SURPRISING TUDOR FACTS 

 HENRY VIII MAY HAVE KILLED AROUND 70,000 PEOPLE.

Henry was well known for his outrageous romantic escapades.
In his quest for a male heir, Henry munched his way through 6 wives - two of which met their unfortunate end by becoming a head shorter!

However, Henry's behaviour wasn't restricted to his nearest and dearest.
He ordered the death of roughly 72,000 people, during his 38-year reign.

 TUDORS LOVED TO SQUISH PEOPLE TO DEATH!

One of the favourite torture and capital punishment methods during the Tudor times, was ‘peine forte et dure’ more commonly known as ‘pressing’.

Having gone through the dubious English judicial system, wrongdoers went through an excruciating demise, via the form of being pressed to death.

This torture method consisted of lawbreakers being squished between two wooden boards that gradually got topped by weights until the victim was flattened!

HENRY VIII USED A STAIRLIFT!

On a list of Henry VIII’s possessions, the king had a stairlift installed in Whitehall Palace, London.

Noted in the records as ‘a chair that goweth up and down’ it was functioned by servants yanking at either end to haul the rotund Henry VIII up and downstairs with 'ease'.

 ELIZABETH I SURVIVED 9 ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATIONS!

Queen Elizabeth I was like a cat with 9 lives.
The flame haired daughter of Henry VIII, managed to survive a total of 9 plots against her, during her turbulent reign.

Recorded attempts at taking her life were the:

Northern Rebellion (1569)
The Ridolfi Plot (1571)
Tyrells’s Plot (1581)
The Throgmorton Plot (1583)
The Somerville Plot (1583)
Dr. Parry’s Plot (1548)
The Babington Plot (1586)
Dr. Rodrigo Lopez’ attempt (1594)
The Essex Rebellion (1601)

MARY I, WAS SHE REALLY THAT BAD?

So notorious, she has a cocktail named after her....
Mary I has a reputation of bloodshed, burning hundreds of protestants - earning herself the name Bloody Mary.

The first daughter of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon, Mary became the first female ruler of England.

Mary I is known to be a particularly vicious ruler.

THE TUDORS WERE TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE 20TH CENTURY BRIT!

The Tudors were very tall people!
King Henry VII was 5ft 9", with his son Henry VIII hitting an impressive 6ft 2"

Henry VIII’s wives Katherine Parr and Katharine of Aragon boasted a tall 5ft 10in and 5ft 8in, respectively.

The average height of the workmen and sailors on Henry VIII’s famous ship, the Mary Rose, was found to be 5ft 8in.
This is taller than the average Brit in the early 20th century!

THE TUDORS WEREN’T AN ENGLISH MONARCHY!

The Tudors were not English.
They actually came from Welsh heritage through a scandalous marriage between a Welsh royal attendant Owain ap Maredydd ap Tudur, and King Henry V’s French widow, Catherine of Valois.

THERE WERE 6 TUDOR MONARCHS, IN TOTAL.

Henry VII: 1485 – 1509
Henry VIII: 1509 – 1547
Edward VI: 1547 – 1553
Jane Grey: 1553 – 1553
Mary I: 1553 – 1558
Elizabeth I: 1558 – 1603

ELIZABETH I HAD A VIOLENT TEMPER.

Elizabeth I could be quite violent, she swore like a trooper and could apparently be heard several rooms away.

In 1576, when she discovered that her Lady, Mary Shelton had secretly married courtier Sir John Scudamore, she flew into a rage.
She rained blows on the unfortunate Mary, and according to some, she may have even broken her finger!

Elizabeth liked to throw things too.
She once threw a slipper at her spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.

THE TUDORS LIKED TO GIVE INTERESTING GIFTS.

If you wanted something done, you gave the relevant person a gift.
This would force them to reciprocate - by doing whatever it was, that you wanted from them.

Food items could also be given as gifts.
Some food items were rather more exotic.
Letters have been found, that state seal and porpoise had been transported.

Live animals were given as gifts too.
Lady Lisle sought advice on a gift for Anne Boleyn in the 1530s and was told that the queen hated monkeys, but liked spaniels.

Princess Mary, later Mary I, was given a parrot by the Countess of Derby in 1538.

New Year’s Day, rather than Christmas day, was the biggest gift-giving day for the Tudors.
Nobles competed with each other to give the king or queen the best present.

Such gifts usually involved vast quantities of gold and jewels.
Elizabeth I’s courtiers indulged her love of clothes with gifts of extravagant gowns and luxurious fabrics.