The Armada Prophesy The King’s Great Matter The Six Wives of Henry VIII The Virgin Queen The Privy Council The Royal Navy The Elizabethan Poor Law The Golden AgeThe Reformation Parliament The Book of Common Prayer Henry VII Henry VIII Elizabeth I Mary I Edward VI Anne Boleyn Catherine of Aragon Jane Seymour Catherine Howard Catherine Parr Thomas More Thomas Cromwell Cardinal Wolsey Anne of Cleves Mary, Queen of Scots Elizabeth I’s suitors (e.g., Francis, Duke of Alençon) Wars of the Roses
Battle of Bosworth Field Tudor Reformation Act of Supremacy (1534) English Civil War (1642-1651) The Spanish Armada (1588) Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) The Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1541) The English Reformation The Elizabethan Era The Counter-Reformation The Mary Rose (sinking, 1545) Richard III (last Plantagenet king, defeated at Bosworth) Lady Jane Grey (Nine Days' Queen) Thomas Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury) Elizabethan courtiers (e.g., Sir Walter Raleigh, Robert Dudley) Robert Devereux
The Royal Marriage Alliances (Henry VIII's political marriages with Spain, France, etc.) The Northern Rebellion (1569) (Catholic uprising against Elizabeth) The Tudor Rose (a symbol combining the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster) The English Civil War (its later stages, involving Tudor influences and legacy) The Star Chamber (a royal court that dealt with cases involving the aristocracy) The Elizabethan Poor Law (1597-1601, addressing poverty)
The English Renaissance (a cultural revival with significant impact on art, literature, and science) English Humanism (the intellectual movement during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) Elizabethan Theatre (including playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and Shakespeare) Elizabethan Golden Age (period of cultural flourishing, exploration, and maritime expansion) Humanist Education (an emphasis on classical learning during the Tudor period) William Carter Henry Carey 1st Baron Hudson
Renaissance Art (Tudor patronage of art and music, e.g., Hans Holbein's portraits) The Globe Theatre (associated with Shakespeare’s plays) Tudor Style Architecture (distinctive half-timbered homes, grand palaces like Hampton Court) The Thirty-Nine Articles (a statement of Anglican doctrine under Elizabeth I) The Marian Exiles (Protestants who fled to Europe during Mary I’s reign) The Book of Common Prayer (introduced during Edward VI’s reign, revised under Elizabeth I) Hippocrates Otthen William Oughtred
Sir Francis Drake (navigator and privateer) Mary Boleyn (sister of Anne Boleyn, mistress of Henry VIII) William Shakespeare (playwright, active during Elizabeth I's reign) The Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) The Reign of Terror (1553-1558) (during Mary I's persecution of Protestants) The Act of Uniformity (1559) (under Elizabeth I, establishing the Book of Common Prayer) The English Invasion of Ireland (16th century) The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587) The Treaty of Windsor (1506) Katherine Carey
Court of High Commission (a church court, important in enforcing religious conformity) The Elizabethan Settlement (a series of reforms aimed at establishing Protestantism in England) The King's Council (the governing body advising the monarch) Royal Supremacy (the notion of monarchs having supreme authority over the Church of England) The Crown Jewels (associated with royal power and symbols of the monarchy) The Tudor Military (including the use of the longbow, the Spanish Armada, and the rise of the Navy)
The Counter-Reformation (Catholic Church’s efforts to reform in response to Protestantism) The Papal Bull (papal edicts, including those issued against Henry VIII’s divorce) The Papacy vs. the English Crown (Tensions due to the English Reformation and the split from Rome) Feudalism (the medieval social structure, still lingering in the early Tudor period) The Gentry (landed class with influence, growing in power during the Tudor era)
Royal Patronage (how the monarchs distributed land, titles, and wealth to secure loyalty) Court Factions (the competition for royal favor, often leading to political intrigue) The Merchant Adventurers (early capitalist and trade groups, especially in the context of Elizabeth’s foreign policy) The Poor Law (laws regulating the treatment of the poor, starting with Henry VIII and expanded under Elizabeth I) The Spanish Armada (1588 naval conflict between England and Spain)
