STILL MESMERIZED BY THE TUDORS? MAYBE IT’S THE WOMEN

By Martha Jean Johnson

The Tudors are trending, which is saying something for an English family that ruled five hundred years ago. Today, their lives fascinate all kinds of writers—in publishing, theater, film, and TV. And audiences are responding enthusiastically. For example: 

• Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Elizabeth Fremantle have crafted a slew of popular novels based on Tudor lives. Gregory’s forthcoming Boleyn Traitor (October 2025) zeroes in on one the era’s most enigmatic women: Jane Boleyn. Like her sis-in-law, Anne, she faced charges of treason and died on the scaffold. 
• Hollywood A-listers Jude Law and Alicia Vikander starred in Firebrand, a lushly atmospheric 2024 biopic about Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr.
• In 2024-2025, BBC and PBS viewers assembled to watch Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. This stunning six-episode mini-series is the second based on Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed Thomas Cromwell trilogy. 
• The musical, Six, which showcases each of Henry VIII’s six wives, is playing to sellout audiences in New York, London, Singapore, Australia, and Japan. It’s also touring throughout Great Britain and the U.S.

For historians, the Tudors presided over an era of profound social, political, religious, and economic change. A sleepy island kingdom became an international player. England broke from the Church of Rome. The times produced legendary artists ranging from William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe to Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

For writers, the monarchs’ lives offer the very stuff of drama: danger, ambition, vengeance, plots—and that’s on top of the jewels and the fancy clothes. But unlike many historical epochs, this one offers an array of intriguing women. They left their mark despite the suffocating, almost ludicrous bias against their sex at the time.

Formidable spouses

I think it’s fair to say that few of us would remember Henry VIII if he hadn’t married six times and executed two of his wives. He’d be another vaguely familiar Renaissance king. Not only did his wives make him famous, but most were also forceful, well-educated, and articulate. Here’s a quick refresher: 

• Henry’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon, was an astute Spanish princess who matched her younger husband in diplomatic and leadership skills. She served as regent during his military excursion to France. When Henry decided to replace her with Anne Boleyn, she could have crept away, but she didn’t. Instead, she fought for her rights and rallied half of Europe to her side. Even after Anne Boleyn’s coronation, many in the realm remained loyal to Katherine. 
• Popular culture often depicts Anne Boleyn as a sexy young homewrecker, but she was intelligent, well-read, and steeped in the new religious thinking sweeping through Europe. She introduced Henry to the writings of William Tyndale and urged the king to break from the Catholic Church. She played a decisive role in sparking the English Reformation. 
• Jane Seymour was more emblematic of her time. She died young, shortly after giving birth to Henry’s longed-for son. 
• The German princess, Anne of Cleves, wasn’t well-educated, and she spoke little English. Yet she was wise enough to accept a lucrative divorce settlement when Henry decided she wasn’t for him. Anne of Cleves lived and thrived. Thomas Cromwell, who had arranged the political marriage, was soon executed for treason and heresy.
• Katherine Howard is something of a mystery. Let’s just say she displeased Henry by sneaking out to see a handsome young courtier and lost her head for her mistakes. 
• But Henry’s last wife, Katherine Parr, is a model of intelligence and tactical judgment. She translated religious texts and was the first Englishwoman to publish a book. When her enemies accused her of heresy, she outwitted her aging and increasingly maniacal husband. In a potentially deadly situation, she deftly extricated herself.

Henry’s pioneering daughters

On Henry’s death, the crown passed to his nine year-old son who died of tuberculosis six years later. Then, despite Henry’s scheming, his two daughters became the first women to rule England in their own right.  

• Many remember Mary I, Katherine of Aragon’s daughter, for sending hundreds of Protestants to their deaths. However, historian Lucy Worsley and others have suggested that much of the case against “Bloody Mary” reflects anti-Catholic propaganda. She may have been a better ruler than we think. 
• Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn’s daughter, reigned for forty-five years, a welcome interlude of stability and growing prosperity for the English people. Famously, she never married, and she gave her name to an age.

Other Tudor women rose above the hurdles put in their way—not all were queens and princesses. Bess of Hardwick came from a modest background but amassed a fortune. She was the wealthiest woman in England next to Queen Elizabeth. 

My own Tudor novel is a young man’s story. The Queen’s Musician imagines the life of Mark Smeaton, one of five men beheaded for adultery with Anne Boleyn. Most historians today believe the queen and all the men were innocent, victims of conspiracy designed to oust her quickly. Anne Boleyn’s true crime was failing to give birth to a male. The men were collateral damage.

But I describe these cruel events through the eyes of two storytellers: Mark Smeaton and one of the queen’s ladies, Madge Shelton. Their alternating perspectives reveal the prejudices facing two groups in Tudor England—those who were “base born,” as Mark was, and women. Their experiences are reminders of the progress we’ve made, however imperfect, and its fragility.

Not long ago, I attended a performance of Six and stood in line with the heavily female audience before the Manhattan theater opened its doors. A mother and tween daughter waited ahead of me and took selfies in front of the large posters depicting the “Six.” Each of Henry’s queens wears a flamboyant-costume and holds a mike at her lips, ready to belt out the show’s rollicking score. When I asked the girl whether she had a favorite among them, she immediately said, “Katherine of Aragon.” 

I’m pleased that this courageous, dignified Tudor woman still has admirers half a millennium after she died. Quite the legacy and quite a tribute. I’m sure Katherine would be pleased.

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Martha Jean Johnson has published four nonfiction books on politics and public opinion. The Queen’s Musician is her fiction debut. The novel tells the largely unknown story of Mark Smeaton, a young musician who rose from poverty to become a court favorite before losing his life in the plot against Anne Boleyn. As BookLife noted: “Little is known about Mark Smeaton beyond his tragic fate. Yet Johnson imbues him with depth and dignity, transforming a historical footnote into a fully realized character whose story lingers long after the final page.”

THE QUEEN’S MUSICIAN

For fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir and Elizabeth Fremantle, an untold story about how the plot against Anne Boleyn entrapped a gifted young musician.

A glamorous queen, a volatile king, a gifted musician concealing a forbidden romance. Everyone knows Anne Boleyn’s story. No one knows Mark Smeaton’s.

On May 17, 1536, a young court musician was executed, accused of adultery and treason with the queen. Most historians believe both he and Anne Boleyn were innocent—victims of Henry VIII’s rage.

Mark Smeaton was a talented performer who rose from poverty to become a royal favorite. He played for the king in private and entertained at sumptuous feasts. He witnessed Anne Boleyn’s astonishing rise and fall—her reign of a thousand days. History tells us little about him, other than noting his confession and execution. The Queen’s Musician imagines his story, as seen from his perspective and that of the young woman who loves him. It all takes place amid the spectacle and danger of the Tudor court.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing