It's launch day! Book 3 The Tudor Enigma

Today, book 3 in The Tudor Enigma is published. Mantle of Malice concerns the plot to destabilise the English throne by kidnapping the infant son of Henry IX.

The King needs someone who will, without self-interest, devote time, effort and be prepared to put his life on the line for the Tudor dynasty. That man is Luke Ballard.

Luke is tricked into making a long and hazardous journey to his home in the north of England, where memories are long and grudges never die. He escapes death only to be ambushed by sunderers and is gravely injured. All that, and he has fallen head over heels for the ravishing Blanche. Oh, and there is the little matter of the still-missing heir!

The Tudor Enigma Series:

You can find information about my books here:

Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Amazon USA - http://www.amazon.com/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1424680579&sr=1-1

Carina Press - http://bit.ly/17k6lO6 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

23 Feb: MANTLE OF MALICE: Aspects of Tudor life: 7. The Sweating Sickness

Until I began my research for The Tudor Enigma series, I did not know that “the sweat” as the sweating sickness was called was a Tudor phenomenon. It was not known in England before 1485 when Henry VII killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and took the crown and it was unknown after 1551. The Europeans called it “The English Disease”, although there is one incidence of it travelling, by ship, to Hamburg in 1528. Those opposed to the Tudor monarchs never failed to point out that it came to England with Henry VII and it is certainly true that six weeks after Bosworth, the new King’s entourage brought it to London where it killed 15,000 people in six weeks. But, because it never reappeared after 1551, there is no clear diagnosis as to what, exactly, the sweating sickness was.

Symptoms began with a sense of dread and unease, followed by shivers, dizziness, headaches, pain in the arms, legs, shoulders and neck, breathlessness and fatigue or exhaustion. A sufferer could be in excellent health at breakfast and dead by dinner. It is interesting to note that the rich suffered from it more than the poor and there is a theory that those in good health were more susceptible than those who were already ill or the very young or very old. It is certain that it was not plague - the Black Death - or typhus, the two other great killers. Notable victims of the sweating sickness are both sons of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and close friend of Henry VII. The boys died within a day of each other. The court painter, Hans Holbein was another victim and many historians have suggested that Henry’s older brother, Arthur, also died of the sweats. Whilst she was being courted by Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn also caught the disease, but recovered.

Medical research now suggest that the disease may have been a novel strain of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome with the added symptom of sweating, that evolved in medieval Europe. The only way to find out for sure would be to exhume known sufferers although whether there would be anything left of the virus after 500 years is open to question.

Mantle of Malice, Book 3 in The Tudor Enigma will be published on 23rd February 2015.

You can find out more and follow April here -

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads

23 Feb: MANTLE OF MALICE: Aspects of Tudor life: 6 Pleasures & Pastimes

The Tudor dynasty was not a secure one, especially when it took so long for Henry VIII to have a male heir. There was a compelling need to ensure that men of all ages and classes should be trained and ready should a war break out. Sport was an excellent way of achieving this. At one time archery was compulsory and men practised at the town butts each week. Wrestling was also encouraged and the upper class went hunting, not just to provide meat for the table but also to keep fit and practise their riding skills. Running at the quintain was also considered training for war. This was a target on a pole that was set on a crossbar. At the other end of the pole hung a sack of sand. The aim of the exercise was for the young man to ride his horse towards the target and hit it with his lance, but the secret was to gallop away quickly enough so that the bag of sand did not fly round and hit the rider in the back.

 

Dancing, music and the theatre were important in all walks of life and was very popular as a method of meeting members of the opposite sex. It was especially important for women because they did not have the freedom to partake in things like jousting and other exercises that men were permitted. It was also acceptable for women to dance with each other and ask men to dance with them. Bowling, both indoor and outdoor, was very popular as was tennis. Henry VIII had a bowling alley and a tennis court built at Hampton Court Palace. 

Events that would be repugnant to us today were considered excellent spectator sports. These included public executions, designed to discourage crime, but which became an enjoyable day out. Animals were also used as sport. Bears and bulls were baited by mastiff dogs, both of which were enjoyed by Elizabeth I and cock-fighting was common.

The Twelve Days of Christmas was an important event in the Tudor year. Except for tending to the animals, no work would be done from Christmas Eve until the first Monday after 12^th night. This was a time for people to visit their neighbours and share “minced pyes”, which had 13 ingredients in them to represent Christ and the apostles. They would also have a Feast of Fools, choosing one of their number to be the “Lord of Misrule” whereupon there would be copious amounts of food and alcohol eaten and drunk and this resulted in wild and unruly behaviour. A Christmas Pie - consisting of a turkey stuffed with a goose, stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with a partridge, stuffed with a pigeon was presented in a pastry case called a coffin - would be one of the dishes on the table.

Mantle of Malice, Book 3 in The Tudor Enigma will be published on 23rd February 2015.

