A Historical Primer for 'Sub Rosa'
( Masterpost)
This fic starts off in the year 1529 in England in the prologue, but jumps to 1532 for the rest of the fic. This places it at the very end of Season 1/the beginning of Season 2 of The Tudors. Most of the events take place in London, because that is where The King of England and the royal court spent most of their time. At this point in English history, England and much of Europe is on the brink of political and religious turmoil and one of the greatest religious reformations of the western world will take place within the next decade. Traditionally, English monarchs had always been Catholic and kept in close communication with The Vatican and The Pope.
King Henry VIII (who is the King at the time of this fic) had gained a reputation for being a hot-headed pleasure seeker at a young age. His last name, or family name, was Tudor (hence the show being called “The Tudors”). His older brother, Prince Arthur was destined to be King and was promised to the King and Queen of Spain’s daughter, Catherine of Aragon, so that Spain and England would be connected through the marriage. Prince Arthur died at the age of 15 and left King Henry with both direct ascension to the throne and his wife. When his father King Henry VII died in 1509, King Henry VIII took control of England and married Queen Catherine of Aragon (his dead brother's widow). It was known throughout the Court that during his youth and throughout his first marriage, King Henry VIII had many mistresses and enjoyed partying, drinking and jousting often. He also had gone to war and was known for his skill on the battlefield and his willingness to jump into a fray. King Henry VIII met Lady Anne while he was married to Queen Catherine, and Lady Anne served as one of Queen Catherine's ladies in waiting until King Henry decided he wanted to divorce Queen Catherine. Divorce was strictly forbidden by the Catholic Church, but King Henry's mind was set. He restocked his political cabinet with people that would support him and took a near desperate stand against the Catholic church in order to marry Lady Anne. This rift between King Henry and the Catholic Church is what began the official reformation in England. Queen Catherine was kicked out of Court by King Henry VIII before the divorce was made legal.
Like mentioned above, King Henry officially started the reformation by breaking ties with the Catholic Church. He would eventually place himself at the head of a new church, The Church of England. Prior to this, religious tensions were high in England. When writing this fic, I could not ignore the way religion and politics were inescapably intertwined. While most English citizens were Catholic (because Catholicism was the official English religion), there were other Christian minorities as well as Jewish citizens who practiced their religion in secret. The Protestant movement was so named because Protestants wanted to protest against the Catholic Church - they did not believe in worshiping relics or idols, and they believed individuals could form their own relationship with God by reading the bible themselves. Catholics considered Latin a holy language and the Bible was only to be read and interpreted by Catholic priests trained in reading Latin and God's word. Protestants were captured, beaten, and burned at the stake by Catholic leaders throughout this time of transition. The most famous execution by burning at the stake location was called "Smithfield". This is not to say that Protestants were innocent- Protestant groups would capture and torture Catholics as well.
Obviously, people couldn’t communicate regularly with each other. Many long distance adventures were beginning to be financed by rich businessmen and monarchs at the time of this fic, and family members often did not know when their loved ones would return. Also, although England had an army and a navy there wasn’t really a special forces within the military. The special forces of today’s military can be more closely equated to mercenaries, who specialized in certain weapons or certain skill-sets and were hired out by many different groups including the government. The most badass mercenaries at the time of this fic hailed from Germany.
The best way to show class (and prove how rich you where) was through the clothes you wore. The more intricate the designs, the more upper class you were. The second best way was to have many servants or stable boys. To be a servant or stable boy for a very wealthy or well-renowned family was considered an honor, especially if that family was the Tudors. All royal pages had to wear the uniform of the house of Tudor, which was red with the Tudor rose on the right side of the chest. The King's knights were one of the most noble careers a man in England at the time could aspire to. Not only did the King have to approve of knighting someone, but the entire group of existing knights also had to approve. The knights were called "The Knights of the Garter" collectively. It was hard to research just how a Knighting ceremony would have gone down, so I took some liberties with that part.
