This is a castle or you can say fort or residence of medieval monarchs of England. Mainly it was developed during Tudor dynasty period and history students must visit this castle to know the life and living style of English monarchs when they had already colonized about 16 countries including North America. This court shows how they maintained about 1500 employees , arranged their kitchen, residences, chapels inside, receiving ambassadors and on top fighting in themselves for catholic and protestant’s heir, plots, trials and capital punishments. A private trust maintains it today and is completely depends on donations and entry fee from tourists. The entry fee is £18. There were about one thousand tourists the day I saw this court. They have maintained the court beautifully such that it looks the live picture of medieval monarchs.
Location
It is in Surrey County, about 30 KM from London Westminster Abbey about 1.5 hours journey by subway including wait time in transfers.
My last impression
Read a lot about monarchy of England and I was lucky to see the actual sites where Tudor dynasty and its courtiers lived. How was their life, their kitchens, dining hall, chapel, recreation , reading and bedrooms. The luxurious gardens they maintained. I was able to connect Henry VIII, William VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I life.
History of palace
Hampton Court Palace is one of the most beautifully decorated palaces in interior and exterior exterior as well. Its construction began in 1514 by English Bishop and a statesmen Thomas Wolsey in reign of Henry VIII. But he had to gift it to Henry VIII to save his place and disgrace by king. Cardinal Wolsey would still recognize parts of the building he had erected. He had turned it from manor house to palace. This palace became one of the favorite of Henry and he spent millions of pound to accommodate his 1000 courtiers.
Henry VIII enlarged this palace to accommodate about 1000 courtiers. He had to construct the vast kitchens.
Hampton Court Palace has undergone many changes over centuries as its powerful and famous owners improved it according to fashions of their times. Most famous as Henry VIII’s palace, its beautiful rural settings and opportunities for hunting were valued by monarchs from Henry VIII to George II. The fascinating mix of building styles – Tudor magnificence to the west (local Tudor) , baroque splendor to the east (Rome) – gives the palace its unique appeal.
Henry VIII died in 1547. All his three children ruled England in turn as Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Altogether Tudor dynasty ruled over 100 years, until death of Elizabeth I in 1603. The king’s defining ambitions – to strengthen Tudor dynasty and pass crown to male heir resulted in six marriages.
It was one of the finest palaces of England of its time.
Eventually this palace became one of the most favorite palaces of the king and all Tudor dynasty from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I, Mary II and William VI lived in this palace.
During William III time this palace was again massively turned into two architecture – local Tudor and baroque. Baroque style of interior architecture was taken from Rome. Baroque style also spread to France, Spain, Northern Italy, Austria and Russia. This palace is a great example of Baroque style built in late 17th century.
The original fore walls, clock tower, 44 state rooms are still visible.
Baroque palace
William III and Mary II decided to re-build the palace on grand scale. But the architect Christopher Wren design proved too expensive to complete more than half of the plan. Later in time of George II and queen Caroline final flourish happened and the palace filled by courtiers. Unused apartments were given to courtiers and in 19th century it turned like a village of residents with royal connections.
Queen Victoria opened it for visitors in 1839. The magnificence and wealth of Henry VIII’s court – his palaces – survive at Hampton Court after 100 years
At age of 9 Edward I seems taking pose made famous by his father but unfortulately he could not reach maturty and died in 1553 and left England in precarious position of battling
courtiers as his guardian. He was first monarch raised as protestant. His father had initiated severe between catholic and created protestant branch.
In his reign only Church England saw protestent-catholic cult war, expensive war with Scotland, economy loss.
George I, son of Henry VIII in his father’s style
It was great and thrilling to see these rooms which vividly make the medieval England live and that is why people throng here from various corners of the world.
Kitchen
The master cook prepared food for servants and courtiers but not for king and queen who had the private kitchen and staff. Master cook was ordained to ensure that meat be good and sweet and discipline in kitchen in terms of cloth and cleanliness.
Elizabeth I enjoyed exotic and foreign food. These kitchens are very large than normal kitchens.
Landmarks in this palace
In 1534 Henry VIII declared himself as supreme head of church of England. Pope was so unnecessary.
The Hampton court might have seen many historic events –
* Four years after death of Jane, whilst attending Mass in the palace’s chapel, the King was informed of the adultery of his fifth wife Catherine Howard. Catherine Howard accusation. Legend claims she briefly escaped her guards and ran through the Haunted Gallery to beg Henry for her life but she was recaptured. Catherine Howards was proclaimed queen at Hampton Court in Aug, 1540. A year later, she was under house arrest here being tested for adultery.
A piece of love letter(copy) to Thomas Culpepper, she writes for her lover-
* It makes my heart die to think I can not be always in your company…’
* Henry VIII declaring himself as supreme of Church of England and birth of Protestant cult.
Elizabeth carrying protestant reforms forward
* Mary I reversing protestant to catholic.
* Birth of Edward VI
Hampton Court was to become both his palace and Charles I prison
. William VI before death made arrangements to remove Mary I as heir as he rightly thought that she would reverse the protestant reforms and made his sister Lady Jane Gray as heir. Her coronation was to take place in Tower of London when suddenly support for Mary I rose as queen and Jane was beheaded.
After Mary I’s death in 1558, her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her younger half-sister and successor, Elizabeth I.
* Later Mary I reversed the protestant England to Catholic but again Elizabeth reversed to Protestant in 1559.
Chocolate Room
Epilogue
This is one of the best maintained castles I have seen so far. British worked very hard to keep the decorum and pride of their monarch’s legacy live as a symbol of their rule in entire world. The British gave a different kind of modern civilization to entire world. It is said that they looted the countries but at the same time they also tried to unearth old civilizations in ENTIRE world such as in India, Egypt, Minoan, Crete, Mycenaean and Mesopotamian civilizations and also some in Africa. They sent great voyagers like Sir Walter Scott to entire globe in search of wealth and land. Fought hundreds of years of continuous wars with neighbors. Tudors were the first to raise flag against Catholic hegemony of popes and bring reformations.
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