Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Creation of the Tudor Dynasty
I have been following this story for a few months now and was so excited to get an alert from The Times - UK today. We finally know the location of the Battle of Bosworth.
In Biblical terms: they found Garden of Eden.
On the morning of August 22, 1485, the last medieval king of England gambled his throne and his life on one desperate cavalry charge. Richard III lost everything to Henry Tudor (King Henry VII).
In those few frenzied moments the future of England — and by extension much of the world — changed course. Bosworth became the bridge that links the Middle Ages to modern Britain and ushered in the dynasty of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. If Richard had killed Henry there might have been no English Reformation, no Church of England and no Elizabethan golden age.
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE!?!?
For centuries it has been impossible to revisit the Bosworth battlefield because its location was lost after the Civil War. Then, last October, Leicestershire County Council announced that it had found the site but would not reveal its whereabouts for fear of scavengers.
Click here for the full story in The Times.
In Biblical terms: they found Garden of Eden.
On the morning of August 22, 1485, the last medieval king of England gambled his throne and his life on one desperate cavalry charge. Richard III lost everything to Henry Tudor (King Henry VII).
In those few frenzied moments the future of England — and by extension much of the world — changed course. Bosworth became the bridge that links the Middle Ages to modern Britain and ushered in the dynasty of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. If Richard had killed Henry there might have been no English Reformation, no Church of England and no Elizabethan golden age.
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE!?!?
For centuries it has been impossible to revisit the Bosworth battlefield because its location was lost after the Civil War. Then, last October, Leicestershire County Council announced that it had found the site but would not reveal its whereabouts for fear of scavengers.Click here for the full story in The Times.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
On this Day in Tudor History:
On February 14, 1556, Despite several recantations produced between the end of January and mid-February, Thomas Cranmer submitted himself to the authority of the king and queen and recognised the pope as head of the church. 
On 14 February 1556, he was degraded from holy orders and returned to Bocardo Prison, having been declared a heretic by Rome and tried for treason by Queen Mary I.
On March 21, 1556, Cranmer withdrew his recantations and was burned at the stake where Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were also martyred six months earlier.
Besides being a Protestant and major player in the English split from Rome, Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury by Anne Boleyn and her family and was the one to declare the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon null and void. So when Mary Tudor came to the throne, Cranmer never stood a chance!
On 14 February 1556, he was degraded from holy orders and returned to Bocardo Prison, having been declared a heretic by Rome and tried for treason by Queen Mary I.
On March 21, 1556, Cranmer withdrew his recantations and was burned at the stake where Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were also martyred six months earlier.
Besides being a Protestant and major player in the English split from Rome, Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury by Anne Boleyn and her family and was the one to declare the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon null and void. So when Mary Tudor came to the throne, Cranmer never stood a chance!
Monday, February 1, 2010
On this Day in Tudor History:
On February 1, 1587, Queen Elizabeth I signed the death warrant of her cousin, Mary (Stuart) Queen of Scots. Mary would subsequently be beheaded on February 8 at Fotheringhay Castle.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Tudors' Princess Mary: On the Market!
I'm finally moved into my new townhouse and able to do something other than unpack and call Comcast to fix my persistently non-functioning cable TV. I am just starting to catch up on all the Tudor news and happenings and found a lovely piece on www.Herald.ie on another of my favorite Tudor's actresses: Sarah Bolger.
Although she was linked romantically with the handsome son of the former US ambassador to Ireland, Tom Foley Jr., the 18 year old Bolger says they are actually best friends and that she is still single and available on the romantic market.
Sarah insists that she's too busy concentrating on her career to date. One of the stars of the Oscar-nominated movie In America, she has also been nominated for an IFTA for her role as Princess Mary Tudor, the future Mary I, on The Tudors.
Despite her tender years, she says her parents have no problem with her co-starring in such a saucy series detailing the exploits of her bed-hopping father, King Henry VIII,
"I have to admit, my character is the least sexually active! I had dresses that were buttoned up the whole way to the neck so I was quite modest -- but the Tudors is what it is. It's like the historical soap opera of the TV world -- I loved working on it. They have been like a family to me for the last three years."
The year ahead is also going to be a busy one for Sarah, as she will be making a new movie with Mary Harren, the director of American Psycho.
I STILL want Michael Hirst to do a mini-series on Bloody Mary starring Sarah Bolger for Showtime. (hint hint)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Life After The Tudors?
I am neglecting my blogger duties again due to my impending move. However I wanted to take a moment to post a note about Showtime and Michael Hirst's post-Tudor plan:
Showtime has confirmed it has picked up drama The Borgias for a full season. The broadcaster had commissioned the period drama as a successor to its current historical romp The Tudors which will bow out this year after four seasons. The Tudors concentrates on the reign of Henry VIII [Jonathan Rhys-Meyers] and his marriages but Showtime decided to conclude the series with its fourth season. The broadcaster then began to look for a successor to the drama and commissioned a script for the Borgias.
