How did the Tudors celebrate Christmas? In this book, James Taffe investigates both the familiar and the unfamiliar traditions of a Tudor Christmas, from the exchanging of gifts and feasting on a grand scale to wassailing, the Lord of Misrule, and the Twelfth Night. From Henry VIII’s wine porters to Elizabeth I’s gingerbread bakers, Christmas with the Tudors examines the role of the Tudor royal household and the wider court in bringing the yuletide season to life. Who was invited to a Tudor Christmas? What food and drink did they serve and enjoy? What were the more extravagant, memorable and humbler gifts exchanged, and by whom? How did Christmas celebrations compare for Tudor kings, queens, princes and princesses at court, nobles and the upper gentry in their great houses, and local families, friends, neighbours, tenants and poorer folk in rural and urban communities and parishes? New archival research into personal letters and household accounts uncovers a Tudor Christmas marked by merriment and joy, generosity and hospitality, and sometimes, gluttony, greed, loneliness, grief, melancholy, tragedy, and even the dreaded plague. Dr James Taffe is a Tudor historian whose research focuses on servants in the Tudor royal household and the wider court. Born in Birmingham, England, he studied at Queen Mary, University of London and University of Birmingham before completing his PhD at Durham University in 2022. Courting The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, was his first publication. The forthcoming Serving the Tudors (2024) examines the lives and careers of the men and women who served England’s most infamous ruling dynasty. Praise for COURTING The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford ‘Thick with detail, and sharp on analysis, Taffe skilfully weaves together the often opaque life of Jane.’ DR OWEN EMMERSON, Author of The Boleyns of Hever Castle ‘Provocative and intelligent.’ GARETH RUSSELL, Author of Young and Damned and Fair ‘The author's focus on Jane provides a unique, insightful perspective on her role in the queen's household.’ REBECCA LARSON, Host of Tudors Dynasty podcast