Educating the Tudors

by Amy McElroy

Education during the Tudor era was a privilege and took many forms including schools, colleges and apprenticeships. Those responsible for delivering education came from a variety of backgrounds from the humble parish priest to the most famed poet-laureates of the day. Curriculums varied according to wealth, gender and geography. The wealthy could afford the very best of tutors and could study as much or as little as they chose whilst the poorer members of society could only grasp at opportunities in the hopes of providing themselves with a better future. The Tudors were educated during a time when the Renaissance was sweeping across Europe and Henry VIII became known as a Renaissance Prince but what did his education consist of? Who were his tutors? How did his education differ to that of his elder brother, Prince Arthur and how did Henry’s education change upon the death of his brother? There is no doubt Henry was provided with an excellent education, particularly in comparison to his sisters, Margaret and Mary. Henry’s own education would go on to influence his decisions of tutors for his own children. Who had the privilege of teaching Henry’s children and did they dare to use corporal punishment? Educating the Tudors seeks to answer all of these questions, delving into the education of all classes, the subjects they studied, educational establishment and those who taught them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tudor Period

216 pages, Hardcover

Published January 30, 2023

Reviews

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. Amy's book was published on the same day as mine which I was really excited about! We've talked a few times about publishing and history, and she's such a lovely person as well as a great writer and historian. This is her debut book and I hope it won't be her last as she has such a way of making the topic accessible.

This book looks at education in the Tudor period from the royal family, through the nobility, and down to the common people, in easily digestible chapters. It also looks at the effects of religion, pastimes, and books, music and drama on education, as well as royal tutors like Roger Ascham, John Skelton, and John Aylmer. It's not a subject that I'm aware a book has been written about before, and this is a great book on the subject, well-researched, and obviously a passion of the author's as well.

Things changed in the Tudor period when it came to education. It became more common for women to be educated and of course there were huge adjustments with the Reformation and the religious changes sweeping England and Europe. Elizabeth I we know was highly educated, and Katherine Parr was the first English queen to publish a book in her own name. Education wasn't strictly academic, and this book also looks at music, dance, and sports as learning.

My only real bug-bear with it is that there is no index. It's something I just really don't like with non-fiction history books; perhaps as a researcher and writer myself it annoys me that I can't look up a particular person or event easily. But I think that's personal preference rather than anything else.

There was some repetition throughout, but I think that helps to hammer home the points being made and it certainly didn't take away from the fantastic writing, research, and passion that has obviously gone into it.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading biographies about historical figures, such as Henry VIII, there is generally an overview of their education. But, due to the sheer amount of information included in biographies, readers aren't able to take a deep dive into the details about what education during the Tudor era actually involved. Educating the Tudors by Amy McElroy delves into this topic in her first book, due out in January 2023. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Sword Books for access to this book.

As identified by McElroy in the introduction, the Tudor period saw a shift in education. In Medieval England, education was for 'men of the church.' But, both the Renaissance and Reformation affected education during the Tudor reign. Humanism was a major part of this shift during the Renaissance. As there is today, over time, there were changes in the curriculum. Humanists would study topics such as 'grammar, rhetoric, philosophy, and history.' Royal children were taught a wide-ranging curriculum, encompassing, for example, prayers, greetings, and the appropriate protocol for the giving and receiving of gifts as well as a wide variety of languages. The type of education received varied, depending on social class, and whether the individual was male or female. We are also introduced to the different extra-curricular activities that Tudor people took part in - from bear baiting and embroidery to cock-fighting and hunting.

Overall, this book was easy to read and enjoyable. I found it incredibly interesting to learn more about humanist education, and the specific topics that would have been covered. It was also fabulous to learn more about well known figures from Tudor history such as Desiderius Erasmus, John Skelton and John Cheke. I also learnt about some of the lesser known people from Tudor history. If you have an interest in Tudor history, or the history of education, then I recommend reading Educating the Tudors by Amy McElroy.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!

As this focuses so much on education, rather than saying this is the Tudor era through the lens of education, rather, this is a look at British education through the lens of the Tudor era.

McElroy first goes through education by social levels - how the Tudor princes and princesses were educated and who their tutors were, then how the aristocratic children received education, followed by what education the lower orders were able to get.

Then Elroy examines how much religion was twined with education, and what consequences the Reformation had on that. Also, the books, plays and music that all served as educational materials, and, last but not least, the kind of pastimes available when school was not in session.

An interesting look at what the educational system looked like in the 16th century.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book truly fascinating

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a marmite book that some will love and some will hate. I found it well researched and informative.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Elizabeth Madden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am afraid that I was extremely frustrated by and disappointed in this book.

Although the writer has clearly undertaken a great deal of research into her subject, I feel that, prior to publication/release for sale, the book would benefit from comprehensive editing and proofreading.

The punctuation is very insecure and lacking in accuracy. Sentences go on for a long time, with various facts separated only by commas, where colons and semi-colons could have been applied or, better still, a new sentence begun.

As a result of this very weak punctuation, often the reader begins to feel bombarded with facts and consequently overwhelmed. This results in a loss of focus, attention, and concentration: hardly ideal in a factual piece of writing.

At times, too, the author will repeat facts, frequently with only a paragraph to separate the information: this results in the reader needlessly being given exactly the same information.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. Maybe part of the problem was that I read an advance, and that advance hadn’t been through an editing process yet, but I have to admit that I found this book almost unreadable in places. Extremely repetitive, with some sentences that wandered for a paragraph until it was hard to be certain what information it was trying to get across, the result was feeling like I was having facts hurled at me constantly. And all too often, it was the same facts getting thrown at me. While I can appreciate a little repetition is necessary to get across the idea that the nobility throughout the time period were trying to educate their children as similarly to how the Tudor royal children were taught, this doesn’t need to be said in as many ways as frequently as it is here. I would have preferred more examples of what children’s days were like (if those were available). I liked that this book tried to explore education down to the most primary of schools and education, more examples where possible and less bombardment of facts would have made this a stronger book, and one I might recommend. As would editing, which I hope was only a problem with my copy because it was an advance. Although if so, seriously affected how I felt about the quality of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[historic_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Education was a serious business during the Tudor Era. With the Renaissance and birth of Humanism, education within Tudor England underwent a radical reformation having once been restricted to those destined for a career in the church, it became more customary for the wider public to expand their knowledge and skills.

A topic that, sadly, is often glossed over in biographies of leading historical figures of the time, McElroy has penned this fascinating debut detailing the very facts of the education of the House of Tudor, the nobility surrounding them and the common people.

While religion was a major part of a person's life, the author examines the foundations that made a successful education: literature, poetry, music, drama and the much-loved pastimes such as sports and recreation. McElroy skillfully weaves in the tales of influential tutors such as Roger Ascham and scholars such as Desiderius Erasmus who assisted in pioneering the structure and change of English education, even during the tumultuous years of the Reformation.

An informative book, McElroy's direct narrative is educational within itself in shining a light on a lesser known area within the much-loved Tudor Era.

Many thanks to @penswordbooks for so kindly sending me a copy to review.

[spencer wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeper dive into the aspect of education in the Tudor world. Recommended for the serious researcher or student, as this book takes a close look at all aspects of education and the influence that wealth, or lack thereof, had in providing opportunities. for those interested in the Tudor time period, this is a must-read.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The conduct of the royal children would have been watched at all times to ensure their manners were impeccable, even at mealtimes their behaviour and table manners would have been observed and corrected if their etiquette was not up to standard.’

This was a really interesting read. The subjects to study were defiantly a lot more interesting back then but my gosh, they seemed intense!

And the hours for school? Holy sh*t!

‘The syllabus instructed Mary to grasp the eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.’

I fell in love with learning more about Katharine of Aragon and her believes as a woman/queen.

It’s funny how I mentioned earlier that the education for children was quite intense but when it came to becoming a doctor, sometimes just reading some literature on the topic was enough!

A must read for Tudor lovers and people interested in learning about education.

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educating the Tudors by Amy McElroy is a fascinating and thorough examination of the state of education for all during the Tudor era, following developments due to the Renaissance and the Reformation, as well as the introduction of the printing press. Not content with researching the tutors of the royal children from Arthur to Edward, Amy has also examined education for all levels of society as well as what would have been taught. With an eye for the difference between class, sex and wealth, Amy has examined what education was and how it was undertaken, as well as the titans who were making use of their interest in learning to advance learning for all, making use of the printing press, even as they sought to catch the eye of the reigning monarch.

And this isn't just book-learning, but also the paths of apprenticeships, as well as how people became lawyers, and just what effect the Reformation did have on an education system that was so heavily reliant on priests and had to be radically rethought when the monasteries, and later, chantries were closed.

I was fascinated by the subject matter and learned so much from reading this book - indeed, even things I've read about before suddenly made a lot more sense.

An absorbing and well-researched book, which is sure to fascinate all those interested in the Tudors, as well as the development of education in England.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we think of the word “education,” images of sitting in school rooms for hours, listening to lectures, and doing endless homework pop into our minds. Our modern education system tends to focus on math, science, language arts, and history as the core subjects we study, with music and physical education as something that we in America call an “elective.” But have you ever wondered what education looked like in the past? How did the Tudors pass on their knowledge to future generations? What subjects did the Tudors consider essential, and how did the amount of education you received change depending on your class? Amy McElroy explores these questions in her book, “Educating the Tudors.”

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. When I heard about this book, it grabbed my attention because although many books about the Tudors have talked about elements of education, I have yet to see a book about Tudor education. I was curious to see how the rise of humanism would affect Tudor education throughout the 16th- century.

Before we dive into the differences in classes regarding education, McElroy gives her readers a breakdown of the different types of schools and what subjects each school teaches, including the trivium and quadrivium. She then dives into the Tudor monarchs and their education, starting with King Henry VIII, the first monarch in England to receive a humanist education. With royal children and their education, we are introduced to their royal tutors, like Giles Duwes, Bernard Andre, John Palsgrave, Roger Ascham, Desiderius Erasmus, and John Picton.

McElroy takes her readers on an educational journey through the different social classes, like nobility, gentry, and knights, to the common people. As she points out, the lower you get on the social ladder, the less critical education is to have a career. With the introduction of the printing press and the Reformation, the way students were taught and discussed religious issues changed throughout the 16th century. I loved learning about the popular books of the time, the different instruments and dances that were enjoyed, and what games were played during down times.

For McElroy’s first book, I found it very educational, informative, and easy to read. Her passion for humanism and the evolution of Tudor education exudes on each page. I took pages of notes about this book, and I learned so much from this debut. I cannot wait to see what Amy McElroy will write about next. To learn more about how the Tudors approached education and humanism, you should check out “Educating the Tudors” by Amy McElroy.