The drama follows the notorious Italian renaissance criminal family which was famously the centre of a poorly received drama by the BBC in the 1980s. The Showtime take on The Borgias will air in the Spring of next year and will star actor Jeremy Irons [Brideshead Revisited]. Showtime confirmed the drama’s commissioning at a press tour. Michael Hirst, who created and producers The Tudors, will serve as executive producer on the new drama along with Neil Jordan. Showtime has ordered 10 episodes which will go into production this spring.
Showtime has confirmed it has picked up drama The Borgias for a full season. The broadcaster had commissioned the period drama as a successor to its current historical romp The Tudors which will bow out this year after four seasons. The Tudors concentrates on the reign of Henry VIII [Jonathan Rhys-Meyers] and his marriages but Showtime decided to conclude the series with its fourth season. The broadcaster then began to look for a successor to the drama and commissioned a script for the Borgias.
The drama follows the notorious Italian renaissance criminal family which was famously the centre of a poorly received drama by the BBC in the 1980s. The Showtime take on The Borgias will air in the Spring of next year and will star actor Jeremy Irons [Brideshead Revisited]. Showtime confirmed the drama’s commissioning at a press tour. Michael Hirst, who created and producers The Tudors, will serve as executive producer on the new drama along with Neil Jordan. Showtime has ordered 10 episodes which will go into production this spring.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
It's Official: I'm losing it.
Despite trying not to entertain these thoughts and perhaps even fantasies... I am becoming one of "those" people.
I have had an intense interest in English history, the Renaissance, Queen Elizabeth and other Tudor-esque things my entire life (I designed my prom gown inspired by Elizabeth's fashions) but my Tudor interest these past two years has, at times, bordered on obsession. I have quite literally had days where it's all I have thought about.
I have always been prone to over-interest but this is not only lasting longer but is far more intense than mere interest or hobby. My only question is: why?
This is where I think I am becoming one of "them."
Besides my interest and fascination with the people and places of Tudor England, there is a definite "feeling" that I am experiencing with all of it. Most poignantly, the feeling I had for the two weeks I was in England visiting those places and then the months after I returned to America.
To say that my May 2009 visit to England changed my life is an understatement. Not only was it a source of immense comfort and relief to be away from life here, but I was able to clear my head to arrive at decisions; to move forward in my life and career. There was more to it.
Visiting these places gave me a feeling of coming home. It was as if I had long been in exile and was finally allowed to come back to the place where I belong. And the satisfaction of having that experience stayed with me for many months after. Like a dose of medicine. I took some and it enabled me to face coming back here.
Once again, I wonder at my deep affinity for England and places like Hever, Hampton Court and even the Tower. I wonder what it is drawing me back through movies, books and TV. After all this time and literally hundreds of viewings, I have the most bizarre reactions to shows like The Tudors. I have yet to watch the season 1 recap that leads to the first episode of season 2 without having chills from head to toe. Why? Why do I get a lump in my throat and feel as if I will cry? Every time.
I find I want to surround myself with objects, furniture, anything of the period.
I feel as if I was there. (There! I said it! I'm one of those "past lives" freaks!) It's true, I feel as if I was there, I dressed like them, lived those lives, experienced those times. I don't believe that I am anyone famous reincarnated or anything like that... but I just cannot begin to understand these feelings if I wasn't there in some capacity.
I have had an intense interest in English history, the Renaissance, Queen Elizabeth and other Tudor-esque things my entire life (I designed my prom gown inspired by Elizabeth's fashions) but my Tudor interest these past two years has, at times, bordered on obsession. I have quite literally had days where it's all I have thought about.
I have always been prone to over-interest but this is not only lasting longer but is far more intense than mere interest or hobby. My only question is: why?
This is where I think I am becoming one of "them."
Besides my interest and fascination with the people and places of Tudor England, there is a definite "feeling" that I am experiencing with all of it. Most poignantly, the feeling I had for the two weeks I was in England visiting those places and then the months after I returned to America.
To say that my May 2009 visit to England changed my life is an understatement. Not only was it a source of immense comfort and relief to be away from life here, but I was able to clear my head to arrive at decisions; to move forward in my life and career. There was more to it.
Visiting these places gave me a feeling of coming home. It was as if I had long been in exile and was finally allowed to come back to the place where I belong. And the satisfaction of having that experience stayed with me for many months after. Like a dose of medicine. I took some and it enabled me to face coming back here.
Once again, I wonder at my deep affinity for England and places like Hever, Hampton Court and even the Tower. I wonder what it is drawing me back through movies, books and TV. After all this time and literally hundreds of viewings, I have the most bizarre reactions to shows like The Tudors. I have yet to watch the season 1 recap that leads to the first episode of season 2 without having chills from head to toe. Why? Why do I get a lump in my throat and feel as if I will cry? Every time.
I find I want to surround myself with objects, furniture, anything of the period.
I feel as if I was there. (There! I said it! I'm one of those "past lives" freaks!) It's true, I feel as if I was there, I dressed like them, lived those lives, experienced those times. I don't believe that I am anyone famous reincarnated or anything like that... but I just cannot begin to understand these feelings if I wasn't there in some capacity.
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