IINNSSIIDDEE EENNGGLLAANNDD’’SS MMOOSSTT IINNFFAAMMOOUUSS RROOYYAALL FFAAMMIILLYY TTTUUUDDD RRRSSS 001_AAH_Tudors.indd 1 17/06/2015 14:12 TUD RRSS CCCOOONNNTTTEEENNNTTTSSS Few royal dynasties have attracted as much hype as the Tudors. Their’s is a tale of murder, adultery, incest and scandal, and their reign changed the face of England forever. In this digital edition, we get inside the minds of its most famous players, to find out what really went down in the age of the Tudors. Alicea Francis Deputy Editor 04 War of the Roses 48 Tudor Empire Inside England’s very own Learn how conniving game of thrones explorers stole the Americas 16 Henry VIII 56 Tudor musician How the murderous king made Find out what a typical day his mark as a warlord would have entailed 24 Anne Boleyn 58 Shakespeare’s Globe Follow the tragic downfall of See how the theatre would 04 Henry VIII’s second wife have looked in the Tudor era 32 Bloody Mary 60 Shakespeare Could she be England’s most the rebel infamous queen? What political messages are 24 hidden within his works? 36 Elizabeth I Discover the turbulent truth behind her Golden Age 16 Be part of history www.historyanswers.co.uk /AllAboutHistory @AboutHistoryMag 2 002-003_AAH_Tudors.indd 2 17/06/2015 14:13 60 36 48 3 002-003_AAH_Tudors.indd 3 17/06/2015 14:13 WAR OF ROSTHE ES In war, blood is power, blood is family, blood is everything. England’s War of the Roses split a country in two and left the bones of its people scattered across its green and pleasant lands Written by Robert Jones I t was 1453 and England was still at war with Back in England, Henry VI – shy, pious and its old enemy France. Since the legendary days noncombatant – was busy being dominated by his of King Henry V, the warrior king who spilled powerful and ruthless wife, Margaret of Anjou, the the blood of the noble enemy in spades at niece of the French King Charles VII, as well as Agincourt and secured England’s claim to the his feuding court nobles, with Henry cow-towing tactically important province of Normandy, both to both and leaving the affairs of England and his great western powers had been fighting nonstop, estate in a paralysing limbo. Amid this turmoil, with England slowly but surely being pushed a year previously the Duke of York, Richard back toward the English Channel. English King Plantagenet, had travelled to London with an army Henry VI’s military affairs were being overseen to present the court with a list of grievances that by the Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort, they and the king were failing to address. This an experienced military commander who was potentially explosive situation had been handled about to suffer the ignobility of losing Bordeaux by Margaret and with the news that she was now and leaving Calais as England’s only remaining pregnant, it helped to re-isolate York and force him territory on the continent. to leave the capital with his tail between his legs. 4 004-015_AAH11.indd 4 17/06/2015 14:14 WAR ROSES 5 004-015_AAH11.indd 5 17/06/2015 14:15 When King Henry VI was told of the final loss to this incapacity, even his wilful and powerful his reduced but still influential position, colluding of Bordeaux he suffered a mental breakdown. wife Margaret was unable to stop the return of the with other nobles to discredit him and undermine Completely unaware of who he was, what was Duke of York and his supporters, a group that now his power and influence. going on around him and how to act toward included Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, one Margaret knew how to work the political system, people, Henry finally let the last tentative grip of England’s major financial and political powers. which relied largely on the noble households. of control he had over England slip through his A Council of Regency was set up and power Richard soon found himself increasingly