Jonathan Posner's Blog, page 12

Clothing maketh man (and Woman)

We tend to focus so much of our historical spotlight on the Kings, Queens and nobles of the Tudor period – that we can perhaps be forgiven for thinking that Tudor costume was defined by the ladies and gentlemen who populated the Tudor Court.

But this is to miss the wide range of clothing styles and colours worn by the rest of the population. But, you ask, could they not wear similar clothes, or whatever they wanted? The answer is that they couldn’t – and this was governed not by social customs, but by the law!

And it was not just the clothes they wore, but also the food they ate, their jewellery and the furniture in their houses that were legally controlled.

The legislation was collectively called the Sumptuary Laws and it was designed to govern the amount people were allowed to spend on such things (the name derives from ‘sumptus’ – the latin for ‘expenditure’). But in truth, it actually enforced the strict stratification of society, keeping the ‘lower orders’ firmly in their place by ensuring they could be visually marked out by their clothing and food.

So, for example, nobody under the rank of Baron could line his hose with velvet or satin; nobody below a Knight wear a double ruff, carry a gilded sword or dagger. The penalty for breaking this law? At very least the confiscation of the offending item, but more likely a fine or imprisonment.

 

Most of these laws seemed to relate mainly to the very highest echelons of society – for example, Elizabeth’s Statute of Apparel in 1574 states that only a King, Queen and close Royal family could wear purple silk, cloth of gold and sable (although some Dukes, Marquises and Earls could use these as detailing on their outfits). Many other items of clothing and colours were also specified, together with the rank that could wear them.

So what did this mean for the common people? For the worker in the field it was largely irrelevant; they could not have afforded such fineries anyway. No, the people it really impacted were the aspiring Merchant class, becoming rich from trade, able to afford fine materials, but kept from wearing them through these rigid laws.

 

So ultimately, these were laws designed to keep the new middle class firmly in their place – and this they continued to do, with varying degrees of compliance, until English Civil War in the 1640s created a new kind of social order.

The sumptuary laws and clothing restrictions play a part in my series of Tudor time-travel historical novels.

Both books are available on Amazon UK:
The Witchfinder’s Well 
The Alchemist’s Arms
Also available on Amazon.com:
The Witchfinder’s Well 
The Alchemist’s Arms

Got it covered?

For the second time in as many months, I have entered the AllAuthor Cover of the Month contest. In June I entered The Alchemist’s Arms and got down to the last 100 – which pleased me as it seems the contest is about how many votes you can gather, rather than any intrinsic artistic merit in the cover design itself. 

The original design for
The Witchfinder’s Well

The original design for
The Alchemist’s Arms

This month I have entered The Witchfinder’s Well – but not the cover I launched with the book (above), rather a new design recently uploaded to Amazon. It was, I admit, quite a wrench to move away from the original ‘moody girl in profile’ design – as I was quite emotionally attached to it. However, it has become increasingly clear to me that the genre my books are in – Tudor fiction with female lead – needs to have a woman in Tudor costume on the cover. So I have had both covers redesigned (below).

So what do you think of the new covers? Do they draw you in more? Do they make you want to buy / read each book more?
Are they now more readily identifiable in their genre of Tudor fiction with female lead? 
Please do let me know.
And while you’re at it, please do vote for the cover on AllAuthor. It would be really great to make the last 100 again! 

Please vote for my book in the AllAuthour Cover of the Month contest

Here’s a short video I made for the new covers!

Both books are available on Amazon UK:
The Witchfinder’s Well 
The Alchemist’s Arms
Also available on Amazon.com:
The Witchfinder’s Well 
The Alchemist’s Arms

What is it about Tudor Royalty…?

When I look through the posts in the Tudor Facebook groups, as well as the novels covering the period, I am amazed how much of the content is about the royalty and the court. Just as today, the likelihood that we would have been titled nobles or even royals are extremely small, yet  we are … Continue reading What is it about Tudor Royalty…?

The challenge of bringing Elizabeth I to life in fiction

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet Queen Elizabeth I in person? Imagine you’ve fallen back 450 years through time. You’re presented to the famous figure in the lavish gold gown and red wig. You bow low, then look up into those famous dark eyes. What would you see? An imperious, … Continue reading The challenge of bringing Elizabeth I to life in fiction

The Tudor Tweeter #5

Creating the atmosphere of a Tudor Banquet

The standard image of a Tudor banquet is perhaps of food being eaten to excess, riotous behaviour, too much to drink and the worst of table manners. In fact this is far from the truth – banquets were very formal affairs, with a strict hierarchy governing your position in the room and the food you … Continue reading Creating the atmosphere of a Tudor Banquet

The woman who won over the king

A few years ago I was lucky enough to see Philippa Gregory give a talk on the subject of Katherine Parr – the 6th, and some might say, the most fortunate, of Henry VIII’s wives. The reason for the talk was the launch of Ms Gregory’s new book about Katherine, called The Taming of the Queen. … Continue reading The woman who won over the king

The Tudor Tweeter #4

Elizabeth I: The Myth of the Makeup

By Steven Veerapen The image of the elderly Virgin Queen that has been passed down to us is not always necessarily complimentary. Thanks in no small part to popular film and television shows, we are inclined to think of the ageing Elizabeth I as painted, face, hands, and chest, in toxic lead-based makeup. We are … Continue reading Elizabeth I: The Myth of the Makeup

The Tudor Tweeter #3

Here’s a few more posts from the Tudor Tweeter. Enjoy! #tudorsocialmediaposts