How much do you know about the family of Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn and mistress to King Henry VIII?
Test yourself with this fun quiz.
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Quiz – Mary Boleyn’s Family
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July 23 – An infant Mary, Queen of Scots, and Marie de Guise escape
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd July 1543, or 24th according to some sources, Marie de Guise and her baby daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, escaped from Linlithgow Palace.
They were helped by Cardinal David Beaton, who took them to Stirling Castle.
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July 22 – A playwright, and a royal councillor
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd July 1576, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, playwright and pamphleteer, Edward Sharpham, was baptised at Colehanger, East Allington, in Devon. Sharpham is thought to have written the plays “The Fleire” and “Cupid’s Whirligig”, and fellow playwright Ben Jonson referred to him as a rogue.
Find out more about this lesser-known Tudor man and his comedy Cupid’s Whirligig…
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July 21 – John Dudley is arrested
On this day in Tudor history, 21st July, 1553, two days after Mary I had been proclaimed queen, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland was arrested near Cambridge.
This was just days after Northumberland had left London with an army to apprehend Mary, on behalf of his daughter-in-law, Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey).
But how and why did the man who had ruled England on Edward VI’s behalf, as Lord President of his privy council, come to this?
I explain his role in the accession of Lady Jane Grey in July 1553 and what happened when Mary overthrew Queen Jane…
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July 20 – Philip of Spain prepares to marry Mary I, and John Knox attacks Mary
On this day in Tudor history, 20th July 1554, Philip of Spain, son of Mary I’s cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, arrived in England.
He had come to prepare for his forthcoming marriage to Mary I.
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July 19 – The Mary Rose sinks, and Mary I is proclaimed queen
On this day in Tudor history, 19th July 1545, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the king’s flagship, the Mary Rose, sank right in front of his eyes.
She sank in the Battle of the Solent between the English and French fleets.
But why did the Mary Rose sink?
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July 18 – Kat Ashley, and Queen Jane is betrayed
On this day in Tudor history, 18th July 1565, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the queen’s close friend and loyal servant, Kat Ashley, died.
Find out more about Kat (also known as Katherine Ashley, Katherine Astley and Katherine Champernowne) in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts…
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July 17 – The Dartford Martyrs, and Richard Carew
On this day in Tudor history, 17th July 1555, Protestant martyrs Christopher Wade (Waid) of Dartford, linen-weaver, and Margaret, or Margery, Polley, a widow from Pepenbury, Tunbridge, were burnt at the stake for heresy.
Let me tell you more about this man and woman, what led them to their awful fates, and what happened on that day in 1555…
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Rebellions of the reign of Edward VI
Edward VI’s reign was relatively short but but saw two major rebellions against his government, both in the summer of 1549.
How much do you know about Kett’s Rebellion and the Prayer Book Rebellion?
Find out with this fun crossword puzzle.
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July 16 – The birth of Frances Brandon
On this day in Tudor history, 16th July 1517, the feast of St Francis, in the reign of King Henry VIII. Frances Brandon was born.
Frances was King Henry VIII’s niece.
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July 15 – The Newbury Martyrs, and Inigo Jones
On this day in Tudor history, 15th July 1556, in the reign of Mary I, the trial of Julins Palmer, John Gwyn and Thomas Robyns opened at St Nicholas Church in Newbury. These men, who are now known as the Newbury Martyrs, were accused of sedition and heresy.
But how did Julins Palmer, a formerly staunch Catholic end up being executed for heresy in Mary I’s reign?
Find out more about Palmer, his trial and the executions of the Newbury Martyrs…
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Tudor Fast Food
This Friday’s treat from the archives has a food theme – yum! It’s a talk I did on fast food Tudor style.
Fast food is very much part of our world today, with cities worldwide having burger franchises, pizza outlets, fish and chip shops, Indian and Chinese restaurants, and lots more, and it made me wonder about fast food and street food in Tudor times, so I did some digging for this Claire Chats talk…
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July 14 – A poisoned cardinal, and a Bible translator
On this day in Tudor history, 14th July 1514, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Cardinal Christopher Bainbridge died in Rome.
Who was this cardinal?
And who claimed to have poisoned him and why?
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July 13 – Some of Queen Jane’s councillors begin to feel uneasy
On this day in Tudor history, 13th July 1553, while the queen’s father-in-law, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was preparing to leave London to apprehend the late Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary, members of Queen Jane’s royal council were meeting with the imperial ambassadors.
What was the meeting about?
What was the news from East Anglia?
And why were the queen’s councillors beginning to feel uneasy?
Let me explain…
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July 12 – Mary rallies support while Queen Jane makes a mistake that will cost her dearly
On this day in Tudor history, 12th July 1553, Mary (future Mary I), the half-sister of the late King Edward VI, moved from Kenninghall to Framlingham Castle. There, she set about rallying support for her claim to the throne.
Lady Jane Grey, Mary’s cousin’s daughter, had been proclaimed queen on 10th July but Mary believed the crown was hers.
