Of course, back then heavy weights injured unwary spectators at an alarming rate. The young king was known as the best archer in England. Henry VIII wanted to share his love of archery with all his countrymen — so he decreed that every male subject must keep a longbow in his home.
Fathers were also required to teach their sons to shoot properly. In this respect, Henry followed his own advice — Edward VI was a good archer as well.
Most noblemen used the longbow when hunting, that great pastime of the rich. This was not confined to men — Mary queen of Scots and Elizabeth I were well-known for their love of hunting, and also good at it.
The shooters would not let the dogs attack the prey — rather, they tried to shoot their quarry. It was still considered an awful crime to hunt in royal forests; heavy fines and imprisonment resulted. Noblemen and church officials were allowed to kill one or two deer — but they had to blow a horn if there were no foresters around to prove they were not going to steal the deer. To hunt, of course, one needed horses.
I should point out that deer were not the only quarry — Tudor Englanders hunted everything, rabbits, foxes, wolves, wild boars, and even squirrels. They used the following dogs — bull-dogs, mastiffs, spaniels, and greyhounds.
Hawking was also popular, with men and women. The hawk was difficult to train but, when properly used, could pursue everything.
The most popular pursuit was that of the heron. The goose-hawk was the most popular bird, followed by the merlin and tiercel. These birds, if looked after, would last for twenty years! There were mysteries, morality tales, and miracle plays. The terms are self-explanatory. There were also plays which relied on crude comedy to explore such themes as abusive wives and profligate children.
As for books…. Of course, printing became incredibly popular in a brief space of time much like the internet! Old texts were translated into English throughout the century — and new ones were written. Also, after the Henrician reformation, the Bible was translated into English and Welsh.
Soon enough, printing became the primary way to spread new ideas eventually, it spread revolutionary ones. Music was popular as well, particularly among the wealthier class.
It was a mark of good breeding to be able to play instruments and compose. Henry VIII and his children were all extremely talented in this respect. Also, Henry and Elizabeth wrote poetry which you can read at the primary sources section. The lute was the most popular instrument and even taverns kept some for customers to play. There was also the hurdy-gurdy, various flutes, an early form of the trombone, organs, harpsichords and bagpipes!
People loved to sing and dance — rich and poor alike. Church music was always popular. Non-religious music became increasingly elaborate as the years passed — there were ballads and narrative songs. As for dancing, it became more elaborate as the dancers moved up the social scale. A simple dance around the maypole in the countryside was nothing compared to the Tudor court — there were many dances, the favorite being la volta.
There was also the coranto, galliard, and pavan. Essentially, a masque was a grand feast which featured dancing, singing, and play-acting. There was usually a central theme. But his plays remained steadfastly pro-Tudor, since it was dangerous to be otherwise. Click to see full answer. There was no limit to the number of players and the ball could be thrown, kicked or carried. Players were allowed to tackle, punch and trip the opposition.
As a result, football was a dangerous game in Tudor times and players were often injured and occasionally killed during matches. Chess was only played by the rich and well educated. Out in the street, children made up their own games and entertainments.
They chased spinning wooden hoops and played leapfrog, catch, and bowls. They also played the then extremely violent game of football. The boys would also learn other subjects such as mathematics, geography and literature. Essentially, these were games where balls were hit with bats or hands. Also, they would compete to drive the ball through rings set in the ground.
And one would be happy to know that football was also played in the 16th century. The animals which were mostly looked for by everyone hunting during the Tudor Period were hedgehogs, kites, polecats, kingfishers, choughs, badgers, ravens, shags, woodpeckers and pine martens. Apart from the bounty of hedgehogs, there was another reason that they were hunted down by the people.
Looking at pictures of Henry VIII, you might imagine that if anything, rugby or wrestling were his favourite sports. In fact, the king was a keen sportsman who enjoyed tennis, riding and jousting.
Dishes included game, roasted or served in pies, lamb, venison and swan. For banquets, more unusual items, such as conger eel and porpoise could be on the menu. Sweet dishes were often served along with savoury. Only the King was given a fork, with which he ate sweet preserves. Bread was a major part of the diet of all classes and was very different from the bread we eat now. The poor ate whatever meat they could find, such as rabbits, blackbirds, pheasants, partridges, hens, ducks, and pigeons, and also fish they caught from lakes and rivers.
Meanwhile, the rich people also ate more costly varieties of meat, such as swan, peafowl, geese, boar, and deer venison. The Tudors were also fond of desserts if they could afford them. The rich ate preserved fruit, gingerbread, sugared almonds, and jelly. However, in the 16th-century sugar was very expensive so most people used honey to sweeten their food.
Marzipan was eaten in England from the Middle Ages. They would have also drunk a great amount of red wine sweetened with sugar. Henry VIII ate a lot of bread. He consumed about five thousand calories a day without any physical activity.
0コメント