bypassed fingers. No longer was Henry the softly spoken taken by Richard as Lord Protector of England. when it came to decisions, relegated away from and pious king of old, but instead a dazed half- Once installed, he immediately imprisoned his London and, harried by Margaret at every turn, man, stumbling around his home and court, old enemy, the Duke of Somerset, and backed all he found his allies slipping away. Finally, in early- unable to speak cogently and liable to sudden nobles opposing Henry, shifting the balance of 1455, he decided that enough was enough and bouts of hysteria and aggressive confusion. court in his favour. The weak king had seemingly anticipating impending arrest for treason, raised Henry’s ethereal grasp on reality would go on to been deposed. an army and marched toward London. By the last an entire year. Margaret dealt with him as best While the king was still alive – even if he was standards of the military might that was to come, she could, shielding him from the circling vultures sometimes little more than a gibbering wreck this army of roughly 7,000 men may have been at court and making all decisions regarding the – Richard’s position was always perilous and small, but there was nothing small in the statement rule of the nation for him. However, even she when, on Christmas Day 1454, Henry suddenly that it made: the battle lines between the two couldn’t shield him from his own demons, with and inexplicably regained his senses the balance great noble houses of England and their supporters the king repeatedly heard screaming in the depths of power in this game of thrones shifted yet had been drawn and the country held its breath, ooff nniigghhtt aanndd ccoonnttiinnuuoouussllyy ssttrriicckkeenn wwiitthh bboouuttss ooff aaggaaiinn.. TThhee kkiinngg hhaadd ggoonnee ffrroomm nnoott bbeeiinngg aabbllee ttoo preparing to be plunged headfirst into chaos. aammnneessiiaa.. WWhheenn MMaarrggaarreett eevveennttuuaallllyy ggaavvee bbiirrtthh rreeccooggnniissee aannyyoonnee,, llaauugghhiinngg mmaanniiaaccaallllyy oonn hhiiss oowwnn Richard Plantagenet was now not just ttoo tthheeiirr ssoonn EEddwwaarrdd,, HHeennrryy’’ss mmeennttaall ssttaattee wwaass ttoo tthhee qquuiieett aanndd sshhyy rruulleerr ooff oolldd aallmmoosstt oovveerrnniigghhtt.. contending for control at court but as the nation’s ssoo ddeetteerriioorraatteedd hhee ddiiddnn’’tt rreeccooggnniissee hhiimm.. DDuuee WWiitthh HHeennrryy nnooww rreeccoovveerreedd,, hhiiss qquueeeenn lloosstt nnoo ttiimmee king, and his loyal nobles gathered round him as iinn cchhaalllleennggiinngg YYoorrkk ffoorr tthhee tthhrroonnee aanndd qquuiicckkllyy the leader and figurehead of the House of York. rree--eessttaabblliisshheedd HHeennrryy aanndd hheerrsseellff aatt tthhee cceennttrree ooff Opposing him directly was Margaret of Anjou ccoouurrtt.. NNeevveerr oonnee ttoo sshhyy aawwaayy ffrroomm aa ccoonnffrroonnttaattiioonn and her king, with the former now effectively the –– aanndd wweellll aawwaarree ooff tthhee ddaannggeerr hhee pprreesseenntteedd –– tthhee leader of the House of Lancaster. While the split qquueeeenn bbeeggaann sscchheemmiinngg ttoo rreemmoovvee RRiicchhaarrdd ffrroomm in support for the two opposing sides wasn’t just ““““ C C C Coooommmmpppplllleeeetttteeeellllyyyy uuuunnnnaaaawwwwaaaarrrreeee ooooffff wwwwhhhhoooo hhhheeee wwwwaaaassss [[[[…………]]]] HHHHHeeeeennnnnrrrrryyyyy fffffiiiiinnnnnaaaaallllllllllyyyyy llllleeeeettttt ttttthhhhheeeee lllllaaaaasssssttttt ttttteeeeennnnntttttaaaaatttttiiiiivvvvveeeee gggggrrrrriiiiippppp ooooofffff cccccooooonnnnntttttrrrrrooooolllll hhhhheeeee hhhhhaaaaaddddd ooooovvvvveeeeerrrrr EEEEEnnnnnggggglllllaaaaannnnnddddd sssssllllliiiiippppp ttthhhrrrooouuuggghhh hhhiiisss fffiiinnngggeeerrrtttiiipppsss””” A depiction of Henry VI with the Dukes of York and Somerset 66 004-015_AAH11.indd 6 17/06/2015 14:15 The key