The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women, Elizabeth Norton
The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women, Elizabeth Norton
1 Rating(s)
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The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women
A Social History

Author: Elizabeth Norton

Narrator: Jennifer M. Dixon

Unabridged: 12 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/04/2017


Synopsis

The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress; of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best.

Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; 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. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.

About Elizabeth Norton

Elizabeth Norton is a historian specializing in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She is the author of The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor and lives in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship on February 23, 2025

Two stars as a work of social history focused on the average Tudor woman, which this isn’t. Three stars if you’re up for a mishmash of a bit of social history alongside a history of political and religious turmoil, seen mostly through mini-biographies of royals, aristocrats, and martyrs, i.e., the l......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on August 04, 2017

A woman's worth.. Take a step into the lives of Tudor women. From Elizabeth of York to Elizabeth I, this book dives into the lives of not only the nobility, but some of the more notable names of the day. Most women were seen as quiet and "homemakers" some women in the Tudor ages made a name for them......more

Goodreads review by Micah on December 10, 2023

Having read very little on this period, I found this an enthralling reading, and highly enjoyable as well as educational. I would highly recommend it to anyone curious about this time in British history, and the remarkable women who lived during it. Five stars.......more

Goodreads review by Tony on October 13, 2016

The Lives of Tudor Women could have the subtitle 'the seven ages of Tudor life' as it explores the many diverse facets of their times by contrasting women at different stages in their lives. I've recently read many books about Elizabeth of York, so was glad to find a fresh perspective on what she we......more