I’ve been receiving lots of questions about blogging so Tim and I decided to dedicate one of my Claire Chats videos to giving you some advice on blogging about history and blogging in general. I do hope you enjoy the video and that you find it useful too, please do feel free to leave comments, to share your hints and tips for blogging, or to ask questions.
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On this day in history, 3rd November 1592, Sir John Perrot, Privy Councillor and former Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at the Tower of London from illness. He was buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower. He’d been tried for treason in April 1592 and later sentenced to death, but he died of natural causes.
Philippa Jones (The Other Tudors) writes of how it was widely believed that he was actually the illegitimate son of Henry VIII by Mary Berkeley, who served Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife, but others dispute this claim, saying that there is no evidence to support this.
I did a Claire Chats video “Was Sir John Perrot Henry VIII’s son?” in which I look at Perrot’s life and the evidence regarding his parentage.
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As today is the anniversary of the birth of Edward V, son of Edward IV and one of the Princes in the Tower, it seems fitting to announce that we’re holding one of our informal live chats on the Tudor Society chatroom on 11th November 2016 and it will be on the Princes in the Tower. It will be open to all full-access Tudor Society members.
Olga Hughes, Tudor Life magazine regular contributor, and I will be moderating the chat and it will be 60 minutes of chatting about these boys and the theories regarding their fates. It’s your chance to have your say, pose questions or just lurk and ‘listen’ to others if you’d prefer. It will be fun and enlightening, I promise!
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In medieval and Tudor times, 2 November, the day after the Feast of All Saints, was the Feast of All Souls.
It was a time to remember the souls in Purgatory who might not have masses or prayers being said for them, the forgotten souls. Bells would be rung the night before All Souls Day to comfort the souls and to let them know that they were being remembered and then masses were said for them on All Souls Day. Bread was baked in honour of these troubled souls and it was given out to the poor in the hope that the act of giving on behalf of these souls would help them get out of Purgatory.
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In this month’s expert chat we have Janet Wertman, author of Jane the Quene, a novel about Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII. Janet discusses how she went about researching her novel, including how she put together a detailed timeline to ensure that events happened in the correct order.
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This is Part I of a four-part series by Heather R. Darsie, which seeks to look at what were considered the attributes of a Renaissance prince, and who of our four princes embodied the ideals of the Renaissance best.
What were some of those themes?
The idea of a Renaissance man stood for a person who strove to embrace knowledge and develop himself. This included concepts such as the arts, knowledge, physical achievements, and social ideals. More plainly and for a prince, this could include cultivating a court known for patronising artists, musicians, and the like; establishing educational institutions, a good degree of physical fortitude, and things such as chivalric love or engaging in acts of charity.
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All Saints’ Day, which is also known as All Hallows or Hallowmas, is part of the three days of Hallowtide: All Hallows Eve (Halloween), All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. It was celebrated in Tudor England on 1st November every year.
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Today marks the anniversary of the death of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, on 1st November 1456. He died from the plague at Carmarthen Castle.
Thank you to Sarah Bryson for writing this article on Edmund for us.
Henry Tudor, King Henry VII, was the founder of the Tudor Dynasty. His mother was the imposing Margaret Beaufort who risked everything to see her son on the throne and in turn the houses of Lancaster and York united through the marriage of her son to Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. But who was Henry Tudor’s father? While so much is known about Henry’s mother, his father is a much more elusive figure and sadly he did not live to see his only son and heir claim the English throne.
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31 October:
1494 – Henry VII’s son, Henry (the future Henry VIII), was created Duke of York.
1517 – Martin Luther wrote to Albert, Archbishop of Mainz, and the Bishop of Brandenburg protesting against the sale of indulgences and sending them a copy of The Ninety-Five Theses (proper title: Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences).
According to Philipp Melancthon, “Luther, burning with passion and just devoutness, posted the Ninety-Five Theses at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany at All Saints Eve, October 31”, rather than sending them in a letter, but no other contemporary source supports this.