Description
Book SynopsisThe turbulent Tudor age never fails to capture the imagination. But what was it actually like to be a woman during this period? This was a time when death in infancy or during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education of women was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and characterful women in a way that no era had been before. Elizabeth Norton explores the seven ages of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister who died in infancy; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones.
Trade ReviewEssential reading for Tudor fans and scholars alike! I could not put it down -- Alison Weir
Groundbreaking... Widely researched and beautifully written, this is vivid and compelling history' -- Sarah Gristwood
Norton has already published books on five of the Tudor Queens and is well-placed to write this book... Ideal for scholars (the bibliography covers almost twenty pages) while still remaining thoroughly accessible to the general reader' * The Bookbag *
An impressive sweep through the Tudor period... A splendid book – highly readable, informative and impressively researched... Highly recommended for anyone interested in women's lives and/or in this fascinating period of English history' * Shiny New Books *
A fascinating glimpse of Tudor life is presented... this is a potentially difficult brief handled with great success and can be warmly recommended' * History of Royals *
Cleverly structured * Choice magazine *
Thanks to this incredibly well written and fascinating book, the women who lined the routes of Coronation processions and royal progresses throughout the Tudor age will no longer be anonymous faces in the crowd -- Lady Jane Grey
A brilliant idea for a book, and Norton executes it beautifully * BBC History magazine *
Fascinating... Rises above the level of gallimaufry and, as so often, it's the little details about everyday life that will stay with you' * Catholic Herald. *
The Seymour scandal [...] would lead to the creation of the Virgin Queen, a process chronicled in great depth in this extraordinary account of the early Elizabethan years * Historical Trips UK. *
A highly illuminating and delightful read, and can be highly recommended -- Isabel Busch, Haus der FrauenGeschichte
