First, thanks to those who bought my book. It was a project of love and toil and I can't believe it's done so well. Second, a little quiz! 1 Which granddaughter of Edward IV was queen of France? 2 How was Jane Seymour related to Thomas Cromwell? 3 Who was voted the worst Briton of the 16th century?

An example of why Western countries with shrinking populations should be encouraging immigration ://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/18/how-spains-radically-different-approach-to-migration-helped-its-economy-soar

Just released in America! Contains 92 mini-biographies ranging from Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I to Thomas Cromwell, Drake and Margaret Beaufort. Entries, too, on Tudor life such as Marriage, Crime and Punishment and Education and many events such as battles, revolts and Evil May Day.

(Left) Katherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife in 1540. Or is it? There are no verified images of her. Now thought to be Elizabeth Seymour (Jane Seymour's sister) or even Anne of Cleves. To me, there is a striking resemblance with Henry's fourth wife (right).

'And this our Lord God send you a mery Christmas, and a comfortable, to your heart’s desire.’ The first recorded use of the term 'Merry Christmas', in a letter to Thomas Cromwell from Thomas Mayhew, 1533. Yes,that's right - the famously phlegmatic Cromwell was the first to be officially 'merrified'!

Love letter no.15 from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn (1527?). In it he writes of his loneliness since her last visit and 'wishing myself in my sweetheart's arms whose pretty dukkys I trust shortly to kiss'. I'll let you figure out what 'dukkys' are!

A primer presented to Elizabeth I by Sir Christopher Nugent in the 1560s to help her learn Irish. Elizabeth was a skilled linguist who could speak nine languages although one can't know how fluent she became in Irish.

My early Christmas present. Feel like a 5 year-old child on the morning of Christmas Day!

Jane 'the Foole', from Henry VIII's 1545 family portrait. Jane was probably a 'natural fool' meaning she had some mental disability. She sometimes performed with the more famous Will Somer who she may have married. Jane was Anne Boleyn's fool and later inherited by Catherine Parr and Queen Mary.

The galliard. An athletic dance that involved many leaps and hops. Said to be Elizabeth I's favourite dance, one she practised as part of her morning exercise at least until 1589 when she was 56.

'Old Coppernose'. Henry VIII's nickname after the thin layer of silver upon his nose on testoons revealed the cheap copper beneath. The Great Debasement of the 1540s dramatically reduced the value of English coins leading to inflation, more poverty and social unrest at the end of the decade.

A page from The Boke of Cokery, the first ever English cookbook. Published by Richard Pynson in 1500, the only surviving copy is in Longleat House, Wilts. Aimed at the nobility, its ingredients included peacocks, spiced wine, plovers, almond milk spiced with cumin and grains of paradise.

The portrait and printer's mark of Wynkyn de Worde. De Worde worked with Caxton in the 1480s to create England's first printed literature. He aimed for a mass market by producing cheaper, more popular books such as England's first book of Christmas carols (1521). Only a single page now exists.

John Dee(1527-1609). In my mind,the greatest Renaissance man of the Tudor age. An alchemist, astronomer, mathematician and antiquarian, he constantly pushed against the boundaries of knowledge but lacked official recognition. Many thought him a wizard and he probably inspired Shakespeare's Prospero.

The Lord of Misrule. A Christmas festival when an ordinary commoner was elected leader of drunken festivities. Masters and servants would swap places, mock trials and punishments, feasts and parades occurred. Reached a zenith under Edward VI but eventually banned by the Church in the 17th century.

All whiskers and no brain. That's my mog.

Brank's Bridle and drunkard's cloak. The former, considered a just punishment for nagging women, had a pointed metallic mouthpiece that caused continual salivation as she was led around on a leash. The latter publicly humiliated anyone found drunk and became much used in the 1650s Commonwealth.

The mysterious sweating sickness. There were five outbreaks between 1485 and 1551 in England before it vanished. Killing tens of thousands, usual symptoms inc shivering, hot flushes and sweats. Death came within hours. Cromwell's family, Henry Brandon's sons and maybe Prince Arthur were victims.

Apologies for the shameless marketing but it's finally coming out today!

The Mary Rose as depicted in the Anthony Roll of 1546. The anti-boarding nets were the main cause of around 500 deaths when it sank in the previous year but there's much debate over the cause of the disaster. Unruly crew? Top-heavy refit? Gust of wind whilst turning? French gunnery? All the above?

Man walks into a library and calls out, "Fish n chips, please!" Librarian: "Don't you realise this is a library!?" Man: "Oh sorry" and whispers, "Fish and chips please."

Margaret Beaufort. Patron of educational and religious institutions and the powerful mother of Henry VII. Her determination brought about the Tudor dynasty. Even Henry VIII based his first privy council on her wishes. This full size portrait (c. 1510) was unusual for a woman in those days.

An incredibly clever anamorphic portrait of Prince Edward in 1546 by the Flemish artist, William Scrots. It only makes sense when viewed from a very acute angle on the left or when reflected in a curved mirror. The intelligent boy prince was probably delighted by it.

So clever. So funny.

