<p>I just started watching The Tudors, and it has been a while since I studied European History. Can someone recommend a book that provides a brief but reliable account of what really happened?</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> England Under the Tudors (9780415065337): G. R. Elton: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/England-Under-Tudors-G-Elton/dp/041506533X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283033714&sr=1-2]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/England-Under-Tudors-G-Elton/dp/041506533X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283033714&sr=1-2)</p>
<p>And if you want an accurate picture of what they looked like, study the paintings of Holbein:[Amazon.com:</a> Holbein and England (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art) (9780300102802): Professor Susan Foister: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Holbein-England-Mellon-Studies-British/dp/0300102801/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283033850&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Holbein-England-Mellon-Studies-British/dp/0300102801/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283033850&sr=1-1)</p>
<p>The art direction and costuming of the “Tudors” mini series is atrocious</p>
<p>[Hans</a> Holbein the Younger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Holbein_the_Younger]Hans”>Hans Holbein the Younger - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>I like Antonia Fraser’s various books about that period in history, but there are those who think she’s not entirely accurate. </p>
<p>When I was pregnant with my daughter (now age 25), I had to spend 7 weeks in bed (I was allowed up to shower and go to the bathroom). I sent my husband to the library and he cleared the shelf for Tudor period of history, which I’ve always been fascinated by. I read a whole lot of books about the Tudor period and came to the conclusion that it was a fascinating period but that it was hard to be sure just what happened, given the fondness of the major players for beheading the opposition.</p>
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<p>Not necessarily all that accurate. One of the reasons why Henry was so disappointed with Anne of Cleves (wife #4) and quickly dumped her is that she turned out not to be nearly so cute in person as she was depicted in Hans Holbein’s portrait of her. That and she also turned out to have large, pendulous breasts, and Henry preferred them smaller and firmer. Anne was droopy and consequently so was Henry.</p>
<p>I too have been fascinated by this period in English history & have read several good historical fiction accounts. The trouble is, none of them are “brief”. I will recommend to anyone who hasn’t seen it the movie Anne of the Thousand Days (from the '60s) starring Richard Burton.</p>
<p>Yah Holbein gave Anne a Renaissance “lift and seperate”, but costumers would do well to follow his cues on dress. Something this production TOTALLY failed to do. H (a costumer) called the show “a super-cuts version of Tudor England”. They couldnt even get the hair right. How hard is that?</p>
<p>so, is the “lift and separate” comment related to Henry’s description of Anne as a `fat flanders mare’ or do we know that Anne had less going for her than in that portrait?</p>
<p>I have no idea!</p>
<p>Good luck with brief and accurate. I don’t think this is a time period for that because so many people have so many different ideas about what really happened! (dmd77, I think you are on to something) I have probably read 30 books both fiction and nonfiction trying to understand the era. The books written by Alison Weir are very biased but they are accurate according to her point of view: which characters she likes and which ones she doesn’t. Shakespeare courted the people in power. Hillary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” is brilliant in her portrayal of the rise to power of the common man, Thomas Cromwell. He was a major player in the Tudor-Anne Boleyn drama. Sandra Worth’s series is an easy read with her own bias. </p>
<p>Here is my recommendation. “Kings and Queens of England and Scotland” by Plantagenet Somerset Fry! (DK) That will give you a very brief, pictorial commentary on this period and previous ones. It has family trees that you can look at to try and figure out who all these characters are.</p>
<p>Just remember, that the father of Henry VIII stole the crown and married a lady who was the daughter of a previous king to gain legitimacy. The more I read about this era the more I am glad he did since the rise of the commoner was an outcome.</p>
<p>In order to truly understand this time period you have to know about the War of the Roses. How the Tudors stole the Kingdom. Why it was so important to have a male heir. Why the common man was allowed to gain such power during this period. Why the Plantagenets were all killed off…Was Henry’s craziness due to syphilis? and on and on…</p>
<p>I second musicamusica’s recommendation of G. R. Elton’s book. Also available on Amazon, and (unlike some of the historical novelists) accurate as well as readable: Susan Brigden’s New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors 1485-1603.</p>
<p>The Showtime series plays fast and loose with chronology, combines characters and gives them different names. But I love the costumes! The designer talks about her approach in this article:</p>
<p>[Emmy-nominated</a> costume designers on dressing characters with success - latimes.com](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/features/image/la-ig-fidm-20100815,0,4709221.story]Emmy-nominated”>Emmy-nominated costume designers on dressing characters with success)</p>
<p>:o I don’t suppose The Other Boleyn Girl would do it, would it? Very good book though, entertaining, with just enough intrigue, historical backdrop, and characters felt very real.</p>
<p>Oh gosh, yeah, Weir’s books are good too. The Tudors are amazing, not sure about the show. Is it any good?</p>
<p>The Tudors is not exactly true to history. It is more historical fiction than history at times.</p>
<p>I’ve read both Fraser and Weir and I think they both do an excellent job.</p>
<p>I recently finished Alison Weir’s Six Wives of King Henry VIII. It was excellent. She did have strong opinions about some of the characters, but it was very readable and gave a great overview. I am now currently reading her biography of Eleanor of Aquitane-another very interesting subject!</p>