Violence in Elizabeth’s England: Tudors and Turbervilles

Abstract

Throughout her life Elizabeth Tudor was aware of the perennial violence that threatened her, threats that were also reflected in the England she ruled over. The experiences of the prominent Turberville family paralleled the type of violence Elizabeth faced, violence in which familial, political, and religious interests intersected. The most well-known of the Turbervilles was the writer George, whose Catholicism may have been the reason that Robert Jones attempted to murder him. Perhaps even more terrifying than religious violence was family violence. In her sister’s reign Elizabeth greatly feared that Mary would execute her. Shockingly, George’s older brother Nicholas was murdered by his brother-in-law. Elizabeth knew intimately the complex dangers of the time and so did her subjects.