Histories of the Unexpected: The Tudors

Histories of the Unexpected

by Sam Willis, James Daybell

Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before.

Traditionally, the Tudors have been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, Tudor monarchs, exploration and religion have a fascinating history... but so too does cannibalism, shrinking, bells, hats, mirrors, monsters, faces, letter-writing and accidents!

Each of these subjects is equally fascinating in its own right, and each sheds new light on the traditional subjects and themes that we think we know so well.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2019

About the author

Dr Sam Willis is a maritime historian and archaeologist and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

He is the author of the best-selling Hearts of Oak Trilogy and the Fighting Ships Series. He has consulted on maritime history for many clients including the BBC, Channel 4, NBC America and Christie's.

Sam's work is coloured by his knowledge and experience of seamanship. Sam's unique approach to maritime history and his vivid style of writing has led to him being described as 'A Nautical Tour de Force'.

Reviews

[Maria Hill AKA MH Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best way to describe this is that it is like a trip to the Tudor History Museum in a book. Just enough factual information and some interesting stories. I particularly liked the letter written to Thomas Cromwell by Sir Thomas Heneage about the effectiveness of the enema on Henry the VIIIs bowel movements :)

[Sabrina (Taylor’s Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a really fun short read on the plane!

[Claire Geraghty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fascinating! Being a huge Tudor fan I found this very insightful and intriguing. Learning about how everyday objects like The chair, The Toilet, Hats, Eyes etc have a huge impact in Tudor history and link together in unexpected ways.

The chapters are short and easy to read and I like how informative it is without it being to hard to take in. I also found parts quite amusing and there were parts where I was like “ahhh makes so much sense” to when I’ve done my own research into the Tudors. You certainly do learn something new everyday.

I highly recommend this to any Tudor and History fans. Such a great book. I couldn’t put it down.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Histories of the Unexpected: The Tudors gives a history of the Tudors that isn’t traditionally written about. Often history books are about the art, religion, and monarchy of the Tudor era. This book has chapters on monsters, toilets, rings, bells, and even cannibalism. It was definitely unexpected and entertaining!

If you want to learn some fun facts about the Tudor era, I recommend this quick read!

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some topics discussed in this book are quite interesting, like how Tudor spies used orange juice to write secret messages. However, the only setback of this book is that the text is quite complicated to read, and sometimes I didn't understand what was going on.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply delightful and informative wee read!

[iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and sweet and really humanises history! the further reading section was an added bonus to someone who's bothered

[Trelawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short introduction to Tudor life with some fun and quirky facts

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collective about some trivial aspects of Tudor life which are widely not considered or taught. Easy to flick through and read and chapter here and there. I agree this felt like walking through a little museum.