On this day in Tudor history, 4th May 1608, Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, who is commonly known as Bess of Hardwick, was buried.
Find out a bit more about this fascinating Tudor lady in this short video…
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May 4 – Bess of Hardwick, Edmund de la Pole and an awful end for some Carthusian monks
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May 3 – Cecily Neville, Sir Edward Rogers and Thomas Tusser
On this day in Tudor history, 3rd May 1415, Cecily Neville, matriarch of the House of York and mother of two kings, was born.
Find out about this Duchess of York, and how she is linked to royalty and the Tudors…
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Medieval Stained Glass – To tempt an artist by Toni Mount
A warm Tudor Society welcome to historian and author Toni Mount and huge congratulations to her on the forthcoming release of her tenth Seb Foxley medieval murder mystery, a series I adore.
Toni is sharing a guest article with us to celebrate the publication of The Colour of Rubies…
In my tenth and latest Seb Foxley medieval murder mystery, The Colour of Rubies, the story requires our hero to go to Westminster Palace in order to discover a dead body – what else! Those familiar with my scribe/artist/sleuth will know that colour means everything to Seb so what better reason could he have for going to the royal palace with his brother, Jude, than to admire the beautiful stained glass in the Chapel of St Stephen?
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May 2 – Mary, Queen of Scots escapes, and an Anabaptist is burnt
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd May 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots, who had recently been forced to abdicate in favour of her son, King James VI, successfully escaped from Lochleven Castle.
How did she end up a prisoner at Lochleven?
How did she escape?
And what happened next?
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1 May – Evil May Day Riot, May Day and a hot-tempered courtier
On this day in Tudor history, 1st May 1517, foreign traders in London had their shops and property vandalised and damaged by a mob of angry apprentices and labourers.
What sparked off this “Evil May Day Riot”? What happened to the troublemakers? And how did Queen Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII’s sisters, Margaret and Mary, get involved? I explain…
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Mary, Queen of Scots’ Love Life Crossword Puzzle
How much do you know about the men linked to Mary, Queen of Scots?
Test your knowledge of this Scottish queen’s love life with this fun crossword.
Simply click on the link or image below to open and print out…
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Did Henry VIII Regret the Fate of Anne Boleyn
What did Henry VIII think about Anne Boleyn as he grew older? Did he regret that she was executed? Join Sandra Vasoli as she discusses this fascinating question.
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April 30 – A lawyer is burnt and two Tudor statesmen die
On this day in Tudor history, 30th April 1532, in the reign of King Henry VIII, lawyer James Bainham was burned at the stake at Smithfield for his reformed faith.
Find out more about what led Bainham to the stake, and hear an account of his end…
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April 29 – From prisoner to Lieutenant of the Tower, Bothwell prepares to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, and Anne Boleyn, Henry Norris and Mark Smeaton
On this day in history, 29th April 1617, Sir Dru Drury died at the age of around 85 at his home, Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk.
Drury may have died in the Stuart period, but he was a prominent Elizabethan. And he’s a man that went from being a prisoner to being Lieutenant of the Tower of London! Find out more about him…
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Blog: A Tudor Style Banquet, Heritage Festival and Easter Fun
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Tudor Burial
As yesterday was the anniversary of the burial of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, I thought I’d share these two talks on Tudor burial from the Tudor Society archives.
In this two-part series on burial in Tudor times, I discussed how the remains of a commoner were prepared for burial, then those of the wealthier classes, with real examples from the records, and I also discussed the subjects of embalming, and heart and entrails burial.
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April 28 – Elizabeth I’s funeral, Sir Anthony Browne and an executed priest
On this day in Tudor history, 28th April 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in a lavish funeral.
Find out more about her funeral…
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May 2022 – Tudor Travel and Summer
We’ve turned the corner and the warmer weather is now coming in! What did the Tudors do in the summer months, and where did they go? Enjoy this bumper magazine edition.
