We had a wonderful live chat with historian Lauren Browne on Saturday night. It was all about the reputations of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castile in the Tudor period.
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Transcript of our live chat with Lauren
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Mary, Queen of Scots – live chat on Saturday 4 March
We’re holding one of our informal live chats on the chatroom this Saturday. Regular contributor Heather R. Darsie will be moderating and you can ask her questions or simply pose questions for debate and discussion. Heather thought it would be nice to talk about Mary’s life after her return from France, but we can stray to her earlier life if you like. We can also discuss books, theories about her… whatever you like, it’s an informal chat.
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Thomas Campion (1567-1620)
On this day in 1620, Thomas Campion, the famous Tudor and Stuart physician, poet and musician, died. He was laid to rest on the same day he died at St Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London.
Campion was born in 1567 and was the son of John Campion, cursitor to the chancery court, and Lucy Searle. His father died when he was nine, so he was brought up by two stepfathers. Campion was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, and he was admitted to Gray’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court in London, in April 1586.
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Ash Wednesday and St David’s Day
Today is both Ash Wednesday and St David’s Day!
Ash Wednesday was the first day of Lent and was a day of penitence. Before the Reformation banned the practice, priests would bless ashes, which were traditionally made from burning the previous year’s Palm Sunday ‘palms’, mix them with holy water and then mark the congregation’s foreheads with the sign of the cross in ash. As the priest did this, he would say “Remember, man, that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return.”
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Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday
You can read all about Shrovetide and Lent in my article “Shrove Tuesday, Pancakes and Lent”, but I wanted to share with you my latest Tudor Cooking with Claire video which features Tim making Tudor inspired pancakes.
Here is the recipe…
Tim’s Tudor inspired pancakes
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March 2017 Tudor Life Magazine
Here’s the full edition of our full-colour 76-page March edition of Tudor Life Magazine. The theme this month is “Children and Childbirth”. Enjoy!
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Collop Monday
Today is the second of the three days that make up Shrovetide and it’s Collop Monday.
Collop Monday was the traditional day to use up any meat you had in the house before the fasting of Lent began. Collops were pieces of fried or roasted meat.
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This week in history 27 February – 5 March
On this day in history…
27th February:1531 – Birth of Roger North, 2nd Baron North, politician, diplomat and administrator at the court of Elizabeth I. North served as a Member of Parliament, Privy Councillor and Treasurer of the Household.
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1545 – The English forces were defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Ancrum Moor, near Jedburgh in Scotland.
1555 – Death of Sir William Babthorpe, Member of Parliament and a man who was created Knight of the Bath at the coronation of Edward VI in 1547. Babthorpe had originally been on the rebel side in the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, but fortunately swapped sides. -
26 February 1564 – Baptism of Christopher Marlowe
On this day in history, 26th February 1564, the poet, translator and playwright, Christopher Marlowe, was baptised at St George’s Canterbury.
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Tudor Explorers Quiz
How much do you know about Tudor explorers? Grab your favourite beverage and get those little grey cells working with this fun quiz.
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Place names – how do you pronounce them?
Following on from my video last week on how to pronounce surnames that come up frequently in Tudor book and primary sources, I’m talking today about British place names.
Just how do you pronounce Balliol College, Magdalen College, Godmanchester, Marylebone, Towcester…? Find out in this video and let me know if you need to know how to pronounce one or you’d like to add one to the list.
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Reminder: Live chat on Saturday 25 February
Just a quick reminder about our expert live chat which is taking place this Saturday, 25th February. Lauren Browne will be joining us on the chatroom to answer your questions about the talk she did on the reputations and representations of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castile in the Tudor period.
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Mary I ebook now available
The latest in our series of Tudor monarchs ebooks is now available to members and this one features articles from a wide variety of authors and historian on Mary I, along with resources such as links to primary sources and reading lists to find out more about this Tudor queen.
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The Marprelate Controversy
On this day in history, 23rd February 1601, Job Throckmorton, religious pamphleteer and Member of Parliament, was buried at Haseley in Warwickshire.
