Fran Fine and House of Tudor: Difference between pages

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{{otheruses|Tudor}}

[[Image:Nanny_Fran_Drescher.jpg|250px|thumb|Fran Fine]]

{{House of Tudor}}

'''Fran Fine''' was the main character in the [[1990s]] [[CBS]] [[sitcom]] ''[[The Nanny (television)|The Nanny]]'', largely based on and played by actress [[Fran Drescher]]

The '''Tudor dynasty''' or '''House of Tudor''' ({{lang-cy|Tudur}}) was a series of five [[monarch]]s who ruled [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] from [[1485]] until [[1603]]. Three of them, ([[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] and [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]) played important roles in transforming [[England]] from a comparatively weak European backwater into a powerful state that in the coming centuries would dominate much of the world.

The House of Tudor began with [[Owen Tudor|Owain ap Meredith ap Tewdur]], a Welsh squire in [[Henry V of England|Henry V]]'s court better known by the Anglicized version of his name, Owen Tudor. Owen Tudor married the King's widow, [[Katherine of Valois]], and had five children with her. Their eldest surviving son, [[Edmund Tudor]], married [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], a descendant of [[John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster]], who in her own right was at one point a potential heiress to Edmund's half-brother, [[Henry VI of England]]. At the age of thirteen, Margaret bore a son several months after her husband's death. Following the [[Wars of the Roses]] in which the Houses of [[House of Lancaster|Lancaster]] and [[House of York|York]] struggled for control of the English throne, this child would become [[Henry VII of England]].

{{spoiler}}

During the Tudor period, the dynasty created the [[Church of England]] and also strengthened the [[Royal navy|navy]].

According to the show's theme song, Fran Fine was working in a bridal shop in [[Flushing, Queens]], until she was kicked out by her boyfriend, Danny Imperiali. She began selling makeup door-to-door to make ends meet, but then Maxwell Sheffield ([[Charles Shaughnessy]]), a [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] producer hired her as the nanny for his three kids, Maggie ([[Nicholle Tom]]), Brighton ([[Benjamin Salisbury]]), and Gracie ([[Madeline Zima]]). Niles, Mr. Sheffield's butler, and C.C. Babcock, Maxwell's business partner, were also supporting characters on the show. As the show went on, Fran's mother Sylvia Fine and her best friend Val Toriello (Rachel Chagall) became regular guests.

==Feudal circumstances==

Miss Fine was vain and self-conscious about her age; although never revealed, it was assumed that Fran was somewhere in her thirties although she often claimed to be 29 on the show (an accurate calculation would show that because she was 29 turning 30 in the first season, by the end of the sixth and final season, she was 35 going on 36). Fran was always under a lot of pressure to get married, by both her mother and herself.

While Tudors made much of their feudal title to [[Richmondshire]], [[Middleham]] and its subsidiary [[Snape, North Yorkshire|Snape]] were [[Neville]] bases. [[Bedale]] Ricardian [[Francis Lovell, Viscount Lovell]] resisted Henry VII. Robert Aske, of the family of Aske Hall in Richmond took complaints to Henry VIII in the [[Pilgrimage of Grace]], objecting to the King's "casting off" of Queen Catherine of Aragon and his daughter Princess Mary. [[Simon Digby]] resisted Elizabeth I, even though Digby's family were installed in the region by Henry VII as a replacement for Lovell. Sir George Bowes complained in defence of Digby's son's innocence, saying further that the rebels had not been able to be quelled by Lord Latimer. This [[Rising of the North]] for Charles Neville of Westmorland resulted in another installment of a dignitary puppet over Bedale by the Queen Elizabeth—Ambrose, Earl of Warwick.

Although dynastically [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]], the Tudors were politically [[House of York|Yorkist]]. In this sense, they were dual like the Nevilles (dynastically Yorkist, politically Lancastrian) and which was the point of union between both houses, supposedly resolving the [[Wars of the Roses]]. The Tudors, superseded this Neville crossover precedent, effectively balancing rival factions, as the Rising of the North itself ended the [[Percy-Neville feud]]. The Tudor dynasty and its unification of Richmondshire (like Wales, or Brittany to France) into the body politic of the English Royal Domain, thus contributed to the future Stuart succession by dominating foreign influences (e.g. the Castilian intrigue formed by John of Gaunt and pursued by Henry VII). The [[border country]] had become the pivot upon which the monarchy was secured, by subordination of the "Middle Shires"—as they came to be known under King James I.

Fran's favorite store is [[Loehmann's]].

