7 January – “You shall find Calais lying in my heart” and the death of Catherine of Aragon

On this day in Tudor history, 7th January 1558, in the reign of Queen Mary I, England lost Calais to the French.

It was a devastating blow as Calais had been held by England for over 200 years and was an important port for English wool exports. Mary I was said to have exclaimed "“When I am dead and opened, you shall find ‘Philip’ and ‘Calais’ lying in my heart”.

Find out exactly what happened in this talk...

Also, on this day in history, on 7th January 1536, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, died at Kimbolton Castle.

Find out about her sad end in this video...