The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty

A History of the Tudor Dynasty: How Love Shaped Politics and International Diplomacy in Medieval England
Why did Henry VIII marry six times? Why did Anne Boleyn have to die? Is it true that the courtiers of Elizabeth I hailed her as a goddess who came down to earth?

Courtly love dramas have fascinated readers and dreamers for centuries. However, they are too often dismissed as something that existed only in fairy tales and songs—the old legends of King Arthur and chivalry. In fact, everything is much more interesting. Sarah Gristwood in the book Tudors in Love. How Loved and Hated in Medieval England" reveals how courtly love made and destroyed the Tudor dynasty: from Henry VIII declaring himself "faithful servant" to Anne Boleyn, to the poetry lavished around Elizabeth I by her admirers. The Tudors played the roles of devoted lovers and capricious mistresses, first described in the novels of medieval literature.