WEDDINGS of the Tudors

Contents

1

2

3 Season 1

4 Season 2

5 Season 3

6 Season 4

7 In History

(series and in history)

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As we know, weddings are full of traditions and superstitions some of which originated in Tudors times:

The tradition of tying old shoes to the back of the couple's car, for example, stems from Tudor times when guests would throw shoes at the bride & groom, with great luck being bestowed on them if they or their carriage were hit!

Flowers have always been a part of weddings. This stems from the medieval tradition of a Knight wearing his Lady's colours, as a declaration of his love. Each flower has its own meaning and can display a special message. Orange Blossom, for instance, signifies chastity, purity and loveliness.

The Wedding Cake was originally lots of little wheat cakes that were broken over the Bride's head to bestow good luck and fertility.

Interestingly until the 1900s, brides hardly ever bought a special wedding dress, opting for their best outfit instead. Green was always avoided, as it was though to be unlucky. To say a girl 'had a green gown' also implied that she was of loose morals, because her dress would be grass-stained due to rolling around in the fields! Hence 'Marry in Green, ashamed to be seen'. White Dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria, who broke the tradition of royals marrying in Silver.

One wedding superstition about the wedding veil is that it was once thought that brides were very vulnerable to evil spirits and many customs were originated to fight off these evil spirits for the bride. The bride’s veil was an attempt to disguise her face to fool the evil spirits. Another way to ward off evil spirits from the bride was to play pranks on the newlyweds. Friends of the couple would play a joke on the couple in hopes the evil spirits would see this and feel sorry for the couple and leave them alone. The tradition of the wedding party wearing the same thing is also an attempt to fool the evil spirits.

A mystical significance was also attached to precious stones, with which, in Tudor times and for many years after, it was customary to enrich the wedding-ring. The practice was really borrowed from the Church of Rome,which had ascribed to each gem a special meaning eg. ruby indicated its glory, emerald its tranquillity and happiness, crystal simplicity and purity, diamond invulnerable faith, sapphire hope, onyx sincerity, and amethyst humility.

The King of Portugal (Manuel ?) & Princess Margaret Tudor Fictional wedding between fictional characters

Season 2

King Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn Secret wedding Date : January 25th, 1533 some historians believe it to have been November 14th, 1532



George Boleyn & Jane Boleyn nee Parker Date: c.1524/25 historically pre-dated the beginning of Henry & Anne Boleyn's relationship

Season 3

King Henry VIII & Jane Seymour Date : May 30th, 1536



King Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves Date: January 6th, 1540

Season 4

King Henry VIII & Katherine Howard Date: July 28th, 1540



King Henry VIII & Catherine Parr Date: July 12th, 1543

In History

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor Amalgamated fictional character Princess Margaret Tudor in series	King Louis XII of France and Mary Tudor not King of Portugal as shown in the series
2nd Marriage - date: secretly February, 1515 Officially married May 13,1515 with King Henry VIII& Queen Katherine of Aragon in attendance Wedding portrait below	1st Marriage - date: August 13th, 1514 Illustration of wedding below

King Henry VIII to Katherine of Aragon June 11th, 1509 at Greenwich Church Joint Coronation woodcut of Henry & Katherine (below)	Prince Arthur Tudor to Katherine of Aragon November 14th, 1501 at St. Paul's Cathedral Flemish Tapestry of Arthur & Katherine's arrangement (below)

LINKS:

LITERATURE:

David Cressy is considered an authority on Tudor and Stuart era social customs. See his book, "Birth, Marriage and Death: ritual, religion and the life-cycle in Tudor England".
Duffy: Voices of Morebath
Jones: Elizabethan Age
Orlin: Elizabethan Households
Pearson: Elizabethans at Home

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