Tudor Period Information

From: 1485
To: 1603

Monarchs:
Henry VII (1485 to 1509)
Henry VIII (1509 to 1547)
Edward VI (1547 to 1553)
Lady Jane Grey (July 1553)
Mary I (Bloody Mary) (1553 to 1558)
Elizabeth I (1558 to 1603)

Religion: The Church of England (today, Anglican Church). Basically, the King was Head of Church, and main authority in matters of doctrine. Catholicism, the previous religion, was outlawed, and even though some people still practice it, they do so in the privacy of their own homes and keep their faith carefully hidden from prying eyes. Being accused of being a Catholic is not a comfortable situation, and often used against enemies.

War and Peace: As is normal for most nations, friends and enemies changed eventually, but France, Spain and Scotland had been constant foes to England. The King’s marriage to the current Queen improved relations with Scotland greatly, but things are still on shaky ground with France and Spain. When there were important battles and the King felt the need to be there, he would leave a man he trusted in charge of Parliament, and the Queen would make a point of writing every time a messenger was available, letting the King know everything that was happening and being said in Court.

Besides sometimes forcing the King away from his country and his wife, wars also had a huge financial cost, and a cost in lives, so they were clearly unpopular, especially when taxes had to be raised to fund them. The King’s privy council, a group of selected men who analyzed the affairs of state, either advised him to go to war or to try and broker peace, depending on the current situation in the kingdom. The Queen, on the other hand, whenever asked, would always advise her husband to try for peace, as she feared losing him or seeing him returned home gravely injured. Whenever the King must go, though, she will support him as well as possible, like a good wife should.

Daily life in the period:

Poverty
About one-third of the population lived in poverty, and the wealthy were expected to give alms (charitable donations of either money or goods, even a free education may be involved) to the impotent poor. The poor who were able to work were expected to, and could be punished if they didn’t.

Health and Diseases
Child mortality was low in comparison with earlier and later periods, at about 150 or fewer deaths per 1000 babies. By age 15 one could expect 40 or 50 more years of life, making the regular life expectancy of around 55 or 65 years.

Although home to only a small part of the population, the Tudor municipalities were overcrowded and unhygienic. Most towns were unpaved with poor public sanitation. There were no sewers or drains, and garbage was simply abandoned in the street. Animals such as rats thrived in these conditions. In larger towns and cities, such as London, common diseases arising from lack of sanitation included smallpox, measles, malaria, typhus, diphtheria, Scarlet fever, and chickenpox. That was one of the main reasons why royal palaces were abundant out in the country, so the royal family could be quickly relocated in case of an outbreak.

Outbreaks of the Black Death pandemic occurred in 1498, 1535, 1543, 1563, 1589 and 1603. The reason for the speedy spread of the disease was the increase of rats infected by fleas carrying the disease.

Another very common illness at the time was the sweating sickness. It was a mysterious and highly contagious disease that struck England, and later continental Europe, in a series of epidemics beginning in 1485. The last outbreak occurred in 1551, after which the disease apparently vanished. The onset of symptoms was dramatic and sudden, with death often occurring within hours.

The disease tended to occur in summer and early autumn. The symptoms and signs as described by physician John Caius and others were as follows: The disease began very suddenly with a sense of apprehension, followed by cold shivers (sometimes very violent), giddiness, headache and severe pains in the neck, shoulders and limbs, with great exhaustion. After the cold stage, which might last from half an hour to three hours, the hot and sweating stage followed. The characteristic sweat broke out suddenly without any obvious cause. Accompanying the sweat, or after was a sense of heat, headache, delirium, rapid pulse, and intense thirst. Palpitation and pain in the heart were frequent symptoms. No skin eruptions were noted by observers including Caius. In the final stages, there was either general exhaustion and collapse, or an irresistible urge to sleep, which Caius thought to be fatal if the patient was permitted to give way to it. One attack did not offer immunity, and some people suffered several bouts before dying.

