Discussion
The Wolf Hall trilogy quite rightly won all the prizes. Yes, it is fiction and only looks at a short period during Tudor times, but damn it is good.
It's a fascinating period, in 1485 the various countries in Britain & Ireland are warring feudal states, in 1603 they are sort-of united, though divided by religion (Protestant/ Calvinism/ Catholic) It's also the rise of the 'professional' middle class (I recall an interesting study of letters asking for favours, at the start of the period they are mostly about trying to establish ties of kinship - i.e. I am your cousin twice removed on your mother's side, by the end they are transactional - scratch my back and I will scratch your)
Plus the cultural upheaval of the Bible in the vernacular, plays as secular entertainment, discovering a whole new continent (potatoes, tobacco, huge influx of gold & syphilis) and some utterly ruthless b
ds.
(there is a view that the introduction of syphilis from America helped trigger the religious fanaticism of the period. Syphilis was a much faster and nastier disease back then, so it was an obvious judgement on sinners)
It's a fascinating period, in 1485 the various countries in Britain & Ireland are warring feudal states, in 1603 they are sort-of united, though divided by religion (Protestant/ Calvinism/ Catholic) It's also the rise of the 'professional' middle class (I recall an interesting study of letters asking for favours, at the start of the period they are mostly about trying to establish ties of kinship - i.e. I am your cousin twice removed on your mother's side, by the end they are transactional - scratch my back and I will scratch your)
Plus the cultural upheaval of the Bible in the vernacular, plays as secular entertainment, discovering a whole new continent (potatoes, tobacco, huge influx of gold & syphilis) and some utterly ruthless b
ds. (there is a view that the introduction of syphilis from America helped trigger the religious fanaticism of the period. Syphilis was a much faster and nastier disease back then, so it was an obvious judgement on sinners)
Edited by wisbech on Thursday 26th May 09:12
Edited by wisbech on Thursday 26th May 09:16
Blackadders 1 & 2 are required watching, obviously 
And to go with the Wolf Hall books, the Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom is both an excellent read and historically pretty accurate. Set against the backdrop of the latter half of Henry VIII's reign and well worth the time to read.
Edited to add: Phillipa Gregory again very well researched and accurate, and largely set from the perspective of the ladies of the court over the years, which makes them very interesting when compared to your more usual "kings & battles" historical fiction.
And to go with the Wolf Hall books, the Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom is both an excellent read and historically pretty accurate. Set against the backdrop of the latter half of Henry VIII's reign and well worth the time to read.
Edited to add: Phillipa Gregory again very well researched and accurate, and largely set from the perspective of the ladies of the court over the years, which makes them very interesting when compared to your more usual "kings & battles" historical fiction.
Bill said:
More annoyingly I've realised I don't have time to get something before I go away as we're leaving at lunchtime tomorrow! 
Just another reason why a Kindle is objectively a better way to read books Edited by deckster on Thursday 26th May 10:33
If you want a non-fiction source that will place the 16th century in a wider context than the English Royal Family, then Early Modern History 1450-1789 by Merry Wiesner-Hanks is pretty good. It's undergrad level, but readable and gives plenty of sources if you wish to pursue a topic any further.
The Open University do lots of free courses
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/fr...
This one might suit:
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/ea...
The Open University do lots of free courses
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/fr...
This one might suit:
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/ea...
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