UnholyTudor

         Catherine and Anne: Rivals, Queens, Mothers  By Dr Owen Emmerson, Kate McCaffrey and Alison Palmer.               Catherine and Anne were more similar than they might have liked to agree, Anne and Catherine had the same book of hours. Owen, Kate and Alison have curated an exhibition on the books of hours that Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon both owned. Dr Owen Emmerson has kindly agreed to have an interview with me on his new book and exhibition. So, Owen, please tell us a bit about yourself first! I am a social and cultural historian and, quite frankly, a bit of a nerd. I completed three degrees at the University of Sussex under Professor Claire Langhamer and Professor Lucy Robinson. While at Sussex, I volunteered at and then worked for the Mass-Observation Archive, which I enjoyed immensely. One of my enduring fascinations is with the minutiae of everyday life, both for the privileged few in society and for the more 'ordinary' people. I am very fortunate to live

                 An interview with Dr James Taffe                                                                On his new book, Courting Scandal  Dr James Taffe has recently written his first book, on Lady Jane Rochford, she was a servant of five of Henry VIII's Queens and was executed for treason. As James's book title suggests, Jane was often surrounded by a bit of scandal. So, let's speak to the man himself! He has very kindly accepted to do an interview with me on his new book. James, tell us a bit about yourself and why you wanted to become a Tudor historian? "My name is James, I live in Newcastle, UK, having moved from Birmingham to the northeast around four years ago to study at Durham University. I chose to study history initially because I wanted to be a journalist, but researching and writing about the Tudors in particular for essays as an undergrad I became a little obsessed with it and wanted to pursue that further. After graduating, very fortunately, I w

                Courting Scandal by Dr James Taffe   Hello, my fellow history nerds, I hope you are doing well! Spring is upon us! So this month I recommend this fabulous book by Dr James Taffe, Courting Scandal, The rise and fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. This book focuses on one lady in waiting, Jane Boleyn, James goes into depth on the lives of people in court, and how they lived, serving their master/mistress on a daily basis.  We start with Jane's early years at possibly Hallingbury Place, Great Hallingbury, Essex. The thing about Jane Boleyn is we actually have few surviving documents on Jane's life, and James wonderfully highlights that. He fills the gaps in Jane's life very well, Jane marries Anne Boleyn's brother George, and considering how high the family rose, little survives in their marriage, so we don't know if it was successful, happy or if it was toxic. Jane served five of Henry's Queens, starting with Catherine of Aragon and finishing with