'A Catte'. One of the many tapestries sewn by Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity in England. Her monogram is to the right of the cat's head. Much of her work is supposed to contain political messages. In this case, the ginger cat (Elizabeth I) is toying with a mouse (Mary).

The Tide Letter, 1554. Lady Elizabeth begs her sister, Mary I, not to imprison her. She drew lines at end to prevent her enemies writing an incriminating postscript and wrote it slowly to miss the day's low tide that would enable a boat to take her under Tower Bridge to the Tower. Hence the name.

The beautifully intricate locket-ring worn by Elizabeth I. On the outside are her initials made of diamonds and rubies. Opening it up reveals the miniature portraits of herself and her executed mother, Anne Boleyn. A window, perhaps, into her thoughts about marriage and her father.

A doctor’s letter to United Healthcare for denying nausea meds for a child on chemo

This may well be the bag that contained Walter Ralegh's embalmed head. After his execution in 1618, his loving wife, Elizabeth, kept his head in a cupboard and occasionally revealed it to visitors. Ralegh's trial and execution were widely condemned at the time as a travesty of justice.

How close was this man to becoming King Henry IX? The Second Succession Act of 1536 bastardised Elizabeth and allowed Henry VIII to choose any successor even his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy. We'll never know for sure as the 17 year old Fitzroy died from tuberculosis as the Act was being passed.

Henry VIII's Writing desk. Or maybe Catherine of Aragon's. Check out this wonderful V&A Museum video. Imagine the documents and death warrants that may have been sealed here! www.vam.ac.uk/content/vide...

A 3.7cm miniature by Lucas Horenbout, c.1526. Quite possibly Anne Boleyn but maybe her sister, Mary. Either way, amazing to think that Henry VIII probably held this in his hands.

Agnes Waterhouse, below, may have been the first person executed for witchcraft after the 1562 Witchcraft Act. For much of the Tudor period, unlike on the continent, witches were usually considered to be wise women who benefited their communities. From 1562, however, around 500 innocents perished.

16th century graffiti inside the Tower of London. A research team, using angled lighting, laser scanning and x-ray analysis, has just deciphered 354 examples of graffiti in the Salt Tower alone. The engravings were made by prisoners and visiting family members.

The skull of John Morton, chancellor and most trusted servant of Henry VII. Contrary to popular opinion, he actually put a brake on Henry's financial exactions but may well have been the source of the anti-Yorkist propaganda that flowed from the quills of Thomas More and William Shakespeare.

The title page of Catherine Parr's The Lamentation of a Sinner (1547). This was the first original work published by a woman in English and revealed her Protestant faith just a few months after husband, Henry VIII's death. If he'd been alive it would probably have cost her her life.

A lock of Mary I's hair. All the Tudor monarchs, bar Henry VII, had the same reddish-gold hair that they inherited from Elizabeth of York. An irony, perhaps, that they resembled the Plantagenets that they had deposed.

The infamous Halifax Gibbet. This early guillotine was unique in England and decapitated about 100 people between 1286 and 1650 when Cromwell had it dismantled. This replica was erected in 1974 with the blade made from the original casting.

Christopher Marlowe. The great man of mystery. When researching my book, I came across almost as many questions as answers. Was he really killed, inadvertently, in a pub brawl? Would be interested to know if anyone has a strong opinion on this or anything else to do with the great poet/playwright.

Would be interested to know from any art or Shakespeare experts if they believe there exist any genuine portraits of the bard made whilst he was alive. Robert Peake's, for example? Also, are we spelling his name properly? Or does any of this matter!?

Evil May Day in 1517. Just shows how racism has been alive and well for a long time now. At least the grievances in 1517 were based more on reality than the false rumours that are so easily spread and believed today. Can one imagine social media and the Tudors coexisting!?

This is my broad sweep of the Tudor period. Designed to give anyone a good working knowledge of the 16th century without getting bogged down by too much detail. Wide-ranging entries include famous and lesser-known people and events and themes such as education, population, marriage and etiquette.

I love this picture of Elizabeth I jamming on her lute in 1580. A miniature by Nicholas Hilliard.

If I could have included one more entry in my Tudor Dictionary, it would have been Margaret Pole. One of the last surviving Plantagenets, she became the rich and independent Countess of Salisbury. However, the 'treasonable' actions of her son led to her horrendously-botched execution, aged 67.

Does this document make Henry VIII the most powerful ruler England's ever had? As despotic as any 20th century dictator? This 1539 Statute of Proclamations (7th from top)allowed him to bypass Parliament. Surely, no other ruler had such control over political, religious and now legal affairs.

The earliest contemporary illustration depicting the opening of Parliament (1524). To the left of Henry VIII are Archbishops Warham and Wolsey. Bishops on the left face lords on the right. The Commons stand at the bottom with the tallest in the centre probably being their Speaker, Thomas More.

The coat of arms that cost Henry Howard his life and imprisoned his powerful father, the Duke of Norfolk. A great poet but not the wisest of people, Henry quartered Edward the Confessor's arms (middle left)onto his own. As a descendant he could do this but a hypersensitive Henry VIII took offence.