Women's Lives in the Tudor Era

by Amy McElroy

Women in the Tudor age are often overshadowed by their male counterparts. Even those of royalty were deemed inferior to males. while women may have been classed as the inferior gender, women played a vital role in Tudor society.As daughters, mothers and wives they were expected to be obedient to the man of the household, but how effective would those households be without the influence of women?Many opportunities including much formal education and professions were closed to women, their early years spent imitating their mothers before learning to run a household in preparation for marriage. Once married their responsibilities would vary greatly according to their social status and rank. Widowhood left some in vulnerable conditions while for others it enabled them to make a life for themselves and become independent in a largely patriarchal society.Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era aims to look at the roles of women across all backgrounds and how expectations of them differed during the various stages of life.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Tudor Period, Historical

180 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2024

Reviews

[Janet Wertman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy (thank you Pen and Sword!) and could not lost it down. The level of detail was phenomenal - delivered in a smooth and easy style. Now I need to go back and read her last book, Educating the Tudors!

[Megan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into women's lives during the Tudor Era from the reigns of Henry VII to Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch. Traversing from birth to adulthood, looking through class, race and age, Amy McElroy paints a fascinating look into the past in Women's history and how it may differ from some points we learn now. I found Women's Lives in the Tudor Era an interesting and well-researched read that is perfect for any history buff interested in the Tudor Era.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really ended up liking this.It was so easy to read and was packed with useful information if you are at all interested in the Tudor era or the women of the period.It seemed very well researched,paced, organized and informative.I especially enjoyed the Will section,the Bride and the Lives of the Wives chapters.I was also pleasantly surprised to find a summation chapter at the end which brought the whole book together for me.

Much thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review

[Rosie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarked story I loved it

[Rebecca Batley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of Amy McElroy’s first book on Tudor education and so I was very excited to receive an ARC of her second book - ‘Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era’ - and I was not disappointed. The author takes us on a fascinating and in depth journey through the lives of ordinary women during the Tudor period. Beginning with their childhood Amy McElroy explores the options and potential future that awaited baby girls. She offers us such details as the fact that even the way their hair could be worn was prescribed by society and quotes primary sources such as Roger Ascham’s ‘English Work’s’ to show us the sort of advice parents would have been expected to follow in respect to their female children. The author then moves through women’s lives looking at the day to day challenges an adolescent Tudor woman faced - such as how to make quince marmalade fit for presenting to the upper classes - and on to the more serious challenges they faced when taking a husband. I loved the detail which was given regarding the lives of women once they were married. Too often it seems that women are forgotten historically once they are safely married off, but here the author offers us a tantalizing insight into the lives they could and did lead. For example Lady Anne Lestrange’s exemplary bookkeeping and the relationship she had with her daughter in law Ellen as they sought to live harmoniously together painted for me a vivid picture which (I’m sure!) many can relate to today.
I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Wills, and the insight they offer us into the lives of Tudor women such as Margaret Browne, who left an incredibly detailed Will, and touchingly took pains to ensure that her daughter inherited and was protected as well as her sons. Proof perhaps that she was all too aware of the challenges her daughter faced as a Tudor woman.
Aristocratic women are mentioned throughout this book but this primarily is a commentary and analysis of the lives of more ‘ordinary’ Tudor women. Amy McElroy’s constant use of primary sources is detailed, accurate and convincing, her arguments are well grounded in the primary material and offer the reader an incredibly detailed insight.
This book is an entertaining, fascinating and brilliant read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Rosemary Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her latest book, Amy McElroy has also delved into the lives of ordinary women focusing on the women who were so often overshadowed by their menfolk in the patriarchal Tudor world. Brilliantly researched and easy to read, this detailed look at the how girls grew into women, how they navigated the challenging teenage years, married and lived as wives and mothers in turbulent times, is packed with fascinating information. Marriage was the goal of almost all women in this era. They tend to ‘disappear’ afterwards. So it's refreshing to find so much emphasis on what life was really like for women after they married, and as widows too. Looking from our modern perspective sometimes it can be hard for us to comprehend how these women accepted the constraints Tudor society placed on them. This book shows us how aristocratic women, far from being subservient, successfully managed huge households and estates in the absence of their menfolk or in their own right as widows. And it reveals working women were just as effective as men when earning money to provide for their families and in bringing up the next generation. A worthy successor to Amy’s excellent first book, Educating the Tudors, this one will always be at my elbow as I bring the Daughters of Devon to life in my novels.

