The Tudor Society
  • International Women’s Day – unknown Tudor women

    Today it's not only International Women's Day, a day where we acknowledge the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, but the whole of March we celebrate Women's History Month! A month in which we commemorate the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.

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  • Anne Seymour (née Stanhope) – Did she really have scandalous affairs?

    One of the questions I received for the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society Channel’s fan Q&A series was from Tudor Society member Colleen, and her beautiful cat, King Louis.

    The question was regarding Anne Seymour (née Stanhope), second wife of Edward Seymour, who, of course became Lord Protector in his nephew Edward VI’s reign. In Showtime’s “The Tudors” series, Anne is rather a colourful character, a badly behaved woman who has an affair with a courtier and another with her own brother-in-law, but is there any truth in this or is it fictional?

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  • Did Anne Seymour and Katherine Parr hate each other?

    Thank you to Tudor Society member RealTudorLady for asking this question: “I have been reading recently that Anne Seymour, wife of Edward Seymour was jealous of Queen Katherine Parr and that the two women hated each other. This was rumoured to stem from Anne Seymour (Stanhope) demanding precedence over the Dowager Queen as her husband was Lord Protector and although she was not entitled to this she demanded it anyway. She also told her husband to get rid of his brother. Is there any truth to these rumours?”

    Historian and author Conor Byrne answered the question…

    The suggestion that Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, experienced conflict with the dowager queen, Katherine Parr, in 1547-8 can be dated to rumours circulating in the duchess’s lifetime. It has also long been claimed that Anne encouraged her husband, the Lord Protector, to assent to the execution of his younger brother Thomas Seymour, who was the husband of Katherine Parr.

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  • Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, by Conor Byrne

    An article on the much maligned Anne Seymour (nee Stanhope), Duchess of Somerset.

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