UnholyTudor

We all know the story of Henry VIII and his six wives, but I still like to talk about them occasionally. Anna Von Kleves, the Flanders mare? Or a beautiful young woman with a steely determination to survive? I have chosen to refer to Henry's fourth wife as Anna, not Anne, she often referred to herself as Anna. The fourth wife of Henry VIII, and the shortest marriage. However, she had the most successful outcome of his wives. Yes, Katheryn Parr survived, but, Anna watched what happened to her successors, she was wealthy and lived a relatively happy life. Anna of Cleves was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1515, between June and September. She was the second daughter of Duke John III and his wife Maria. Anna's father was heavily influenced by the scholar Erasmus, and John was aligned with the protestant faith but his wife was more of the Catholic faith. Anna and her sisters were closely brought up by their mother and Anna was most likely brought up in the Catholic faith. We do not ...

   Elizabeth of York,  The first Tudor Queen Elizabeth was born into a turbulent period of   history, the Wars of the Roses, she was the eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV. Elizabeth was the daughter, niece, sister, wife, mother and grandmother of monarchs, she has one hell of a lineage. Elizabeth was born at the Palace of Westminster in 1469, this was one of the preferred lodgings of Edward IV. She was christened at Westminster Abbey; her grandmothers, Jacquetta Rivers and Cecily Neville, were her sponsors. Elizabeth was surrounded by some of the most dominant women of their time, which might have influenced her. In 1475, Edward IV made an advantageous marriage proposal for Elizabeth to Louis XI's son, Charles. This was a very good match but one that the French would end up abandoning in 1482, Elizabeth was publicly jilted, which was humiliating.  Not much is known about the early years of Elizabeth's life, she was brought up like a...

  Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History By Tracy Borman Hello, my fellow history lovers, this month I am recommending a new book, it was released last month by the incredible Tracy Borman, she is joint curator of Historic Royal Palaces and author of multiple non-fiction books and historical fiction. This book solely focuses on Anne and her daughter Elizabeth, and the impact Anne had on her daughter and her very successful reign. Anne Boleyn is often a figure of controversy and was an unpopular figure in her lifetime, but, this book shows how much of a positive impact she made on her life and her ideals shaped Elizabeth's life.  If you know me, you know I am obsessed with Anne Boleyn and accept no slander about her whatsoever, so if you are the same as me, this book is for you, it highlights Anne's brilliance, how intelligent she was and how much she fiercely loved and protected her daughter till the very end. As we all know Anne Boleyn was e...