Edmund Tylney facts for kids

Sir Edmund Tilney (1536–1610) was an important person at the royal court during the time of Queen Elizabeth and King James. He is best known as the Master of the Revels. This meant he was in charge of all the royal entertainment, like plays and shows. He also decided which plays could be performed and what parts needed to be changed, acting as a censor for drama in England. Tilney played a big role in making English plays popular and important during the Elizabethan period. He made the job of Master of the Revels a very official and powerful one.

Early Life and Family Connections

Edmund Tilney was the only son of Philip Tilney, who worked for King Henry VIII. His mother was Malyn Chambre. Edmund's father died in 1541. His mother, Malyn, was involved in a royal scandal that led to Queen Catherine Howard losing her position. Malyn was sentenced to prison but was later set free.

We don't have many records about Edmund Tilney's schooling. However, he clearly learned a lot! He knew Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish. His early writings show he also understood subjects like law, history, and money matters. People think he probably traveled a lot too, as this was a common part of education back then.

Career as Master of the Revels

Even without a formal education, Edmund Tilney had a bright future. He was distantly related to Queen Elizabeth through the Howard family. To gain the Queen's favor, he wrote a book in 1568 called A briefe and pleasant discourse of duties in mariage, called the flower of friendshippe (often shortened to The Flower of Friendship). He dedicated this book to the Queen.

In 1572, he became a member of Parliament for Gatton, Surrey. The Revels Office, which handled royal entertainment, was always under the Lord Chamberlain, a very important official. In 1579, Edmund Tilney officially became the Master of the Revels.

When Tilney started, his main job was to plan and put on royal shows to please the Queen. But he soon made big changes. The Revels Office had many money problems. In 1581, a special order helped fix these financial issues. This allowed Tilney to manage the office's budget much better.

The special order also gave Tilney a new, very important power: he could stop plays from discussing sensitive or upsetting topics. A play could only be performed if Tilney had signed its script. If anyone broke this rule, Tilney could order them to be imprisoned. He now had complete control over drama across the country. Before him, this responsibility was shared by many people.

Censoring Plays

Tilney became the main censor for plays everywhere. For example, a play called The Book of Sir Thomas More was about riots that happened in 1517. Because it had strong political messages that could cause trouble, Tilney censored it heavily, and the play was never shown. He made sure that any political content that might upset the court was removed.

Tilney's time as Master (1579–1610) was a very exciting period for English plays. The first public theaters, The Theatre and The Curtain, were built in 1576. Many more theaters popped up, leading to a huge increase in plays. Famous writers like Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd were drawing big crowds with plays like Tamburlaine and The Spanish Tragedy. Almost all of William Shakespeare's career happened while Tilney was Master. Tilney approved thirty of Shakespeare's plays.

Even though Tilney's censorship limited writers, his support also protected them. Acting groups were businesses, but they were seen as being under royal protection. This helped them avoid problems with city officials who sometimes wanted to stop public plays. Tilney's censorship wasn't always strict. He allowed some intense scenes, like the deposition scene in Richard II and the murder of Julius Caesar, to remain in plays.

The Queen's Company

Tilney is also known for creating the Queen's Company of actors, called the Queen's Men. Queen Elizabeth had inherited some actors, but she rarely used them. It became hard to find good performances for the court. So, Tilney chose twelve of the best actors from different groups and formed the Queen's Men. This company soon became very important for all court performances, though they became less active by the 1590s.

Tilney also changed royal entertainment by focusing more on plays instead of expensive masques. Masques were elaborate shows with music, dancing, and costumes. By choosing plays, Tilney helped save money for the Revels Office. However, masques became popular again when King James I took the throne.

When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, James I became king. There was some competition for Tilney's job, but he managed to keep his position as Master of the Revels. Around 1606, the Master of the Revels also gained the power to approve plays for publishing. Tilney remained in office until he died in 1610.

Works

Edmund Tilney wrote two main works:

• A brief and pleasant dis-course of the duties in Marriage, called the Flower of Friendshipp : This book was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. It talks about the perfect state of marriage and love, using examples from history. It shows Tilney's knowledge of humanist and philosophical ideas.
• Topographical Descriptions, Regiments, and Policies : This was an unpublished book that Tilney was preparing. He dedicated it to King James. It was a reference book with notes on different countries, showing Tilney's knowledge of topography (the study of land features), family histories, geography, and law.

Personal Life

Edmund Tilney's life involved balancing different challenges. He had to work with powerful figures like the Lord Treasurer and the Lord Chamberlain. After becoming Master of the Revels, he became more popular. In 1583, he married Dame Mary Braye. We don't know if they had any children. In his will, written in 1610, he didn't mention his wife or any children.

Towards the end of his life, Tilney faced some money problems and lost properties due to lawsuits. He wished to be buried simply near his father. He left money to some poor churches, his servants, and his cousin. He lived in Leatherhead, Surrey, in a building known as the Mansion House. Today, a pub in Leatherhead is named after him. He is buried in St. Leonard's Church in Streatham, London, where a monument was built in his memory.

Things We Don't Know Much About

Even though the Master of the Revels was a very important job in Elizabethan England, there isn't a lot of detailed information about Edmund Tilney's life. Some historical records have even given wrong information about him. For example, we don't know what happened to his wife or if he had any children, as they weren't mentioned in his will. There are also questions about whether he was ever officially made a knight.