April 19 – A bookseller is executed in Elizabethan London, a betrothal for Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis Drake saves the day for now

On this day in Tudor history, 19th April 1601, in Elizabeth I's reign, bookseller James Duckett was hanged at Tyburn. Being a bookseller in Tudor times could be a risky business, particularly if you had the wrong kind of books on your premises!

And on this day in 1558, at the Louvre Palace in Paris, fifteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, became betrothed to the fourteen-year-old Dauphin of France, Francis, son of King Henry II.

This betrothal was just five days before their wedding and was a lavish affair.

Find out more about the betrothal, the bride and groom, and arrangements for their marriage...

And finally, on this day in 1587, Sir Francis Drake "singed the King of Spain's beard", by attacking the Spanish fleet in the harbour of Cadiz, Spain.

Drake's actions on that day and the following few days meant that King Philip had to postpone his plans for the Spanish Armada to attack England...