In this episode, we’re gonna have a little bit of fun talking about how often Tudor men thought about the Roman Empire. It actually occurred to me that Henry VIII probably did think about the Roman Empire quite a bit perhaps as much as men today think about the Roman Empire. Because the classics were being rediscovered. There was a lot of emphasis on classical education, on classical medicine, on all of these things that were be being rediscovered.
In a large part, the Renaissance was that time period about rediscovery of a lot of these texts. It also happened because of the fall of Constantinople in 1453 when these texts were making their way back into Europe, back into the libraries, back into the European courts and universities. People were starting to look at these stuff again for the first time in a thousand years and people were thinking about the Roman Empire quite a bit. So I thought that would be kind of fun to play with and talk about how often Henry VIII might have thought about the Roman Empire.
Let’s talk about the Roman Empire in the Tudor period. So the Tudor period of course was a time of profound change. One of the most transformative periods in European history begins with Henry VII beating Richard III at Bosworth Field. It goes all the way up to Elizabeth.
During this period, England experienced significant changes and developments in government, in society, and culture. There was a strong centralized monarchy, the expansion of overseas exploration, flowering of English literature reaching perhaps the pinnacle under Shakespeare, and music and William Byrd and all of that. Plus the Reformation happened which altered England’s landscape religiously forever.
Today like I said we are going to talk about the Roman Empire. This topic is intriguing not just for the historical connections but also for the light that it sheds on Tudor self-perception and ideology. So the Tudors, like many of their contemporaries in Renaissance Europe, were deeply influenced by the legacy of Rome, the Roman Empire with its grandeur, its achievements in government, law, and culture stood as a towering model of civilization prowess for the Tudors.
Rome was not just a historical empire. It was a benchmark against which they measured their own societies, government, even their monarchy. Interestingly the Tudor engagement with Rome was not just to mimic it. It was actually more of like a selective adoption. They chose the parts of Roman culture that suited the Tudor needs and aspirations.
In governance, the Tudors admired and emulated Roman efficiency in administration and law and yet they were cautious not to replicate the imperial autocracy of Rome. Instead, they found a balance or they tried to find a balance between the strong monarchical authority and the traditional English liberties.
In the realm of religion, the Tudor view of Rome was complex. It was evolving. Initially England under the Tudors was firmly Roman Catholic but then Henry VIII broke with Rome and so a new chapter begun. One that saw the Tudors developing a very distinctly English church, yet still engaging with and reacting to the Roman religious and theological thought.
Culturally, the influence of Rome was profound. The Renaissance revival of classical learning saw Tudor intellectuals. Artists and writers eagerly absorbing and reinterpreting Roman literature philosophy and art. Roman history and mythology became sources of inspiration for Tudor culture, providing themes and motifs for literature drama and even political discourse.
The story of Rome and Britain begins in AD 43 when Emperor Claudius launched a successful invasion marking the start of over three centuries or 300 years of Roman rule. This period was transformative for the British Isles. Of course, it brought profound changes in infrastructure, in governance, in culture. This is where I will insert my regular pointless Monty Python quote “What have the Romans ever done for us?”
Anyway, Roman Britain was a complex frontier province of the Roman Empire characterized by military garrison, Roman towns and a blend of Roman and native traditions. Roman rule introduced a level of urbanization and infrastructure previously unseen in Britain.
The Romans built a network of roads and connected military sites and facilitated trade and communication across the island. They established new towns, many of which would evolve into major cities like York, Bath, and London. These urban centers were laid out in a distinctly Roman style, with forums, amphitheaters, baths and temples.
Roman Britain was a time of economic and social development to the introduction of Roman agricultural techniques, crafts, and trade practices led to increased prosperity. The Roman legal system and administrative practices provided a model of governance that had lasting influence particularly in the development of English law and civic administration.
By 410, Roman rule in England had ended basically. The Empire’s focus shifted to protecting other lands that were more pressing elsewhere. The Roman departure left a power vacuum leading to a period of instability and back and forth with different groups moving. There’s new research showing that maybe it wasn’t necessarily invasions, maybe it was just other types of immigration. Either way, Rome was out, Anglo-Saxons and other groups were in, but the Roman Legacy endured in various forms.
Fast forward to the Tudor period and the impacts of Roman Britain were still evident. The Roman road network although neglected, continued to be used and formed the basis for new road construction that Henry VIII did. Tudor London was the heart of the Kingdom that was built on the foundations of Roman Londinium. The city’s layout, its streets, even some of its place names can be traced back to Roman origins.
