Tudor life

The Tudor era lasted from 1485 – when Henry VII defeated the Yorkist king Richard III at the battle of Bosworth – until the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. So what was life like during Tudor times?

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Why did Henry VIII boil his cook alive? 17 grisly tales from Tudor England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed historical painting of a busy harbour. In the foreground, figures in richly coloured period clothing gather in conversation, including an older couple speaking with a young woman in a yellow‑and‑pink gown. Nearby, a boy and a woman look on, while another man bends over a chest. Behind them, ships with tall masts line the waterfront and people move about among stone towers and steep‑roofed buildings.

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Strangers and aliens in Tudor England: what was it like to be an outsider in Henry VIII's realm?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Strangers and aliens in Tudor England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A historic timber‑framed building with white plaster infill, exposed dark beams, and leaded diamond‑pane windows features an ornate carved wooden entrance and a tiled roof.

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The Tudor village that time left behind. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed engraving shows William Shakespeare with wavy shoulder‑length hair, a mustache and trimmed beard, and an earring in his left ear. He wears a collared shirt and a textured doublet with decorative trim, set against a softly shaded background.

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"Let the sky rain potatoes!": the hidden meanings behind Shakespeare's food obsession. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 2What was daily life REALLY like in Tudor England?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A large illustration of Henry VIII with several images imprinted on him

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Porpoise for breakfast and late night sex visits: Henry VIII's life in a day. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting showing a man dressed in armour, with a blue and red flag over him, riding a white horse amongst a busy battlefield

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5 things you (probably) didn't know about the Tudors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting shows a topless woman sitting up in bed, holding her hand against the face of the man leaning over her

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What did the Tudors think was ‘good’ sex? These tips and tricks were key to relationships in the 16th century

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From fatal foliage to the perils of ploughing: the Tudor calendar of death. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two men dressed in Tudor clothes stand next to one another against a green curtain backdrop. Between them are several items, including a globe, a hymnbook and a lute

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Tudors in turmoil: deciphering Hans Holbein’s masterwork The Ambassadors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Tudor spymaster: the secret machinations of Robert Cecil. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tracy Borman at Hampton Court Palace

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Explore Hampton Court Palace with Professor Tracy Borman. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell

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Your guide to Thomas Cromwell

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The Evil May Day Riots of 1517: what happened?

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Tudor podcast episodes

Ladies in Tudor costume in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. (Photo by Steve Vidler via Alamy)

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7 things you (probably) didn't know about Tudor fashion

TudorvideoQ&AWhat was the fascination behind Tudor codpieces?

London in the 16th century map, illustration by Theresa Grieben

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Trade, religion and diversity: how Tudor London became a global city. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Tudor childhood: from dodging death to nursery rhymes. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A witch feeds her familiars in this illustration from the 1579 pamphlet about Windsor woman Elizabeth Stile (Photo by Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)

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Forgotten TudorsWhat the lives of ordinary people tell us about Tudor England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Disabled people in Tudor times. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Depiction of a musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century

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What was life like for a court jester?

Queen Elizabeth I dancing with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Artist unknown. (© Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library/Alamy)

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Tudor tunes: music at the courts of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James VI and I

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Thomas More: saint or sinner?

Portrait of an African man, c1530 . (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

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The missing Tudors: black people in 16th-century England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Catherine of Aragon

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Your guide to Catherine of Aragon: Henry VIII’s first wife and mother of Mary I

Richard III. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Have we completely misinterpreted Shakespeare’s Richard III?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

English admiral Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), circa 1585. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Francis Drake: slave trader. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The unexpected Tudors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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