On this day in history, 29th October 1618, Sir Walter Ralegh (Raleigh, Rawley, Ralagh, Rawleigh) was executed in the Old Palace Yard at Westminster Palace.

Although his execution took place in the reign of King James I, so in the Stuart period, Sir Walter Ralegh was a famous Elizabethan courtier, explorer, author and soldier.

Ralegh had been a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, until he angered the queen by secretly marrying her lady, Bess Throckmorton, and he’d led an eventful life. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London on several occasions, he was accused of atheism at one point, and he had sailed to America and tried to establish a colony. He was also knighted for his service in Ireland, and he was a poet too!

On this day in Tudor history, 27th October 1561, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Mary Herbert (née Sidney), Countess of Pembroke, writer and literary patron, was born at Tickenhall, near Bewdley in Worcestershire.

Mary was the sister of poets Sir Philip Sidney and Robert Sidney, Earl of Leicester, but she was a talented lady in her own right.

The Countess of Pembroke was a writer and literary patron, and, after the death of her husband, she had fun shooting pistols, flirting, taking tobacco and dancing. She lived life to the full.

Find out more about Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, who was as beautiful as she was talented, and whose work was praised by men such as William Shakespeare…

On this day in Tudor history, 24th October 1590, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, John White, returned to England after failing to find the lost Roanoke colonists.

The lost colonists included his daughter Ellinor (Elenora), his son-in-law Ananias Dare, and his granddaughter Virginia Dare.

What happened to the Roanoke colonists and what did the word CROATOAN carved onto a post mean?

Find out all about the lost Roanoke Colony and the theories regarding the disappearance of all 115 people, including the very latest research…

On this day in Tudor history, 23rd October 1570, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, poet, psalmodist and Church of England clergyman John Hopkins was buried at Great Waldingfield in Suffolk.

Hopkins’ versions of the Psalms were “the best-known English verses” in the late 16th and 17th century because they were sung in church by every member of society.

Trivia: As well as being a clergyman and psalmodist, John Hopkins was also a shepherd!

Find out more about this interesting Tudor man…

On this day in Tudor history, 22nd October 1577, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Parker, 11th Baron Morley, died in Paris.

Morley was a Roman Catholic who had fled abroad in 1570 after refusing to subscribe to Elizabeth I’s “Act of Uniformity” and having been implicated in the 1569 Rising of the North.

Find out more about Morley, who was the nephew of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, and his rather interesting family, with their connections to the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Gunpowder Plot…

On this day in Tudor history, 20th October 1557 (or possibly 21st), in the reign of Queen Mary I, courtier Mary Arundell died at Bath Place in London.

Mary is a very interesting Tudor lady. She served at least two of King Henry VIII’s wives, and she was a countess twice over, having been married to both the Earls of Sussex and Arundel.

Mary Arundell has also been confused with two other Tudor ladies, and we don’t know whether the portrait you see in the thumbnail for the video is really her.

Find out more about Mary Arundell’s life, court career and those of her husbands…

On this day in history, 19th October 1469, eighteen-year-old Isabella I of Castile married seventeen-year-old Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Their marriage may have happened outside of the Tudor period, and in Spain, but it had an impact on Europe and has links with the Tudors.

The couple became the famous “Reyes Catolicos”, the Catholic monarchs, and brough together two powerful kingdoms, which comprised most of what is modern-day Spain. They were also the parents of Catherine of Aragon, who married Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and, after his death, King Henry VIII.

Let me tell you more about this powerful couple, their reigns and their legacy…

On this day in Tudor history, 17th October 1586, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Philip Sidney died.

The poet, courtier and soldier died as a result of an injury sustained fighting against Spain at the Battle of Zutphen in the Netherlands.

Sir Philip Sidney is known for his literary works, which include “Astrophel and Stella”, “The Arcadia” and “A Defense of Poetry.

Sidney was lucky to escape the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in Paris, but was shot in the thigh at the Battle of Zutphen and died twenty-six days later.

Yes, you read the title correctly! Today, I’m telling you about Tudor poet and diplomat Sir Thomas Chaloner the Elder, whose teeth did save him from death.

On this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1565, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Thomas Chaloner the Elder died at his home in Clerkenwell, London. He was just forty-four years old.

Chaloner had served four Tudor monarchs as a diplomat, but he also wrote English and Latin works.

Find out more about Thomas Chaloner, his life, his career, and how his teeth saved him from death…

On this day in Tudor history, 12th October 1555, in the reign of Mary I, Lewis Owen, member of Parliament and administrator in Wales, was assassinated.

Owen was murdered on Dugoed Mawddwy, a mountain pass, by a group of bandits as revenge for his campaign against them, which had led to around 80 hangings.

Find out more about Lewis Owen, his life and what happened…

On this day in Tudor history, 9th October 1547, Miguel de Cervantes was baptised in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His actual birthdate is unknown.

Cervantes is, of course, the author of the famous classic “Don Quixote”, a book known as “the first modern novel”.

Obviously, this event didn’t happen in Tudor England, but it did happen in the Tudor period, and Cervantes is known the world over.

Let me share with you some Cervantes facts, which include him being held to ransom by pirates!