The Tudors for Dummies (AvaxHome Download) (3 page)

Attempting to Remove Elizabeth ............................................................... 233

Plotting with Ridolfi, 1572 ................................................................. 235

Dodging the bullet ............................................................................. 235

Plotting with Throckmorton, 1583 ................................................... 236

Rooting out Gregory's Jesuits .......................................................... 237

Plotting with Babington, 1586 .......................................................... 238

Counting the costs of the plots ........................................................ 238

Dealing with Irish Rebellion ....................................................................... 239

Tackling the O'Neills.......................................................................... 240

Stamping out the past ....................................................................... 241

Proliferating plantations ................................................................... 241

Attempting to liberate Ireland .......................................................... 242

Imposing the peace? .......................................................................... 242

Handling Parliament .................................................................................... 243

Sparking religious fervour ................................................................ 244

Controlling the MPs ........................................................................... 245 xviii The Tudors For Dummies

Grumbling with the Godly .......................................................................... 246

Thrashing the theatres (and everything else enjoyable!) ............ 246

Pressing the Presbyterians ............................................................... 247

Silencing the separatists ................................................................... 248

Wondering about Witchcraft...................................................................... 248

Preying on the poor ........................................................................... 249

Going bump in the night ................................................................... 249

Hanging with the witches.................................................................. 250

Putting things in perspective ........................................................... 250

Chapter 15: Facing the Armada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Provoking Philip of Spain ........................................................................... 251

Walking a fine line .............................................................................. 252

Tightening up? .................................................................................... 252

Stacking the deck in England's favour ............................................ 253

Plotting in the Shadows .............................................................................. 253

Helping the Low Countries ......................................................................... 254

Lording it over the Low Countries................................................... 254

Revolting in the Netherlands ............................................................ 256

Plundering with El Draco .................................................................. 257

Preparing for Invasion ................................................................................ 258

Talking tactics with Elizabeth .......................................................... 259

Firing the fire ships ............................................................................ 260

Losing Santa Cruz, and gaining Medina Sidonia ............................ 261

Smashing the Armada ................................................................................. 262

Sighting the Spaniards....................................................................... 262

Preparing Dad's Army ....................................................................... 263

Keeping the crescent ......................................................................... 264

Battling off Gravelines ....................................................................... 264

Limping home ..................................................................................... 265

Inspiring the troops ........................................................................... 265

Winning the Battle, Not the War ................................................................ 266

Considering another invasion .......................................................... 267

Lining up for a rematch? ................................................................... 267

Dispensing with Drake....................................................................... 268

Chapter 16: Ending an Era: 1590�1603. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

Dashing Devereux: Elizabeth's Last Fling ................................................. 269

Did they/didn't they? ......................................................................... 270

Climbing the promotion ladder........................................................ 270

Failing in France ................................................................................. 271

Stirring up the Council ...................................................................... 271

Tackling Tyrone ................................................................................. 272

Rebelling with Essex .......................................................................... 274

Looking Beyond England ............................................................................ 275

Saying Farewell to Gloriana ........................................................................ 277

Gangin' Doon wi' Wee Jamie, or Going Down with King James VI ........ 278 Table of Contents xix Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................ 281

Chapter 17: Ten Top Tudor People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283

Anne Askew (1521�1546) ............................................................................ 283

Bess of Hardwick (1527�1608) ................................................................... 284

Christopher Marlowe (1564�1593) ............................................................ 285

Cecily Bodenham (?�1543?) ....................................................................... 287

Elizabeth Throckmorton (1565�c.1647).................................................... 288

Dr John Dee (1527�1608) ............................................................................ 289

John Foxe (1516�1587) ................................................................................ 290

Martin Frobisher (c.1535�1594) ................................................................. 291

Polydore Vergil (c1470�1555) .................................................................... 292

William Shakespeare (1564�1616) ............................................................. 293

Chapter 18: Ten Things the Tudors Did for Us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297

Civilising the Nobility .................................................................................. 297

Encouraging Self-government .................................................................... 298