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women's Lives in the Tudor Era by Amy McElroy is a fascinating account of a largely silent sector of Tudor society which although varied by status, still followed themes of a womans place being in the home and subserviant to men, even in royalty

McElroy's account goes beyond the traditional roles and takes a deep dive into access to education, growing up and getting married. Could you imagine being denied education because of your gender? being put to work at the age of 6 or 7? This was the grim reality of girls in the Tudor era and this was not the only issue.

The role of tudor wives (where essentially women were used as chattell and bargaining tools across the classes) raises the point of the age of marriage and it is noted, that in 1571, Juan Luis Vives advised that an age of 18 would be the earliest for marriage, when up to that point, girls as young as 12 and 14 were being forced into matrimony, The book also explores the role of motherhood and how the household was run and the dichotomy of the gender roles within while celebrating the role of the mother in the essential mechanism of running a home. Even Widowhood was feared, for it ws almost impossile for a woman to survive due to rarely having the ability to earn an income unless it had been learned prior to or during marriage (which in itself was rare)

There is also a very intriguing section on the wills of widows and what happened to all their worldly belongings, if even they had any left at the time of their passing. A very interesting book and an entertaining quick read. Absolutely recommended

Thank you to Netgalley, Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History and the fantastic author Amy McElroy for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[historic_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following her highly recommended debut, Educating the Tudors, Amy McElroy's work has been of great interest to me through her deeply fascinating insight and utterly readable research into the world of the Tudors.

In her latest work, McElroy shines a light onto the female population of this captivating period of time, with a well-rounded analysis of both the regular and aristocratic woman from the time of her childhood, to the challenges and choices that faced her as her life progressed on a day-to-day, and finally to the later stages of her life, whether that be peaceful or fraught with legal complexities.

When reflecting upon women who lived several centuries prior to you, it can often become difficult to separate your independent thoughts on current events to what was the norm of their society. However, what I also appreciate with McElroy's writing is how skillfully she explains the circumstances of her subject in such a way that will be suitable for a reader of any experience venturing into the history of the Tudors.

Intricately detailed and carefully sourced, McElroy proved that once again her books are worthy of a space on any history lover's bookshelf.

Thank you so much to @penswordbooks for such a beautiful copy to review.

[Michelle Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and written, Ms McElroy has laid out what life was like for average girls and women in the Tudor era.

I was impressed with this, while also being struck by the horrific conditions that females had to endure and survive.

I found this a fascinating look back and would recommend to those interested in the Tudor era.



Thank you Pen & Sword History and NetGalley for the DRC

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the lives of women during the Tudor years. It is very well research. The author covers all spheres of society, from the poor to the rich; and all periods in the life of a woman, from birth until her death.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Amy McElroy’s second book. I knew a bit of women’s history from the period, having done a couple of modules on early modern women at university, but there was still plenty I didn’t know in this offering on women’s lives. Women are often overshadowed in this period. Even with interest increasing in regnant queens and queen consorts, ordinary women’s lives are still not really talked about.

The chapters were all fascinating, working chronologically through the lives of women with each chapter dealing with a different aspect – from growing up, through getting married, working, widowhood, and to wills and death. Every chapter is detailed, covering so much information clearly and concisely. The level of detail is brilliant, and I know I will look at it for reference information when writing about women in the future.

There is a good range of sources, using lots of original wills, letters, state papers, and texts about education and household management to paint a vibrant picture of how women were raised differently to men, and how interlinked their lives were with the men in them, but also giving them page space in their own rights. There is also a good selection of image plates in the centre of the book, lots of woodcuts, sketches, and books, which you don’t tend to see in books on the Tudor period, so that was a nice change.

It is nice to see a book largely focusing on the ‘ordinary’ women, with just a few references to more aristocratic and royal women. The section on wills was particularly fascinating, though I also enjoyed the chapter on working women, and discovering more about the different types of jobs women did and how they changed throughout a woman’s life.

I enjoyed McElroy’s first book, and this one was also a great insight into parts of Tudor history that aren’t often written about. It’s a fascinating insight into women’s lives in the Tudor era that I wish had been written about years ago.