Homes and Dwelling
The majority of the population lived in small villages. Their homes were, as in earlier centuries, thatched huts with one or two rooms, although later on during this period, roofs were also tiled. Furniture was basic, with stools being commonplace rather than chairs. The walls of Tudor houses were often made from timber and wattle and daub, or brick; stone and tiles were more common in the wealthier homes. The daub was usually then painted with limewash, making it white. The bricks were handmade and thinner than modern bricks. The wooden beams were cut by hand, and were often not straight. The upper floors of Tudor houses were often larger than the ground floors, which would create an overhang. This would create more floor-surface above while also keeping maximum street width. During the Tudor period, the use of glass when building houses was first used, and became widespread. It was very expensive and difficult to make, so the panes were made small and held together with a lead lattice, in casement windows. People who could not afford glass often used polished horn, cloth or even paper. Tudor chimneys were tall, thin, and often decorated with symmetrical patterns of molded or cut brick. Early Tudor houses, and the homes of poorer people, did not have chimneys. The smoke in these cases would be let out through a simple hole in the roof.

Mansions had many chimneys for the many fireplaces required to keep the vast rooms warm. These fires were also the only way of cooking food. Wealthy Tudor homes needed many rooms, where a large number of guests and servants could be accommodated, fed and entertained. Wealth was demonstrated by the extensive use of glass. Windows became the main feature of Tudor mansions, and were often a fashion statement. Mansions were often designed to a symmetrical plan; "E" and "H" shapes were popular.

Education
There was an unprecedented expansion of education in the Tudor period. Until then, few children went to school. Those that did go were mainly the sons of wealthy or ambitious fathers who could afford to pay the attendance fee. Boys were allowed to go to school and began at the age of 4, they then moved to grammar school when they were 7 years old. Girls were either kept at home by their parents to help with housework or sent out to work to bring money in for the family. They were not sent to school. Boys were educated for work and the girls for marriage and running a household so when they got married they could look after the house and children. Wealthy families hired a tutor to teach the boys at home. Many Tudor towns and villages had a parish school where the local vicar taught boys to read and write. Brothers could teach their sisters these skills. At school, pupils were taught English, Latin, Greek, catechism and arithmetic. The pupils practiced writing in ink by copying the alphabet and the Lord's Prayer. There were few books, so pupils read from hornbooks instead. These wooden boards had the alphabet, prayers or other writings pinned to them and were covered with a thin layer of transparent cow's horn. There were two types of school in Tudor times: petty school was where young boys were taught to read and write; grammar school was where upscale boys were taught English and Latin. It was usual for students to attend six days a week. The school day started at 7:00 am in winter and 6:00 am in summer and finished about 5:00 pm. Petty schools had shorter hours, mostly to allow poorer boys the opportunity to work as well. Schools were harsh and teachers were very strict, often beating pupils who misbehaved.

There were two universities in Tudor England: Oxford and Cambridge. Some boys went to university at the age of about 14.

Pastimes
Watching plays became very popular during the Tudor period. This popularity was helped by the rise of great playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as well as the building of the Globe Theater in London. By 1595, 15,000 people a week were watching plays in London. It was during Elizabeth's reign that the first real theaters were built in England. Before theaters were built, actors traveled from town to town and performed in the streets or outside inns. The rich enjoyed fencing and jousting and hunting as well as hawking.

The Monarch and the Nobleman (or woman)
Note: I am basing a lof ot the information mostly on the years during which Henry VIII occupied the throne, as he was a very long reigning monarch, and a lot of relevant facts happened during his time as King.

The Monarchy was, by this time, viewed as a divine right. The King was not only seen as chosen by God, but as a smaller kind of god himself. It was even believed that a touch from the King could cure - a tradition called ‘touching for the king’s evil’, in which the King imposed hands on many people who believed this would bring cure to their ailments. It was commonly used for illnesses that were not life-threatening and often went into remission on their own, which gave the impression that the person had been healed by the king’s hands.

Every king - and most noblemen - placed very high value in offspring, either boys or girls. Boys were extremely important, since it was tradition for a boy to inherit the throne or title, and thus man desired at least an heir and a spare. Girls, despite ranked below brothers, were also valuable as pawns in the negotiations of peace - just like Queen Esther had been at the hands of her father.

As for mistresses, they were socially accepted, and generally know, and their children, albeit unable to inherit the throne or title, were raised as their father’s children, with all the commodities a legitimate child would have, and generally publicly known to be their father’s.

It was, then, by this time that kings started being referred to as “Your Majesty”. Other nobility ranks, close to the throne, were referred to as “Your Royal Highness”, and non-royal nobles were referred to as “Your Grace”. The King was often, despite his title, referred to as a Prince (example: “we have a good and generous prince”), since the true King was considered to be God himself.