What is faction?

The Tudors – Faction in the Tudor Court, 1509-1603

In this course, Dr Janet Dickinson (University of Oxford) explores the concept of faction in Tudor England, 1509-1603. In the first module, we introduce the concept of faction itself – what do we mean when we talk about 'a faction' or just 'faction'? In the second, third and fourth modules, we consider the extent to which faction is a useful tool for explaining the fall of Anne Boleyn. First, was there a faction around Anne Boleyn? Second, was Anne Boleyn brought down a faction? And third, did Thomas Cromwell destroy Anne Boleyn. In the fifth module, we fast-forward to the end of the Tudor period and ask whether there was a faction surrounding the Earl of Essex, before turning in the sixth module to consider to influence of faction more generally in the final decade of Elizabeth's reign. And in the seventh module, we offer some concluding thoughts as to the usefulness of faction as a means of understanding the workings of Tudor court politics.

What is faction?

In this module, we think about what we mean when we talk about 'faction' in the Tudor court, focusing in particular on: (i) Eric Ives' definition of faction "as a group of people which seeks objectives that are seen primarily in personal terms"; (ii) the idea that faction that be used to explain some of the major political events in the court of several Tudor monarchs, e.g. the fall of Anne Boleyn, etc.; and (iii) the benefits of adopting a more fluid sense of 'faction'.