A Closer Look at Savorgnano's Tour of London 1531.

In this series:

• Savorgnano tour of England, August 25, 1531.
• A Closer Look at Savorgnano's Tour of London 1531.

“I quitted the Imperial Court,” the Italian engineer Marco Savorgnano begins, “which was here at Brussels, on the 27th July, and mounting a little carriage (caretta) as usual in all these places (and which is a very great convenience), arrived at Ghent, a distance of 25 Italian miles, on that same day. On the 28th, I took another carriage, there being very great plenty of these vehicles in every town in Flanders, and went a distance of 20 miles to Bruges,... ” With these few words he informs us of more than we are likely to realize.

The distance between the cities in modern miles is about 33 miles. In Medieval and Tudor times all regions had their own standards of measure and they also changed over time. Venice, Savorgnano's home region of Italy, then, had a standard mile about ¾ of the modern world wide standard. Most scholars claim that the Roman mile was about 1/5 our the modern standard. The English mile is said to have measured 1.3 modern miles. The German mile is said to have been over 4 times our standard.

After the mysterious category “Italian miles” we learn that our traveler commuted by carriage. He is impressed with the convenience of this mode of transportation which lets us know that it wasn't a common mode in northern Italy.

We learn, in passing, that the engineer's route to England began at the English possession of Nieuport, in France, proceeded to another English possession Calais. Crossing the English Channel from Calais to Dover took six hours.

We were here supplied with horses of marvellous speed, riding post as it were, according to the custom of travellers, so that on the fifth day after my departure from the Imperial Court at Brussels, I reached Canterbury, distant 12 miles from Dover.

He did not travel to Canterbury by carriage, nor to anywhere else in England, for a very good reason. The first carriage would arrive in England just after 1560.

There were no carriages in England because there were no paved roads throughout the realm. Not even in London. Carriages needed paved roads. In the country they needed at least durable hard-packed dirt roads constantly kept in repair. Rutted and washed out roads would defeat if not destroy a carriage. They simply were not a practical means of transportation. Even though a few would arrive in the country around 1560 their ambit was strictly limited until well into the 17^th century.

Savorgnano's “ riding post as it were,” should inform us that England didn't actually have a developed post-road system such as was far better developed in Central Europe. To ride post did, indeed, mean riding horseback. But it also meant following a prescribed route along which hostels and stables had sprung up at intervals to support the mail-rider to move mail rapidly between key cities with what we today call Express Mail. Travelers who were in a hurry also used these convenient routes.

England was small enough, and had few enough key cities, that the only postal routes that were necessary were to Ireland and Scotland. Savorgnano rode like he was riding post simply because he was on horseback, and, stopped if at all, when a village seemed to promise shelter for the night and care for the horses.

Having contacts at court, Savorgnano gets to meet the king. He is impressed.

I never saw a prince better disposed than this one. He is also learned and accomplished, and most generous and kind, and were it not that he now seeks to repudiate his wife, after having lived with her for 22 years, he would be no less perfectly good, and equally prudent.

But, being Catholic, he cannot help but reflect upon a scandalous fact that has left all the faithful aghast.

Soon after he meets Queen Katherine:

arrived at a palace called the More, where the Queen resides. In the morning we saw her Majesty dine: she had some 30 maids of honour (donzelle) standing round the table, and about 50 who performed its service. Her Court consists of about 200 persons, but she is not so much visited as heretofore, on account of the King. Her Majesty is not of tall stature, rather small. If not handsome she is not ugly; she is somewhat stout (piuttosto grassa), and has always a smile on her countenance.

And soon after that, her daughter, Princess Mary:

This Princess is not very tall, has a pretty face, and is well proportioned (disposta), with a very beautiful complexion, and is 15 years old. She speaks Spanish, French, and Latin, besides her own mother-English tongue, is well grounded in Greek, and understands Italian, but does not venture to speak it. She sings excellently, and plays on several instruments, so that she combines every accomplishment.

It is uncommon to think of Mary in these terms. But Savognano does not seem a man to flatter.

The travelers “were then taken to a sumptuous repast” which informs us that Henry's courtiers were served meals during their attendance. The poorer courtiers — many soldiers, retainers and younger sons of country poor squires —, various other letters inform us, even attended daily primarily for the free meals.

The woman, we learn, are uncommonly handsome. The men are idler than elsewhere. And they have a bit of fun pulling tourists' legs.

There is an island, further off, where the men live to a great age, and when tired of life, they destroy themselves, or throw themselves into the sea from some rock, or migrate to other countries.

Oh well. There was no cable television. They had to entertain themselves as best they could.

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