish island
Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for April 2016
Books
One book I missed that came out in late March was Jerry Bortton’s This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World which was released March 24 in the UK and March 22 for an international edition (including the US):
And another was the second of Tony Riches’s Tudor Trilogy of historical fiction novels: Jasper, which was released on March 22 in the UK and US.
Two new books with UK releases this month (and later or unknown-at-this-time US releases):
First up is Insurrection: Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and the Pilgrimage of Grace by Susan Loughlin, which will be released on April 4 in the UK and in July in the US.
And the second is Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII’s Fifth Queen by Josephine Wilkinson, which is out April 7 in the UK and on the Kindle in the US, but I don’t have a release date for the hardcover in the US yet.
New Events and Exhibitions
Believe it or not, I have one addition to this round-up that is isn’t Shakespeare related!
Westminster Abbey’s 500 Years of Wonder will celebrate the quincentennial of the completion of Henry VII’s Lady Chapel with some special events between April 21st and May 5 including a concert, services, and lectures.
And now, back to the Shakespeare events. 🙂
America’s Shakespeare will open on April 7 and run through July 24 and is the second of three exhibitions they will put on, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.
The British Library’s Shakespeare in Ten Acts opens April 15 and will run through September 6. The exhibition is a “Journey through 400 years of history
Sunday Short Takes
There were a couple of stories that really lit up my alerts this week, so I chose a couple of representative links. And I just realized that both of these graves were places I visited last year, so I’ve added a couple of photos.
Light projection showing the placement of Richard III’s skeleton in the grave.
* Armchair archaeologists can explore Richard III’s grave in online model – An interactive model of King Richard III
In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII Blog Tour – May the Force be with You
I’m happy to be the final stop on the blog tour for Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris’ newest book: In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, following their previous fantastic title, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn. In this post, Sarah will share her top five locations that left an imprint on her. I don’t think that Sarah knew I’m a life-long Star Wars fan but I got a little thrill when I saw the title for her guest article. 🙂
By Sarah Morris
Over the last three to four years, I have been privileged to travel to around 130 locations associated with each of Henry VIII
Sunday Short Takes
Sunday Short Takes Mega Edition! This is what happens when I actually have time to do things. (I took Spring Break off at work – although the fact that I was able to mostly use comp time accrued in the last month to take the *whole week* off tells you something…)
More interesting Shakespeare news:
* Shakespeare’s grave scanned in 400th anniversary – Shakespeare’s grave in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon has never been excavated, but a scan has been carried out to search below ground. The findings are expected to be revealed in the next few weeks.
* William Shakespeare’s handwritten plea for refugees to go online – Sir Thomas More script is only surviving copy of a play in the bard
Upcoming Books and Events for March 2016
Even with an extra day in February this year, it seemed to fly by!
Books
One book that I missed in last month’s round-up that came out in early February is John Dudley – The Life of Lady Jane Grey’s Father-in-Law by Christine Hartweg, who runs the great All Things Robert Dudley site.
In new books this month, first up is Amy License’s latest, Red Roses: Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort. It is out March 7 in the UK and the US Kindle edition is out March 15.
Next up is So Great a Prince: England in 1509 by Lauren Johnson, which is out in the UK on March 10 (I don’t have info on a US release at this point). The book takes a look at England at the time of the death of Henry VII and the accession of the 17-year-old Henry VIII.
And finally for this month – Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger have teamed up again for In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII: The visitor’s companion to the palaces, castles & houses associated with Henry VIII’s iconic queens, a sequel of sorts to their previous collaboration In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn. The book is out March 15 in the UK and May 19 the US. Stay tuned for a post here on TudorHistory.org as part of Sarah and Natalie’s blog tour for the book!
Continuing Exhibitions
I can’t hope to find all of the Shakespeare exhibitions being put on this year, so I’m mainly trying to get the big ones and a few I come across that are outside the UK. If you’re in the UK and want to keep up with special events occurring throughout the year, check out Shakespeare400.
Shakespeare Documented – Celebrating 400 years of William Shakespeare with an online exhibition documenting Shakespeare in his own time. The partners in this exhibition include The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, The British Library, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and The National Archives. The exhibition will continue to expand throughout the year.
Shakespeare, Life of an Icon opened January 20 at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC and will run through March 27. This is the first of three exhibitions they will put on, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.
By me William Shakespeare: A Life in Writing opened at the National Archives on February 3 and will run through May 29 and features Shakespeare’s will as the centerpiece of the exhibition.
Windsor Castle will host Shakespeare in the Royal Library from February 13 through January 1, 2017 and includes works of Shakespeare collected by the royal family, accounts of performances at Windsor Castle, and art by members of the royal family inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.
The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin launched Shakespeare in Print and Performance on December 21, 2015 and it will run through May 29, 2016.
Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee opened January 18 and will run through July 29, 2016 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Sunday Short Takes
The Sunday Short Takes have accidentally become a monthly thing of late, but that’s just the way it has worked out between lack of enough stories on a weekly basis and my recent work schedule. But I actually had a whole weekend and enough stories today, so here we go!
* The March issue of BBC History Magazine is a Tudor special – it’s on my iPad now just waiting for me to find enough time to read it!
* Getting Clean, the Tudor Way – A historian attempts to follow Tudor hygiene with a daily regime of linen underwear. – Excerpted from How to Be a Tudor by Ruth Goodman – currently on my Audible wishlist 🙂
* Researchers seek Henry VII’s Pembroke Castle birthplace – Details of the exact location of Henry VII’s birthplace at Pembroke Castle could be uncovered by researchers using geophysical techniques. – I’ll keep an eye out for their results!
Upcoming Books and Events for February 2016
Books
Ruth Goodman’s How to Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life was released in early November 2015 in the UK and will be out February 15 in the US:
And Amy Licence’s Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance was released in January in the US and will be out February 15 in the UK:
New Exhibitions
I can’t hope to find all of the Shakespeare exhibitions being put on this year, so I’m mainly trying to get the big ones and a few I come across that are outside the UK. If you’re in the UK and want to keep up with special events occurring throughout the year, check out Shakespeare400.
Celebrating 400 years of William Shakespeare with an online exhibition documenting Shakespeare in his own time. The partners in this exhibition include The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, The British Library, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and The National Archives. The exhibition will continue to expand throughout the year.
Shakespeare, Life of an Icon opened January 20 at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC and will run through March 27. This is the first of three exhibitions they will put on, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.
By me William Shakespeare: A Life in Writing opens at the National Archives on February 3 and will run through May 29 and features Shakespeare’s will as the centerpiece of the exhibition.
Windsor Castle will host Shakespeare in the Royal Library from February 13 through January 1, 2017 and includes works of Shakespeare collected by the royal family, accounts of performances at Windsor Castle, and art by members of the royal family inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.
Continuing Exhibitions
The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin launched Shakespeare in Print and Performance on December 21, 2015 and it will run through May 29, 2016.
Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee opened January 18 and will run through July 29, 2016 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Sunday Short Takes
I had no intention of waiting a whole month into the new year to finally post a Sunday Short Takes, but that’s just kind of how things worked out! So here’s a round-up of Tudor history-related news that caught my eye from the very end of 2015 and the first month of 2016:
* Archaeologists believe Thames gold hoard may have come from Tudor hat – Experts say 12 tiny pieces of gold recovered from the banks of the Thames may have come from a hat blown off the head of a high-status Tudor figure
Upcoming Books and Events for January 2016
Happy New Year! I’ll have a proper post later with a wrap-up of last year and some things I want to accomplish in 2016 but for now – on to the round-up for January!
Books
I’ll start out with a couple of books that have already been released in the UK and will be out later in January in the US:
Elizabeth Norton’s The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen is out January 4 in the US –
Alison Weir’s latest Tudor biography is The Lost Tudor Princess: The Life of Margaret Douglas Countess of Lennox will be released January 12 in the US –
And in new books this month, Amy Licence’s Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance will be released January 19 in the US and February 15 in the UK –
Events
Peterborough Cathedral’s annual Katharine of Aragon Festival will be January 28 to 31 this year. I was so happy to finally get a chance to visit Peterborough in 2015 and maybe some year I’ll find myself there at the end of January so I can visit during the festival.
New Exhibitions
Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee opens January 18 and will run through July 29, 2016 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
From the website:
Our exhibition explores Dee through his personal library. On display for the first time are Dee’s mathematical, astronomical and alchemical texts, many elaborately annotated and illustrated by Dee’s own hand. Now held in the collections of the Royal College of Physicians, they reveal tantalising glimpses into the ‘conjuror’s mind’.
Continuing Exhibitions
The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin launched Shakespeare in Print and Performance on December 21, 2015 and it will run through May 29, 2016.
Sunday Short Takes
Short round-up this week, but I wanted to get one more in before the Solstice, Festivus, and Christmas so I could wish everyone celebrating a “Happy Holidays”!
One story lit up my alerts more than anything else this week:
* The Lost Tiltyard Tower – Archaeologists at Hampton Court Palace have uncovered the remains of one of the palace
Sunday Short Takes
Even though I had a bunch of articles last weekend, I didn’t get around to doing a round-up post. So, here’s an extra big one!
Lots of Shakespeare news in the past couple of weeks, which I’m sure is just the beginning of the Bard frenzy we’ll see in the next few months leading up to the 400th anniversary of his death in April 2016.
First up – several articles about the recent discoveries in the dig at New Place in Stratford (I admit, I tried to sneak a peek when I was in the town in May but I couldn’t see much):