As for the title, Sub Rosa literally means “under the rose” but was also understood to mean “in secret”. The House of Tudor’s symbol was changed to a rose during King Henry VIII’s father’s reign (King Henry VII). The Tudor rose symbol was created to mark the end of the “war of the roses”. By combining a White Rose symbol of the House of York, and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster, both sides of the war were acknowledged. During King Henry VIII’s reign the symbol’s double meaning was solidified after the rose was painted on the ceiling of a private chamber where secret political meetings were held. The title also refers to Brad's struggle to let go of his ex-wife, Lady Rose.
A brief guide to the historical characters: I based all of my characters on the portrayals in The Tudors so their historical accuracy is questionable.
The characters that I don't have pictures for are Lady Rose, Lady Margaret, Lady Alice and the Spanish Ambassador. Lady Rose I completely made up for the sake of the fic. Lady Margaret wasn't really featured in the show, but she was Queen Anne Boleyn's best friend and most trusted lady in waiting. She went everywhere that Queen Anne went. Lady Alice is Sir Thomas More's second wife. She had a reputation for being very plain looking and very headstrong, but also was very loving towards More's children (she didn't have children of her own). The Spanish Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, was the liaison between the Spanish monarch and King Henry.
King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn, who is King Henry VIII's second wife
Queen Catherine of Aragon
King Henry VIII's first wife
Believed she was the rightful Queen
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk
King Henry VIII's childhood best friend and trusted adviser
Believed Queen Catherine was the rightful Queen and did not trust the Boleyns
Was banned from Court by King Henry at different times for voicing his opinion
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
He served as Lord Chancellor (aka Chief Adviser), the highest member of King Henry VIII's Court
Failed the King by not convincing the Pope to legalize The King's divorce
Thomas Cromwell
Accomplished lawyer and writer who replaced Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor
Sir Thomas More
Was Lord Chancellor before Cardinal Wolsey, but resigned after The King made public his commitment to divorce Queen Catherine and marry Lady Anne
George Boleyn
Anne's brother (she also had a sister)
He was in a secret relationship with Mark Smeaton (pictured on the left and below)
Mark Smeaton
Queen Anne's official court musician
He was in a secret relationship with George Boleyn (above)
This fic starts off in the year 1529 in England in the prologue, but jumps to 1532 for the rest of the fic. This places it at the very end of Season 1/the beginning of Season 2 of The Tudors. Most of the events take place in London, because that is where The King of England and the royal court spent most of their time. At this point in English history, England and much of Europe is on the brink of political and religious turmoil and one of the greatest religious reformations of the western world will take place within the next decade. Traditionally, English monarchs had always been Catholic and kept in close communication with The Vatican and The Pope.
King Henry VIII (who is the King at the time of this fic) had gained a reputation for being a hot-headed pleasure seeker at a young age. His last name, or family name, was Tudor (hence the show being called “The Tudors”). His older brother, Prince Arthur was destined to be King and was promised to the King and Queen of Spain’s daughter, Catherine of Aragon, so that Spain and England would be connected through the marriage. Prince Arthur died at the age of 15 and left King Henry with both direct ascension to the throne and his wife. When his father King Henry VII died in 1509, King Henry VIII took control of England and married Queen Catherine of Aragon (his dead brother's widow). It was known throughout the Court that during his youth and throughout his first marriage, King Henry VIII had many mistresses and enjoyed partying, drinking and jousting often. He also had gone to war and was known for his skill on the battlefield and his willingness to jump into a fray. King Henry VIII met Lady Anne while he was married to Queen Catherine, and Lady Anne served as one of Queen Catherine's ladies in waiting until King Henry decided he wanted to divorce Queen Catherine. Divorce was strictly forbidden by the Catholic Church, but King Henry's mind was set. He restocked his political cabinet with people that would support him and took a near desperate stand against the Catholic church in order to marry Lady Anne. This rift between King Henry and the Catholic Church is what began the official reformation in England. Queen Catherine was kicked out of Court by King Henry VIII before the divorce was made legal.