players in the bloody quest for ultimate power TThhee sseeccoonndd ccaaddeett bbrraanncchh ooff tthhee ppaarreenntt HHoouussee ooff TTuuddoorr aatt tthhee cclloossee ooff tthhee TThhee ffiirrsstt ooff ttwwoo jjuunniioorr bbrraanncchheess ooff tthhee eexxeeccuuttiioonn ooff tthhee llaatttteerr’’ss ssoonn,, EEddwwaarrdd House of Plantagenet, descended Wars of the Roses. mighty royal House of Plantagenet, Prince of Wales, by the rival House of down the male line of the house from Main supporters: Prince of Wales; the House of Lancaster was created York during the Wars of the Roses. Edmund of Langley, the 1st Duke of Lord of Ireland; Dukes of York, with the establishment of the Earldom Main supporters: Earls of Lancaster, York and the fourth surviving son of Clarence, Gloucester. of Lancaster by Henry III of England Leicester, Moray, Ferrers, Derby, King Edward III. Three of its members Emblem: A white rose. in 1267. From that date the House of Salisbury, Lincoln; Duke of Lancaster down the ages became kings of the Claim to the throne: Richard Lancaster provided England with three Emblem: A red rose. country. The house came to an end Plantagenet was descended from King kings, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry Claim to the throne: Its figurehead wwwhhheeennn HHHeeennnrrryyy TTTuuudddooorrr eeessstttaaabbbllliiissshhheeeddd ttthhheee EEddwwaarrdd IIIIII.. VVVIII bbbeeefffooorrreee bbbeeecccooommmiiinnnggg eeexxxtttiiinnncccttt wwwiiittthhh ttthhheee wwaass HHeennrryy VVII,, tthhee oonnllyy ssoonn ooff HHeennrryy VV.. Duke of York King of England Date of birth: 6 December 1421 Strengths: Son of the powerful and Date of birth: 21 September 1411 popular Henry V; married well to Margaret Strengths: Powerful and well connected; of Anjou, was generally considered inherited large estates and influence in benevolent and pious. England and France. Weaknesses: Bouts of crippling mental Weaknesses: A series of military victories illness saw his kingdom ruled by others led him to overconfidence, ensuring his during his reign for extended periods of own death in a crushing defeat at the time. Battle of Wakefield. ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ POWER RATING: POWER RATING: Queen Consort Queen Consort Date of birth: 1437 Date of birth: 23 March 1430 Strengths: Politically slick; married well Strengths: Passionate, proud and strong- above her station and was a renowned willed, Margaret provided the House of beauty Lancaster the scheming and ruthless ruler Weaknesses: Not powerful enough to Henry VI failed to be. hold the throne for her children; let her Weaknesses: Overstepped her power power be usurped by Lady Margaret level in the Battle of Tewkesbury, leading Beaufort in later years. to her ultimate fall from grace and power. ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ POWER RATING: POWER RATING: Earl of Warwick Duke of Somerset Date of birth: 22 November 1428 Date of birth: 1406 Strengths: A principal politician in Strengths: Head of one of the most England, he deposed two kings to earn the influential families in England. Experienced nickname ‘the Kingmaker’. and respected by his peers. Weaknesses: Let his dominant position Weaknesses: Poor temperament, lost at the English court be gradually eroded more battles than he won; let a personal in later years due to directing his focus feud with the Duke of York get violently toward France. out of hand. ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ POWER RATING: POWER RATING: 77 004-015_AAH11.indd 7 17/06/2015 14:17 Follow the family trees of two historic nobles’ houses 1386-1422 1390-1411 1375-1415 1385-1461 1401-1437 EnTghlea nfadm wohuos swcaorrreiod ra k finamg oofu s The mother of Richard Plantagenet The father of Richard Plantagenet and AA WWeellsshh ssoollddiieerr aanndd ccoouurrttiieerr,, Queen consort of England from 1420 victory over the French at the and grandmother of King Edward IV husband to Anne de Mortimer, Richard Owen Tudor was descended to 1422, Catherine of Valois was the Battle of Agincourt, Henry V and King Richard III, Anne de Mortimer of Conisburgh was the 3rd Earl of from a Welsh prince, Rhys ap daughter of Charles VI of France. She was the second English monarch was descended from royalty through Cambridge and a prominent figure in Gruffudd. After fighting at was married to Henry V in 1420. In to stem from the House of her mother and grandparents. She the Southampton Plot against Henry V. Agincourt he was awarded December 1421, she gave birth to the Lancaster after his father, King died of childbirth. He was caught and executed. English rights and went on future Henry VI. Later, after Henry Henry IV. to serve in the household of V’s death, she went on to form a Catherine of Valois after Henry relationship with Owen Tudor. V’s death. They were possibly married in secret in 1429. 1411-1460 1415-1495 1421-1471 The son of Anne de Mortimer and The wife of Richard Plantagenet, Cecily Richard of Conisburgh, Richard of York Neville was the Duchess of York and Henry VI was the third king 1430-1482 became a key Yorkist leader during the was well known for her beauty and from the House of Lancaster. He early parts of the Wars of the Roses, piety. She gave birth to two later kings became king at just nine months The wife of Henry VI, Margaret winning numerous battles and even of England, Edward IV and Richard III. old. He suffered from periods of of Anjou was the niece of Charles becoming Lord Protector for a time. She outlived her husband by 35 years. madness throughout his life and VII. Widely held to be responsible was deposed by Edward IV and for the Wars of the Roses after tthhee HHoouussee ooff YYoorrkk.. eexxcclluuddiinngg tthhee DDuukkee ooff YYoorrkk ffrroomm tthhee GGrreeaatt CCoouunncciill iinn 11445555.. 1452-1485 1442-1483 King of England for just two The first Yorkist king of England, years, Richard III was the last Edward IV ruled the country in 1437-1492 king from the House of two spells, from 1461 to 1470 Spouse of King Edward IV from 1453-1471 York and the last of the and then after an overthrow and 1464, Elizabeth Woodville was The only child of Henry VI and House of Plantagenet. subsequent restoration, from 1471 one of the most powerful women Margaret of Anjou. After the Richard was famously to 1483. He was succeeded by his in England during the Wars of battle of Towton he was exiled in defeated by Henry younger brother Richard III. the Roses. She gave birth to the France with his mother. He was Tudor at the Battle Princes in the Tower and Elizabeth killed in battle in Tewkesbury. of Bosworth Field. of York, future wife of Henry Tudor, King Henry VII of England. 11443311--11445566 1443-1509 1470-1483 EEddmmuunndd TTuuddoorr wwaass tthhee ffiirrsstt ssoonn Margaret Beaufort was the Otnhee oTof wtheer ,f aEmdwouarsd P Vri nwcaess ain 1473-1483 ooooffff OOVVaawwllooeeiinnss ..TT HHuuddeennoorrrr yyaa nnVVddII mmCCaaaattddhheeee hhrriiiinnmmee Somdaeurgsehtt earn odf tthhee gDreuakte- gorfe at son of Elizabeth Woodville and The second son of Elizabeth Woodville tthhee EEaarrll ooff RRiicchhmmoonndd iinn 11445522.. granddaughter of King Edward uncrowned king for just 86 days. and King Edward IV, Richard was the HHee mmaarrrriieedd MMaarrggaarreett BBeeaauuffoorrtt III. She gave birth to the future He was succeeded infamously second famous member of the Princes in iinn 11445555.. Henry VII at just 13 years old. by his uncle and Lord Protector, the Tower. Richard was almost certainly Richard of Gloucester, later King murdered along with Edward and Richard III of England. disposed of in secret. 