The 29th of April is the anniversary of the birth of William Dacre, the only man to be acquitted in Henry VIII’s reign. Quite an accomplishment!
Find out about this Tudor baron…
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29 April – Not guilty!
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La Volta – The dance that shocked society
Today is International Dance Day, a global celebration of dance. The International Dance Day website explains “This day is a celebration day for those who can see the value and importance of the art form “dance”, and acts as a wake-up-call for governments, politicians and institutions which have not yet recognised its value to the people and to the individual and have not yet realised its potential for economic growth.”
To celebrate this day, we thought we’d share an article on 16th century dance. This article by Jane Moulder originally appeared in the February 2015 edition of Tudor Life Magazine.
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28 April – 82-year-old priest executed in Scotland
In this latest #TudorHistoryShorts video, I talk about eighty-two-year-old priest Walter Mylne, who sadly lost his life on 28th April 1558.
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27 April – Can Henry VIII abandon Anne Boleyn?
On this day in Tudor history, 27th April 1536, there was talk about Henry VIII setting aside Anne Boleyn. Who was approached for advice and what did he say?
Find out what was going on at the royal court…
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May 2021 – Tudor Life – Envy
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26 April – Catherine Carey
Today is the anniversary of Mary Boleyn’s daughter’s marriage in 1540.
Mary’s daughter was Catherine Carey and you can find out about her in this #TudorHistoryShorts video…
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Live chat transcript with Nicola Tallis
Thanks to all those who came to our chat with Nicola Tallis. We had an lively and informative discussion and so many questions were asked and answered by Nicola.
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25 April – St Mark’s Day
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Shakespeare’s Plays Wordsearch
As Friday was the anniversary of the traditional birthdate of the Bard, William Shakespeare, on 23rd April 1564, I thought we’d celebrate by testing your knowledge of his plays.
How much do you know about Shakespeare’s plays?
Find out with this fun wordsearch!
Warning: the words can go in any direction!
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24 April – A Tudor tip for divining your future husband
Happy St Mark’s Eve! St Mark’s Eve was time to divine your future husband in medieval and Tudor times, but how were you supposed to do that?
Find out how to do it in this #tudorhistoryshorts video.
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World Book Day: The Raven’s Widow and its New Dimension
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23 April – St George, patron saint of England
23rd April is St George’s Day, but when did he become England’s patron saint and why?
Who was the patron saint before him?
Find out…
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Trace Italienne Forts, The Siege of Haddington – Interview with Jon Cooper
This Friday we have a super special treat for you – an in-depth interview with Jon Cooper by Catherine Brooks. In this talk, we learn about the dramatic changes in warfare that were happening during the Tudor period and how defensive fortifications had to change. Jon focuses on trace italienne fortifications as used at Haddington.
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22 April – Isabella I
Isabella I of Castile, one of Spain’s famous “Reyes Catolicos” (Catholic monarchs) was born on 22nd April 1451.
Hear a few facts about this famous Spanish queen and how she relates to the Tudors…
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Artists in the Spotlight – Shera
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21 April – A new king for England!
On this day in Tudor history, 21st April 1509, Henry VII died and his son came to the throne as Henry VIII.
What did the people think of this news?
In this #TudorHistoryShorts, I share two contemporary sources about Henry VIII’s accession.
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20 April – An oath to swear
n this day in Tudor history, on 20th April 1534, in the reign of King Henry VIII, prominent Londoners were called to swear a special oath.
Just what was the Oath of the Act of Succession? What were people swearing to?
Find out in this latest #TudorHistoryShorts video…
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19 April – Being a bookseller was a risky business!
Being a bookseller in Tudor times could be a risky business, particularly if you had the wrong kind of books on your premises!
On 19th April 1601, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, bookseller James Duckett was hanged at Tyburn. Find out why in this #TudorHistoryShorts…
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Elizabeth’s Mysterious Black Pearls
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18 April – A short-lived reward for Cromwell
On this day in Tudor history, 18th April 1540, just three months before he went to the scaffold, Thomas Cromwell was given two rewards by King Henry VIII.
Find out more about these rewards…
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Tudor Weather Puzzle
This week’s puzzle is a crossword puzzle testing your knowledge of Tudor weather.
How much do you know about weather events in the Tudor period?
Find out with this fun crossword puzzle.
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17 April – A stolen head!
On this day in Tudor history, 17 April 1554, in the reign of Queen Mary I, celebrations for the acquittal of a Tudor courtier led to the head of his fellow rebel being stolen. It was the head of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger.
Find out what happened
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16 April – The Mary Rose
On this day in Tudor history, in the reign of King Henry VIII, a ship that would become the king’s favourite flagship began her first tour of duty.
Find out more about The Mary Rose’s career in this video…
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Livery Badges – Julian Humphrys
This Friday’s video is a fascinating look into livery badges and a special focus on the white boar badge that was used by Richard III’s household and followers and which was found at the site of the Bosworth battle.
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15 April – Blows and evil words from Elizabeth I
On this day in Tudor history, courtier Sir John Scudamore was laid to rest. His wife served Queen Elizabeth I and appears to have suffered in doing so.
Find out what happened to Mary Scudamore in this #TudorHistoryShorts video:
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A Tudor Funeral
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14 April 1556 – Conspirator cheats executioner
On this day in Tudor history, 14th April 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Sir Anthony Kingston, died at Cirencester. He was on his way to London to face charges that had been laid against him, and it’s likely that he would have been executed.
Why? What had he done?
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Polydore Plasden (1563-1591)
Polydore Plasden was born in 1563 and was the son of a London horner. He was educated at Rheims and then at the English College in Rome. He was ordained as a priest on 7th December 1586. He remained in Rome for a year after his ordination and then moved back to Rheims, where he stayed from 8th April to 2nd September 1588.
When Polydore returned to England in 1588, he ministered in Sussex and London until 1591, at which point he was captured on 2nd November. He was captured in London at Swithun Wells’ house, where Edmund Gennings was celebrating Mass alongside other fellow Catholics who were captured beside Polydore.
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13 April 1630 – The priest harbouring countess
On this day in Tudor history, 13th April 1630, Anne Howard (née Dacre), Countess of Arundel, died at Shifnal.
Anne was the eldest daughter of Thomas Dacre, 4th Lord Dacre of Gilsand, and wife of Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, but there are some other interesting facts about this Tudor lady.
Find out more about this Countess of Arundel…
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12 April 1533 – Outrage at Anne Boleyn’s behaviour
I’ve gone back to doing “on this day” videos as I know people enjoy daily videos. The new ones, however, are YouTube Shorts, so under a minute long, just to give key interesting facts. If I’ve done a longer video in the past then I will share those too. Doing these shorts just gives me more time to create longer videos on Tudor topics.
On this day in Tudor history, 12th April 1533, Anne Boleyn’s behaviour caused a stir and Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, was outraged. He didn’t know she was actually queen. In his eyes, there was one queen: Catherine of Aragon.
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