Audiobook12 hours
The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History
Written by Elizabeth Norton
Narrated by Jennifer M. Dixon
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress; of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best.
Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.
Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.
Author
Elizabeth Norton
Elizabeth Norton is a historian of the queens of England and the Tudor period. She is the author of biographies of Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr, and of England's Queens: The Biography.
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Reviews for The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women
Rating: 4.1600001220000005 out of 5 stars
4/5
50 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Really wonderful contemplation on the lives of Tudor women. I enjoyed the thoughtful presentation, following the seven ages of man conceit. I enjoyed the overarching feel, which tackled both the most famous Tudor women and the most obscure in an intellectually sound way. While it lacked the practical household hints of Ruth Goodman's How to Be a Tudor, it presents a many-faceted and complex historical context for women in a another time. Accessible, interesting, and a delight to read.
advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social Historyby Elizabeth NortonThis is a well researched book and gives a look into many lives of women over about 150 years. Women from all walks of life and from morning to night. Things I would never have thought of. Very frustrating when it came to women's rights. It really is amazing how researchers can find so much information about people, yes individual real people, from that long ago! About 1450 to 1600. Amazing!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fascinating, detailed examination of the lives of women in the Tudor era across all walks of life, with plenty of new information for the lay reader. Well, written and accessible, a delight.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First, the title of the book I read is "the Hidden Lives of Tudor Women" by Elizabeth Norton. I think it's the same book.
The text is a long series of short and long stories of Tudor women taken from diaries, historical tracts and public records and organized loosely by subject and time period. I found the stories interesting though a bit dry. If you enjoyed "Wolf Hall" series you may appreciate this retelling of the period through the eyes of women from many life rolls. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I liked this book on the history of women during the Tudor era. There is great basic information on how dangerous life was for a female during this time, from childbirth to abuse, to daily work both in the house and outside of it. She also explains the good parts of a woman's life, though that only seemed to come after her childbearing years were finished or she became a widow. The author, also, doesn't pull any punches when discussing the abortionists, the women who killed their illegitimate children and the women who sold their children to hide their existence. It's a good general history book for someone who wants to know more about women's lives during that era.