Love, Sex, & Rock n' Roll....Tudor style

Well - it's the high life in Tudor England, even if you're losing your head.....at least according to Showtime.

Recently, during a weekend full of snow, I indulged myself in seasons 1 & 2. Though I found several things in the series a bit off putting (namely the gross historical inaccuracies) - the excellent costuming and sets easily distracted the mind's eye from such things.

Showtime's world of Tudor is everything we ever wanted Tudor England to be - oh but those rose colored glasses are so convenient aren't they?

Everyone dies well, has sex well, eats well, ignores the poor well.....wait, what poor? (I think Showtime left that demographic out.) It's a perfect world....where our King Henry is not - to put it bluntly - old, fat and stinky.

Ok - putting the tongue and cheek aside a bit - the series did spark some interesting thoughts - of legitimate historical merit.

Anne Boleyn, for instance, is remembered in history as the quintessential bad girl...."tempt the man to get what you want."

But take a moment - I believe she is much more than that. Well read, intelligent, and clever - and not the prettiest girl around - she managed to change the core of a nation....politically, religiously, and socially. She wasn't just some termagant running amuck, she was as formidable as her predecessor Catherine of Aragon and much more preferable in my opinion.

So, my question for you, Mistress Anne - did you really believe in the Reformation you helped start...or was it really a tool on your way to greatness?

And, did you want to be Henry more than you wanted Henry himself? (If so, I think your daughter accomplished that feat for you.)

My further thoughts deal with Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Kitty Howard, and Jane Boleyn....I'll save those for next time though.

Parting shot - Jane Seymour makes me sick - ugh!

Currently Reading:

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
The History of the World in Six Glasses - Tom Standage
The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Alison Weir