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, The Armada Prophesy The King’s Great Matter The Six Wives of Henry VIII The Virgin Queen The Privy Council The Royal Navy The Elizabethan Poor Law The Golden AgeThe Reformation Parliament The Book of Common Prayer Henry VII Henry VIII Elizabeth I Mary I Edward VI Anne Boleyn Catherine of Aragon Jane Seymour Catherine Howard Catherine Parr Thomas More Thomas Cromwell Cardinal Wolsey Anne of Cleves Mary, Queen of Scots Elizabeth I’s suitors (e.g., Francis, Duke of Alençon) Wars of the Roses
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Battle of Bosworth Field Tudor Reformation Act of Supremacy (1534) English Civil War (1642-1651) The Spanish Armada (1588) Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) The Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1541) The English Reformation The Elizabethan Era The Counter-Reformation The Mary Rose (sinking, 1545) Richard III (last Plantagenet king, defeated at Bosworth) Lady Jane Grey (Nine Days' Queen) Thomas Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury) Elizabethan courtiers (e.g., Sir Walter Raleigh, Robert Dudley) Robert Devereux
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, The Royal Marriage Alliances (Henry VIII's political marriages with Spain, France, etc.) The Northern Rebellion (1569) (Catholic uprising against Elizabeth) The Tudor Rose (a symbol combining the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster) The English Civil War (its later stages, involving Tudor influences and legacy) The Star Chamber (a royal court that dealt with cases involving the aristocracy) The Elizabethan Poor Law (1597-1601, addressing poverty)
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, The English Renaissance (a cultural revival with significant impact on art, literature, and science) English Humanism (the intellectual movement during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) Elizabethan Theatre (including playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and Shakespeare) Elizabethan Golden Age (period of cultural flourishing, exploration, and maritime expansion) Humanist Education (an emphasis on classical learning during the Tudor period) William Carter Henry Carey 1st Baron Hudson
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Renaissance Art (Tudor patronage of art and music, e.g., Hans Holbein's portraits) The Globe Theatre (associated with Shakespeare’s plays) Tudor Style Architecture (distinctive half-timbered homes, grand palaces like Hampton Court) The Thirty-Nine Articles (a statement of Anglican doctrine under Elizabeth I) The Marian Exiles (Protestants who fled to Europe during Mary I’s reign) The Book of Common Prayer (introduced during Edward VI’s reign, revised under Elizabeth I) Hippocrates Otthen William Oughtred
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Sir Francis Drake (navigator and privateer) Mary Boleyn (sister of Anne Boleyn, mistress of Henry VIII) William Shakespeare (playwright, active during Elizabeth I's reign) The Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) The Reign of Terror (1553-1558) (during Mary I's persecution of Protestants) The Act of Uniformity (1559) (under Elizabeth I, establishing the Book of Common Prayer) The English Invasion of Ireland (16th century) The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587) The Treaty of Windsor (1506) Katherine Carey
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Court of High Commission (a church court, important in enforcing religious conformity) The Elizabethan Settlement (a series of reforms aimed at establishing Protestantism in England) The King's Council (the governing body advising the monarch) Royal Supremacy (the notion of monarchs having supreme authority over the Church of England) The Crown Jewels (associated with royal power and symbols of the monarchy) The Tudor Military (including the use of the longbow, the Spanish Armada, and the rise of the Navy)
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, The Counter-Reformation (Catholic Church’s efforts to reform in response to Protestantism) The Papal Bull (papal edicts, including those issued against Henry VIII’s divorce) The Papacy vs. the English Crown (Tensions due to the English Reformation and the split from Rome) Feudalism (the medieval social structure, still lingering in the early Tudor period) The Gentry (landed class with influence, growing in power during the Tudor era)
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Royal Patronage (how the monarchs distributed land, titles, and wealth to secure loyalty) Court Factions (the competition for royal favor, often leading to political intrigue) The Merchant Adventurers (early capitalist and trade groups, especially in the context of Elizabeth’s foreign policy) The Poor Law (laws regulating the treatment of the poor, starting with Henry VIII and expanded under Elizabeth I) The Spanish Armada (1588 naval conflict between England and Spain)

