Sylvia Barbara Soberton
@SylviaBSo
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Biographer of #TheForgottenTudorWomen . Independent researcher. Best-selling author. Research on Anne Boleyn's female household.
Joined January 2015
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Some time ago I suggested that the little jewelled beads in Jane Seymour's girdle could be interpreted as ointment jars associated with St Mary Magdalene. Dr Charlotte Bolland mentioned my research and further explored Jane's connection with Mary Magdalene. How exciting!
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I love the fact that in the newly restored painting of Anne of Cleves you can clearly see the delicate blue veins on her face. Holbein was a genius, wasn't he?
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BBC's just released first-look pictures for "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" & I adore the fact that Kate Phillips, who plays Jane Seymour, wears a dress inspired by Holbein's masterpiece.
😍
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I love this! ❤️ Metal detectorist Charlie Clarke has found this exquisite necklace and pendant, now confirmed to be a pristine Tudor artefact bearing initials of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon.
It's in the British Museum now.
Wow, just wow! 😍😍😍
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Catherine de Medici's Book of Hours. Just look at these gorgeous details. 😍👑🥰
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Anne of Cleves: arrives in England wearing cloth-of-gold, rich pearls and gemstones.
Historian: She looked "frumpish and dowdy."
😆
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Just saw this shot of Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr in the new period drama
#Firebrand
based on a novel by fabulous
@LizFremantle
& WOW!!!
Look. At. That. French. Hood.
It's beautifully crafted & accurate; there's even a chin strap! 😍
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It is quite mind-blowing that Mary Boleyn’s descendants, particularly the Careys, preserved not only her memory but also that of her executed sister, Anne Boleyn. And no one is talking about it.
Stay tuned for more info because there's a lot to talk about. ❤️
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Why do authors apologise for promoting their books?
"Sorry for the shameless self-promotion..."
No! You're here to promote your books/work/research so don't apologise.
Now drop the titles of your books down below!
#writerslift
#writingcommunity
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Most of Hans Holbein's sketches of the Tudor courtiers are preserved in the Royal Collection, but not all of them.
This sketch of an unknown Tudor woman is currently housed at The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow).
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I love it when you can trace a jewel through paintings & inventories but hate it when it suddenly disappears from the radar!
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Why haven't I heard about this new book about Eleanor of Aquitaine?! I feel this is going to be really good.
👇👇👇
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A new book by Philippa Langley promises to reveal new archival discoveries about the Princes in the Tower and I can't wait! What would you like to know about the Princes? Who killed them? Were they murdered?
So many questions!
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There are at least 3 portraits of Anne of Cleves out there; she looks lovely in all of them.
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On 27 January there's going to be a live auction at Sotheby's & look, they have a portrait of an Elizabethan lady. Her identity has yet to be confirmed. Look at that large ruby! 😍📿
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Behold! First glimpse of Jude Law as Henry VIII in "Firebrand" based on "Queen's Gambit" by Elizabeth Fremantle.
Alicia Vikander plays Katherine Parr, the last of Henry's six wives.
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This promo pic of the 3 Tudor half siblings is so beautiful. Finally we get to see these relationships depicted onscreen.
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There's this persistent myth that Hans Holbein flattered Anne of Cleves too much in his portrait and covered her imperfections.
However, there's no evidence that he did so. It was a good likeness, said one ambassador who saw both Anne and the portrait.
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Hear me out: Someone should create a TV series like "Game of Thrones" but about the Plantagenets, Stuarts, Valois, Romanov... *PLEASE*
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I was going through the entries in Henry VIII's 1520 jewel book & this entry made me pause:
"a cross of the Holy Cross garnished with the three light balases & two light sapphires with a chain of gold that was the King of Scots' & found about his neck in the field."
🧵👇
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Yes, the costume department deserves applause.
This costume, worn by Jessica Raine who plays Katherine Parr, was inspired by the gown worn by Katherine in this stunning portrait, currently at the National Portrait Gallery.
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OK so why do you think Eleanor of Aquitaine is so popular?
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It's Valentine's Day & I'm here to remind everyone that Henry VIII + Anne Boleyn is *NOT* a love story.
He had her judicially murdered after all.
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Considering just how popular my recent posts about Eleanor of Aquitaine are, perhaps I should write a book about her? 😂
Here's me in 2016, visiting Fontevraud Abbey where Eleanor was buried. The effigies look stunning when you look at them in person. ❤️
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On 15 January 1559, the 25-year-old Elizabeth I was crowned.
"My Elizabeth shall be queen."
Take that, Henry.
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It's important to remember that Anne Boleyn & her brother George were not the only victims of Henry VIII.
On this day in 1536 four innocent men lost their lives:
Henry Norris.
Francis Weston.
William Brereton.
Mark Smeaton.