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the e-ARC of this book.

This book provided a broad overview of a Woman's life during the Tudor times. I found it to be well organised, chronologically describing the main events through a woman's lifetime; focusing on childhood, marriage, work, childbirth and death. Though such a large subject, especially when taking into considerations the differences between the classes experiences, it left little time to delve deeper than brief descriptions.

A very well researched and referenced book, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this historical period, however I think I was hoping for a little more depth to the discussions.
I found the book to be a little repetitive at times, and there were also occasional paragraphs of text written as a direct copy from the original from the time; including the old English spellings and turn of phrase which I personally didn't care for.

Personally, I really enjoy books about this time period and I love reading about Women's history, but I think this book was just a little brief for me. That said, I do think it was well written and researched, and I would read from this author again.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the lawyer, scholar and chancellor Thomas More famously gave his daughters a fine education, most Tudor parents were less enlightened. The educationalist Richard Mulcaster, addressing the issue in the 1580s, was quick to assure his readers that he would speak of boys’ education first, since “naturally the male is more worthy”. Nonetheless, he did acknowledge that girls had some capacity to learn.By the start of the 16th century, girls were commonly attending local schools along with their male peers. There was one such school in London between 1504 and 1515, which was run by an aged priest named William Barbour. Barbour took in 30 students of both sexes, teaching them both religious doctrine and “further learning”. No girls were permitted to attend university, but a handful attended grammar schools.Most adolescent girls in the Tudor period were expected to leave home and work or marry well and raise a family. For upper-class girls, this would be learning the ways of becoming an attractive marriage prospect to land a suitable husband. Between the ages of seven to fourteen, the children of the poor often left home in order to find employment.This was usually in the form of domestic servants, living-in labourers or apprenticeships, in which individuals would serve a master within a specific trade.
Others took on the less respectable trade of prostitution.The scale of such operations– which were often run by women–was variable. Most Tudor women expected to marry, and girls were expected to retain their virginity until their wedding night. Marriages of the nobility and gentry were approached like business arrangements, with the two families haggling over the terms, such as dowry and jointure to further their lineage,inheritance and preservation of status.Tudor women were expected to support their husbands in their businesses or work, run their households, and bear children. As they were restricted to marriage and motherhood, women relied heavily on their husband for financial support and economic security was deeply sought.Children were expected to honour and obey their parents and were treated like miniature adults.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Women’s Lives In The Tutor Era by the brilliant Amy McElroy we learned the fair sex was held to a much higher standard than their male counterparts. From what they learned to who they married to what they got from an inheritance and even to how they mourned the loss was all dictated by the men in their lives. It seems the only point of the female is the care for the men and children. Most women’s lives were daily drudgery with menial task that seemed never ending. Anyone who loves history knows women couldn’t inherit if they had a younger or older brother and in some cases a distant male relative could sweep in when they did inherit and claimed the inheritance for their self. It seems the females of the tutor. Bore all this bother wearing the corsets they’re very long dresses and a smile on their face once again proving that females are and always will be the stronger sex. This was yet another brilliant read by the great author Amy McElroy who has really claimed her spot and nonfiction history books set and the tutor. I love her books and cannot get enough of them and hope she sees fit to continue riding because I am obsessed. This is a book I highly recommend definitely enjoyed an absolutely get five stars too. I want to thank pin and sword press, Author Amy McElroy and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era by Amy McElroy is a nonfiction novel that focus on the daily lives of all ranks of women in the infamous Tudor age. A quick and thorough read for fans of Tudor history.,

In many ways, it did not matter the rank of the woman, the way things function in their lives were very much the same. McElroy covers all stages of life, from birth and childhood to death. Children were taught from a young age what their roles in life were, and were educated accordingly. A luckier girl might be afforded a more advanced education on the whim of her father, but in most cases girls were taught merely the basics,. There are chapters on marriage, birthing a chid, and daily tasks. I found the part of the role of Women in wills particularly interesting, as this brought to light a not so much focused on area.

The chapter on child birth, as well as the chapter on entertainment were a little light, and I would have liked to see more, but this book was well researched and gives a clear picture of what life was like daily. I am a little sad this book wasn’t longer, as I would’ve enjoyed even more information from this author.

