Explore Tudors

Traditionally history is cerebral: what did they believe, what did they think, what did they know? Woodsmoke and Sage is not a traditional book. Using the five senses, historian Amy Licence presents a new perspective on the material culture of the past, exploring the Tudors' relationship with the fabric of their existence, from the clothes on their backs, the roofs over their heads and the food on their tables, to the wider questions of how they interpreted and presented themselves, and what they believed about life, death and beyond. Take a journey back 500 years and experience the sixteenth century the way it was lived, through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the first time in decades comes a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country. “A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.”—Associated Press In 1485, young Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was so weak as to be almost laughable, crossed the English Channel from France at the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from the family that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half a century later his son, Henry VIII, desperate to rid himself of his first wife in order to marry a second, launched a reign of terror aimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed of possessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generations of division and disorder, creating a legacy of blood and betrayal that would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of his country. The boy king Edward VI, a fervent believer in reforming the English church, died before bringing to fruition his dream of a second English Reformation. Mary I, the disgraced daughter of Catherine of Aragon, tried and failed to reestablish the Catholic Church and produce an heir. And finally came Elizabeth I, who devoted her life to creating an image of herself as Gloriana the Virgin Queen but, behind that mask, sacrificed all chance of personal happiness in order to survive. The Tudors weaves together all the sinners and saints, the tragedies and triumphs, the high dreams and dark crimes, that reveal the Tudor era to be, in its enthralling, notorious truth, as momentous and as fascinating as the fictions audiences have come to love. Praise for The Tudors “A rich and vibrant tapestry.”—The Star-Ledger “A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.”—Associated Press “Energetic and comprehensive . . . [a] sweeping history of the gloriously infamous Tudor era . . . Unlike the somewhat ponderous British biographies of the Henrys, Elizabeths, and Boleyns that seem to pop up perennially, The Tudors displays flashy, fresh irreverence [and cuts] to the quick of the action.”—Kirkus Reviews “[A] cheeky, nuanced, and authoritative perspective . . . brims with enriching background discussions.”—Publishers Weekly “[A] lively new history.”—Bloomberg

Part of a popular series that will inspire the teachers, especially the non-specialists, to teach history and geography with confidence. * comprehensive background information * extensive photocopiable resources such as pictures, charts and diagrams * detailed lesson plans * differentiated activities at three ability levels * ideas for support and extension * suggestions for incorporating ICT. The Tudors chapters include: * The Tudor family * Henry VIII * The six wives of Henry VIII * Why did Henry marry six times? * Rich people in Tudor times * Poor people in Tudor times * Compare and contrast Tudor life with life today * Exploration in the Tudor period * Drake's voyage around the world * English settlements in America

Suitable for Key Stage 2, Discover the Tudors: Tudor Exploration looks at aspects of how Tudors expanded their knowledge of the world, including seafaring, navigation, life on board ship, the spice trade, joint-stock companies, slavery and colonisation. Discover the Tudors offers a look at key areas of Tudor history.

Explore the Tudor age, a brilliant time for trade, exploration and the theatre. Find out about the reigns of the five Tudor monarchs, how England changed under their rule, and how ordinary people lived in Tudor times. Read about what life was like for both the rich and the poor including a day in the life of a kitchen maid. Find out about the mighty King Henry VIII and his six wives and the long and eventful reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Also includes a recipe for Tudor gingerbread! The Explore! series delves into the most fascinating topics around for children at Key Stage 2, looking at the topic through a variety of subjects including design and technology, geography, art, literacy and numeracy.

Richard Eden's Decades has long been recognised as a landmark in the translation and circulation of information concerning the Americas in England. What is often overlooked in Eden's book is the presence of the first two Tudor voyage accounts to have been committed to print, assembled in haste and added late in the printing process. Both concern English commercial ventures to the West African coast, undertaken despite vehement Portuguese protests and in the midst of the profound alteration of the Marian succession. Both are complex, contradictory, and innovative experiments in generic form and content. This Element closely examines Eden's assembly and framing of these accounts, engaging with issues of material culture, travel writing, new knowledge, race, and the negotiation of political and religious change. In the process it repositions West Africa and Eden at the heart of a lost history of early English expansionism.

The Tudors is an intimate, delicious, and daring drama revealing the early years of Henry VIII, an idealistic, lustful tyrant torn between bedding wives and mistresses and conquering Europe. This is not the story of the old, fat Henry you've read about in history books. At eighteen, the throne and the entire world became his. Young, sexy, and the most powerful man of his time, the king was known for his good looks and athletic prowess. He was so arrogant that he despised dealing with the consequences of his actions. King Henry executed people with little excuse, and single-handedly tore apart the Roman Catholic Church, the most powerful institution in medieval Europe. Passionate, vibrant, and scandalous, he forever altered the course of history. The Tudors, a Showtime Original Series starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, brings to life Henry's tumultuous early years in exquisite fashion. THE BOOK ALSO INCLUDES a foreward by Michael Hirst, creator and executive producer, eight pages of lush, full-color photos, detailed essays about the Tudor era and dynasty Tune into The Tudors on Showtime -- Sundays at 10pm starting April 1st