You can find out more and follow April here -

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads

23 Feb: MANTLE OF MALICE: Aspects of Tudor life: 5. Food & Drink

When anyone mentions food and Tudors, most people have an immediate mental image of Henry VIII eating a chicken leg and throwing the bone over this shoulder. Meat was plentiful only in the upper echelons of society and one day’s intake would include beef, mutton, veal, lamb, capons, pheasants, pigeons and chicken. The upper classes would finish their meals with tarts and fruit, often preserved. Presenting a dish with sugar in was a sign of great wealth because sugar was extremely expensive. Most people used honey to sweeten food. White soft bread, called manchet was always available at the table. Meat would be fresh and often served in rich sauces. Fruits were eaten when in season, but wealthy Tudors rarely ate vegetables, considering they were only fit for the poor. Wine had to be imported but the rich could afford it and ale was readily available.

Those further down the societal ladder had to rely on ravelled, a very fibrous bread made using the less pure parts of the wheat; pottage, a kind of cross between porridge and vegetable stew with added grain. Frumenty, cracked wheat cooked in either meat broth or almond milk (depending on whether it was a meatless day), was another mainstay. Fish was eaten by those living close to the sea or rivers and consumed on days the church designated as meatless. If they had room, the poor would grow vegetables and perhaps have a few chickens or even a pig to provide food. Vegetables grown would include cabbage, onions, cauliflower and turnips. Carrots were also grown but they were not orange, but black, white, yellow or purple.

Most of the water supply was tainted, and few drank it. Even children would drink weak ale called small beer. Milk was considered good for children, but it was not as plentiful as it is today. Cows did not yield as much milk and most of it went toward making butter and cheese.

For everyone food was more expensive than it is today, consuming about four fifths of the household income.

Mantle of Malice, Book 3 in The Tudor Enigma will be published on 23rd February 2015.

You can find out more and follow April here -

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads

23 Feb: MANTLE OF MALICE: Aspects of Tudor life: 4. Education

Ever wondered about the phrase “whipping boy”? Punishments were harsh in schools with naughty children often being beaten. Rich boys could afford to pay another boy to receive any punishment, so if the rich boy misbehaved, the whipping boy was beaten. Education was generally for upper and middle class boys who would learn Latin, Greek, Arithmetic and religion. Many Catholic families refused to send their sons to school in Elizabeth’s reign because the Protestant religion was taught. So Catholic boys would be taught at home by a priest or private tutor. It was usual to attend school for six days a week and the hours were long, often 6am to 5pm.

 

Education for girls concentrated on domestic topics because the only “career” for girls was marriage. It was very important that girls learned how to run a house and be skilled in all housewifely duties and the most important lesson was to be obedient to their father and husband! That said, the royal princesses received an excellent education and Elizabeth was skilled in both Greek and Latin and considered it “fun” to translate from one language to the other and then back again.

From being very young children were taught to respect their parents and rise early to say prayers. Table manners were considered of prime importance and they would also be instructed in the basics of reading and writing. Poor boys might be taught how to read and write, but their school day would be short because of the need for them to bring in money from a job.

For the wealthy boys, their education at school stopped when they were 14 and continued at University studying a range of subjects such as theology, philosophy, astronomy and medicine. Some boys went on to complete their education by touring the major cities of Europe, but this was usually confined to the very rich and powerful since travelling abroad required the monarch’s permission.

Mantle of Malice, Book 3 in The Tudor Enigma will be published on 23rd February 2015.

You can find out more and follow April here -

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads

23 Feb: MANTLE OF MALICE: Aspects of Tudor life: 3. Clothes

Sumptuary Laws or Statutes of Apparel had been in force for about 300 years by the time Henry VIII came to the throne and were amended several times by Henry and his children. When Elizabeth came to the throne, her sumptuary laws were very strict. The reason for such laws was to maintain control over the population. During Henry’s reign, a new wealthy class of merchant arose, especially when England was the main source of wool for export to Europe. Because these men were rich, they could afford luxury goods that had been the remit of the upper classes and nobility, but for a man to dress above his status in society was illegal. The Sumptuary laws were not confined to clothes, but also jewellery, swords and daggers.

The poor were permitted to dress in wool, linen or sheepskin. In 1571, a law was passed that everyone over the age of 6 had to wear a woollen cap on Sundays and holidays and the taller the cap the more important the man. Colours were also restricted for the poor. Brown, yellow, orange, green grey and woad-dyed blue were allowed.

The further up the social scale you were, the greater the range of colours and fabrics were permitted. So, for example, knights could wear garments made from silk, damask and taffeta, unless they were part of the monarch’s household when they could also wear velvet. Only the monarch and the immediate royal family were permitted to dress in purple, but the next class down might have purple linings in their cloaks. Dukes or Knight of the Garter or members of the Privy Council were permitted to dress in scarlet and crimson.

The codpiece was originally a triangular piece of fabric sewn to a man’s hose and held in place by buttons or ties. During Henry VIII’s reign, codpieces became much larger - look at any portrait of Henry and the codpiece is very prominent denoting his virility. Because of this increase in size, it became normal to carry small weapons or items of jewellery in the codpiece, which is the origin of the phrase “family jewels” for mens’ genitalia.

Mantle of Malice, Book 3 in The Tudor Enigma will be published on 23rd February 2015.

You can find out more and follow April here -

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Goodreads