Pleasures and Pastimes in Tudor England

While continuing the medieval tradition of tournament and pageantry, the Tudors increasingly read and attended the theatre, danced and took a keen interest in music. This text explores the pastimes of Tudor men and women, from all levels of society, both at home and at large. Both before and after the great religious upheaval of the Reformation, the festivals of the Church provided the perfect excuse for revelry; and weddings and christenings were then, as now, great social occasions. In addition to the entertainments of the Tudors, the autor sketches the history of Tudor dress and discusses Tudor homes, affording an insight into the ways of contemporary interior decoration. Covering the full range of entertainment organized and enjoyed by the Tudors, from card games to bear-baiting, the book shows that despite living over 400 years before the invention of radio or television, the Tudors did not live a mundane life.