Every Wednesday, writer and historian Ann Foster tweets about the women of Tudor history under the hashtagย #SixWivesNoHenry. On her eponymous blog, she takes us on in-depth Tudor time travels, picking apart convoluted family trees and 16th-century political intrigue with clarity and wit.
Her love of history is infectious, and her combination of ease and erudition brings her historical subjects to life — some well-known, some seldom written about. But we’ll let her blog speak for itself; here are tantalizing bits from a few of our recent favorites.
As a wedding gift, he lavished her with a castle and gowns and jewels. And she gave himโฆ a giant pair of scissors. He was like, โWait, what?โ and then she and one of her ladies-in-waiting forced him to cut off his beard. Amazing. She may have been sixteen years younger than her husband, but she wasnโt about to let him take control of their relationship (or make his own facial hair decisions anymore.)
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Margery was first arrested for sorcery in 1432, at which time she was put in prison at Windsor Castle. While in jail, she made the acquaintance of Friar John Ashwell, a cleric proficient in astronomy as well as the scholar Roger Bolingbroke. Both Ashwell and Bolingbroke were proficient in astronomy, and after spending time in jail at the same time as Margery, they seem to have all become good friends. Margery was eventually released from prison under two conditions: that she refrain from further witchcraft, and that she be on good behaviour from then on. Margeryโฆ did not do either of those things.
– “Astrology, Treason, Witchcraft, and the Downfall of Eleanor Cobham and Margery Jourdemayne”
This is where the secrecy of Edward and Elizabethโs marriage came back to bite them. Because one of the reasons royals have huge party weddings is so that everybody knows whoโs married who, so thereโs no question about who did what and when. But Richard was like, โEdward had a secret pre-contract to marry some other random woman who is conveniently now dead! Which means he was never able to legally marry Elizabeth! Mwa ha ha ha,โ which is how he talked, because he was THE WORST.
Ready for more? Head to Ann’s site to read the full posts or lose yourself in her archives. And for even more court intrigue and dynastic scheming, take a look atย Anne Thรฉriault’s “Queens of Infamy” series at our sister site, Longreads.
Love, love, love it!
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Wow, Michelle, this is an awesomely written post, making me want to hustle right over there and follow the site! And you gave us a live link! Woo-hoo!
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Love this! Iโm a new blogger would love tips if you have any? ๐
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Welcome! This site is chock-full of all our best tips; have a look around ๐
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Thank you!
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Great post – very engaging!
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On first glance at the portrait (at the beginning of this post), I’m inclined to conclude, “What a sour puss!” Then I drew closer to examine the facial expression. Guess what I found? A kind, gentlewoman of her time, exuding a sweetness on her left side and a woman of competence on her right. I would liked to have known her. By the way, who is she?
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She’s Margaret Beaufort, and Ann’s blog has an excellent post about her ๐
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Oh, I just read all of Ann’s posts, including the one on Margaret. So that’s what she looked like in her elderly years. Still beautiful.
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loved it!
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Iโm glad I found this, itโs going to be a fun read.
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nice love
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amazing post!
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Amazing, that is well written.
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The way it’s written….. Fabulous! Keep them coming!
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Oh my gosh, this is fantastic. Can’t wait to read more!
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Love. Love. LOVE this so much! โค
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Oh my god thank you so much!! So flattered and thrilled you thought to feature my lil stories ๐
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You’re so welcome! We love them — keep it up. Hope you get some new fans from this ๐
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Oh Henry, you’re such a pain in the neck! -Anne, 1536.
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back to history ๐
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I have been very vocal in my household and as a teacher about how much I hated my history classes. When I met my husband, that changed. He told me wild stories with details I’d never, ever heard before. Ann Foster has that same feel–details that make us laugh and cry and connect us. That’s history.
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This is right up my street, can’t wait to open a bottle of white and cackle away!
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If only today’s students would realize that today’s world leaders (or non-leaders) are making the history that our great-grandchildren will read about and study, then they’d realize that “history” is made up of stories of real live people in real times, only in the past. Perhaps, then, they’d find history fascinating.
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Great read! I canโt wait to read more.
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I love history!
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I really love your postings. Following you ๐
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Your work is great. Your writing is very lively. I love it!
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Woww love all of them! I love history as well, it’s so much fun.
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Without history we wouldn’t know what happened in the past and how to waive our live along. It is really fun to ready a beautiful piece from writers like Ann and become student of history๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐
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I am addicted to this era. So excited to read more each week.
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Talk about the absurdity and tragic terror of the Tudor court. Henry was too preoccupied with beheading wives and allies within the court to get his own head together on his future traction. Today, he stands to be be a part of nasty gallows humour and intellectual ridicule.
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My name is Ann Foster too, and I was named after my great (x10) grandmother who came over from England in the 1600s just after the Mayflower! What irony!!!
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