The Tudor Society
  • A royal pregnancy announcement 

    A portrait of Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein the Younger

    This Valentine’s Day a very special announcement was made by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, they are expecting a child. A royal baby announcement nowadays is made and spread on social media. Since Instagram and other online platforms did not exist in Tudor times, how was this joyous news shared with the rest of the country? 

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  • Childbirth in Medieval and Tudor Times by Sarah Bryson

    Childbirth is openly discussed in today’s society. Images of pregnant women appear in magazines and women giving birth can be seen on television and in movies. Yet during the medieval period, childbirth was deemed a private affair. Giving birth in the middle ages was a dangerous time for women and childbirth did not discriminate. Young mothers, older mothers, poor or rich mothers, all could die not only in childbirth but also due to complications afterwards. Sadly, more than one in three women died during their child-bearing years.

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  • Pregnancy and childbirth in Tudor times video

    In this week’s Claire Chats video I talk about pregnancy and childbirth in Tudor times, and the superstitions, traditions and religious rituals surrounding them.

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