Thank you to Pen and Sword and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and detailed look into the everday lives of women in that time period. Every woman is covered from common folk to the aristocracy. Even a few of the royals are mentioned here and there. As a fan of this time period who has read all about the monarchs of the time I am a bit disappointed that there weren't more references to the royal women that everyone would recognize, but I understand that that is not the focus of the book. This was meant as more of a look at every woman and not just the ones that history usually focuses on. This is a must read if you are interested in the time period and especially in women's history.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘It was thought strange if a single woman did not wish to marry and instead chose the life of a spinster. Therefore, for the majority of Tudor women, securing a husband, preferably an advantageous one, was of the primary aims in life.’

This is one book that will really get you frustrated due to many misogynist words/passages such as…

‘The philosopher Aristotle was of the opinion that the creation of women was an error and they were therefore an imperfect version of man.’

Amy has done a very well researched book and I just adore her!

My favourite chapter to read was Tudor Brides.

To live or not to live in the Tudor era?

I think after reading this book I would have to respectfully decline!!! 😂

‘Married women lost their individual legal identity when they married. They became an extension of their husband, rather than a separate individual and were subject to his will.’

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love reading all things Tudor and this was a good look into the lives of Tudor Women. I like Amy’s writing style and found the book to be well researched and well organized. Overall a great read!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. What a fun book to read. I love reading anything about the Tudor period and this book did not disappoint. It was just packed full of information and different woman in the Tudor period. The author did a great job in the research that went into this novel! Highly recommend for all Tudor fans out there!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this incredible women’s history book about Tudor England, Amy McElroy shines a light on the many roles and duties that women took on in an incredibly patriarchal society. Focusing on the women at court and at homes, readers get to explore the multiple facets of women’s lives including religion, education, political activity, marriage, motherhood, and childhood. Supplying her readers with some incredible details and primary sources, McElroy focuses on women who made it into the historical record to build the narratives of those who were not recorded by historians. The depth of detail and insight into daily and exceptional moments of Tudor women’s lives in this book makes it immersive and incredibly fascinating for those interested in women’s history and in the Tudor period. Pairing this book with any other books about the Tudors, sixteenth century Europe, and sixteenth century womanhood would make for a fantastic read, as this book delves into the societal norms and historical contexts which informed the lives of many Tudor era women. McElroy’s prose and details really bring this book to life, and her latest book is absolutely enjoyable and immersive for all readers and easily understandable for those with backgrounds in history and those without.

Thanks to NetGalley, Pen & Sword, and Pen & Sword History for the advance copy.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we think about the Tudor dynasty, we often think about the famous men and women who defined the era. An era full of change in all aspects of life, from religious and political, to the arts and literature. Throughout these changes, we tend to focus on how they affected the lives of Tudor men, but there is a growing field of interest in the lives of the average Tudor women and how their lives were affected. In her latest book, “Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era,” Amy McElroy explores women's life stages in 16th-century England and how their roles changed.

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed McElroy’s debut book, “Educating the Tudors,” and when I heard that she had another book about Tudor women, I knew I wanted to read it.

McElroy explains that like the centuries before and since the 16th century, it was riddled with negative views of women in all aspects of life. Women were seen as beneath men, which corresponded with the teachings of Aristotle. Wives, mothers, and daughters were supposed to be obedient and seen rather than heard. However, when we look at the different stages of life, we cannot separate the roles of women from everyday life.

To understand what it meant to be a Tudor woman, McElroy breaks down life into different stages, starting in childhood, going through adolescence, becoming a wife and mother, working life for women, how women relaxed, embracing widowhood, and finally, wills and death. Each stage of life is represented in a chapter in this book. McElroy takes the time to explore what it meant to be a woman at each stage of life and how their social standings changed. We see women receiving an education, going through courtships, getting married and becoming wives, starting their own families and the dangers of childbirth, how women earned a living, what they would do as recreational activities, and how they would survive if their husbands died. In each chapter, McElroy highlights women of different social statuses to show how they survived during the Tudor time.

