Reginald Pole, A Cousin Of Prince Henry, Later Asserted That Henry VII Despised His Son, 'having No Affection

Reginald Pole, a cousin of Prince Henry, later asserted that Henry VII despised his son, 'having no affection or fancy unto him'. Admittedly, Pole was only a child at the time and was closeted away at Sheen Priory, so it is unlikely that he was speaking from first-hand experience of the relationship.

Tracy Borman

Europeans thought the English were a lusty race and Spanish visitors to London in the 1550s were shocked to see women bare their ankles as they crossed puddles or kiss men on the lips as a form of greeting. Engaged couples were allowed to start having sex with each other before marriage, because their commitment had apparently created a ‘pre-contract’ of commitment. However, the Tudor parliaments also instituted the first laws which made sex between two adult males a capital crime and one aristocrat, Lord Hungerford, was even executed under the terms of the Buggery Statute. Contraception was rudimentary, with the favourite being the imperfect withdrawal method. Or, as the Tudors colourfully called it, ‘hard pissing’.

— An Illustrated Introduction to the Tudors, Gareth Russell

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History Meme: List of Favorite Women throughout History–Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France & England (c. 1122 – April 1, 1204)

Although Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and later England, lived at a time when women as individuals had few significant rights, she was nevertheless the key political figure of the 12th century. At the age of fifteen she inherited one-quarter of modern-day France, but since women were thought unfit to rule, her land as well as her person were delegated to the custody of men. Her whole life thereafter became a struggle for the independence & political power that circumstances had denied her, although few of her contemporaries could realized this.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography by Marion Meade

In a letter to her father in March [of 1509], Catherine broke down and told him she could no longer combat the petty persecutions of Henry VII. Only recently he had told her he was under no obligation to feed either her or her attendants; he added spitefully that her food was being given to her as alms.

Antonia Fraser