Tudor Historian Reacts to The Spanish Princess
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- Опубликовано: 28 дек 2023
- Hi everyone, in this History Police video, I give you my thoughts on The Spanish Princess (STARZ).
Let me know in the comments what you think.
Images used either from the show itself or from wikicommons.
#tudors #spanishprincess #historychannel 
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I had NO hopes for historical accuracies when it comes to Phillipa Gregory. I was just glad they gave Catherine her reddish hair. Everyone gives her her black hair to make her look more Spanish so props to them for that
Indeed!
Agreed, this show does show the most "physically" accurate Catherine AND Henry. I do also think that it may have also gotten the personalities as well. Yes they altered events, Henry's age and the timeline.
@@jawo8754 Yes, and in the show Catherine consumates the marriage with Arthur and Henry learns of that years after his and Catherine's wedding and that is what breaks them apart (she lied about not having consumated the marriage and being a virgin to be able to marry Prince Henry in order to become queen of England). While in real life Catherine probably never consumated her marriage to Henry's brother and was in fact a virgin when she married Henry and consumated her marriage to him. And her failure to produce a surviving son and Anne Boleyn were the reason for their break up in real life. Also, it was Henry VIII's father who refused to send Catherine back to her parents in Spain because he needed her dowry and he and Henry VIII agreed that she be married to Henry VIII
Catherine was blonde, like her mother was, like all Trastamara line. I'm Spanish, and Im still in shock with that serie
@@mariagomez-centuionerasun4630Well, at least red is closer to blonde than the black hair most media gives her
I read that Elizabeth of York was actually a decent mother in law. In the correspondence with Isabella, she encouraged her to write whenever possible which shows that she was at least interested in being on friendly terms with that family
True! She was very good to Catherine of Aragon!
So was Margret Beaufort. I really didn’t like her portrayal in this series or the preceding ones. She gets terrible villain syndrome.
So was Margret Beaufort. I really didn’t like her portrayal in this series or the preceding ones. She gets terrible villain syndrome.
@@lucykeegan1160 I read somewhere that she was the mom in law from hell. Not sure if there’s truth to that, though
@@michellecrocker2485Margaret was a kind and gentle woman, but strict. Perhaps she and Elizabeth argued sometimes, but it happens to everyone. They supported each other. When there was a rebellion in Cornwall, Elizabeth and her children ran to Margaret's house. Margaret also protected Cecilia of York from the king's wrath when she married without permission. Also, Duchess Cecilia Neville had good relations with Margaret and Henry, even mentioned them in her will.
I believe Katherine was married to Henry longer than his other five marriages combined.
She was, actually-they were together for over 20 years! He married Anne Boleyn in 1533, and Catherine Parr in 1543, before dying in 1547.
I really liked the way the series portrayed Margaret Tudor, and I think her storyline was actually reasonably historically accurate. If STARZ does another Tudor series she'd be a great main character: feisty, flawed, and fierce. I also liked Catalina de Motril's storyline. Tudor England was so much more diverse than most people realize, and it's nice to see that portrayed on screen.
Mostly, though, I thought the series was a great big wasted opportunity. I was especially annoyed by the Season 2 finale. I understand the showrunner wanting to end the series on an uplifting note, but that's the problem with Catherine's story: it's fundamentally a tragedy. I also don't understand why the showrunner portrayed Catherine as being initially cold to Princess Mary because she was a girl and not the longed-for son. Catherine ADORED Mary from the moment of her birth, and was a wonderful, involved mom to her, and I wish that had been shown.
Yes to this for sure!! Thanks Laura for being here!
I loved Margaret Tudors storyline. Had to read up on her while watching. I always google about the shows I’m watching checking to see if they’re true lol
Someone really should make a TV series about Margaret Tudor! What a story that would be! ❤
I don’t think Catherine would have gone into battle pregnant. She was smarter than that and she knew the stakes
True
This show was the dumbest,most idiotic thing I’ve ever seen. When she jumped on Bessie Blount and gave her a cesarean section I was ROLLING
Yes that was ridiculous!
On the one hand, I like that for once they are showing Katherine's fierce side, as most depictions of her make her seem like this meek, quiet, long-suffering woman with absolutely no agency (I suppose thematically it provides a contrast to the outgoing, flamboyant independence of Anne Boleyn). On the other hand, they are making her a little bit too fantasy warrior princess, and some of her actions/words are far too modern to be taken seriously. They have also opted to make her and Henry the same age, and have invented this nonsensical subplot where there is an instant attraction between them from the moment she arrives in England.
Yes I feel the same
As someone studying British history particularly the Tudor and Plantagenet eras for my degree in British literature…
I HATE how they portrayed Catherine’s relationship with Mary. I was so excited to have a show where Catherine is going to be shown in her prime, where she isn’t just some ugly spinster lady standing in the way of Anne and Henry. But they spit on her relationship with Mary.
Catherine loved Mary! She lived for Mary! Everything she did was for Mary. Even Henry loved Mary. At this point with Mary’s birth they were both happy to finally have a living child. Perhaps not as happy as she was a girl but Henry called her his pearl!
I couldn't watch this show. Did Katherine of Aragon walk down the aisle barefoot? Would she do that? Would she go around with her hair hanging down? But the worst part for me is the portrayal of Henry. I didn't even know who he was at first. Who was this older guy flirting with Katherine? I knew Henry was much younger than Katherine. I believe you hit the nail on the head about Katherine having some power over Henry due to the age difference. Also, her upbringing. She was definitely raised different than any of his other wives. This is an interesting topic!
I don’t think there’s any mention of her walking down the aisle barefoot.. thanks for being here!
Could be wrong, but i think the barefoot thing is more of a church thing.
Is six years’ age difference really “much” younger? Significant, sure, but it doesn’t seem terribly outlandish to me.
The age difference is big when the girl is 15-16 and the boy is 9-10 years old! Those were the ages of Catherine and Henry, respectively, when she arrived in England. Henry certainly wasn't writing "love letters" for Arthur to Catherine.
I couldn't take it seriously after I saw Henry as the teenage lover boy, writing love letters to Catherine, pretending to be Arthur. He was about 10 when Catherine arrived in England.
After that, I only watched bits and pieces and I didn't think the series improved much.
I did like the Mary Tudor/Charles Brandon romance, although that, too, was highly romanticized. At least Mary was identified as Mary (not "Margaret") and their relationship was more accurately depicted than in the "Tudors."
I do love that there was a true love shown. He was married to her far longer than any other wife, yet we always heard about Anne Boleyn and others. Not to mention, he had a major jousting accident that very could have changed his personality.
I already had problems with so much inaccuracies which I kinda got used to it after knowing who Phillipa Gregory truly is! but after watching the episode which featured Juana I Of Castile (God bless her soul) and the way they totally messed her up, almost making her story seem like some dark joke and comedy, with a totally Philip the not-handsome, that's where I realized the show wasn't worth it and I abandoned it
Yes to this!
I liked the series because i liked seeing Catherine shown as a strong woman with agency in her own story, and not always shown as the passive victim in her story!! Love your reviews.... always sooo good!!
Us historians and laymen interested in history know that these series are never historically accurate, but they're always made for a modern audience that probably lacks all historical knowledge. I don't think that anyone would mistake such a series for the historical truth, though.
You're absolutely right: it's viewed through the eyes of the English, hence the title. That WHITE wedding dress tho? Victoria much?
Certain networks like Starz or CW are notoriously infamous for creating modern soap operas in a historic setting, like "Reign" or "The serpent Queen" and that's perfectly fine. I rather watch the Tudors knowing that it's just historical fiction, than another boring docu about the marriage between Henry VIII. and Ann Boleyn. I have absolutely nothing against historical fiction or drama. Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I. does a great job at portraying the essence of Elizabeth to a modern audience, although the movies are lightyears from the actual truth.
Microphone broken? I couldn't watch it with headphones. Do you compress the sound, btw?
Happy new year! Bonne année! Frohes Neues!
So sorry about the sound. Not sure what happened if I’m honest.
Thank you for your very insightful comments! And for being here!
I think Catherine of Aragon was only 6 years older than Henry 8
Exactly right - born in 1485 & 1491 respectively 😊
Catherine of Aragon was born on the 14 December 1485
Exactly. That is indisputable.
"Only" is a bigger deal when the boy is 10 and the girl is 16.
