Today I want to turn our attention to something I have been thinking about quite a bit just recently- childhood in the Tudor age.
At the start of the Tudor period, when Henry VII took the throne in 1485, England was still shaped by very much by medieval ideals. Childhood was short. Life expectancy was low and many families had already known the tragedy and the heartbreak of losing a baby. Infant mortality was high and children, like today were treasured, but they were also prepared young for the world.
In wealthier homes, boys and girls were often educated separately from a young age. Noble boys might be sent into other aristocratic households to be trained in manners and service. Girls in noble families were trained in household management, embroidery, music, and languages. Their education were guided by the expectation that they would marry and make alliances. They were children, but already pieces in wider family strategies.
We see this clearly in royal households. The children of Henry VIII did not grow up in what we would recognise as family life. Mary I of England, Elizabeth I of England, and Edward VI of England all were separated from their parents at various points. Mary was declared illegitimate and separated from her mother. Elizabeth had to suffer the tragedy of the execution of her mother. Edward, although he was cherished, he was as a male heir, raised largely by tutors and attendants.
For poorer families, childhood looked very different. At about the age of only six years old, many children were already having to help their families. Many families relied on their income. In rural areas they might have worked scaring birds away from crops or even helping with livestock. In towns, they might have helped at market. Apprenticeships were popular and began in the early teenage years, and connected a child to a master for years of training. There was opportunities in this system, but also there was risks for the boys. A kind master could change their life for the better, a cruel one however could make their lives a misery.
Education and schooling varied. Grammar schools began to expand during the sixteenth century, particularly after the dissolution of the monasteries, were boys, particularly from modest backgrounds, could sometimes receive an education. Boys from middling families could learn Latin, rhetoric, and scripture. Discipline was strict by modern standards. Corporal punishment was a common occurrence and it was thought that it built character.
Religion also shaped Tudor childhood, which is no surprise. The Reformation under Henry VIII and the Protestant settlement under Elizabeth I changed what children were taught and how they worshipped.
But Tudor childhood was not without fun. We have records of games, toys and festivals. Rich families were able to afford more elaborate toys like carved wooden dolls, miniature furniture, hobby horses, toy soldiers, or beautifully painted game boards. Some dolls even had clothing that could be changed. Children from working families were far less likely to own bought items. They made their own toys from what was around them -rag dolls made from scraps, hoops rolled along with sticks or balls made from tightly wound cloth. A stick could be used as a sword.
They celebrated feast days alongside adults, enjoyed music, and listened to stories by the fire. Affection obviously existed. Wills and letters show parents grieving for lost children. Love was expressed differently.
So was Tudor childhood harsh? In many ways it was-by our standard. But it was also had care, hope, and a belief in preparing children for survival.
Do you think you would have felt prepared for adulthood- or simply hurried toward it too soon?
Image info:
Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger
Title: Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VI
Date: 1538
Collection: Denver Art Museum
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