🕯️
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It is Katherine of Aragon. The evidence, rarely discussed by Tudor historians, is overwhelming. The strongest evidence is that Katherine's face was used by Michael Sittow to paint 3 other paintings. 1 of them dates to c.1500. Mary Tudor was 4 years old at the time - it's not her.
I wish this was a portrait of a young Katherine of Aragon.
But sadly, I no longer think it is…
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📢The wait is over! 📢
My new book "Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn" is out NOW!
Available in paperback, hardcover & eBook formats.
I would be honoured if you buy the book, and happy if you glean new insights into Anne Boleyn's female household.
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Did you know that according to art historian Susan E. James, the famous NPG portrait of Anne Boleyn doesn't depict Anne but Mary Tudor, French Queen & Duchess of Suffolk?
In her book, James argues that the letter "B" stands for Brandon rather than Boleyn.
Continue reading 🧵
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During my preliminary research into Margaret of Austria's life & court, I've seen archival sources, including letters exchanged between her & Katharine of Aragon & other prominent Tudor figures. Remarkably, many of these documents have never been translated into English.
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This is a four-inch gold hairpin that once belonged to Catherine de Medici.
History comes alive through objects like this.
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This is Margaret of York's crown; one of my favourite pieces of medieval bling. 👑
Show me your favourite crowns in a thread below!
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I've noticed a steady trickle of new followers here recently so I figure it's time to reintroduce myself.
Hi. I'm Sylvia. I tweet about history, books and writing.
My new book is about the ladies-in-waiting who served Anne Boleyn.
Nice to meet you! 👋😊
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Wow, what a stunning restoration of Anne of Cleves's portrait! Absolutely breathtaking.
Au
@MuseeLouvre
, le portrait d’Anne de Clèves par Holbein est restauré, et le résultat est exceptionnel. À voir en salle 811 !
Avant/Après ⬇️
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How many of you would like to read a book about Margaret of Austria's links with the Tudor court? * I'm talking about politics, diplomacy, art, music etc.
Let me know!
* not asking for a friend 😉
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Although we have no surviving portrait of Anne Boleyn (only a medal struck in 1534), Hans Holbein painted many of Anne's ladies-in-waiting.
In later years John Cheke, who knew Anne, indentified the sketch below as "Anna Bollein Queen."
She is hiding in plain sight, I think.
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Elizabeth I died on this day in 1603. What's your favourite fact about Elizabeth?
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Both of these sketches by Hans Holbein purportedly depict Anne Boleyn.
I've seen some arguments online that the sketches represent the same woman, but I don't see any similarities between them.
Whomever they depict, these sketches are gorgeous! 😍
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I was today years old when I noticed that in this famous painting, Henry VIII is wearing a necklace decorated with letters H.
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On this day in 1533 Anne Boleyn started her coronation procession.
When I was researching her female household, I came across a document that has never been fully cited in the Boleyn scholarship before.
The document listed the women who took part in that procession.
A 🧵:
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Hi friends! This little fellow is the reason behind my recent absence from social media. My son's name is Evan & he was born on 4 January. I'll be back with new books & posts but now I'm devoting my time to family 💞👶🤱Have a lovely weekend 😊
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Look at this amazing portrait of Christine of Saxony, landgravine consort of Hesse by marriage to Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Stunning!
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Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell?
Bring. It. On.
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Anne Boleyn's remains were exhumed & reinterred in 1877 but were the discovered bones in fact the remains of Queen Anne?
Not everyone agrees.
First, the issue of age. The skeletal remains were said to have belonged to a woman of between 25-30 years.
🧵
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Katherine Parr's portrait was sold last night for a staggering £3.5 mln. For years it was believed that the portrait was destroyed in a fire.
Now, I fervently hope that a lost portrait of Anne Boleyn surfaces at an upcoming auction. ❤️
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They did it! They recreated the "Family of Henry VIII" in "Firebrand". Katherine Parr doesn't look too happy about it since it is Jane Seymour, the King's late wife & mother of his male heir, who is immortalised in this iconic painting.
Can't wait! 😍
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The newly found necklace & pendant with initials of Henry VIII & Katherine of Aragon reminds me about the Darnley jewel, commissioned by Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, for her husband.
The Darnley jewel, however, is so much more elaborate.
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OK, that's it! Thank you for following this live tweeting session.
And now, the announcement! 🥁🥁🥁
This summer you will be able to read more about Anne Boleyn's female household in my upcoming book entitled:
⚡️"Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn"⚡️
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Stop romanticising Henry VIII's relationship with Anne Boleyn. Yes, he wrote love letters to her but he ultimately sent her to the scaffold, knowing fully well that she was innocent. He murdered her and that is not a love story.
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On the scaffold, Anne Boleyn was accompanied by 4 ladies-in-waiting.
