TUDOR MAGIC
by Frances Burke
At the beginning of the so-called
‘Tudor Age’ with Henry VII’s seizure of the throne, England was still very much
a medieval society, with glimmerings of the Italian Renaissance on the horizon.
By the time Henry VIII took power
many changes had taken place. For the educated class the development of
printing was putting the Bible and other books in the hands of more and more
people. There was great wealth in the land, thanks to the previous king’s care.
Things were relatively peaceful, save for some back and forth with France.
However, towards the end of
Henry’s reign, the Treasury was depleted, the country was weary of war with
France and Scotland, and religion was about to take a complete right-hand turn.
The Protestant faith had put an
end to clerical supremacy, and the rituals and ‘magic’ of the Catholic Church,
which had so ordered people’s thinking, both comforting and terrorizing them,
had been taken away. There was a huge gap in the still medieval-oriented lives
of the common folk, and to fill this they turned with increasing enthusiasm to
their traditional belief in magic, witches and fiends.
According to the historian, Nigel
Heard, ‘In popular imagination, alongside the real world of everyday life there
existed a spirit world inhabited by ghosts, fairies, vampires and devils.’ It
was very important to guard against the supernatural, and every community had
its magicians and ‘cunning’ man or woman who could be consulted about the
future, heal the sick, and generally use special powers to protect the
neighbours.
There were witches, too, who
supposedly could kill with just a glance, and were known to indulge in sexual
excess – despite the fact that they were most often poor and elderly women.
They were not, however, linked with the idea of diabolical practices, as were
witches on the Continent. This only came about in England during the 17thC.
Toward the end of Elizabeth’s reign there was a huge upsurge in the number of
witches and sorcerers which led to several statutes against ‘Conjurations,
Inchantments and Witchcraft’. Books were published dealing with the phenomenon,
and it was clear that witchcraft was intellectually accepted and discussed by
all classes.
Another quite superior category of
occultists existed, the alchemists – who took it for granted that ‘magic’
really worked and that it was possible to make contact with and control angels
and demons. Some, like Doctor John Dee, Elizabeth’s own magician, were renowned
scholars, although many were less reputable. Almost all were in the business of
transmuting base metal into gold and discovering the Philosopher’s Stone, a
mysterious object that would turn men into gods (although they didn’t put it in
so many words). They studied geomancy,
or fortune-telling through the earth, astrology and the Kabbalah, and some even
tried to create life without the aid of a woman – ‘the ultimate proof of man’s
divinity’, according to Paracelsus, a celebrated physician/alchemist of the
time.
These men were the forefathers of
today’s science, and they left behind them valuable manuscripts related to
their experiments and discoveries. It’s unfortunate that so much of the written
work was kept deliberately obscure. However, today’s investigators with open
minds are inclined to think that there was much to be gained from these ancient
writings – especially with regard to the study of the occult, spiritualism and
a belief in life-after-death.
Doctor Cosmo Meniscus, the alchemist
in my novel ENCHANTRESS, was initially an explorer of the unknown who had
dedicated his life to the science of that Age. It was his misfortune to
discover in an innocent young woman a magical faculty that he craved. The
manipulation of that gift brought terrible danger and, in the end, an
extraordinary revelation of what ‘magic’ might be.

Peregrine Woodward, an
insignificant relative attached to Anne Boleyn’s entourage at King Henry VIII’s
Court, is thrown into violent conflict with the powerful and ambitious men and
women of the times. Her healing and prophetic gifts are particularly dangerous
and confronting. They are coveted by the fascinating alchemist, Doctor Cosmo
Meniscus, who almost destroys her in his attempt to control her destiny; while
Richard de Burgh, the man she loves, will betray her innocence, before
succumbing to her enchantment.
Peregrine’s own increasing
ability to alter people’s destiny is her challenge. But the bond with Richard
throughout their turbulent relationship becomes her greatest strength.
The past is endlessly fascinating, and I bring it alive, peopling it with men and women who are hardy and adventurous, and willing to travel beyond the boundaries of polite society.
Endless Time, my first paranormal, was a prize-winner with Random House, and since then I’ve published five more romantic historicals, each with a different background and time frame. I’ve followed different paths with the regency novella and a contemporary crime novel which somehow managed to involve itself in history. I’ve struggled with characters who deliberately wandered from their place in the storyline, and had to dismiss some who simply would not fit in. My library shelves groan with the weight of research material, rarely dusted, I admit. Life is too busy, too packed with things to know, places to go, characters to create, stories to weave.
I write about adventure, the unexplained, murder, war and love. I write because I must.
Visit Frances at her Website, Facebook
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