1000 Tudor People

Melita Thomas
£40.00
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Hardback, 576 pages, 254 x 203.2mm
Publication 28 March 2024 
ISBN 9781802583083

Free UK and US Delivery (please allow up to 21 days for shipping to US.)


Press release and images for editorial use available here. 

1000 Tudor People News and Events - Available Here!

The incredible lives and deaths of 1000 Tudor people are explored in this authoritative single volume: royalty, military and religious leaders, Lords Chancellor, Knights of the Garter, philosophers, traders, gardeners, musicians, rebels, witches, and many more feature in this illustrated compendium. Every Tudor follower should have this as their companion.

  • A rigorously researched account of the people who made the Tudor period in a single authoritative volume.
  • Figures range from across the whole of society: monarchs, philosophers, gardeners, musicians, rebels, witches, and many others.
  • All key office holders listed: Archbishops of Canterbury and York, bishops of St David’s, Lords Chancellor and Keepers of the Great Seal, as well as Knights of the Garter.
  • Specially designed family trees chart the links between major Tudor figures.
  • Alphabetical organisation allows for easy reference.

Tudor Times books:


Melita Thomas is co-founder of Tudor Times, the online repository of information about the Tudor and Stewart period from 1485-1625. Her previous books include The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and his daughter Mary (Amberley, 2017) and The House of Grey: Friends & Foes of Kings (2019).

Reviews and Endorsements

‘I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed Melita’s wonderful new book. It is utterly fascinating from start to finish, and I was endlessly amazed by the scale of her research. Huge, huge congratulations.’ Dr Tracy Borman, FRHS, FSA

‘An invaluable and highly reliable source for anyone interested in the Tudors,
lavishly illustrated and commendably straightforward to use.’ Dr Linda Porter, Historian

‘Meticulously and painstakingly researched, with its eye for minute detail, Melita Thomas’s 1000 Tudor People will provide a valuable resource for Tudor scholars and enthusiasts alike. An incredible achievement.’ Dr Nicola Tallis, historian and Broadcaster

‘This encyclopaedic work sets a gold standard in Tudor scholarship. Backed by extensive and authoritative research, it’s a fabulous guide to the movers and shakers of Tudor England and an essential handbook for anyone interested in the period. Just stunning. I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ Alison Weir, author and Historian

‘An absolute treasure trove and a must for anyone working on or interested in the Tudor period. It is a rich resource with helpful contextual material, timelines, genealogies and beautiful illustrations which accompany the impressive number of biographies. It is a very useful reference work as well as an enjoyable read, recommended!’ Dr Elena Woodacre, FRHistS, SFHEA

‘It’s the book we all needed, and now it’s here. At once a delight to dip into, and an invaluable resource. The scholarship and the scope are both extraordinary.’ Sarah Gristwood, historian and journalist

‘Prefaced by a series of informative and lively introductory essays, this colourful account of the Tudor age reminds us of the richness and complexity of a past that at times seems overly familiar.’ Professor Alexander Samson, Professor of Early Modern Studies SELCS, University College London and author of Mary and Philip: The marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain

'What a brilliant book! Despite being a Tudor historian there were quite a few people here I hadn’t heard of, and from all walks of life – kings, queens, nobles, playwrights, poets, pirates, merchants, thieves, and murderers.' Tudor Blogger

'I was and still am blown away by this book. Not only is it rigorously researched but it is beautifully illustrated throughout, making it real treasure.' Steven Veerapen, Aspects of History