Court Interaction in Tudor England

As I am a part of the court culture group (or, as we like to call ourselves, the "courticulture" group), I spent this weekend reading about political structures and interactions within the Tudor court. One particularly useful article was Natalie Mears' "Courts, Courtiers, and Culture in Tudor England," which provided a brief overview of the ways that the Tudor court has traditionally been studied. Mears emphasized particularly the importance of the interaction between monarchs and courtiers/nobles during this time period. In the past, scholars have focused on the power of advisors such as the privy council or the power and centrality of the monarch, but haven't so much considered the connections and relationships that they have between each other (719). However, these relationships were very important. While Elizabeth was able to pull from the idea of providential rule, she still relied on the reputations of her advisors: Mears writes that they legitimized her, as the "physical inabilities of a queen to exercise power wisely would be compensated for by the fact that she would govern by listening to and accepting the advise of her (male) counsellors" (718). Despite this, the counsellors needed their power consolidated in one body: the queen. In many ways, a ruler and his/her counsellors had a symbiotic relationship during the Tudor time period.

Seeing these relationships as mutually beneficial changes the ways that one looks at the court's atmosphere. While we sometimes think of the Tudor rule as being dangerous and repressive, Mears reminds that important political statements were made by outsiders to the court, such as playwrights and other artists. Sermons were sometimes outrightly directed against Elizabeth. This outspokenness puts more emphasis on certain aspects of Elizabeth's letters, such as her insistence to declare an alliance between her and Edward Seymour after he helps her with her sickness and before she is examined for treasonous charges (22). As discussed in class, she needs Seymour's good word, demonstrating the reciprocal power in the Tudor court. This phenomenon is shown again in her request that Edward Seymour dispel the rumors against her. Elizabeth is interested in preserving her own reputation, as she realizes the importance of the good opinion of the people. This is a recognition of the power of public opinion, a sign that the non-courtier is starting to have an importance in governance. Furthermore, when Elizabeth introduces the subject to Seymour, she frames it as a matter of dual reputation. "[Dispelling the rumors] should make both the people think that you and the Council have great regard that no such rumors should be spread of any of the king's majesty's sisters" (33), she argues. Saving her reputation will also save the council's reputation, Elizabeth reasons, again showing the symbiotic relationship that exists between the monarch and his/her council.

Natalie Mears' "Courts, Courtiers, and Culture in Tudor England" was helpful in illuminating the courticoulture of Tudor England, but I would also recommend it to the groups researching fashion/self-fashioning and female roles, as Mears also examines these topics. I have attached the bibliographical information below.

I hope that you're all having a fruitful time with your research!

Mears, Natalie. "Courts, Courtiers, and Culture in Tudor England." The Historical Journal 46.3 (2003): 703-722. JStor. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.