The Lives of Tudor Women

by Elizabeth Norton

The turbulent Tudor age never fails to capture the imagination. But what was it actually like to be a woman during this period? This was a time when death in infancy or during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education of women was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and characterful women in a way that no era had been before.

Elizabeth Norton explores the seven ages of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister who died in infancy; 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical

554 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2016

About the author

Elizabeth Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She obtained an Master of Arts in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in 2003 and a masters degree in European Archaeology from the University of Oxford in 2004.

Elizabeth Norton is the author of five non-fiction works: She Wolves, The Notorious Queens of England (The History Press, 2008), Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's Obsession (Amberley, 2008), Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's True Love (Amberley, 2009), Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's Discarded Bride (Amberley, 2009) and Catherine Parr (Amberley, 2010).[2]' She is also the author of two articles: Anne of Cleves and Richmond Palace (Surrey History, 2009) [3] and Scandinavian Influences in the Late Anglo-Saxon Sculpture of Sussex (Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2009)

Reviews

[Heidi Malagisi]

In each era throughout history, we see how men and women adapt to the struggles and triumphs of the age. Take, for example, the 16th century, primarily in Tudor England. It was a time of great religious changes and dynamic rulers who would change the course of European history forever. While men had the most power, except for a handful of women, the majority of women struggled to survive each stage of life. So, what was life truly like for Tudor women? Elizabeth Norton explores this topic in her book, “The Lives of Tudor Women.”

I have been wanting to read this particular book for years. I have enjoyed the previous books that I have read by Elizabeth Norton, so when I saw she wrote a book about Tudor women, I knew I wanted to read it.

Norton begins by explaining how this book would be broken down in her preface, which has one of my favorite introductory paragraphs in any book. This book is divided into sections that correspond with the Seven Ages of Man, which was made famous by William Shakespeare. These ages are: the infant, the schoolboy, the lover, the soldier, the justice of the peace, the ageing retiree, and the infirm elder. Obviously, with the lives of 16th-century women, these ages are altered a bit, especially for the soldier and the justice of the peace, but the premise remains the same. Each section focuses on one of these ages and the different aspects of life during that period in a person’s life. Norton also features small snippets of extra information that don’t fit into the narrative of the chapter, but are fascinating.

The main characters, who are the main focus in this book, are a collection of stories of women from royals to rebels. Two Elizabeth Tudors bookmark the book, one will die as a child while the other became one of the most important rulers in European history, Queen Elizabeth I. We also get to see the stories of Elizabeth and Anne Boleyn, a prophetess, Elizabeth Barton, a businesswoman named Katherine Fenkyll, the widow Cecily Burbage, the heretic Anne Askew, a rebel named Margaret Cheyne, and an expatriate named Jane Dormer. These stories and the other smaller tales paint a picture of what it meant to be a female in Tudor England.

This was another delightful book by Elizabeth Norton. While I did know some of the stories and the information featured in this book, other stories were brand new and thrilling to read about. Norton breathed new life into women’s history during the 16th century with this book. If you want a fresh approach to Tudor England with new women to learn about, I highly recommend you read “The Lives of Tudor Women” by Elizabeth Norton.

[Giovanna Walker]

Really enjoyed this. Norton has done a LOT of research, and has managed to make what is often a 'dry' subject really interesting. I like how she intersperses history with snippets of everyday examples (as much as she can) of women's lives (whether through their writing, or court records). She acknowledges that most of the extensive writing about women at that time was about the privileged few.
I also liked how she went through the 7 stages of life. From birth to the grave. Gosh. What a journey! Life expectancy, marriage age (SO young), giving birth (OMG), being married (or not).
There are many laugh out loud moments, and those of OMG they did WHAT? Norton really evokes the era with no 'judgement' merely observation, I enjoyed that light touch.
Sure there are a few niggles for me, however it would be disingenuous to rate this lower than 5 stars because of it.
A great introduction to the Age, and I've found some women that I'd like to read more about (some are my ancestors, so it's extra interesting and amazing, to hear their voices).

[Mary A]

This is a fascinating and thoroughly researched book.
I appreciated Norton's approach of using individual women's stories to illustrate each chapter's themes. Having detailed case studies, rather than brief mentions of many different people, allowed for deeper and more meaningful insights.
I especially enjoyed following Elizabeth I's journey through different life stages—particularly her skillful avoidance of marriage!

[Jess Hember]

I really enjoyed this! Some bits I wished had a bit more detail particularly around witchcraft which I was most interested in but I loved the structure of this book and the interspersing of royal history with the everyday lives of women in the Tudor period!

[L]

For me, this book started slow and had too many unfamiliar names to remember. Then as each chapter progresses, I started to enjoy these women’s stories. Funnily enough, I’ve enjoyed the last twenty pages most. Definitely would recommend reading this book to readers who enjoyed Tudor history.

[Julie]

picked this up at winchester cathedral's giftshop, an interesting recap of women's lives in this era but could be more engaging

[Janice Bluck]

I love social history, so I learnt alot about how women lived their lives during the tudor period.

[Laura Sweeney]

I really enjoyed this book, Elizabeth's style of writing made what could have been a very heavy and academic topic easy to digest and enjoy. Very enlightening on the lives and challenges lived by the ladies of the time as well as showing ways in which they were able to prosper and wield power and influence.

I would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in history and this period, it's excellent and very much worth reading.

[Amy McElroy]

This has been on my TBR list for a while and I've been very much looking forward to delving into the Lives of Tudor Women.
Norton takes us on a journey through the lives of women living during the Tudor era but not just those we all know very well such as Elizabeth I, Norton discusses the lives of common females as well as nobility giving a full picture of their lives and difficulties faced by all.

Through Shakespeare's seven ages of life we learn the roles expected of women, their hardships and their successes.
Each chapter focuses on a couple of females but also has a small insert discussing a specific person or topic. It's an unusual layout but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I found the inserts broke up the text keeping me interested and providing more information about specific people.

A wide variety of topics are brought to the forefront and how they affected women including education, religion and persecution.
Events such as The Pilgrimage of Grace and the Reformation are given a fresh perspective from the view of the females rather than the male perspective we usually read about.

This book is clearly the result of meticulous research and is highly informative. It does not read like a text book but instead as a variety of short stories of women in the Tudor era. It is very easy and enjoyable to read. For those interested in the Tudor era I would certainly recommend this especially to those who may find some nonfiction dry as this is certainly not.

Norton provides extensive notes and bibliography from which I have added further works to my TBR list.

[Rachel]

A fascinating dive into the lives of Tudor women, from royalty and aristocratic women down to destitute widows, explored through the framework of Shakespeare’s seven ages of man (but for women). It follows the stories of certain interesting or notable women, alongside historical anecdotes of Tudor women found through court records and other slightly more obscure sources.