The Tudors for Dummies (AvaxHome Download) Read Free Book Online Page B
through Parliament to an increasing extent, all major decisions
came from the top, and the king or queen had to be consulted at all times.
In theory, the monarch:
Appointed and dismissed ministers
Called and dismissed Parliament (in theory, the nation's representatives)
Collected taxes
Commanded the army and navy
Decided on issues like war and peace
Worked with the Church but did not run it (the Tudors soon changed that)
In practice, the monarch:
Believed in a hotline to God as `the Lord's anointed'
Set the fashion in clothes, education and entertainment
Was the chief patron, giving out lands, titles and charity Chapter 1: Touring the Time of the Tudors 13 Henry VII was the first king to be called `Your Majesty'. Before that, kings were known as `Your Grace'. Until 1485 the king was primus inter pares (first among equals) but the Tudors lifted royal status much higher. The Stuart family, who followed in 1603, tried to go further still, which resulted in the Civil War (1642� 1648) and the execution of Charles I (1649).
Breaking down the Court The Court was divided into two main parts, the Household and the Chamber, followed by various councils and a few odds and ends like the Chapel Royal, the stables, the kennels and the toils (cages for the hunting hawks).
The Tudors, like all kings before them, loved hunting (see Chapter 3), so they had a huge team of servants just to look after the wolfhounds, palfreys (saddle horses) and falcons.
Handling the Household The Household hadn't changed much since the 14th century. It had nearly 20 departments, handling every aspect of the royal family's lives. The lord steward ran the Household and the controller kept tabs on the running costs in the counting house (in 1545 Henry VIII's Court cost �47,500 to run � a huge sum at the time).
Think about your daily life and imagine an army of servants to doing all you chores for you. The various departments dressed and undressed the royals, provided water for washing, cleaned their rooms and made their beds. They prepared, cooked and served their meals and washed up afterwards. They lit candles and fires, looked after clothes and jewellery and emptied toilets (it was a messy job, but somebody had to do it).
Each department was run by a sergeant and most of the staff were men (the laundry was mostly female). Some staff were very specialist:
The yeomen of the guard were the king's bodyguard (check out the beef-
eaters at the Tower of London � they still wear Tudor-style uniforms).
The king's music were the royal orchestra.
The royal confessors were the king's chaplains or priests.
In addition doctors, chemists, scholars and artists came and went, the great- est of them increasing the reputation of the Court in the eyes of the world. Hans Holbein is perhaps the best known of these great men; playwrights like William Shakespeare never got that close to the top, but Elizabeth certainly saw some of his plays.
The Tudor Court even employed pages (little boys) to take a beating rather than a naughty prince having to receive pain! They were called whipping boys. 14 Part I: Encountering the Early Tudors
Only the more senior servants were allowed to live with their wives, which
made the Household a happy hunting ground for whores. Much of the lord
steward's time was spent shooing harlots off the premises and preventing
punch-ups between servants.
Channelling the Chamber
The Chamber was the king's personal space. This was the centre of govern-
ment and the servants there were gentlemen or even noblemen. The lord
chamberlain ran the Chamber, but individual members vied with each other
as royal favourites.
Having the `ear of the king' was very important under the Tudors. Any gentle-
man who wanted to get on or any nobleman who had ideas he wanted carried
out had to get reach the king to suggest things to him. Only the king could
issue orders that would be carried out. This naturally
came from the top, and the king or queen had to be consulted at all times.
In theory, the monarch:
Appointed and dismissed ministers
Called and dismissed Parliament (in theory, the nation's representatives)
Collected taxes
Commanded the army and navy
Decided on issues like war and peace
Worked with the Church but did not run it (the Tudors soon changed that)
In practice, the monarch:
Believed in a hotline to God as `the Lord's anointed'
Set the fashion in clothes, education and entertainment
Was the chief patron, giving out lands, titles and charity Chapter 1: Touring the Time of the Tudors 13 Henry VII was the first king to be called `Your Majesty'. Before that, kings were known as `Your Grace'. Until 1485 the king was primus inter pares (first among equals) but the Tudors lifted royal status much higher. The Stuart family, who followed in 1603, tried to go further still, which resulted in the Civil War (1642� 1648) and the execution of Charles I (1649).
Breaking down the Court The Court was divided into two main parts, the Household and the Chamber, followed by various councils and a few odds and ends like the Chapel Royal, the stables, the kennels and the toils (cages for the hunting hawks).
The Tudors, like all kings before them, loved hunting (see Chapter 3), so they had a huge team of servants just to look after the wolfhounds, palfreys (saddle horses) and falcons.
Handling the Household The Household hadn't changed much since the 14th century. It had nearly 20 departments, handling every aspect of the royal family's lives. The lord steward ran the Household and the controller kept tabs on the running costs in the counting house (in 1545 Henry VIII's Court cost �47,500 to run � a huge sum at the time).
Think about your daily life and imagine an army of servants to doing all you chores for you. The various departments dressed and undressed the royals, provided water for washing, cleaned their rooms and made their beds. They prepared, cooked and served their meals and washed up afterwards. They lit candles and fires, looked after clothes and jewellery and emptied toilets (it was a messy job, but somebody had to do it).
Each department was run by a sergeant and most of the staff were men (the laundry was mostly female). Some staff were very specialist:
The yeomen of the guard were the king's bodyguard (check out the beef-
eaters at the Tower of London � they still wear Tudor-style uniforms).
The king's music were the royal orchestra.
The royal confessors were the king's chaplains or priests.
In addition doctors, chemists, scholars and artists came and went, the great- est of them increasing the reputation of the Court in the eyes of the world. Hans Holbein is perhaps the best known of these great men; playwrights like William Shakespeare never got that close to the top, but Elizabeth certainly saw some of his plays.
The Tudor Court even employed pages (little boys) to take a beating rather than a naughty prince having to receive pain! They were called whipping boys. 14 Part I: Encountering the Early Tudors
Only the more senior servants were allowed to live with their wives, which
made the Household a happy hunting ground for whores. Much of the lord
steward's time was spent shooing harlots off the premises and preventing
punch-ups between servants.
Channelling the Chamber
The Chamber was the king's personal space. This was the centre of govern-
ment and the servants there were gentlemen or even noblemen. The lord
chamberlain ran the Chamber, but individual members vied with each other
as royal favourites.
Having the `ear of the king' was very important under the Tudors. Any gentle-
man who wanted to get on or any nobleman who had ideas he wanted carried
out had to get reach the king to suggest things to him. Only the king could
issue orders that would be carried out. This naturally
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