It is believed that Throckmorton was one of the men responsible for the “Martin Marprelate tracts”. These religious tracts, which attacked the established church, were written under the pseudonym Martin Marprelate (and his sons) and published in 1588 and 1589 by John Penry and Robert Waldegrave.
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Arthur Tudor Exhibition until 25 February at Worcester Cathedral
I’ve only just been made aware of this exhibition so apologies for the late notice. Thank you to Susan Mintram Mason for sharing it with me. It’s on today, tomorrow and Saturday 11am until 4pm at Worcester Cathedral and it’s free.
It is described as “an exciting new exhibition telling the tragic story of Henry VIII’s older brother through an interactive dramatized audio-tour in the Dean’s Chapel.”
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23 February 1554 – The Execution of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk
On this day in history, 23rd February 1554, at nine o’clock in the morning, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was led out onto the scaffold on Tower Hill and beheaded. His daughter, Lady Jane Grey, or Queen Jane as I like to call her, had been executed eleven days earlier, along with her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley.
Suffolk’s execution was down to his involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion, a rebellion which sought to depose Mary I and replace her with her half-sister Elizabeth. The rebellion failed and Suffolk was arrested as he attempted to flee the country in disguise. He was tried for high treason on 17th February at Westminster Hall, having been charged with inciting war in the county of Leicester, posting proclamations against the Spanish marriage, and plotting the death of the queen. He was condemned to death.
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60 Second History – The Tudor Dynasty
Not that any of you Tudor Society members need this, but I’ve just filmed my first “60 Second History” video. The aim of this new video series is to educate people about Tudor history is easy-to-digest 60-second videos. Everyone’s got a minute to spare and now people can learn a bit about the Tudors in their spare minute.
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The coronation of Mary of Guise
Thank you to Heather R. Darsie for this article on Mary of Guise (Marie de Guise), who was crowned Queen Consort of Scotland on this day in 1540.
Mary of Guise was born on 22 November 1515 to Claude of Lorraine, the Duke of Guise, and Antoinette of Bourbon. She was the eldest of twelve children. Mary was first made a wife in 1534 at the age of eighteen when she married the Duke of Longueville. She had two sons with her first husband, the second of whom died young. The Duke of Longueville passed away in 1537 when Mary was only twenty-one. She was then courted by both Henry VIII of England and James V of Scotland.
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Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick
On this day in history, 21st February 1590, Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, Master of the Ordnance, Privy Councillor and fourth son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, died at Bedford House on the Strand. He was laid to rest in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick.
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Tudor Nobility
This list includes the English royal family and nobility of the Tudor period, along with how they would be addressed. Do let me know if I have missed any by commenting below.
Rank
Here they are are order of importance:
Monarch and royal family
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Duke
Marquis
Earl
Viscount
Baron
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The tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots
Thank you to regular contributor Heather R. Darsie for writing this article on the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary, Queen of Scots, lost her life on 8 February 1587. She was not buried for almost a full five months, finally being laid to rest on 5 August 1587 in Peterborough Cathedral. Peterborough Cathedral already had one queen buried there, namely Katharine of Aragon, buried in 1536.
Peterborough Cathedral has an impressive history beginning in 655 BCE when the site was home to a monastery. During the years surrounding 1116, the bulk of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was written at Peterborough. Skipping ahead to 1530, Cardinal Wolsey celebrated Easter at Peterborough after he was sent into exile by Henry VIII. In 1536, Katharine of Aragon was buried at Peterborough. Mary, Queen of Scots, was buried at the cathedral, as mentioned above, as it was close to Fotheringhay Castle, where Queen Mary was beheaded.
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This week in history 20 – 26 February
On this day in history…
20th February
1516 – Baptism of Princess Mary, the future Mary I, in the Church of the Observant Friars at Greenwich. The princess was carried to the font by the Countess of Surrey, and her godparents were Catherine Courtenay, Countess of Devon and daughter of Edward IV; Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence; the Duchess of Norfolk and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Click here to read more.