This consolidation of power under the Star Chamber Court and its reliance upon the subordination of palatine agricultural districts (e.g. Council of Wales, Council of the North, etc.) was to resemble the original Lancastrian high court party of Henry VI, instigating once again a Low Country (Burgundian Flanders) mercantile and Estuary opposition in the heirs of [[Mary Tudor (queen consort of France)|Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk]] and their Dudley allies (carrying the notorious Warwick title). These economic and dynastic alliances of the Yorkists would re-emerge in the wake of the beheading of the last Plantagenet, [[Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury]]. Religion became intertwined with politics with the declaration of [[cuius regio, eius religio]]. This meant that English society had become divisive once more; even more so than before. Future Stuart succession would attempt to align the high court party with the high church party, in the same manner as the Spanish Habsburg standard.

The romantic tension between Maxwell and Fran lasted until the show's last season, when the pair married. Until that point, they always addressed each other with proper employer-employee politeness, as "Miss Fine" and "Mr. Sheffield" (both titles were often self-lampooned, whether it was a sarcastic comment about how attractive Mr. Sheffield sounded when he shouted or how Ms. Fine pronounced her boss's name, "Mis-tuh Shef-field"). There were several important romantic episodes in their "platonic" relationship, including an occasion where Mr. Sheffield told Miss Fine that he loved her because he thought their plane back to New York was going to crash and then took it back (this event was later referred to as "the Thing" and was constantly held over Mr. Sheffield's head by Ms. Fine or Niles).

Jealous heirs to the Yorkists would challenge the stratifying intentions of these Lancastrian heirs, championing "the underdog"—themselves and the mercantile, industrial classes. Feudal structure in which a monarch was held in check by peers of the realm was challenged by nationalism under the monarchy; the Tudors having broken [[bastard feudalism]] upon the support of civil servants who demanded compensation. In the traditions of Simon de Montfort and Richard of York, Parliament became the vehicle for upward mobility by those dispossessed by the Crown. These officers of state decided to do their own kingmaking when the opportunity presented itself, but choosing the rival faction established under the Burgundian and ultimately German alliances of the [[Hundred Years' War]] (against the French peace of [[Margaret of Anjou]]).

By the fifth season, Mr. Sheffield and Ms. Fine had begun a tentative romantic relationship, which consisted of several stolen kisses and a very large milestone: calling each other by their first names. After Mr. Sheffield confessed his love for her a second time (and didn't take it back), he immediately proposed marriage (a move that inadvertently sent C.C. Babcock, who had an obsessive crush on Maxwell and jealous hatred of Fran, to an insane asylum for a short period of time) and they were married in the season 5 finale. Having consummated their relationship on a deserted island during their honeymoon, Fran and Max went through the regular-albeit somewhat unusual-hardships of marriage, such as when Fran was too loud in bed (which lead to Max wondering if he is passionate enough for her, an idea he also debated the night before they were married), when Fran had to meet the parents of Maxwell's late wife, or when Max still referred to Fran as his nanny, during which he feels her full wrath ("A night on the couch sure whipped you into shape!").

==Marriage==

Fran and Max also had some difficulties conceiving a child. Their problems stemmed from Fran being too stressed and issues with trying not to have sex when Fran wasn't ovulating (it turned out the couple's appetite for each other was insatiable). They finally welcomed twins, Jonah and Eve (who apparently has her mother's voice), into the Sheffield family during the series finale.

Owen and Edmund married Lancastrians, but Henry VII and Henry VIII, including [[Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset]] wed Yorkists.

Despite the fact they stopped using each other's last names to address each other when they married, Fran and Max would still switch to their boss/employee roles out of habit. When Max was angry with her, he would shout "Miss Fine!" just as he would in the beginning of the series, usually with a worried Fran replying, "Oh no, I'm Miss Fine again!". The same was true for Fran, who would often call Maxwell "Mr. Sheffield" in bed.

The first marriage of Henry VIII was Lancastrian and to [[Catherine of Aragon]], strategically poised to court [[Catholic]] (specifically, Spanish and Imperial) powers, a policy seen again in Mary's marriage to [[Philip II of Spain]]. After many attempts, Catherine only succeded in having one child—a girl—Mary. Henry VIII wanted a male heir, however, and the refusal of the Papacy to grant an annullment of the marriage was a key factor in Henry's split from the [[Roman Catholic Church|Church of Rome]].

Henry VIII's second marriage was to [[Anne Boleyn]]. She too failed to give Henry any sons, only a daughter, Elizabeth. She was accused of treason to the King and was executed.