Like mentioned above, King Henry officially started the reformation by breaking ties with the Catholic Church. He would eventually place himself at the head of a new church, The Church of England. Prior to this, religious tensions were high in England. When writing this fic, I could not ignore the way religion and politics were inescapably intertwined. While most English citizens were Catholic (because Catholicism was the official English religion), there were other Christian minorities as well as Jewish citizens who practiced their religion in secret. The Protestant movement was so named because Protestants wanted to protest against the Catholic Church - they did not believe in worshiping relics or idols, and they believed individuals could form their own relationship with God by reading the bible themselves. Catholics considered Latin a holy language and the Bible was only to be read and interpreted by Catholic priests trained in reading Latin and God's word. Protestants were captured, beaten, and burned at the stake by Catholic leaders throughout this time of transition. The most famous execution by burning at the stake location was called "Smithfield". This is not to say that Protestants were innocent- Protestant groups would capture and torture Catholics as well.
Obviously, people couldn’t communicate regularly with each other. Many long distance adventures were beginning to be financed by rich businessmen and monarchs at the time of this fic, and family members often did not know when their loved ones would return. Also, although England had an army and a navy there wasn’t really a special forces within the military. The special forces of today’s military can be more closely equated to mercenaries, who specialized in certain weapons or certain skill-sets and were hired out by many different groups including the government. The most badass mercenaries at the time of this fic hailed from Germany.
The best way to show class (and prove how rich you where) was through the clothes you wore. The more intricate the designs, the more upper class you were. The second best way was to have many servants or stable boys. To be a servant or stable boy for a very wealthy or well-renowned family was considered an honor, especially if that family was the Tudors. All royal pages had to wear the uniform of the house of Tudor, which was red with the Tudor rose on the right side of the chest. The King's knights were one of the most noble careers a man in England at the time could aspire to. Not only did the King have to approve of knighting someone, but the entire group of existing knights also had to approve. The knights were called "The Knights of the Garter" collectively. It was hard to research just how a Knighting ceremony would have gone down, so I took some liberties with that part.
As for the title, Sub Rosa literally means “under the rose” but was also understood to mean “in secret”. The House of Tudor’s symbol was changed to a rose during King Henry VIII’s father’s reign (King Henry VII). The Tudor rose symbol was created to mark the end of the “war of the roses”. By combining a White Rose symbol of the House of York, and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster, both sides of the war were acknowledged. During King Henry VIII’s reign the symbol’s double meaning was solidified after the rose was painted on the ceiling of a private chamber where secret political meetings were held. The title also refers to Brad's struggle to let go of his ex-wife, Lady Rose.
A brief guide to the historical characters: I based all of my characters on the portrayals in The Tudors so their historical accuracy is questionable.
The characters that I don't have pictures for are Lady Rose, Lady Margaret, Lady Alice and the Spanish Ambassador. Lady Rose I completely made up for the sake of the fic. Lady Margaret wasn't really featured in the show, but she was Queen Anne Boleyn's best friend and most trusted lady in waiting. She went everywhere that Queen Anne went. Lady Alice is Sir Thomas More's second wife. She had a reputation for being very plain looking and very headstrong, but also was very loving towards More's children (she didn't have children of her own). The Spanish Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, was the liaison between the Spanish monarch and King Henry.
King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn, who is King Henry VIII's second wife
Queen Catherine of Aragon
King Henry VIII's first wife
Believed she was the rightful Queen
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk
King Henry VIII's childhood best friend and trusted adviser
Believed Queen Catherine was the rightful Queen and did not trust the Boleyns
Was banned from Court by King Henry at different times for voicing his opinion
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
He served as Lord Chancellor (aka Chief Adviser), the highest member of King Henry VIII's Court
Failed the King by not convincing the Pope to legalize The King's divorce
Thomas Cromwell
Accomplished lawyer and writer who replaced Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor
Sir Thomas More
Was Lord Chancellor before Cardinal Wolsey, but resigned after The King made public his commitment to divorce Queen Catherine and marry Lady Anne
George Boleyn
Anne's brother (she also had a sister)
He was in a secret relationship with Mark Smeaton (pictured on the left and below)
Mark Smeaton
Queen Anne's official court musician
He was in a secret relationship with George Boleyn (above)