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The Tudors did not see history as distant or neutral. They believed they were living after a great age, measuring themselves constantly against Rome, ancient kings, and earlier empires that had already risen and fallen. History, for them, was a warning.

In this episode, we explore how the Tudors studied the past, the classical historians they read, and why history shaped their understanding of power, legitimacy, and decline. From Roman emperors to English chronicles, this is a look at how the Tudors read history.

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In early 1540, Thomas Cromwell was still powerful, but he knew something had shifted.

Today we look at the final year before Cromwell’s fall, not as a sudden collapse, but as a slow recognition that his influence was draining away. As the court reoriented itself, allies fell silent, old enemies returned, and the systems Cromwell built no longer protected him.

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What if Catherine of Aragon had agreed to an annulment in 1527?

Today we explore a Tudor what-if with enormous consequences. If Catherine had stepped aside quietly, Henry VIII might never have broken with Rome, Anne Boleyn might have had time to secure her position, Mary Tudor’s future could have been settled early, and England might have remained a far quieter place.

A meditation on how one refusal, rooted in conscience, reshaped a kingdom.

Check out the Vday collection:

https://tudorfair.com/collections/valentines-day-2026

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This talk was recorded live at Tudorcon 2025.

In this lecture, Mallory Jackson explores the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, the artist whose portraits defined how we visualize the Tudor court. Focusing on key paintings from Holbein’s years in England, she looks at how symbolism, material culture, and political change shaped portraits of figures such as Henry VIII, Thomas More, and Thomas Cromwell.

This is a detailed, art-driven discussion of Holbein’s most famous works, including The Ambassadors, and what they reveal about power, belief, and uncertainty in Tudor England.

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Juana of Castile is remembered by history as “Juana the Mad,” but that label explains far less than it hides. In this episode, we step away from biography and diagnosis to look instead at power: who held it, who wanted it, and who benefited when Juana was declared unfit to rule. Drawing on recent scholarship and the comparison with her sister Catherine of Aragon, this is a closer look at how a reigning queen was sidelined, confined, and ultimately erased without ever being formally deposed. Juana’s story isn’t just tragic. It’s a case study in how authority can be neutralized not by force, but by containment.

Read the book Sister Queens - available on Amazon

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Henry Beaufort is rarely the most famous Beaufort, but he may have been the most influential.

A son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, Beaufort took a different path from his more rebellious relatives. As Bishop of Winchester and later a cardinal, he became the wealthiest churchman in England and a crucial financial backer of the Lancastrian crown.

This minicast explores how Henry Beaufort shaped English politics through money and influence rather than titles or armies. From underwriting royal government to clashing with Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester during Henry VI’s minority, Beaufort’s power came from being indispensable, even when he was unpopular.

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At the Tudor court, Twelfth Night was more than the end of Christmas. Using specific recorded celebrations from across the sixteenth century, this minicast explores how plays, masques, tournaments, dancing, and banquets were used to perform power at court.

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When you step into the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, the walls tell a story. In this minicast, we explore Henry VIII’s Abraham tapestries: vast, expensive works of art that doubled as political messaging.

Woven in the 1540s, these biblical scenes weren’t just decoration. They reinforced Henry’s claims to religious authority, dynastic legitimacy, and the future of the Tudor line, all at a moment when succession anxiety and church reform loomed large. Five hundred years later, the tapestries are still hanging—and still saying exactly what Henry wanted them to say.

Read more here: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-VIII-Art-Majesty-Tapestries/dp/0300122349

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