This was an engrossing and utterly fascinating book. Some elements were completely new information for me, which was quite thrilling. The amount of details that McElroy included in such a short amount of pages was incredible. Another brilliant book by McElroy. If you want a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Tudor women, I highly recommend you read, “Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era” by Amy McElroy.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy McElroy, Women's Lives in the Tudor Era, Pen & Sword, March 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Amy McElroy’s book makes an excellent contribution to knowledge about women’s lives in the Tudor era. She does not make the mistake of omitting the information about the more well-known female figures. Instead, there is an engaging back and forth between women’s lives as they were lived at court, those who served them, and those whose work and lives contributed to the society in which the exceptional figures of history raised their heads to occasionally join the more well-known history of their male counterparts. Yes, a great deal more is known about the royal women and those at court, but Amy McElroy makes their lives even more available in this work. However, where she really excels is in the wealth of research she has undertaken to make other women’s lives in this period more accessible.

The illustrations carry through this theme, from headdresses and other fashions, comparisons of clothing and royal images; various graphics of women spinning and another assisting in childbirth; a Tudor hospital and birthing furniture and scenes; to printed works. Notes accompany each chapter. There is an index and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The former includes a primer on governing a family, from the duties between husbands and wives to those associated with masters and servants. As expected, these works are those of the people in power, those who could read and write. The secondary sources include general histories of the period; tomes on women and property and women’s legal rights; women’s everyday lives; poverty and vagrancy; and women’s employment.

McElroy writes in a lively fashion, so that Tudor women’s lives become a vast story of the society in which court life and royalty have hitherto been the main protagonists. The conclusion is a joy to read, laying out as it does the evidence that Tudor women were remarkable in their influence over their own lives and those of their families, if not further afield. The importance of domestic initiatives, tasks and relationships are given their due through this thorough investigation of Tudor women’s lives.

[CAROLYN Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women’s Lives In The Tudor Era by Amy McElroy

Women’s Lives In The Tudor Era is an interesting look into just how diverse and hard women in that time period lived. Women had little to no rights, and were considered chattel to both their husbands and fathers, and were often bargained or traded for advantageous matches for the family. Although I knew a lot of information, having always loved this time period and have had a strong fascination for history, this book showed some of the major differences in lifestyles. Rank had so much to do with every aspect of their lives, from the kind of work they preformed, their education if they received them at all, to marriages. It was interesting reading just how much women were expected to compete in a day.

The book is very well written with a myriad of information. The author definitely did her research as the book. I loved how she shed light on a topic often ignored or overshadowed. While the book sometimes felt repetitive, for the most part it was a great learning experience.

[Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Women's Lives in the Tudor Era" sheds light on a pivotal but often overlooked aspect of history. Amy McElroy's meticulous exploration reveals the multifaceted roles women played despite societal constraints. From daughters to widows, their influence permeated every stratum of Tudor society. McElroy deftly navigates through the intricate dynamics, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities women encountered. This insightful book not only illuminates the experiences of Tudor women but also prompts reflection on the enduring legacy of gender expectations. A compelling read for history enthusiasts.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents the the vibrant lives and diverse roles of Tudor women. From royal courts to humble homes, they displayed their resilience as dutiful daughters learning to run a home, resourceful wives navigating the complexities of marriage and motherhood, and empowered widows forging their own paths. These women shaped the Tudor world in profound and subtle ways.

This well-researched book gives us a lively view into the Tudor world. It’s informative, engaging, and easy to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"London by-law was issued forbidding any man to beat his wife after nine in the evening so as to not disturb his neighbours."

The thing I find most fascinating is how women remained subordinate even after two Queens.

Overall I thought this book was very interesting but I would have loved to learn more about women's health. Menstruation wasn't even mentioned and abortion was mentioned only fleetingly.

The idea of health and medicine being directly related to the elements fire/earth/air/water was so fascinating, I wish more information was included.

[Laura N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I really enjoyed how the author used real sources instead of assuming how women's lives would be. One would think that would be the case for all history books, but sadly it is not.

It was refreshing to see that women's lives (although hard) weren't as miserable as you would think. Of course, the poorer the woman the worse off her life was, but if you use historical movies as a guide you expect filth and misery. That wasn't the case at all. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about live in the Tudor era.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and well researched book, recommended if you are interested in women's or social history
Well written, easy to follow.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Beth Mushin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The level of detail given with specific examples was amazing. This book is a great glimpse into the lives of tutor, women both aristocratic and common.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up