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1523 – Hanging of Agnes Hungerford, Lady Hungerford, at Tyburn. Agnes was hanged, with her servant William Mathewe, after they were found guilty of murdering Agnes’s first husband, John Cotell. It was said that Agnes arranged for her servants, William Mathewe and William Ignes, to strangle Cotell in 1518. Mathewe and Ignes were found guilty of murder ‘by the procurement and abetting of Agnes Hungerford’, and Agnes was found guilty of inciting and abetting the murder. Ignes was hanged at a later date. Agnes was buried at Grey Friars, London.
1547 – Edward VI was crowned King at Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Edward VI was the first monarch to be anointed as Supreme Head of the English Church. Click here to read more about his coronation. -
20 February 1547 – Nine-year-old Edward VI is crowned king
On this day in history, 20th February 1547, the nine-year-old son of the late King Henry VIII was crowned King Edward VI by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer at Westminster Abbey.
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Tudor Men Quiz
How much do you know about men who were prominent in the Tudor period? Test yourself with this fun quiz.
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Names – How do you pronounce them?
History books and primary sources are full of names that can catch you out – Wriothesley, Beauchamp, Blount, Lisle, St John… to name just a few – so how do you pronounce them?
In this week’s video, Claire gives the pronunciations of over 100 names and has some fun with the English language.
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Tudor Society Full Member Survey
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Katherine of Valois: Lancastrian Queen, Tudor Wife
Today we are hosting Conor Byrne, “Tudor Life” magazine regular contributor, historian and author, as part of his book tour for his latest book Queenship in England 1308-1485: Gender and Power in the Late Middle Ages. MadeGlobal Publishing is offering a paperback copy of Conor’s book to one lucky commenter. All you have to do is leave a comment below saying which 14th or 15th-century queen you’d like to know more about and why. Leave your comment before midnight Tuesday 21st February 2017. One commenter will be picked at random and contacted for his/her address.
On 3 January 1437, Katherine of Valois, widow of Henry V, died at the age of thirty-five. The former queen was buried at Westminster Abbey. Five months later, the life of another former queen of England ended. Joan of Navarre, Katherine’s immediate predecessor, died at the age of sixty-six or sixty-seven and was buried at Canterbury Cathedral. The queenships of Joan and Katherine reveal the opportunities for triumph and tribulation that the office brought, as well as showcasing the variety of roles that were associated with it, including mother, intercessor, patron and lord. Their queenships also reveal the strikingly different political and diplomatic contexts, depending on circumstances, in which the occupant could attempt to fulfil her roles, and how these contexts affected her ability to succeed in the role of queen.
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Thomas Brandon
The third article in Sarah Bryson’s series on prominent Tudor courtiers…
In this article, I will be exploring the life of Thomas Brandon, uncle to the more famous Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Thomas Brandon served five kings during his lifetime; however, it was under the rule of King Henry VIII that he breathed his last. Frustratingly little is known about Thomas Brandon’s early life and most information that we have today comes from his adult years and the latter years of his life serving the Tudor King’s, Henry VII and Henry VIII.
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Live Chat with Lauren Browne – 25 February
Just to let you know that historian Lauren Browne will be joining us on the chatroom on 25th February to answer your questions about the talk she did on the reputations and representations of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castile in the Tudor period, and anything else you want to ask or discuss regarding these women.
If you haven’t heard Lauren’s talk yet, you can…
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14 February – Valentine’s Day
As today is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share this extract from our Feast Days section, as well as looking at some historic Valentine’s letters…
Steve Roud, in The English Year, writes of how the origins of Valentine’s Day are “obscure” and that the romantic traditions associated with it have nothing to do with either of the martyrs believed to have been the St Valentine commemorated on this day.
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Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in the 14th century of how birds would choose their mates on Valentine’s Day and this theme has been repeated in other pieces of literature. In John Lydgate’s 15th century poem, “A Valentine to her that Excelleth All”, he writes of how it was custom on Valentine’s Day for people to choose their love:
