Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 7 May
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Henry VII – Usurper?
In today’s Claire chats I talk about the comments I often see on social media about Henry VII.
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The Sack of Rome by Heather R. Darsie
6 May 1527. Pope Clement VII had been sitting on St. Peter’s Chair since 19 November 1523. An illegitimate member of the Medici clan, he was raised by his uncle Lorenzo de’ Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. His cousin was Pope Leo X, second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and another Medici. Clement VII was originally trained for military service but showed a great interest in serving the clergy. Though it was traditional for illegitimate sons to be blocked from holding a bishopric, Clement VII’s cousin Leo X elevated him anyway, setting the stage for Clement VII to eventually become pope. Unfortunately, Clement VII proved to be an ineffective statesman and was caught between the powerful leaders of France, the Holy Roman Empire, and England: Francis I, Charles V and Henry VIII, respectively. This being caught between a rock and a hard place would set the stage for Rome to be overrun and defiled.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 6 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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Thomas Wriothesley by Sarah Bryson
Thomas Wriothesley (pronounced Riz-lee) was a prominent member of the court during the reign of King Henry VIII and his son King Edward VI. Born on 21 December 1505, Thomas was the first child and oldest son of William Wriothesley and Agnes, daughter of James Drayton. The couple went on to have three more children, daughters Elizabeth and Anne born in 1507 and 1508 respectively and a second son, Edward born in 1509.
Wriothesley was educated at St Paul’s School, London before he went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge in around 1522. One of his teachers was the famous Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, who would play a large role in the religious discussions of Henry VIII’s later years. His fellow students reported that Wriothesley was intelligent, had integrity of mind and was very handsome.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 5 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 4 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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Il Politico: Niccolò Machiavelli by Heather R. Darsie
On 3 May 1469, Bartolomea and Bernardo welcomed their first son, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, in Florence, Italy. By the time of Machiavelli’s birth, Florence was the cultural capital of the Tuscan region and is today regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Starting in 1434, the famed Medici family had come to control Florence. Machiavelli would seek to serve the powerful Medici family and write his most famous work, The Prince, in an attempt to convince them to employ him.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 3 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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This week in history 2 – 8 May
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Sir William Kingston and the Arrest of Anne Boleyn by Sarah Bryson
On 2 May 1536, Anne Boleyn was ordered to present herself to the Privy Council. Standing before the Duke of Norfolk, Sir William Fitzwilliam and Sir William Paulet, Anne Boleyn was arrested for committing adultery with three men: Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris and an unnamed man.
After lunch, Anne was escorted from Greenwich to the Tower of London. Popular myth tells of how Anne entered the Tower of London from the Thames through ‘Traitors Gate’. However, researchers and historians suggest that she would have arrived through the Court Gate near the Byward Tower – which was the common entrance for people of nobility and royalty. Here she was met by Sir Edmund Walsingham, the Lieutenant of the Tower, and escorted inside.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 2 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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May Day Quiz
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May Day
1 May was seen as the first day of summer and had its roots in ancient celebrations of fertility. It was celebrated with special processions, plays and pantomimes, pageants, Morris dancing and the crowning of a May Queen. There would also be a Maypole, a tall wooden pole decorated with greenery and flowers and hung with ribbons. People would hold the ribbons and dance around the Maypole weaving the ribbons together in patterns.
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The Fall of Anne Boleyn – 1 May
Listen to the recording of today’s events in 1536 from Claire Ridgway’s book “The Fall of Anne Boleyn”.
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