Tudor

LONDON

Braun & Hogenberg: Antique map of London by the year 1600

This tour would take you through the neighborhoods of: Clerkenwell, where nobles turned monasteries into luxury manors; and “The Liberty Of The Clink”, where inns (hotels), stews (brothels) and theaters (where William Shakespeare rose to stardom) flourished creating the red light district of the city in Southwark outside the jurisdiction of London or Westminster. The area its characterized by medieval timber frame architecture, winding streets and pubs. Three aspects of English culture: the English Language, the Anglican Church, and sailors/pirates began in this period. Even though English was spoken for centuries, it was during the Tudor period that we got modern English as it got standardized thanks to the printing press and the expansion of the vocabulary after the renaissance — and it was William Shakespeare (1564-1616) who made best use of it. He was able to portray all human archetypes and emotions through his multiple plays like Lady Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, or Hamlet. In art we see a combination of renaissance realism and celtic floral patterns; but in a “new” type of painting category popularized in the nearby Dutch Republic: the portrait (the first photo IDs). Hans Holbein the Younger and Nicholas Hilliard were the best portraitures in the royal courts of the Tudors. In 1534 Henry VIII declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England breaking away from the Catholic Church and creating his own church because the pope didn't want to divorced him: the Anglican Church. He took away all the land from some religious orders and gave it to nobles, who turn the monasteries into luxury manors. This along side piracy in the Caribbean (sir John Hawkins started trading African slaves to the Spanish colonies in the 1560s) will fuel the rivalry between the Catholic Kings of Spain and the English monarchy. Sir John was pointed the Treasurer of the Navy in 1578; and in 1588 led the defeat of the Spanish Armada along side other iconic family members who were also pirates: John Lovell and Francis Drake (who circumnavigated the world in just 3 years, from 1577 to 1580) setting the groundwork for the future colonial expansion of England and the golden age of piracy. Pubs became the meeting point for sailors and merchants who started trading more than just wool thanks to the Catholic Portuguese, but not for too long as Dutch and English pirates started orchestrating new routes around the globe using ancient maps. This period of English cultural consolidation culminated with the death of Elizabeth the 1st in 1603 who never married, and latter on with the Great Fire of London in 1666 which incinerated the old medieval city. The tour suggests visiting old monasteries around Clerkenwell in the morning, exploring the Liberty of Clink in the afternoon (including the first English ship to cross the world); and to the end the day a play at the Shakespeare Globe plus a beer at the oldest pub in the city.

Stops:

1 Picnic at St John Priory Garden

2 Museum of the Order of St John

3 The Charterhouse

4 Tudor Architecture Walking Tour

5 Lunch at The George Inn

6 The Golden Hinde

7 Shakespeare's Globe

8 Ye Olde Mitre

Unknown artist: London from Southwark; London 1630

Lucas de Heere: The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession; London, 1572