Building Up Parliament ............................................................................... 299

Breaking with Rome .................................................................................... 299

Building the Navy ........................................................................................ 300

Putting a Woman on the Throne ............................................................... 301

Messing Up Ireland ...................................................................................... 302

Bringing in Bad Habits ................................................................................ 302

Widening Horizons ...................................................................................... 303

Widening the (English) Channel ................................................................ 303

Chapter 19: Ten Top Tudor Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305

Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Shottery, Warwickshire ................................ 305

Burghley House, Stamford.......................................................................... 306

Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight............................................................... 307

Compton Wynyates, Warwickshire ........................................................... 307

Deal Castle, Kent .......................................................................................... 308

The Great Court of Trinity College, Cambridge ....................................... 309

Hampton Court, London ............................................................................. 309

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire ......................................................................... 310

Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London ................................... 311

Penshurst Place, Kent ................................................................................. 311

Chapter 20: Ten Major Tudor Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313

The First Tudor King, Henry VII (1485)..................................................... 313

Henry VIII's Coronation (1509) .................................................................. 314

Breaking with Rome (1534) ........................................................................ 314

Anne Boleyn's execution (1536) ................................................................ 315

Dissolution of the Monasteries (1540) ...................................................... 315

Elizabeth I's Ascension (1558) ................................................................... 316

Birth of William Shakespeare (1564) ......................................................... 316 xx The Tudors For Dummies

Conflict with the Papacy (1570) ................................................................. 317

War with Spain (1585) ................................................................................. 318

England's Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588)...................................... 318

Chapter 21: Ten Tudor Firsts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

Sailing into the First Dry Dock, Portsmouth (1495) ................................ 321

Building the First Printing Press in England, London (1500) ................. 322

Publishing the First Cookery Book, London (1500) ................................ 323

Playing the First Lottery in England (1569) .............................................. 323

Navigating with the First County Maps in England (1579) ..................... 324

Writing with the First Shorthand System (1588) ..................................... 325

Inventing the First Knitting Frame (1589)................................................. 326

Flushing the First Water Closet (1596) ..................................................... 327

Nibbling the First Tomatoes in England (1597) ....................................... 327

Drinking the First Coffee in England (1599) ............................................. 328

Index ....................................................................... 331

T he Tudors are in fashion. More than 500 years after the key events of the

period, scholars, novelists and film-makers are flocking back to the 16th

century. Fortunately, the Tudors left behind loads of clues as to who they

were and what they wanted from life and for England. For example, in many

ways the Tudor portrait painter Hans Holbein was the best publicist before

Max Clifford!

The earlier, medieval rulers suffer from poor publicity, and if you want to

study them, much of the research involves dry official records (accounts and

grants for the most part). If you're interested in Henry VIII or Elizabeth I, how-

ever, you have stacks of correspondence � some of it official, but much of it

personal. Busy secretaries and ambassadors were writing everything down.

Scholars have even uncovered Henry VIII's love letters (or at least some of

them). Of course, these sources didn't always get the details right, but that's

where the fun begins. The official records still exist, of course, but with the

Tudors you can finally get in touch with England's leaders as human beings.

The Tudor monarchs made mistakes, messed up matters and came up with

some very creative solutions � and you can follow all the twists and turns in

this book.

Additionally, the Tudors really were important. Many buildings you visit

(and perhaps live in) throughout England and Wales were built in the 16th

century. Institutions that you may take for granted, such as the Church of

England or Parliament, were invented or took on new importance while the

Tudors were on the throne.

About This Book

This book aims to tell the Tudor story the way it happened; not the whole

story, of course � that would take a whole library of books � but enough

to give you an idea of what was going on from 1485�1603. We're historians

who've been writing about the Tudors for years, but we know that doesn't

go for most of you and so we keep things simple (no offence!), which isn't

always easy. Henry VIII's love life, for instance, defies all attempts to simplify,

as does Elizabeth's on/off search for a husband. But we hope to help you

understand why these events were so important and why they took up so

much time and effort.