Sir Thomas Cornwallis was able to intercept Mary on her journey to Framlingham and pledge his loyalty to her. He wasn’t the only one flocking to her cause.
Meanwhile, back in London, the new queen, Queen Jane, made a serious mistake by refusing to send her father to go and apprehend Mary.
Why was this a mistake?
Find out what was going on back in 1553 in this video…
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July 11 – Men swap sides in the succession crisis of 1553
On this day in Tudor history, 11th July 1553, Sir Thomas Cornwallis, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, Lord Thomas Wentworth, and some other prominent Suffolk gentlemen declared for Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) in Ipswich, Suffolk. They then publicly proclaimed her the rightful queen.
However, the following day, Cornwallis recanted and proclaimed Mary as queen.
Why?
What happened to make this sheriff change his mind so soon?
Find out more about the situation in July 1553 in this video…
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July 10 – A plot to depose Elizabeth I
On this day in Tudor history, 10th July 1584, Francis Throckmorton was executed at Tyburn for high treason after the discovery of his plot, the Throckmorton Plot.
The Throckmorton Plot aimed to depose the Protestant Elizabeth I and to replace her with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots.
But why did Francis Throckmorton plot against his queen? Who did he plot with, and how was the plot discovered?
Find out more about Francis Throckmorton and his plot…
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Becoming Elizabeth – The series and the history behind it – Word Search
This week’s Sunday fun takes the new Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth”, and the real history behind it, as its inspiration.
How much do you know about the first four episodes, or the years 1547-8?
Test yourself with this fun word search.
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July 9 – Mary I wants to avoid bloodshed and vengeance, and Elizabeth I visits Leicester’s home
On this day in Tudor history, 9th July 1553, Mary (the future Mary I), daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, wrote to her late half-brother’s privy council regarding “some evil” that she had heard.
This was three days after Edward VI’s death and the day after Mary had proclaimed herself queen at at Kenninghall.
But what was going on? What had Mary heard and was she going to do about it?
Find out more about the situation and Mary’s letter…
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Remembering Mary I talk
Our Friday treat from the archives is an expert talk from Johanna Strong on Queen Mary I, who, I believe, is really stealing the show at the moment in the Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth”.
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July 8 – A rebellion begins, and Mary declares herself queen
On this day in Tudor history, 8th July 1549, in the reign of King Edward VI, a rebellion began in East Anglia. It was Kett’s Rebellion.
Find out more about Kett’s Rebellion, why it began, what happened next and what happened to the rebels leaders, in this short video:
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July 1553 – The month of three monarchs
July 1553 was a month of three Tudor monarchs – Edward VI, Queen Jane and Mary I – but how did this come about?
In this talk, historian and author Claire Ridgway looks at what led to the events of July 1553 and particularly the actions that Mary took to stage her successful coup d’etat.
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July 7 – The Dudley Conspiracy and the Father of English Botany
On this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Henry Peckham and John Danyell were hanged, drawn and quartered after being found guilty of treason for their involvement in the Dudley Conspiracy.
But what was the Dudley Conspiracy? And who was involved in it? What happened?
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July 6 – The death of Edward VI and the accession of Queen Jane, Lady Jane Grey
On this day in Tudor history, 6th July 1553, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI died at Greenwich Palace.
His “devise for the succession” named his heir as Lady Jane Grey, the daughter of Edward’s cousin, Frances Grey (née Brandon), Duchess of Suffolk.
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July 5 – The Essex Witches
On this day in Tudor history, 5th July 1589, three Essex women were hanged at Chelmsford, Essex, after being found guilty of murder by witchcraft. Their names were Joan Cunny, Joan Prentice and Joan Upney.
In this video, I explain how these women came to be accused of witchcraft and why they were hanged.
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July 4 – A Tudor composer, and two men burnt at the stake
On this day in history, 4th July 1623, Elizabethan composer William Byrd died.
Find out about William Byrd, his association with Thomas Tallis, and his works, in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts:
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July 3 – A Tudor pretender lands, and Mary I bids a final farewell to her husband, Philip of Spain
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Thomas Seymour Crossword Puzzle
As Thomas Seymour is a main character in the Starz series, “Becoming Elizabeth”, at the moment, I thought I’d test your knowledge of this Tudor man.
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July 2 – Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Old Scarlett the gravedigger
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd July 1489, Tudor clergyman, statesman, theologian, scholar and highly intelligent man Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born.
In this video, I share “13 things you probably didn’t know about Thomas Cranmer”…
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July 1 – Treaties arrange the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Prince Edward (Edward VI)
On this day in Tudor history, 1st July 1543, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the Treaties of Greenwich were signed between England and Scotland.
Among the terms of the treaties was the agreement of a marriage between five-year-old Prince Edward, the future Edward VI, and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots.
Scotland went on to reject the treaties and this led to a war between Scotland and England, the Rough Wooing.
Let me explain what these treaties were all about, what happened in the war known as the Rough Wooing, and why it was called that.
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