Did you just Tudor?

IMG_1485, originally uploaded by lisacillessen.

As part of my mission to be as well-read and knowledgeable as possible for my trip to London this July, I picked up the daunting The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. I wasn't actually convinced I could make it through the novel, but I did. Many of my planned destinations now surround the people, places and events in this novel. I'm moving on to Weir's The Lady Elizabeth next.

It dawned on me the other day that I will see Shakespeare's Henry VIII on The Globe stage. He wrote this during Elizabeth I's reign (Henry VIII, remember, is Elizabeth's father). It was a silly moment, but it dawned on me how truly contemporary the Bard really was. (And brave...) As a queen, Elizabeth was a formidable woman who wielded power better than many a male royal; as a daughter, Elizabeth appears to have desperately sought the affection of a father who never really took to her (may have something to do with the fact THAT HE HAD HER MOTHER BEHEADED). I guess Elizabeth gets the last laugh, however: Her father thought woman had no business ruling a kingdon. Ha.

As I was doing some follow up research, I came across this nugget on YouTube. Enjoy.