The Royal Palaces of Tudor England: Architecture and Court Life, 1460-1547

Great coffee table book. After surveying the development of royal residence building, Thurley (chief curator of the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, England) then focuses on the reign of Henry VIII, explaining how and when the king's palaces were used and exploring common myths about the buildings and the kind of life that was led in them. He illuminates early Tudor etiquette, hygiene, religion, government, recreation, cooking, and interior decoration, concluding that this period saw major innovations in both the structure of the court and the form of royal residences. Lavishly illustrated with photos and plans. 10x11.25" Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. At the time of his death in 1547, Henry VIII possessed over 60 royal residences. Thurley, in his capacity as Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, has thoroughly researched inventories, diplomatic notes, recent archaeological data, and contemporary accounts of these Tudor houses for this work. The result is a fascinating illumination of Tudor society's etiquette, hygiene, religion, government, recreation (from tennis and bowling to cockfighting), cooking, and the evolution of interior decoration. Tracing the royal residences from the two-room lodges of the Plantagenets, Thurley shows the Tudor mansions, which could cover dozens of acres, to have become true hubs of power. Including 200 black-and-white and 158 color illustrations, along with 15 pages of floor and ground plans, this stunning achievement is highl