The Tudors have been so popularized largely because of the scandals that accompanied them. Now, I don't think anyone truly believes that a real-life Tudor bedchamber was anything like what we see in "The Tudors" - (see picture). But it is kind of fun to think of it like that, isn't it? We know about all of King Henry VIII's mistresses, his passionate love affair with the beautiful Anne Boleyn, and the many not-so-secret rendezvous going on between courtiers and ladies. Maybe it's simply fun and interesting to imagine a time 500 years ago when people were so scandalous, and when passions flared - maybe even more than they do today!
There's something deeply romantic about the Tudor era, in my opinion, and some people might laugh at that, considering what a dangerous time it was. But the
Maybe it's the dangers of court that intrigue people so much. I'm sure no one desires to be a prisoner in the Tower awaiting execution at King Henry's command, but that is one major thing about this time period that is so different from today. People could be executed or banished so easily in those times, and hardly anyone even blinked an eye. For the Tudors, death was a very common thing that people were faced with almost daily in some way. One wrong move, and your reputation or your life could be gone in an instant.
Something else that is equally interesting to me is why we choose which Tudors are our favorites. How do we form such strong opinions about people we've only read about or watched in fictional portrayals? Much of what is written and shown about Tudor figures is based on speculation and rumor only. Even for those of us who do research the Tudors and find out as much truth as possible - what makes certain Tudors speak to us? I truly do not have an answer to this, but I certainly have my favorite people. Two people who are a little bit out of the spotlight, but still intrigue me more than almost any other Tudor figure are Bessie Blount (King Henry VIII's mistress), and Sir Robert Dudley (Queen Elizabeth I's 'friend' and supposed lover). Of course, I also love Anne Boleyn - althought I'm not sure I would have loved to know her in real life - and I adore Queen Elizabeth. Almost every figure in Tudor England interests me, but I'm still asking the question - How do we pick our favorites?
I'm really interested to know - Why do you love the Tudors? Who are your favorite people in the dynasty? And the big question... Why??