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[[Category:Fictional servants]]

The third marriage was to [[Jane Seymour]]. She bore Henry a son, Edward. Unfortunately she died about two weeks after childbirth. Henry was heartbroken—many people think that Jane was the only one of his wives that Henry really loved.

The fourth marriage of Henry VIII was Yorkist [[Anne of Cleves]], strategically poised to court [[Protestant]] German powers. This idea was later picked up by the marriage between [[William and Mary]].

The fifth marriage was to [[Kathryn Howard]]. She was very young and didn't really want to marry Henry. It was later proved that she had been unfaithful to him with his chief Minister. She was accused of treason and was executed.

Henry's last wife was a rich widow, [[Catherine Parr]]. Though she was in love with Thomas Seymour (Jane Seymour's brother) at the time, she was forced to marry him. However, she was loyal to Henry and nursed him well until he died. She soon remarried.

Tudor marital policy with the Spaniards and Dutch (see [[Dutch Revolt]]) thus reflected the wish for "[[via media]]" as pursued in religious affairs, which was in some ways a continuation of the need to balance the Lancastrian and Yorkist camps.

The sisters of Henry were wed to the [[Auld Alliance]] dynasties of Scotland and France, but only the Scottish alliance was considered fruitful, with the French alliance lost to Suffolk. The Stuarts would continue this arrangement, through the marriages of [[Mary I of Scotland]] to the [[King Consort]]s [[Francis II of France]] and [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]].

==The Tudor Period==

The Tudor [[history|historical]] period usually refers to the period 1485–[[1558]], especially in relation to the [[History of England]]. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in [[England]], with the exception of Elizabeth I. Occasionally the term is used more broadly to capture Elizabeth's reign as well, though in general 1558–1603 is treated separately as the [[Elizabethan era]].

==Monarchs of England==

The six Tudor monarchs were:

*[[Henry VII of England|King Henry VII]] ([[1485]]–[[1509]])

*[[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] ([[1509]]–[[1547]]); son of Henry VII

*[[Edward VI of England|King Edward VI]] ([[1547]]–[[1553]]); son of Henry VIII

*[[Lady Jane Grey]] ([[1553]]); great-granddaughter of Henry VII

*[[Mary I of England|Queen Mary I]] ([[1553]]–[[1558]]); eldest daughter of Henry VIII

*[[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] ([[1558]]–[[1603]]); second daughter of Henry VIII

Henry VII's great-granddaughter, [[Lady Jane Grey]] also served as Queen for nine days before being deposed by Mary I. Jane was later executed along with her husband [[Guildford Dudley]], son of [[John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland]]. This was a prelude to the [[Puritan]] usurpations of the Stuart era, as the Dudleys were invested in the [[Pilgrims]]' American colonisation.

[[Image:tudors.JPG|thumb|right|200px|''Allegory of the Tudor dynasty'', (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, ''ca.'' 1572: left to right, [[Philip II of Spain]], [[Mary I of England|Mary]], [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]],

[[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth]]]]

To the Tudor period belongs the elevation of the English-ruled state in [[Ireland]] from a [[Lordship of Ireland|Lordship]] to a [[Kingdom of Ireland|Kingdom]] ([[1541]]).

==[[Kings of England family tree|Tudor's Family Tree]]==

Margaret Beaufort was born in 1443, not 1433 as shown in the table.

[[Image:England-Tudor.png|700px]]

==Further reading==

*Guy, John (ed). ''The Tudor Monarchy''. St Martin’s Press, 1997.

*Turton, Godfrey. ''The Dragon’s Breed: The Story of the Tudors from Earliest Times to 1603''. Peter Davies, 1970.

==External links==

* [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/index.html Tudor Place]

* [http://tudorhistory.org/ Tudor History]

* [http://www.badley.info/history/House-of-Tudor-England.general.html House of Tudor Chronology]

* [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page11.asp Official British Royal Site Discussion on the Tudors]

* {{PDFlink|[http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/pdf/stuarts.pdf Tudor and Stuart Family Tree from Official British Royal Site]|13.4&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 13759 bytes -->}}

* [http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor_england.htm Tudor History]

==See also==

*[[England and Wales]]

*[[Wars of the Roses]]

*[[Tudor style]]

*[[Tudor rose]]

*[[Richmond Castle]]

*[[Richmond, London#Richmond_Palace|Richmond Palace]]

*[[Tudor re-conquest of Ireland]]

*[[The Tudors and the Royal Navy]]

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Dynasty|Ruling House]] of the [[Kingdom of England]]|years=[[1485]] &ndash; [[1603]]}}

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