The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women

A Social History

By: Elizabeth Norton

Narrated by: Jennifer Dixon

The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress, of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife, when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.

©2017 Elizabeth Norton (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Tudor Woman

A tremendous book and well worth the time. It has my recommendation as a journey through a period on history that has shaped so much of who we are today.
The narration was excellent and so easy to understand.

In-depth Hidden History

The stories of women are often lost to time and patriarchy. I loved this dive into the history of Tudor women, from everyday people to nobility. Wonderfully narrated and thoughtful writing.

Loved

This book was absolutely fantastic. I picked it because it was included in the membership and I’m glad I did.

enjoyed very much!

one of my favorite time periods. its filled with new a different bits of information, not just the same stuff written over and over again.
the narrative is percise and clear. there is not much change of cadence in her voice. but she is English and in my opinion can be very dry.
I would definitely recommend this book

an historian's text

if you are a Tudor fan, or an historian of the period yourself, this is a good read with an absolute stress on women. sometimes it bogs down in specifics that evidence the research it took to write the text, but it does move along. casual readers will skip through.

Strictly Tudor

Excellent narration. Extremely detailed. Clear picture of life primarily among the royals but also of the peasantry. Very intricate facts interwoven throughout.

The cruelty to women and children!

It was ok - got a bit confusing at times. I had to keep going back to relisten to parts.

Great info

I enjoyed the information but for me it was a bit bland in spots. i found myself zoning out and having to force myself to listen. Full of interesting facts about what it was like to live the life of a Tudor era commoner and royal.

Overall pretty good

I have some skepticism based on the mention of Katherine Howard’s “affairs.” Overall pretty good I think but mentioning a girl who was at most 17 at marriage having affairs gives me cause for skepticism so I’m taking the information with a grain of salt.

interesting factual accounts but too long

I enjoyed learning about Tudor women from first hand accounts and records. However the chapters involving religious persecution and punishment were too long and too gruesome.
More information about women's daily lives would have been more interesting and more in keeping with the title