On this day in Tudor history, 19th April, Mary, Queen of Scots got betrothed to the Dauphin; Sir Francis Drake “singed the King of Spain’s beard”; and a Catholic bookseller was hanged at Tyburn…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 19 April
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#OTD in Tudor history – 18 April
On this day in Tudor history, 18th April, imperial ambassador had an encounter with Queen Anne Boleyn; Thomas Cromwell was made Earl of Essex just three months before his execution; and famous martyrologist John Foxe died aged around seventy…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 17 April
On this day in Tudor history, 17th April, Sir Thomas more was sent to the Tower of London; a jury was arrested after acquitting Sir Nicholas Throckmorton of treason; and Jesuit martyr Henry Walpole was hanged, drawn and quartered…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 16 April
On this day in Tudor history, 16th April, the Mary Rose began her first tour of duty; Francis Anthony, who is known for his drinkable gold, was born; and famous conspirator Guy Fawkes was baptised in York…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 15 April
On this day in Tudor history, 15th April, kings’ champion Sir Robert Dymoke died; Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, was sworn in as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, little knowing it would lead to his undoing; and privy chamberer Sir John Scudamore was buried…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 14 April
On this day in Tudor history, 14th April, Sir Anthony Kingston died on his way to be tried for treason; astrologer, astronomer and magician Edward Gresham was born; and Mary, Queen of Scots’ third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, died in appalling conditions…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 13 April
On this day in Tudor history, 13th April, Sir Thomas More was summoned to swear his allegiance to the Act of Succession; ohn Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos of Sudeley, a man who was known as a rather lenient Lieutenant of the Tower of London when Elizabeth (I) was imprisoned there, died; and priest harbourer Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, died…
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A New Discovery – A Cabinet Miniature of Lady Arbella Stuart by Nicholas Hilliard
Thank you so much to Dr Elizabeth Goldring for letting me know about a wonderful new discovery.
Emma Rutherford and Elizabeth discovered a beautiful cabinet miniature of Lady Arbella Stuart by Nicholas Hilliard in a private collection. It really is stunning and you can find out more about it in an article by Elizabeth and Emma in The Burlington Magazine
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#OTD in Tudor history – 12 April
On this day in Tudor history, 12th April, Anne Boleyn attended Easter Sunday mass as queen, causing quite a stir, and courtier and poet Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was born…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 11 April
On this day in Tudor history, 11th April, Henry VIII ordered his council to recognise Anne Boleyn as queen; Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger was executed by beheading after his failed rebellion against Mary I; and conspirator, patron and collector John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 10 April
On this day in Tudor history, 10th April, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, gave birth to a son who’d become James V of Scotland; Pope Gregory XIII, who’s known for the Gregorian Calendar, died in Rome; and sea captain Sir Bernard Drake died, probably from typhus…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 9 April
On this day in Tudor history, 9th April, Catherine of Aragon found out that she’d been demoted to Dowager Princess of Wales; Cardinal Pole’s legatine powers were revoked; and Catherine Willoughby’s second husband, Richard Bertie, died…
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Claire Reacts – The Restored Anne of Cleves Portrait
Join me as I react to the newly restored portrait of Anne of Cleves, painted by the renowned artist Hans Holbein the Younger in 1539. Housed in the Richelieu Wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris, this iconic portrait has undergone a transformative restoration, breathing new life into its captivating depiction of Henry VIII’s fourth wife.
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#OTD in Tudor history – 8 April
On this day in Tudor history, 8th April, a cat dressed as a priest was found hanging on the gallows in Cheapside; Lutheran theologian Martin Chemnitz died; and Catholic patron Magdalen Browne, Viscountess Montagu, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 7 April
On this day in Tudor history, 7th April, Charles VIII of France died after hitting his head on a lintel; Robert Aske and Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy, were sent to the Tower of London for their parts in the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion; and Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire, was buried…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 6 April
On this day in Tudor history, 6th April, Henry Stafford, Earl of Wiltshire and a favourite of Henry VIII, died; Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I’s principal secretary and spymaster, died; and Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and son of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 5 April
On this day in Tudor history, Bishop Fisher’s cook was boiled to death as a poisoner; Convocation ruled on the case of Henry VIII’s annulment; and the new King of England left Edinburgh to travel to London, he was now King of England, Ireland and Scotland…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 4th April
On this day in Tudor history, 4th April, writer William Strachey, whose account of a shipwreck inspired Shakespeare, was born; Francis Drakes was knighted by Elizabeth I; and noblewoman and scholar Mildred Cecil, Lady Burghley, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 3 April
On this day in Tudor history, 3rd April, Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire and Ormond and Anne Boleyn’s mother, died; the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed; and Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and daughter of Margaret Tudor, was buried…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 2 April
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd April, Henry VII’s eldest son, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, died at Ludlow Castle; Anne Boleyn’s almoner, John Skip, preached a controversial sermon; and fourteen-year-old Edward VI fell ill with measles and smallpox…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 1 April
On this day in Tudor history, 1st April, Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, reported that Henry VIII had sent Jane Seymour a purse of money; physician William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of blood, was born; and author and soldier Thomas Churchyard died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 31 March
On this day in Tudor history, 31st March, the dying Henry VII made his will; Friar William Peto compared Henry VIII to Ahab and Anne Boleyn to Jezebel; and metaphysical poet and satirist John Donne died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 30 March
On this day in Tudor history, 30th March, Thomas Cranmer was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury; Robert Ferrar, Bishop of St David’s, was burnt to death; Mary I made her will, believing she was pregnant; and administrator Sir Ralph Sadler died…
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The Everyday Tudor Woman online event – discounted until 7 April
Join me for “The Everyday Tudor Woman” event from April 25th to April 30th! Dive into the fascinating world of Tudor history as we explore the lives of everyday women from the 16th century.
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Good Friday in Tudor times
Today, it’s Good Friday – in the Western Calendar anyway – so I wanted to share with you how this feast day was marked in medieval and Tudor times.
Here’s a talk I did a few years ago about the medieval and Tudor traditions associated with Good Friday.
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#OTD in Tudor history – 29 March
On this day in Tudor history, 29th March, Mary Dudley, who would later make a great sacrifice in nursing Elizabeth I through smallpox, married Henry Sidney; Protestant John Laurence was burnt at the stake in Colchester; and playwright and clergyman William Wager was buried…
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An Unconventional Elizabethan New Year’s Gift: Mary Radcliffe’s Journey to the Queen’s Favour
In 1561, Elizabeth I received a rather unusual New Year’s gift. It wasn’t the normal gilt plate, it wasn’t even jewellery or a piece of clothing, it was a girl…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 28 March
On this day in Tudor history, 28th March, the Renaissance artist Raphael was born; Anne Boleyn’s former chaplain and almoner John Skip, Bishop of Hereford, died; and five Protestants were burnt at the stake for heresy…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 27 March
On this day in Tudor history, a treaty arranged the marriage of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon; a young apprentice was burnt to death for reading the Bible; and George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, was buried…
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Lesley Smith portrays Anne Boleyn – 30th May, Leek, UK
I’ve been lucky enough to see historian and actress play Mary, Queen of Scots, at Tutbury Castle, where Lesley is custodian, so I’m very disappointed that I can’t make this event. I know she’ll do a terrific job portraying Anne Boleyn in her last 45 minutes on earth.
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