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April 27 – An important Elizabethan judge and a Tudor and Stuart adventurer
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April 26 – Catherine Carey marries and Shakespeare is baptised
On this day in Tudor history, 26th April 1540, Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and a maid of honour to Queen Anne of Cleves, married Francis Knollys.
The marriage was happy and successful, and resulted in at least 14 children…
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April 25 – A Tudor troublemaker, Catherine Parr publishes a book, and the Tudors celebrate St Mark’s Day
On this day in Tudor history, 25 April 1557, Tudor troublemaker Thomas Stafford, grandson of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, proclaimed himself “Protector of the Realm”. It didn’t go down well!
Find out why he did this, what happened and how it wasn’t his first brush with trouble…
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Henry VIII’s Family Word Search
How much do you know about Henry VIII’s family members?
Test yourself with this fun word search puzzle, and remember, the words can go in any direction!
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April 24 – Mary, Queen of Scots gets married, and time to divine your future love!
On this day in Tudor history, 24th April 1558, fifteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, got married for the first time. The groom was fourteen-year-old Francis, the Dauphin of France.
Find out more about the bride and groom, their wedding and what happened to them…
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April 23 – The birth and death of William Shakespeare, St George’s Day, and George Boleyn loses out
Not only is today the anniversary of the traditional birthdate of William Shakespeare in 1564, but it is also the anniversary of his death in 1616!
In this video, I share some facts about the Bard, along with a few phrases from his works that have become part of common parlance.
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April 22 – Gaol fever hits, an interesting Earl of Cumberland, and a Spanish queen
On this day in Tudor history, 22 April 1598, Justice Francis Beaumont died after contracting gaol fever at the Black Assizes of the Northern Circuit.
But what exactly was gaol fever?
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Get up Elizabeth – Lil’s Book Reviews
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April 21 – The death of Henry VII and accession of Henry VIII, and the Philosopher’s Stone
The king is dead! Long live the king!
On this day in Tudor history, 21st April 1509, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, King Henry VII, died at Richmond Palace. He had ruled since 1485, when his forces defeated those of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
Henry VII was succeeded by his seventeen-year-old son, Henry, who, it was said, did “not desire gold or gems or precious metals, but virtue, glory, immortality”!
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April 20 – The interesting life of Lady Mary Grey, the awful end of Elizabeth Barton, and an oath to swear
On this day in Tudor history, 20th April 1578, Lady Mary Keys (née Grey), sister of Lady Jane Grey and wife of Thomas Keys, died at her home in the parish of St Botolph without Aldgate, London.
Like her sisters, Mary had a sad life. Her secret marriage led to Elizabeth I imprisoning her and her husband, and they never saw each other again.
Find out more about the tiny Mary who was described as “crook-backed”, her marriage to a man who was said to be 6’8, and what happened to Mary and Thomas, in this video…
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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!
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April 18 – Cromwell is rewarded (but not for long!), a martyrologist, and Anne Boleyn bumps into Chapuys
On this day in Tudor history, 18th April 1540, just three months before his execution, Thomas Cromwell was given two rewards by King Henry VIII.
Find out more about these rewards…
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Happy Easter to all Tudor Society members!
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April 17 – A jury gets into big trouble, a Jesuit martyr and a stolen head
What happens when a jury doesn’t find an alleged traitor guilty and, instead, acquits him? Well, the jurors get arrested and thrown into prison, of course!
I explain exactly what happened on this day in Tudor history, 17th April 1554, in the case of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. I also give details on how the jurors finally got released and what happened to Throckmorton.
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Crossword Puzzle
The Tudor monarchs were multifaced people and their reigns were very mixed too.
How much do you know about the achievements of the Tudor kings and queens, and the downsides of their reigns?
Test yourself with this fun crossword puzzle.
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April 16 – Guy Fawkes, the Mary Rose and Drinkable Gold
On this day in Tudor history, 16th April 1570, Gunpowder Plot conspirator Guy Fawkes was baptised in York.
In this video, I talk about how the Gunpowder Plot has its origins in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and why these men were driven to try and blow up Westminster…
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Good Friday In Tudor times and today