If you’ve ever read Edward Rutherfurd books that are like stories of a place, but like a biography and it just goes through the history of London. The novel I guess is what it was London, and it starts with even before the Romans came, and it traces London history throughout. It’s just fabulous, it’s so good! Anyway, the chapter on Roman London was really good. I should go back and read. It’s really long but it’s so worth it. You should totally check it out.
Moreover the Tudor fascination with antiquity led to a renewed interest in Roman architecture. This is evident in the adoption of classical architectural styles in Tudor building projects elements like columns, arches, the use of symmetry, were derived from Roman models and they represent a departure from the gothic style that was prevalent in medieval England.
Additionally the Roman impact was intellectual and cultural. The Tudors through the lens of the Renaissance, looked back to Roman Britain with a sense of continuity and heritage. They saw themselves as the heirs to the Roman civilization, a notion that influenced their self-identity and their view of England’s place in the world.
An example of the architectural changes would be Hampton Court Palace and the old schools quad at Oxford University which display elements like Roman arches and columns which reflect the influence of Roman architectural principles.
In literature, the Tudor era witnessed a flourishing of English poetry and drama. Much of it inspired by Roman works. Tudor writers drew heavily from Roman authors adopting their themes, styles, and even their narratives. Virgil’s epic poetry, Ovid’s mythological tales, and Cicero’s rhetorical masterpieces were widely read and imitated.
Thomas Moore‘s “Utopia” a landmark work of Tudor literature was deeply influenced by Roman philosophical ideas particularly those concerning society and governance. Roman influence was also seen in educational and intellectual life. The study of Latin, the language of ancient Rome became an essential part of the curriculum for not just monks but anybody who wanted a good classical education.
Tudor scholars studied Roman texts not necessarily for their literary value, but also for their insights into history philosophy and rhetoric. The Roman historians Livy and Tacitus were particularly valued for their accounts of the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and Empire, serving as a moral compass and a source of knowledge for the Tudor thinkers.
Furthermore the Roman ideas of civic virtue and public service began to permeate Tudor society. The concept of a Renaissance man, of someone whose well-versed in art, science, and humanities was modeled after Roman ideals of a well-rounded educated citizen.
This was exemplified by figures like Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake who in addition to their exploits as explorers, were also patrons of the arts and scholars in their own right. Like I said, the monarchy itself was influenced by Rome. Both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I adopted aspects of Roman imperial imagery to bolster their regal authority. Henry VIII with his ambitious political and military agenda, saw himself as an emperor-like figure. His desire for strong centralized monarchy mirrored the imperial model.
Henry’s use of Roman symbols and imagery on art and coins was a deliberate strategy to project power and legitimacy. Use of classical motifs in royal portraits, the depiction of the king in a manner reminiscent of Roman emperors, the incorporation of Roman iconography, and coins, and royal seals were all part of this strategy.
Elizabeth I continued this. She skillfully brought in Roman symbolism to reinforce her status as a powerful almost divine monarch. Her portraits often included classical symbols and allegories positioning her in a lineage of great rulers that hearkened back to ancient Rome. The use of these symbols was a powerful tool in an era where visual imagery was a primary means of communication with a mostly illiterate population that was changing throughout the Reformation.
In terms of military tactics and organizations, the Tudor period saw significant changes very much influenced by Roman models. The Tudors made efforts to professionalize and modernize their military. It wasn’t just militia based. They had an the establishment of a permanent navy, which while not directly modeled on Roman lines, was influenced by the idea of a standing professional military force, which was a concept central to Roman military power.
Establishment of the royal Navy can also be seen as part of his broader imperial ambitions similar to the Roman emphasis on military discipline and organization. The Tudor army also saw reforms including the introduction of more effective training and the use of new weapons and tactics. These reforms were not necessarily copied from the Roman practices, but they were influenced by the Renaissance’s broader revival of classical military texts and ideas.
The legal system saw reforms influenced by Roman law, while English common law remained the foundation, Tudor jurists were increasingly aware of Roman legal principles due to again the Renaissance classical learning. This exposure did not result in the wholesale adoption of Roman law, but it did lead to refinement and development in English legal practices.
So there we go. Henry VIII and Tudor men, and how often they might have thought about the Roman Empire especially when they were in school, especially when they were in University, they were probably thinking about the Roman Empire an awful lot.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.