What are the names, roles, and responsibilities of the people who make up a kingdom?

Question

I recently started reading a book called "The Other Boleyn Girl", and it makes several references to counts, dukes, ect. It's making the book difficult for me to understand. I don't follow all of the characters roles in the kingdom, why they're there, and so on. If you could explain this a little to me, I think I would enjoy the book more, knowing who is who.

Thanks!

Answer 1

"Tudor Place" is a website that should help you work out who was who in Henry VIII's reign.

Don't take that book (or the film) seriously! Philippa Gregory makes great play of being a "historian" but she isn't, and not only are her facts often pretty dubious but her characters' ideas and behaviour are in many cases hopelessly anachronistic. Enjoy, sure: just don't believe you're reading history.