11445577--11550099 TThhee oonnllyy cchhiilldd ooff EEddmmuunndd TTuuddoorr aanndd 1466-1503 MMaarrggaarreett BBeeaauuffoorrtt,, HHeennrryy VVIIII ssppeenntt The only daughter of Elizabeth Woodville, yyeeaarrss iinn eexxiillee bbeeffoorree ddeeffeeaattiinngg RRiicchhaarrdd Elizabeth of York played a key part in ending the IIIIII aatt tthhee BBaattttllee ooff BBoosswwoorrtthh.. HHee Wars of the Roses, marrying the Lancastrian ally mmaarrrriieedd EElliizzaabbeetthh ooff YYoorrkk,, tthhuuss uunniittiinngg Henry Tudor on 18 January 1486, establishing tthhee HHoouusseess ooff YYoorrkk aanndd LLaannccaasstteerr,, ttthhheee TTTuuudddooorrr DDDyyynnnaaassstttyyy... eennddiinngg tthhee WWaarrss ooff tthhee RRoosseess.. Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury (the Princes in the Tower) were imprisoned in the Tower of London and most probably executed 8 004-015_AAH11.indd 8 17/06/2015 14:15 Margaret Beaufort was a key player in ultimately deposing Richard III and bringing an end to the War of the Roses decided by geography, with nobles from all parts of the country siding with one house or the other due to a series of complex and often long-standing allegiances, although with Richard marching down from the north where he had recruited mmuucchh ooff hhiiss aarrmmyy,, iitt sseeeemmeedd lliikkee tthhee nnoorrtthh wwaass ccoommiinngg ttoo ccllaaiimm wwhhaatt iitt bbeelliieevveedd wwaass rriigghhttffuullllyy iittss pprrooppeerrttyy iinn tthhee ssoouutthh.. TToo mmaannyy ooff tthhee nnoobblleess ssuuppppoorrttiinngg tthhee HHoouussee ooff YYoorrkk tthheeyy wweerree mmaarrcchhiinngg oonn tthhee ccaappiittaall wwiitthh tthheeiirr kknniigghhttss,, iinnffaannttrryymmeenn aanndd aarrcchheerrss ttoo rreemmoovvee aa wweeaakk kkiinngg ffrroomm ppoowweerr aanndd rreessttoorree oorrddeerr ttoo aa ccoouunnttrryy oonn tthhee vveerrggee ooff ddiissiinntteeggrraattiioonn aanndd ccoollllaappssee.. EEvveenn tthhee ssttaauunncchheesstt ooff HHeennrryy VVII’’ss ssuuppppoorrtteerrss wwoouulldd hhaavvee bbeeeenn ffoorrcceedd ttoo aaddmmiitt tthhee ccoouunnttrryy hhaadd sseeeenn bbeetttteerr ddaayyss.. FFoolllloowwiinngg aa sseerriieess ooff FFrreenncchh vviiccttoorriieess oovveerr tthhee EEnngglliisshh oonn tthhee ccoonnttiinneenntt,, tthheeyy hhaadd ggrroowwnn ccoonnffiiddeenntt aanndd hhaadd bbeegguunn rraaiiddiinngg EEnngglliisshh ssuuppppllyy lliinneess aanndd vveesssseellss iinn tthhee CChhaannnneell.. IInn aaddddiittiioonn,, dduuee ttoo tthhee yyeeaarrss ooff wwaarrffaarree EEnnggllaanndd wwaass iinn ppoooorr ffiinnaanncciiaall sshhaappee,, wwhhiillee tthhee aabbsseennccee ooff aa ssttrroonngg kkiinngg hhaadd lleedd ttoo LLoonnddoonn’’ss ppoolliittiiccaall “ Richard Plantagenet was now not just a sscceennee ddeesscceennddiinngg iinnttoo aa sseerriieess ooff aarrgguummeennttss,, ssqquuaabbbblleess aanndd ppeettttyy ccoonnffrroonnttaattiioonnss.. AA contender for control of England but also wweeaakkeenneedd ccoouunnttrryy wwaass sslloowwllyy bblleeeeddiinngg ttoo ddeeaatthh ffrroomm iinnffiigghhttiinngg,, ssoo iinn mmaarrcchhiinngg oonn its kingship, as the leader and figurehead tthhee ccaappiittaall RRiicchhaarrdd PPllaannttaaggeenneett iinntteennddeedd ttoo wwrreessttllee bbaacckk ssoommee sseemmbbllaannccee ooff ccoonnttrrooll of the House of York” oovveerr iitt.. TThhee kkiinngg mmiigghhtt hhaavvee bbeeeenn llaarrggeellyy bblliinndd ttoo tthhee tthhrreeaatt ooff tthhee DDuukkee ooff also sent along with the army and, judging by Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland and YYoorrkk bbuutt,, lluucckkiillyy ffoorr tthhee HHoouussee ooff the comparatively small size of the Lancastrian Lord Thomas Clifford. Turning a defeat into a LLaannccaasstteerr,, tthhee eevveerr--vviiggiillaanntt aanndd army (roughly 2,000 men), it seemed Margaret catastrophe, Henry VI himself was also captured, rruutthhlleessss MMaarrggaarreett wwaass nnoott.. SShhee expected that there would be no hostilities, with personally apprehended by Richard’s key ally qquuiicckkllyy ddrruummmmeedd uupp