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Medical Downfall of the Tudors

Sex, Reproduction & Succession

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Medical Downfall of the Tudors

By: Sylvia Barbara Soberton
Narrated by: Christine Rendel
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About this listen

The Tudor dynasty died out because there was no heir of Elizabeth I's body to succeed her. Henry VIII, despite his six marriages, had produced no legitimate son who would live into old age. Three of the reigning Tudors (Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I) died without heirs apparent, the most tragic case being that of Mary Tudor, who went through two recorded cases of phantom pregnancy. If it were not for physical frailty and the lack of reproductive health among the Tudors, the course of history might have been different.

This book concentrates on the medical downfall of the Tudors, examining their gynecological history and medical records.

● Did you know that an archival source suggests that Henry VIII may have suffered from venereal disease or a urinary tract infection?

● It is generally assumed that Katharine of Aragon went through menopause by 1524, but primary sources tell a different tale.

● Did you know that Jane Seymour's coronation in 1537 was postponed and later cancelled because of the plague? She was originally to be crowned on 29 September 1536.

©2020 Sylvia Barbara Soberton (P)2021 Tantor Europe Great Britain History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Medieval England Middle Ages Tudor Royalty

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an interesting listen but could probably have been an hour shorter. The monotony of the narrator made it a tricky listen sometimes but I found it informative. jeep it on the plus library and no one will be annoyed that they bought it

so, just finished it. I have a feeling that the author was on a tight deadline when they finished writing this book. it jumps around the timeline more than a toddler avoiding bedtime. a very confusing last quarter.

was the narrator an AI?

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This book runs through Tudor royal history superbly, but not enough medical detail in my opinion. For example, I'd be interested to hear theories relating to the high rate of stillbirth for the wives of Henry VIII (70% vs around 10% for other nobles at the time). Overall, this book left me with more questions than answers. As others have mentioned, the narrator is a bit strange and took some getting used to.

Chronological, not medical

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This book was fairly interesting but seemed to go “off piste “ with the timeline. The research on medical matters was good but made for all boring listening by the robotic narration

Researched

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I enjoyed the book itself but the pronunciation of dates in particular as there were so many of them, really grated as the book progressed. It is about the Tudors, and narrated in an English accent, but instead of more flowing first and second of the month etc it was pronounced two January, twenty February etc and it spoilt the flow and jarred badly to a British audience unfortunately.

Good book but narration disappointing

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I found the content fascinating and would still recommend but why the narrator chose/was directed to pronounce the dates almost ruins it and as a historical piece there are a lot of dates referenced.
Looking at other comments it could be as a Brit I find this jarring, but it spoils the flow of the narration.

Interesting but the pronunciation of the dates is teeth grinding

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It starts out about the medical downfall of the Tudors, But' around the 5th chapter it becomes a, history of the Tudor era. It loses the medical theme.
Saying this I love the way the book is written and the perfect way the narrator speaks it.
The information shared is more indepth than other books I've read regarding the Tudors, and I've read many as this era has become a passion of mine.

Loved this But!

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The first couple of chapters were full of the afflictions that the Tudors had to put up with. As it went along, it became more about Henry VIII and his six wives, their fertility and his impotency. There was a lot to learn but the American way of saying dates really spoilt it for me, especially as the narrator had a lovely clear English speaking voice.

Learning new things about the Tudors

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This is a deep and detailed book - I expected something more generic and was pleasantly surprised. Those who are very familiar with the Tudor history will learn something new: the health of the Tudors, their afflictions and how it affected their behaviour, personality and the reign. Those who are the beginners will see each monarch in the historical context, the key events of their reign and what they did.
For me the best aspect of the book is several lengthy quotes about each monarch from their contemporaries - ambassadors, courtiers, letter writers - all the personal details of illnesses and personalities. The modern diagnoses, where possible, and the varying explanations are also very interesting.
The reader shows with intonation when the quote begins and ends, which is very helpful. She pronounces the dates rather oddly though: "31st August" she pronounces as "thirty one August", but it didn't bother me.

In short this is a good book from which to learn about the Tudor monarchs from the angle of their, often bad, health, which makes them more real.

Good book on Tudor monarchs and their illnesses

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Since there are a lot of dates in this book, the reader is frequently jerked out of the story by the weird pronunciation of dates, “5 January” rather than “5th January” etc. Since this is a story about English history and narrated by someone who has an English accent, the words should be narrated with English pronunciation. I am really glad that I just borrowed the title rather than bought it. Very aggravating!

American Pronunciation of Dates Intrudes

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This book is good in parts but it has to many repeats and the narrator has not got it quite right.

Quiet interesting in parts

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