BADMOUTHING TUDORS.

The article focuses on the regulation and legal challenges of slanderous and libellous language in Elizabethan England, highlighting how the government and courts sought to control harmful speech that threatened reputations and social order. It details cases heard by the Court of Star Chamber and common law courts, illustrating the complexities of proving defamation and the overlapping jurisdictions of secular and ecclesiastical courts. The statute of Scandalum Magnatum, re-enacted under Elizabeth I, was a key legal tool used to prosecute defamatory speech against public figures, though its application was limited by the need to prove falsehood and intent. Despite efforts to curb libel and slander, the period saw widespread use of barbed language, with legal remedies often proving insufficient to stem its proliferation. The article also draws parallels to modern challenges in regulating harmful speech, emphasizing the enduring difficulty of balancing free expression and social harm.