Observers described them as "young." None of the women who served Anne in the Tower could have been described as young though, so who accompanied Anne during her last hours?
I'll be tweeting about them today.
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In the iconic portrait of Mary Fiennes, Baroness Dacre, there is a little golden object on the table. It's a clock. The type of a portable timekeeper existed as early as the middle of the 15th century & therefore may be regarded as a forerunner of the watch.
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At the time of her death in May 1536, Anne Boleyn owed money to mercers, drapers, tailors, embroiderers.
A staggering £42 was owed to her apothecary Thomas Alsop, who traded in medicines & potions.
Anne miscarried a son in Jan or early Feb. Such details make her come alive.
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To me, Anne Boleyn comes vividly to life when I see her inscriptions & signatures or learn that she decorated her clavichord with green ribbon.
This is her signature in the MS 1070 (Royal College of Music, London), beneath the alto part, which may have been the part she sang.
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What do you think about the recent theory that the sitter traditionally identified as Katherine Howard is actually Anne of Cleves?
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I am delighted to announce that my paper on Anne Boleyn, witchcraft accusations & mistranslated passage from Nicholas Sander has been published in the Royal Studies Journal!
@royalstjournal
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I didn't notice this before but in the portrait of Katherine Parr, currently up for auction at Sotheby’s, the jewels in her cuffs are all inscribed multiple times with the Latin words ‘LAVS DEVS SAVI’ which means ‘Praise God, the Wise One.’
Wow. 😍👑💎
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Happy coronation day to Queen Mary I who was crowned on this day in 1553. She was England's first queen regnant & ascended the throne on a wave of popular rejoicing.
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I'm over the moon that this upcoming new limited series "Mary & George" about Mary Villiers & George Villiers Duke of Buckingham is really happening & has the most amazing cast!
Nicholas Galitzine as George 😍, but it's really Tony Curran as James VI that I'm excited about!
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My favourite fact about Elizabeth I is that at the time of her death she supposedly owned some 2,000 dresses. She was the fashion icon of her day.
Today, the only remnant of her once vast wardrobe is the Bacton Altar Cloth, believed to have been part of Elizabeth's dress.
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It's Mother's Day in the US so tell me who's your favourite historical mother? I'm gonna go with Margaret Beaufort who became a mother at the age of 13-14. She had a difficult childbirth & no recorded pregnancies after the birth of her only son who later became Henry VII.
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Circle of François Clouet, portrait of an unknown woman.
😍
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This miniature of an unknown Tudor lady is currently displayed at the 'Six Wives' exhibition in the National Portrait Gallery & labelled as "possibly Anne Boleyn". What are your thoughts?
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Sold for nearly 3.5 million. Wow. 😍
#AuctionUpdate
Attributed to Master John, this portrait of Queen Katherine Parr is one of only two surviving near contemporary paintings of Katherine. Almost 200 years since it was last offered at auction, the work soars to £3,436,000, 4x its high estimate.
#SothebysOldMasters
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I'm not really a great Mary Stuart fan but while searching for portraits of C. de Medici I stumbled upon this lovely portrait of Mary that I've never seen before! I can honestly say that this is the prettiest portrait of M. that I've ever seen.
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🥁Drumroll please! 🥁
My new book "The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts" is out NOW in paperback, hardcover & eBook formats.
I would be honoured if you buy the book, and happy if you glean new insights into Anne Boleyn's forgotten years.
👇👇👇
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Princess Diana's velvet evening dress designed in 1989 by Victor Edelstein, will be auctioned on Friday at Sotheby’s in New York. I'm wondering who'll buy it?
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There is a lot of confusion about Mary Shelton, one of Anne Boleyn's maids of honour. Many historians incorrectly refer to her as Madge; a Madge Shelton never served Anne Boleyn.
Mary Shelton, on the other hand, appears regularly in reference to Anne's household...
A 🧵:
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📢 Mark your calendars because my NEW BOOK entitled "The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg & Valois Courts" is coming out on 27 October 2023! 📢
Are you ready? ❤️
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According to legend, Anne Boleyn lived in Briis-sous-Forges. A 12th century tower (Donjon d'Anne Boleyn), the only remnant of the castle that once loomed large over the village, still stands today & is now for sale.
👇👇👇
Now the
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I've never seen this painting of Jane Seymour. I love it, although she looks nothing like in the Holbein portrait.