Will never be accurate but always entertaining
I was very disappointed by this series and was hoping to see a more positive, accurate portrayal of Catherine of Aragon. Her story is incredible and unfortunately this series really dropped the bomb in terms of decent character portrayals. I'm glad you found some good things to enjoy in it. As a Dudley fangirl I was excited to see that Edmund Dudley was included in The Spanish Princess but then they screwed up his storyline by having Margaret Beaufort execute him. Yikes! The villainization of the women in this show was hard to swallow. Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort and even Catherine were portrayed as being very nasty to each other. Very disappointing! These women were friendly in real life. It was nice to see a spunky, assertive Catherine though and Margaret Tudor also got included which was lovely. Her storyline was well-done.
Yes I really like Catherine of Aragon!
Personally I was happy that in a series the Spaniards finally looked like Spaniards.
The "note of color" in the entourage, absolutely improbable from a historical or cultural point of view, is only a product of current fashions and impositions. Those of us who know something about the matter no longer give it any importance, beyond the typical jokes that inevitably appear.
by any chance, do u know what order to watch the white queen, the white princess and the Spanish princess and if they tie together in any way it seems they do and i love history but i get confused with the time lines
first the white queenm then the white princess and then the Spanish princess.. I'll review the two other shows once I'm back from maternity leave
Oooo i would love this syllabus for cross cultural encounters (I’m an anthropologist)
I genuinely disliked the first season of The Spanish Princess but season 2 was my biggest guilty pleasure
Historical accuracies aside (I didn’t expect it to be too accurate cuz I think it’s based on Philipa Gregory’s books which aren’t known for historical accuracy lol) - I rewatched season 2 like a million times 😅
Phillipa Gregory is just awful. There are so many people walking around thinking her take is the right one. Catherine Of Aragon did not walk barefoot. Errrr.
I was so disappointed by this series. The first time Katherine finally has the spotlight compared to Anne Boleyn, they disrespect her like this. Philippa Gregory shouldn't be writing these woman, all she does is make them antagonistic.
I agree. Philippa Gregory is a horrible author and responsible for so many new stupid myths, when there were so many myths already. She should write fairy tales about cats.
I was willing to see this series but i didn't know its so inaccurate and thanks for the great review as always
Thanks so much for being here!
Always watch these historical dramas with a large grain of salt! They are not documentaries, but there are plenty of them available.
The term is “blackamoors”.
❤❤❤❤❤
I dont believe for a second that she didnt consummate the marriage with Arthur, in real life. He wasnt sick when they got married, and no real reason to suspect he was gay, no reason to believe he wouldnt have at least by the second or third night.
I personally disagree, i think it was great, and expected to be shown, that they had them do it in the show. It just makes more sense.
Did they really call Henry 'Harry' while he was a prince?
I believe they did! It's a very common nickname for Henry - the current Prince Harry's full name is Henry Charles Albert David 🙂
Thomas Moore also called him Harry in private.
J'ai effectué mon mémoire sur la politique d'Henri II et les îles britanniques. Au cours de cette période j'ai découvert Marie I et quelle reine !
En effet! :)
Thank you for doing this, but I think you were too kind to the series. It's disappointing to see the only screen portrayal of Catherine's early life (not just beginning with the Anne Boleyn affair) treated like this. She and Prince Arthur were just 15 years old when they married (in life, not the series) and had been sheltered, so it's not entirely unbelievable that their marriage was never consummated. At least give Catherine the benefit of the doubt and don't cast her as a scheming liar. Then they make her cold towards her daughter Mary when there was no indication of that. And where is Catherine's famously devout Catholicism? I think Showtime's "the Tudors" was a much more accurate portrayal, except for the hair color. And don't get me started on what they did to pious family man, SAINT Thomas More, who was also more respectfully depicted in The Tudors. The most laughable thing in the whole series was Catherine performing an emergency episiotomy on her husband's mistress. Yeah, I'm sure THAT happened.
But, unlike others I actually preferred Season 2 to Season 1, which dragged. You have to take this series with a huge grain of salt.
I can see your point... If I was doing it by episode I would not be that kind ha
I love the show maby better than the tudors❤
It has really big strengths for sure!
At least both Henry’s sisters exist in this version.
You must suffer from massive headaches.
Despite the inaccuracies, I LOVED season 1 of this show, but I couldn’t stand season 2. I was so frustrated with how they did season 2.
(I also think that the actresses for Anne & Mary Boleyn in season 2 should’ve swapped roles)
I also preferred season 1 for sure!
It was absolutely awful!