Tudor life

The Tudor era lasted from 1485 – when Henry VII defeated the Yorkist king Richard III at the battle of Bosworth – until the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. So what was life like during Tudor times?

Roman toilet

Tales of the toilet: a historical A–Z

thomas-more-6-13ba186

Thomas More: saint or sinner?

Portrait of an African man, c1530

The missing Tudors: black people in 16th-century England

Portrait of Catherine of Aragon

Your guide to Catherine of Aragon: Henry VIII’s first wife and mother of Mary I

An illustration of King Richard speaking to James Tyrrell in William Shakespeare's 'The Tragedy of King Richard the Third

Have we completely misinterpreted Shakespeare’s Richard III?

English admiral Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), circa 1585. (Photo by Getty Images)

Francis Drake: slave trader

Francis Drake portrait

Francis Drake’s forgotten role in the English slave trade

Sam Willis and James Daybell. (Photo by David Hampton, Tudor rose by Alamy)

The unexpected Tudors

The best Tudor podcasts to listen to right now. (Photo by Alamy)

9 podcasts about the Tudors to listen to right now

A portrait of Thomas Cromwell

Your guide to Thomas Cromwell

Nicola Tallis photographed by David Hampton in October 2019

Margaret Beaufort: mother of the Tudors

A depiction of the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (10 September 1547), the last formal battle between England and Scotland. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

Q&A When was the last battle between England and Scotland?

Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn's childhood home in Kent. (Photo by Prisma Bildagentur/UIG via Getty Images)

8 must-visit castles with Tudor connections

The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

5 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Tudors

Musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century. (Christophel Fine Art/UIG via Getty Images)

What was life like for a court jester?