ssuuppppoorrtt some sort of peace treaty the likely outcome Warwick’s forces as he hid in a local tanner’s ffoorr aa hhaassttiillyy aasssseemmbblleedd aarrmmyy and the status quo maintained. The beautiful shop, abandoned by his advisers and servants ttoo ccoouunntteerr tthhee tthhrreeaatt ffrroomm and resourceful queen was wrong, though. and seemingly suffering from yet another mental RRiicchhaarrdd’’ss ffoorrcceess.. MMaarrggaarreett Spectacularly so. breakdown. ddiissppaattcchheedd tthhiiss aarrmmyy The two armies came together at St Albans The following day, York and Warwick marched Margaret was first uunnddeerr tthhee ccoommmmaanndd just north of London on 22 May 1455, and after with the now-mad-again king in their custody married to the Duke of Suffolk’s ooff hheerr ffaavvoouurriittee aanndd aa a couple of minor skirmishes, the first battle to London. Redepositing the unfortunate Henry son, John de la sswwoorrnn eenneemmyy ooff RRiicchhaarrdd,, of the War of the Roses broke out. Richard’s with Margaret, Richard retook the position of Pole, in 1444, then EEddmmuunndd,, DDuukkee ooff Yorkist force quickly cut down the Duke of Lord Protector and he and Warwick began to only a year old SSoommeerrsseett.. TThhee kkiinngg wwaass Somerset as well as Lancastrian loyal nobles re-establish themselves. An uneasy truce of sorts 9 004-015_AAH11.indd 9 17/06/2015 14:15 Towton was not only the most brutal battle of the War of the Roses but also one of the most decisive. These are its climactic events: 7. Rivers run red 6. Lancastrian collapse The victorious Yorkists chase down and Slowly, despite fierce resistance in kill any fleeing Lancastrians. As many of which thousands of Yorkist soldiers the Lancastrian soldiers had removed their are cut down, the Lancastrian lines armour and helmets in order to run faster, begin to disintegrate. Eventually, they are picked off by archers, while those Somerset’s left flank collapses and who escape the arrows are checked by the a rout begins, with the remaining Crooked Billet once-protective marshes and River Cock. Lancastrian men turning and fleeing. Public House ● Towton RRiivveerr CCoocckk BBBlllooorrreee HHHeeeaaattthhh Stoke Saxton TTTTeeeewwwwkkkkeeeessssbbbbuuuurrrryyyy TToowwttoonn Bosworth WWWaaakkkeeefffiiieeelllddd Edgecote SSSStttt AAAAllllbbbbaaaannnnssss Lancastrians 5. Norfolk rides to the rescue Just as the Yorkists are about to be defeated and King Edward IV lost in battle, the Duke of Norfolk John de Mowbray rides onto the plateau with his troops, reinforcing the Yorkists and preventing their collapse. Soon the Lancastrian forces are driven backward. Yorkists 1. Old London Road The Yorkist and Lancastrian forces deploy themselves on a plateau, with the road that connects Towton to London stretching from north to south throughout the battlefield. 2. Opening barrage The Lancastrian flanks are protected by As the Lancastrian forces of Henry Beaufort 4. Meat grinder marshes, while the Yorkist troops assemble are in a sound defensive position, he gives The two sides keep pushing into each on a ridge to the south. the order to hold position. The first move of other in a melee that continues for over the battle is ordered by the Yorkist leader three hours, with thousands of soldiers cut Lord Fauconberg, as their longbowmen to down, their bodies littering the battlefield. step forward and unleash a volley of arrows. Gradually, the outnumbered Yorkist lines are The Lancastrians return their own volley, overwhelmed, with the balance of power but the wind direction causes it to fall short. falling in Somerset’s favour. ““ E Eddwwaarrdd jjooiinneedd ffoorrcceess oonnccee more with his father’s old ally, ‘the Kingmaker’ Warwick, and rode forth toward the north armed with a deadly army of over A depiction of the bloody 30,000 men” and fateful Battle of Towton 10 004-015_AAH11.indd 10 17/06/2015 14:17