The Tudors

1. The Tudors • Tudor times • Tudor towns • Life for the rich • Life for the poor • Food and drink • Growing up and education • Fun and entertainment • Find out for yourself • Glossary What was life like being a Tudor in London?

2. Next Tudor times England was a very different place 500 years ago. The country was controlled by a king or queen who made all the laws. People often fought each other to become king or queen, also called the monarch. In 1485, King Richard III was beaten by his enemy, Henry Tudor. Henry became King Henry VII. His family ruled England and Wales until 1603 - nearly 120 years. This was a very important time in English history. Many changes took place that changed England forever. It was an exciting time!

3. Home Tudor times Before King Henry VII there had been a time of great unrest in Britain (this period before the Tudors is called the Middle Ages). Henry VII brought peace to the land. And with peace came wealth. As the country became richer, towns grew, beautiful houses were built and schools and colleges were set up. England was home to great painters, writers and musicians.

4. Tudor towns Next London was the busiest city in Tudor England. The streets were narrow and lined with timber framedhouses that were three or four storeys high. Fire could spread quickly through these narrow streets.

5. Tudor towns Even though London was the biggest city in Britain, it would not take a person long to walk from the middle of the city to the countryside. This photo shows some Tudor buildings still in London. How are they different from the buildings around them? Next

6. Tudor towns The streets of Tudor London would have been very smelly and slippery. Houses didn’t have toilets so people would have emptied their chamber potsinto the streets which would attract rats that spread diseases like the Plague. In 1563, 17,404 people died of the plague. This was one person in every six who lived there. Next

7. Home Tudor towns Tudor towns like London could be dangerous places. Life was very hard for poor people and many had to beg or steal to live. People kept their money in purses, which hung by strings from their belts. Thieves called cutpurseswould cut the strings to steal the purse. The purses had bells on them to warn the owner if anyone tried to do this!

8. Life for the rich Walking through the streets you would see many types of people. Rich and poor people dressed very differently. Like today, people with different jobs would dress in clothes that suited their work. The bottom picture shows a beggar in rags. How does he compare to the rich couple above? Next

9. Life for the rich Paintings tell us more about what people wore. There are more paintings of rich people as they could afford to pay artists to paint their families. Artists then were often used like we use a camera today. Rich people wore fine clothes made of linen, wool or silk. Wealthy men usually wore a shirt under a jacket called a doublet. They had breechesor stockings instead of trousers and most wore a velvet or fur hat. They also wore a ruff. Next

10. Home Life for the rich Wealthy women wore many layers of clothes. It was fashionable to wear a farthingale which was a hoop that went under their skirts to make them stick out in a circle around the waist. It made it very hard to sit down! Some women used a mixture of lead and vinegar on their faces to make them look pale. This make-up was actually poisonous. Queen Elizabeth I (above) was probably a bit smelly. She was considered one of the cleanest women in England because she had a bath once a month!

11. Next Life for the poor Poor people wore far less grand clothes than the rich. Men wore similar clothes but the fabric was rougher and they often used vegetable dye to colour them. Clothes were also looser and more suited to the more manual work they did. Do these people still look the same today?

12. Life for the poor Home There were many beggars and Vagabondsin the city. Some were old and sick and could not work. They were forced to beg and steal. Punishment for crime were harsh in Tudor times. You could be hanged, whipped or even get your hands cut off! You could also be put in the stocks. The Stocks

13. Food and drink Next People had less choice in Tudor times. The rich ate well. Lots of different kinds of meat (it was expensive), including peacock and swan! On Friday it was against the law to eat meat so everyone ate fish due to Lent. If you were lucky enough to eat meat you would find it was very salty. Salt was used to keep meat fresh. There were no fridges in Tudor times!

14. Food and drink Home In rich and poor homes the water was often dirty and could make you sick. Most people drank a kind of beer or ale. Even the children! Vegetables like potatoes and peppers were introduced to England during the Tudor times by explorers through other parts of Europe and a new country discovered called America! But they were often only for the rich. Poor people mainly ate bread, cheese, eggs and butter. They got carrots, turnips and cabbage if they were were able!

15. Growing up and Education Life for most children was hard. If you were poor, you would probably be sent to work when you were very young. You would have to work for seven years as an apprenticeto learn a trade or skill like printing, carpentry or a cobbler who makes shoes. You may not even get paid during this time! Next

16. Growing up and Education School was only for the sons of wealthy families. No girls went to school but may learn to read and write at home. School was everyday except Sunday and was from early in the morning until five or six o’clock at night! Boys would learn maths, English and Latin (the language the Romans used) used by all important people in the Tudor times. They wrote using a quill. Home

17. Fun and entertainment People relaxed in some quite cruel ways back then. You could pay to watch dogs attack a bear called bear -baiting. A popular day out was going to watch criminals being executed. This picture shows Mary Queen of Scots being publicly executed on orders by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Next

18. Fun and entertainment There was no television back in Tudor times. The Globe Theatre in London was very popular. It was a round building and had no roof where plays were put on in the afternoon and were visited by rich and poor. You could pay a penny to stand on the floor. Home William Shakespeare was very famous for writing lots of plays like ‘Romeo and Juliet’. He was a bit of a Tudor celebrity. Have you heard of him?

19. Home Find out for yourself! You can find out lots more about Tudor England and how the people lived by going to these websites: Try: http://www.yahooligans.com and type in keywords like ‘Tudor’, ‘Shakespeare’ or ‘Henry VII”. http://www.brims.co.uk/tudors has info and a quiz! http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/society Click the ‘Foul Fact Gallery’ to find out more about the ‘Terrible Tudors’.

20. Home Glossary Ale A kind of beer made from Barley. Apprentice Someone who is learning a trade or skill. Beggar Someone who asks for money or food. Breeches Trousers that reach down around the knee. Cutpurse A thief that cut off belt purses at the string. Chamber pot Bowl kept in a bedroom, used as a toilet. Doublet A jacket worn over a shirt by man. Execution When someone is killed as a legal punishment. Farthingale Hoop worn beneath a skirt to extend it around the wearer. Hanging Form of execution where a noose is put around the neck. Lent Christian religious ceremony. 40 days before Easter. Middle ages A period in European history, between 1000 AD and 1500 AD, when the power of kings, people of high rank and the Christian Church was strong.

21. Glossary Home Monarch A king or queen. Plague A disease spread by rats that killed many people. Quill A pen made from a birds feather. Ruff A large, stiff white collar with many folds. Stocks A wooden frame which was fixed around someone’s feet, hands and sometimes head, so that they were forced to sit or stand for a long time in public as a punishment. Timber Wood used for building. Vagabond A person who has no home and usually no job, and who travels from place to place.