I did not finish this book. I stopped reading in chapter two. I have read a lot about the Tudor line so am generally interested in reading about them. However I couldn’t get into reading this book, it was too much information at one time. I couldn’t stay engaged. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading nonfiction.

Stephanie Kline did her research. An in depth and approachable look i to the lives of women in the sixteenth century. Impeccably written, engaging, and an intriguing non-fiction book. I learned a lot and loved adding to my knowledge of this time period.

Throughout history, women have had one major job: giving birth and raising future generations. Each new generation had different ways of dealing with childbirth and raising children, and the Tudors were no exception. While the Tudors lived in the 16th century, the joys and fears of being a mother were similar to those of the modern age. However, the way women approached different stages of life in the 16th century is unique compared to the ways of modern women. So, how did Tudor women approach motherhood? Stephanie Kline hopes to answer this question in her latest book, “Raising the Tudors: Motherhood in Sixteenth-Century England.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoy looking at different aspects of Tudor life, so when I saw the title of this book, it was an appealing concept.

Kline begins by explaining how women did not have many options for life other than marriage and a religious life. In the male-dominated world, women were destined to become wives and mothers. Kline’s book examines a Tudor woman’s life, from menstruation to menopause, covering marriage, pregnancy, and raising children. It is quite a lot of information to include in one book, but Kline does it with such care and attention to detail.

What Kline does extremely well is balance the stories she includes of women from all walks of life with what men and women were writing about during this time about women’s health. We get to see how much the Four Humours Theory affected every aspect of a woman’s life and her health, which included what recipes they would use to help their child. The pregnant portraits and the way women dealt with their pregnancies mirror the modern age with pregnancy photo shoots and special diets for both mother and child. While methods like confinement are drastically different than the 21st century, it is the love and care for a family that remains the same over centuries.

Overall, I found this book quite interesting, with stories and facts about the lives of Tudor women, from the time they transitioned from a girl to a woman until they died. I think the only thing I wanted was more stories of women from the middle and lower classes to get a better picture of how the different classes dealt with motherhood in their unique ways. I think if you want a solid book as an introduction to Tudor motherhood, I recommend you read, “Raising the Tudors: Motherhood in Sixteenth-Century England” by Stephanie Kline.

I adored "Raising the Tudors" by Stephanie Kline. Its no secret that I love learning about women's history, so obviously this was right up my alley.

The book covers everything, and I mean, everything you may need to know about motherhood in the tudor era. While there are sections about the parenting phase, the book start much earlier and ends well beyond.

We start the journey from the very beginning. No, not the pregnancy. Even before that.

We start with a general understanding of how the tudors approached women health and fertility, then, cover marriage and the marital duties. For pregnancy, the book covers everything from finding out about the little tudor growing in the womb all the way to feeding it 'goats' claws dredged in powder, either crushed into a drink or consumed in pottage'.

Fear not, for the book, then, follows the growing tudor from infancy to adulthood as their mother now turns into a grandmother.

Every time I told myself I would sit down for a page or two, I find myself having read 20 or more. It's very accessible and comprehensive.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone interested in women history or the tudor era!

3.5 Stars. This was a very interesting look into a surprisingly underrepresented group from history, mothers. Despite being a huge part of history, everyone has one after all, research into mothers as a group is lacking. With this book, author Stephanie Kline attempts to fill that gap in regards to the Tudor period in England. Following women throughout their lives, from childhood to marriage to motherhood and beyond, Kline explores the daily life of mothers from royalty to commoner, including a fascinating look into the medical practices of the day. Overall a very well written and interesting look into motherhood for the Tudors.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the book!

Raising the Tudors is one of the most beautifully researched and emotionally resonant Tudor history books I’ve read in ages. Stephanie Kline shines a necessary light on a topic that has too often been overshadowed by dynastic drama and political intrigue: the intimate, powerful, and often heartbreaking experience of motherhood in sixteenth-century England.

What makes this book stand out is how it honors the full spectrum of motherhood — not just among the highborn and royal, but across social classes. From the medical misunderstandings of female anatomy to the daily realities of childbirth, discipline, education, and maternal bonds, Kline gives voice to the lived experiences of Tudor women with empathy and clarity. It's not just a historical study — it’s a deeply human portrait of life, loss, duty, and care.

I especially appreciated the chapters on motherhood in older age and how women’s roles shifted as their children grew. There’s so much more depth to Tudor motherhood than just birthing heirs or dying in childbed, and Kline handles these narratives with grace and insight. I learned so much, but I also felt a genuine emotional connection to the women in these pages — not something every history book manages to achieve.

Thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the ARC. Every title you publish is a gift to readers like me who crave both substance and storytelling — and this one felt like something really special.

This book was SO interesting and I’ve never read anything of its like in relation to my previous Tudor readings. I absolutely love reading about the Tudors and Tudor history, and from this angle, the angle of Women’s health, birth, upbringings etc… it made for super interesting reading.

It was written really well too and well researched. It’s amazing to get a glimpse into the times and such an intimate part of their lives. I took this book with me on holiday and it was a great read keeping me company on the train (& train delays!). It was more than easy to get through a few chapters at a time and it flew by.

Raising the Tudors reveals intimidate details of the women of the time, from conception, pregnancy, child to teenage years and subsequent adulthood and marriage. These insights were great to read and the accompanying images at the back were well appreciated too. It’s a great book for any history and Tudor era fan!

Raising the Tudors is such an interesting and informative book covering a wide range of topics concerned with raising children in Tudor times. The book is thorough and well researched and helps to place what we know about Tudor practices in the context of the medical, scientific and religious beliefs of the time.
Raising the Tudors is an excellent book to add to any Tudor enthusiast’s bookshelves.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pen and Sword books for the chance to read and review.

Thankyou for the opportunity to read an ARC of Raising The Tudors in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I found this book to be well written and informative.
I have always loved the period of history surrounding The Cousins War into the time of the Tudors, so this is one book I certainly wanted to read. I was not disappointed.
Definitely a recommended read for history buffs or even someone who would like to learn more about yhe Tudor families.

I could not put this down. There is so much interesting information and the author presents it in a way which is extremely engaging and entertaining. The sub-text of societal expectations of women at the time adds depth to the analysis of some of the practicalities and even logistics of becoming a mother. I particularly enjoyed the detailed exploration of early ideas about the “humours” and the mobility of the womb - very interesting to see how strongly these ideas informed medical care at the time.