The Tudors in 100 Objects

The Tudors in 100 Objects sets out to examine the material remains of a seminal period in English history and thereby explore the values, hopes, achievements, fears, and habits of the men and women who helped to make it what it was. The result is a compelling journey into a far-off world where limited life expectancy, back-breaking work, grinding poverty, violence, cruelty, inequality, intolerance, harsh justice, superstition, and widespread illiteracy went hand-in-hand with untold opulence, intense religious faith, high moral principle, cultural refinement, bravery, tenacity, inventiveness, and an unbridled zest for living. From birthing chairs and prosthetic arms to witches’ stools, pocket watches, fuming pots, codpieces, ear scoops, flushing lavatories, bollock daggers, and ducking stools, the whole vivid panorama of Tudor life is laid bare in a provocative and frequently myth-shattering narrative, firmly founded upon contemporary accounts and the most up-to-date results of modern scholarship.

John Matusiak is the author of Henry V and Wolsey.