The Matter of Britain

This book explores the relationship between the Tudor dynasty and the use of British/Welsh history to legitimise their rule. Sydney Anglo once said that there was little to connect the Tudor dynasty to Arthurian tradition but more recent studies employing much more Welsh evidence than in the 1960s have increasingly shown this was not the case.

The Tudors had a vulnerable claim to the throne and needed every argument to convince others of their right to rule. Whether that was as the inheritors of ancient Britannia or the restorers of King Lucius’s Christian Church – the Tudors applied the British labels on their most important projects. The Matter of Britain shows that not only was there a specific use of British history by the Tudors, but it was also deliberate, and malleable throughout successive reigns. In Elizabeth’s reign it began to create a new identity – the British Empire as it was first discussed was not a colonial one built on trade. It was the remade empire of King Arthur, and Elizabeth was its successor.

This volume will be of interest to students, scholars and general readers interested in Tudor and British history.