Four Unpleasant (And Disgusting) Facts About the Tudors

Horrible histories from the Tudor era

An engraving of a barber-surgeon operating on one of his patients by an unknown artist, c. sixteenth century (Wikimedia Commons)

School teachers often use the phrase “Terrible Tudors” to describe the Tudor era (1485–1603), and this alliterative description is pretty accurate, all things considered.

Despite the booming benefits of overseas trade and the rise of Renaissance ideas, the reign of the Tudors was — in some ways — an unpleasant and disgusting time in British history.

1. Barber-Surgeons Conducted Horrific Medical Procedures

A depiction of a lecture at the Barber-Surgeon’s Hall in London by John Banister, 1580 (Wikimedia Commons)

Medical practices weren’t very sophisticated during the reign of the Tudors, and one of the most common “cures” for illness and disease was blood-letting.

This involved removing blood from a vein via venipuncture or by placing leeches on the naked body. Supposedly, this would cure the patient by removing their bad blood. There was a religious element too, for many monks believed blood-letting could rid a man of his sins.

Blood-letting was often carried out by barber-surgeons rather than physicians, as the latter were scholarly and spent much of their time…