Audience And Interests

For these blog posts, I feel my intended assignment will appeal to a reasonably large audience. Tudor history is one of the more popular eras in British history after all, there are few people in England who would not recognise a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I or haven't heard the nickname “Bloody Mary,” enough times for it to be unrecognisable.  As such this angle I feel will draw in a good portion of the contemporary audience. Anyone with even a basic interest in Tudor, or even British history will consider reading it.

After them, we have the people whose interest in Tudor history goes further than a simple passing interest. Genuine Tudor history buffs or fans will of course be interested in this article, simply due to their attraction in the subject matter.

And of course after that, for the people who do not care about Tudor history, we have the very human story of the lives of three siblings, and the conflicts they faced throughout it: how relationships were formed, how they deteriorated, whether or not reconciliation was possible or not. The fact that the relationships between the Tudor siblings is the focus of my piece, I feel shall draw a reasonable amount of attention in its own right. As the simple story of family relationships, especially ones in extreme circumstances have been popular throughout all of history.

As to what it is about, my piece will appeal and stand out to both the audience and any potential publishers. From my research it seems very few (if any for that matter) articles have ever been written specifically on the relationship of the three Tudor siblings. As such I effectively have the opportunity to break new ground here, a rare phenomenon in the modern world of writing.

Issues And Difficulties

When researching and adapting the events of the personal relationship between the Tudor siblings: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. So far there have been several issues and difficulties I’ve faced. The main one is that I’m writing about people who lived almost five hundred years ago. As such a completely accurate depiction of their personal relationship is going to be impossible to capture. It’s simply been too long since the events occurred.

Another issue I’m facing is that despite there being quite a lot written about each individual monarch and their reigns comparatively little has ever been written about their personal lives, especially in relation to each other. I was aware of this problem before I chose my topic; in fact it was one of the things that drew me to writing about it. As such this limits the already finite amount of resources I have to draw from.

A quite major issue is simply the practicality of looking for this information. I have neither the funds nor the time to scour every single possible resource across the country. As such up to this point I’ve been forced to get my research from books or websites. It has likewise been quite slow. I do plan to try and visit Bodleian Library in Oxford at my earliest possible convenience. With their wide range of sources, it will hopefully find more available information.

A final issue I have to contend with is the subject of bias. In what has been written about the Tudor siblings and their relationships, there is always the concern of whether or not the source is biased. These sources were after all written during or about a time when Britain was going through a great dissidence of both politics and religion. Likewise the siblings belonged to multiple different factions during said nonconformity. This dissidence could have shaped the authors opinion and interpretation of the events.

Preparing Your Stratagem

Reading over these very complicated relationships, the only thing that is immediately clear to me is that I need to do a lot more research. As such I have decided to attempt to visit Bodleian Library in Oxford, to see if I can look over their collection for any other information onto the Tudor siblings personal life’s and relationship.

However when dealing with the question of how to present this story as an engaging narrative, it is clear to me that I cannot simply write out their life’s stories. The events in question took place over a period of twenty-five years. With the available two thousand word maximum, it will be necessary to compress their lives, and only focus on the moments that truly capture their relationships. As well as the essential context to provide enough information on the matters that occurred, without it overtaking the essay.

Unlike Kate Summers, I am unable to recreate the world of the characters, or at least not to such a rich and vast degree. Likewise as Edward dies before the real crisis in Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship occurs, to prevent him receiving a lack of focus it is clear that it can’t be a chronological essay. As Gutkind puts it “…writers do not always frame in a strictly chronological sequence.”

He goes on to say “The best answer to finding a frame and where in the process to start it is to isolate a point in the story at which major action or conflict or ideal resolution is about to take place. Begin a little bit before that point so that you can easily work up to it. Starting…as close to the heat of the action as possible is the best way to invoke the readers and compel them onward.”

It is clear, that this is the best way to present my story. However choosing said action will require more research.

Development of Research

Throughout the previous week, my research into the relationships of the Tudor siblings has been slower than I would have liked. Due to lack of practical (or in some cases, possible) alternatives, I have been mostly focused on reading books and websites upon the topic for information. Never the less I have still managed to make several developments into nature of Mary, Elizabeth and Edward’s relationships.

Mary and Edward’s relationship had a positive start, as Mary was named Edward’s maiden aunt when he was still a boy. As a child it is reported he would often follow her around, asking her questions and having long discussions. The subject of religion did not come up between the two of them. Upon Mary falling ill, Edward sent her multiple letters and assured her he would keep secret anything she wished to confide. At eight years of age Edward was already giving his older sister advice such as worrying for her love of dances; in a letter he sent to her included the line: “Foreign dances and merriments do not become a most Christian princess!”

Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship also it appears started off quite lovingly. Despite being ordered into Elizabeth’s household at Hatfield, the two grew close quite quickly. In 1536, just a few months after Anne Boleyn’s execution Mary wrote to her father on the subject of her sister’s health:

“My Sister Elizabeth is in good health and such a child toward as I doubt not but your Highness shall have cause to rejoice of in time coming.”

In 1537 following the birth of her brother, it is recorded that she left Edward’s christening, holding Elizabeth’s hand. Mary also proceeded to supervise over her sister’s education, taught her games and showered her with small gifts and pocket money.

All sources suggest that initially all the Tudor siblings were close to one another and their relationship was positive, especially considering their circumstances. However, how did it progress as they grew older, and the politics and power they each shared by being Tudors from birth, became the forefront of their lives?