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What's my pet peeve, you ask? 🧐 Well, it's those covers of non-fiction and novels that feature a person who isn't even the subject of the book
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Both the Hoskins miniature & the Hever Castle portrait of Anne feature a thin chain or piece of lace, a detail I hadn’t observed before (thanks Dr Owen!) The Hoskins miniature is thought to have been based on a 'lost original.' Could this be the portrait at Hever? Intriguing! 😍
Here is a preview of some clips from the
#AnneBoleyn
episode of the ‘Six Queens in Art’ lecture series, which begins on 7th October! You can book to enjoy these six lectures, live Q&A, and keynote introduction from Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, here:
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There's a new period drama in the works directed by Romola Garai (Mary from "Becoming Elizabeth") and set during the reign of Charles II, with Bella Ramsey (Jane Grey in "Becoming Elizabeth") as the main protagonist.
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On this day in 1543, Mary Boleyn died. I've seen a comment online that all that we know about her could be written on a postcard.
I disagree.
If the same information is uncritically repeated over & over again then yes, I suppose that statement is correct.
But...
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On this day in 1536, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour.
Jane is often accused of ruthlessly plotting Anne Boleyn's death & preparing for wedding while Anne was preparing for trial and then execution.
Here's a 🧵about why such view is simplistic & inaccurate.
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It finally happened; I've seen "Jeanne du Barry" & loved every minute of it. Beautiful sets, great acting & amazing costumes. Highly recommended.
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A lot of symbolism in this portrait of an unknown woman, formerly known as Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. A little barrel hangs suspended from her bracelet, perhaps a reference to her father's execution (G. Duke of Clarence was allegedly drowned int a barrel of malmsey).
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Do you remember when I said I love this portrait of Mary Neville, Baroness Dacre, so much that I'd love to write about her?
I found a way how to do it; she's certainly going to appear in one of my next books! 😍
This portrait is such a masterpiece.
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Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth wife, outlived him but not for long. She died of childbed fever on this day in 1548. She was in her mid-thirties. 💔
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My tweet with Anne Boleyn's signature was very popular so I'm posting my favourite line from the same letter:
"(...) and assuredly next myn owne mother I knowe no woman alyffe that I love better and at lenghthe with God's grace you shall prove that yt ys unfaynyd."
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Historians rewrite history every day. New discoveries bring new information. Something that has been factual 30 years ago may not be correct today.
That's especially true when it comes to Anne Boleyn. I have so many great, new things to share with you!
Stay tuned! 😍
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How lovely is this statue of Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France? 😍
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There's nothing romantic about the way Henry VIII pursued Anne Boleyn.
Was it love or lust? Henry's sexual desire underpins many of his letters to Anne. Would he still have pursued her so relentlessly if she yielded to his passion & became his mistress?
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Five executed Tudor women were buried in St Peter ad Vincula chapel in the Tower of London: Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Katherine Howard, Jane Boleyn & Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury.
Three of them had been identified during the exhumations in 1876-77.
🧵
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Question; what's the name of the jewel worn by Mary Boleyn in this 17th century portrait by Remigius van Leemput? is it a diamond?
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Whenever I post Holbein's sketch of Anne Boleyn, comments start to appear saying "this is not Anne". Why? Because...
❌the sitter isn't "beautiful enough";
❌she has a double chin;
❌she would never have posed in a nightgown.
This, most likely, *is* Anne...
🧵
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Great news guys! My new book "Gertrude Courtenay: Wife and Mother of the last Plantagenets" is OUT NOW! 🥳👇It's part of "The Forgotten Tudor Women" series that you love so much.
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Which Tudor myth annoys you the most? I'll start; "yellow was the colour of mourning in Spain".
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Saw this amazing portrait of an unknown 16th century Italian lady at Sotheby's & wow just look! Such a beautiful painting.
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On this day in 1532 Anne Boleyn was made marchioness of Pembroke in her own right.
This is a thread about the ladies-in-waiting who escorted her from her lodgings at Windsor Castle to the King's Presence Chamber.
👇👇👇
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My 8-month-old son has very thick hair. My husband has recently given him a little trim & now my baby boy looks a bit like the Duke of Bedford 🤪🤣🤦♀️
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There are no surviving artifacts from Eleanor of Aquitaine's life, except a richly decorated vase she gave Louis VII as a wedding present.
However, here's a picture of a ring Eleanor gave to her childhood companion Richard Animal. If only it existed today!
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Usually when we're talking about the women who influenced Anne Boleyn in France, 3 names come up: Queen Claude, Louise of Savoy & Marguerite of Navarre, but there was one more woman.
Anne de Beaujeu.
More about her & how she influenced Anne in my new book!
👇
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This rarely reproduced miniature of Henry VIII, painted by Lucas Horenbout, shows Henry VIII c. 1536. Reminds me of Holbein's painting.
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Henry VIII had a contemporary look-alike. Otto-Henry (1502-1559) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, Count Palatine of Palatinate-Neuburg and prince elector of the Palatinate from 1556 to 1559.
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A lot of famous people died on this day in history, 22 August.
1350: Philip VI of Valois.
1358: Isabella of France.
1485: Richard III at Bosworth.
1545: Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.
1553: John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.
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