The Tudors...My Birthday Gift for 2014

The start of this new year 2014.

 A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my birthday,  my good hubby bought me a video series 

for my birthday gift....

"The Tudors" 

The Royal Collection Series. I am so into it...

Their are as many as 15+ blue ray CD's, including extra features.

Almost every night I watch an episode, or two...With my iPad at my side, for quick internet reference...

Now and again I pause my show, to search out web sites,  for more factual info. 

For I must say, this series,  at times takes liberties with historic fact's. 

One such inaccuracies I found was about Mary Tudor, the kings sister. The series states she married an old Portugal King, but in fact it was 52 year old King of France,
King, Louis XII at Abbeville. 

was 34 years older than Mary - Louis XII, King of France, described as "feeble and pocky" and not a very pleasing prospect for a young, healthy and beautiful princess. 

See tree below- shows Mary Tudor in fact married the King of France, not Portugal!

At any rate,  Mary Tudor the sister to King Henry VIII,  was said to be very beautiful.
The actress that played Mary Tudor, is also a beauty!

  Gabrielle Anwar

Thank you Voracious Minds for images and information

Their were many Mary's, Catherine's, Anne's...

It can be a bit confusing at first, but I associated a first name with their position, 

it becomes a bit easier to sort them all out. Often time's though,  the first and last name are the same.

An example of this is Mary Tudor...

Same name for sister and daughter of the king.

The daughter of King Henry VIII, was also named Mary, after his sister.

Princess Mary, Mary Tudor, Queen Mary 1. 

The most famous name given to this Mary was...

"Bloody Mary"

*

read about Blood Mary

The cruel persecution of the Protestants, which has cast so much infamy upon her reign, was not due, as commonly supposed, to inhumanity on her part. When the kingdom was reconciled to Rome and absolved by Cardinal Pole, it followed, almost as a matter of necessity, that the old heresy laws should be revived, as they were then by Act of Parliament.

 I have read a few books about the Tudors...

The incredible author Antonia Fraser writes biased on fact! 

Her book The Six Wives Of Henry The VIII, is imbued with historic accuracy. 

So when watching the TV series on CD,  I had a good idea of what was fiction and what was non fiction.

I too have enjoyed novels...

 The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Although her novels may not be considered, completely historically sound, it come close...

Never the less, both books were extremely entertaining! 

Not to mention the entertaining movie based on her book.

I have had a growing and deep interest in the Tudors.
The historically precise Tudors!

Ever since my first trip in 1998, to England, it was a fun-filled and  an enlightening 10 day stay in Kent.
 I went to the most gorgeous Leeds Castle, have a peek

 Visiting Tudor castles and cathedrals, a budding interest continues to grow with this royal bunch...

This interest only increased, with my second visit to the UK, in 2009, that also included a week in Wales.

 I dedicated a post to Cathedrals/Churches  below is from Chester Church in Cheshire...

I felt like Catherine of Aragon walking through here....

For the first 530 years it was called Saint Werburgh's Abbey after the remains of the Saint it housed. The Dissolution of the Monasteries saw it become a cathedral. It was thanks to the admiration of King Henry VIII that it has survived.

I typed up another post of my trip to Wales,  Castles... 

Along with steams engine trips around the country side and other great 

English stuff...

like clotted cream and scones!!!

Anyway, back to the series.....

I've left off with King Henry beheading his fifth wife, the young Catherine Howard...poor little chick!  

What does any girl of 17-18 years really know of marriage, and in her case, marriage 

to a selfish and cruel king!

Below* 

Paintings of all 6 queens and the actress that played them in the series...

 The Tudors

Below are links to the history on each queen...

1-Katherine of Aragon - divorced
2- Anne Boleyn           - beheaded
3- Jane Seymour         - died after childbirth    
4- Anne of Cleeves     - divorced
5- Catherine Howard  - beheaded
6- Catherine Parr        - died after childbirth

Well that's my sh-peel about my Birthday present. 

The Tudors Royal Collection!

...as they say in England, "ta-ra"