Tudor history fans - what would you like to read about on a blog?

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

I've just started a blog, mainly to share the research for the YA historical novel I wrote last year & am doing for my next one. I did pots of research into lots of aspects of Tudor life and not all of it found its way into the book, so it seems like a good idea to put it out there!

I just wanted to ask if there are things in particular you'd be interested in reading about?

It's basically the everyday life aspects rather than the politics - there are already a million blogs out there doing the 'On this day in Tudor history...' and 'The truth about Anne Boleyn!' stuff and I'm much more interested in how everyone lived. I'm a former re-enactor so I tend to be quite practical in my approach (trying stuff out etc).

I'm kicking off with one on falconry and I'm going to do a regular thing on festivals because they're just so totally rich and complex and amazing. Is there anything you (or your kids) have always wondered about?

Thanks

[Wannabestepfordwife]

The politics and day to day life in the monasteries and convents and what life was actually like for monks and nuns during/after the reformation

[Wannabestepfordwife]

I also wondered how the communities involved in the pilgrimage of grace adapted back to normal life after seeing friends and family murdered and realising the kings word meant nothing

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Oh, thank you so much, Wannabestepfordwife.

What happened to the monks and nuns would make a brilliant blogpost.

I've wondered exactly the same about the aftermath of the Pilgrimage of Grace but it's harder to write about outside fiction.

It's something I wonder about with any big traumatic event or disaster, though. One of my favourite YA historicals, Sally Nicholls 'We all fall down' is about the Black Death and its aftermath and I love that it's almost more about how people adapted afterwards than the plague itself.

[Wannabestepfordwife]

No problem I would also be interested in the changing social structure in Tudor time the wars of the roses seemed to be more about the old aristocratic families but in the Tudor era you had the self made like Wolsey, Cromwell and a heroine of mindle Bess of Hardwick I would love to read about social mobility in the era

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Heroine of mine even

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Oh yes, that's fascinating.
Bess of Hardwick is so interesting.
It reminds me I must get hold of Gillian Bagwell's novel her (Venus in Winter) - I loved her Nell Gwynn one and I really do want to know more about Bess.

[Wannabestepfordwife]

I apologise for the repeated posts but I've had a glass or two and you've got the cogs turning.

Education the expansion of universities under Wolsey, the links between universities and Protestantism and the grammar school charter under Edward VII.

Life for the Irish under Tudor rule.

What happened to priests wives under Mary's rule.

The realities of life for foreigners especially in East Anglia and London

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Brilliant, thank you.
The grammar schools one would be great as my book's for teens.
The thing about foreigners would be quite widely interesting, I think.

[antimatter]

What made crowds and ordinary people to be so quick to change opinions about Henry's wife's
when and where were the tipping points that sympathies towards them changed
how did the news travelled between London and other cities and towns?

also - generally - how often foreigners were settling in England and why?
ales Englishmen travelled abroad was it always with trade and then they were setting in new places because of business ties?

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Oh, fantastic.
How news travelled, and how fast, was really interesting from the point of view of writing fiction, because you're trying to fit historical events in with the plot but it's not just a matter of when they happened, it's also when people in a particularly isolated village would have found out about them.
I can talk about the Pilgrimage of Grace beacons as well!

My heroine's sister marries a merchant who imports things from the Low Countries, so that would work well with the trade one.

Thank you.

[BillnTedsMostFeministAdventure]

Marking place

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I'd like to know about recusants in general - not just monks and nuns - please.

[antimatter]

also listened to talk about how different birds were allowed to be owned by different type of people (depending on whereon social laddre they were) and that owls were popular for falconery
where there other animals used in households from what we now consider pets
which one os the oldest dog breed in Britain?
were they bread for particular jobs then

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Pets would be brilliant. I already have dogs lined up but one of the characters in my book has a cat so that would be a good jumping-off point.

I did actually talk about the list of who is allowed to own what bird in my falconry post but I'm very nervous of linking in case I cross the line onto promoting my blog, which MNHQ understandably don't allow, but I don't expect they would mind if I sent you a PM in case you're interested.

[antimatter]

yes please - PM me your link!

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Oh, LRD, I would love to do a book about recusants one day!
I think my heroine's grand-children might do some of that priest-hiding stuff, don't you reckon?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Ooh, do it, do it! Sounds very plausible to me.

(Also, totally love the idea of your heroine as a grandmother.)

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Could I have a link to your blog as well please

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Both sent

[SummerTimeTOWIE]

Can you PM me a link to your blog?

I write a very similar blog about Medieval and Tudor England. It's great fun to write and I include just about anything and everything historical which takes my interest. I also include a lot East Anglian local history - I write a lot of posts particularly about the county mentioned in my nickname.

Good luck with yours. I've been doing mine for nearly 3 years now and it's been one of the most personally rewarding things I've ever done.

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Thank you! I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Especially as I grew up in Essex (Maldon) so would LOVE to read more about it history. I'm in t'north now.

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Are you in the Mumsnet Bloggers Network, btw? I'm in the books section but I wouldn't know where to find other history blogs. (And haven't had any clicks through from there yet!)

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

I'm very interested in what happened to the inhabitants of the monasteries etc.

Went to Rufford Abbey on Sunday and much was made of it being a country house. I was left wondering.

I'm also interested in the nitty gritty aspects of daily life and how news travelled.

[PetiteRaleuse]

I think you're allowed to link to your blog if you're in the MNBN. I certainly used to. I'd love to know which blog it is.

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

I'll send you a PM and ask them if it's ok for me to put a link on the thread - I don't want this thread to be pulled, because it's been so useful to me.

It would be lovely if more history bloggers came out of the woodwork, too. Anyone else write one? (I knew a MNer who did an absolutely terrific one on women's/family history, but I don't think she's on here any more.)