Today’s Claire Chats was inspired by the recent video I did about the Evil May Day Riot which took place on 1st May 1517, in London, in the reign of King Henry VIII. The riot was an attack on the property of foreign traders in London by a mob of young apprentices and labourers, and it made me want to dig deeper into the topic of immigration during this period.
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On this day in Tudor history, 9th May 1509, the remains of King Henry VII were taken to St Paul’s to prepare for his burial at Westminster Abbey.
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history”, I share an account of the journey to St Paul’s.
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On this day in Tudor history, Queen Elizabeth I gave her approval to the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy. The Act of Uniformity was incredibly important and it reflected the queen’s wish to follow a middle road where religion was concerned.
But what was this act? What did it establish? What did Elizabeth want for England and what happened?
I explain all in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th May 1535, after a year of imprisonment in awful conditions at the Tower of London, John Fisher, former Bishop of Rochester, was visited at the Tower of London and tricked into saying something that would lead to his brutal end.
I explain what led to Fisher’s imprisonment, what happened on this day in 1535 and what happened next.
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On this day in Tudor history, 6th May 1541, King Henry VIII issued an injunction ordering the Great Bible to be available in every church in England.
But what was this Bible? Who had worked on its translation?
I explain just what this Bible was in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 5th May 1542, just under three months after the execution of her stepgranddaughter, Queen Catherine Howard, Agnes Tilney, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, was pardoned and released from the Tower of London.
Find out how the dowager duchess ended up in the Tower in today’s video.
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As yesterday’s informal live chat was on the Fall of Anne Boleyn and we’re coming to the anniversary of Queen Anne Boleyn’s execution, I thought I’d do a crossword puzzle to test your knowledge of her fall in May 1536 and the people and places involved.
I hope you enjoy it!
Good luck!
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In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I mark the anniversary of the execution of Edmund de la Pole by sharing some information about him and his brother, Richard, and what led to Edmund’s demise on the scaffold at Tower Hill.
What led to Edmund finally being beheaded after nine years of imprisonment and what happened to Richard de la Pole?
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In this week’s Claire Chats, I look at how the legal system worked in the medieval period before looking at the legal machinery that was used in the cases of Queen Anne Boleyn and the five men implicated in her fall in May 1536.
I highly recommend Ian Mortimer’s book “The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England” and also Toni Mount’s excellent online history course “England’s Crime and Punishment through the Ages” which goes from justice in the 7th century all the way to prison reformers of the 19th century.
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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd May 1580, poet, farmer and agricultural writer Thomas Tusser died.
I mark the anniversary of his death by sharing with you his verses for the month of May.
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On this day in Tudor history, 2 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?
Let me explain…
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Tamise Hills from the Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide is our expert guest speaker for May, and her talk looks at what resources there are to help us understand this often forgotten Tudor queen.
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Happy May Day! Today, 1st May, is May Day, a special day in Tudor England. Today, in the UK, the May Day holiday is the first Monday in May so today is a normal working day, what a shame. Here in Spain, it is a bank holiday, but is the “Day of the Worker” and just time to relax, rather than to do anything special.
In the Tudor period, 1st May was was seen as the first day of summer. May Day had its roots in ancient celebrations of fertility and was celebrated with special processions, plays and pantomimes, pageants, Morris dancing and the crowning of a May Queen. There would also be a Maypole, a tall wooden pole decorated with greenery and flowers and hung with ribbons. People would hold the ribbons and dance around the Maypole weaving the ribbons together in patterns.
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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? Let me explain…
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May’s Tudor Life magazine is focused on the Boleyn Family, including the infamous Anne Boleyn, but also her brother George Boleyn, father Thomas Boleyn, sister Mary Boleyn and even wider. As always it’s packed from start to finish with interesting facts, articles and stunning photos. We’ve even got an exclusive “behind the scenes” photo montage from Hever Castle. Not to be missed …
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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 this man to the stake, as well as an account of his end, in today’s video.
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Just in case you haven’t noticed the dates on the schedule, I wanted to alert you to the times and dates of May’s live chats.
Our informal live chat is on 4th May at 11pm UK time. The topic is the fall of Anne Boleyn. An informal chat is just that, an informal debate where all points of view are welcome. We can pose questions to each other, discuss our points of view, recommend books etc. anything related to Anne Boleyn’s fall in 1536.
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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.
He may have died in the Stuart period, but Dru was prominent in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. What is interesting is that he went from being a prisoner to being Lieutenant of the Tower of London!
Find out more about him in today’s video.
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What a wonderful live chat we had last night with Nathen Amin. All sorts of questions were asked and expertly answered and I think we all learned a lot. For those members who missed the chat, here is the transcript.
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On this day in history, 28th April 1603, the last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in a lavish funeral.
In today’s video, I share an excerpt from my book “On This Day in Tudor History” about Elizabeth I’s burial and resting place.
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This week’s Sunday quiz tests your knowledge of the third Tudor monarch, the boy-king Edward VI.
How much do you know about him? Find out with this fun quiz. Good luck!
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On this day in Tudor history, 27th April 1584, civil lawyer and judge, David Lewis, died in London.
You’ve probably never heard of David ap Lewis, but he was an important judge, being involved in the maritime legal cases of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. It’s always interesting to learn more about these lesser-known Tudor people, so I share some David Lewis facts in today’s video.
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Just a reminder that our April expert chat, a Q&A session with Nathen Amin on his recent talk on the Beauforts, will take place on Sunday 28th April. One lucky chat participant will win a copy of Nathen’s book “The House of Beaufort”.
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On this day in Tudor history, 26th April 1540, Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece of the late Queen Anne Boleyn, married Francis Knollys.
It is not known whether the marriage was a love match, but it appears to have been a very happy and successful marriage, and resulted in 14 children.
Find out more about this Tudor couple in today’s video.
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This month Philippa Lacey Brewell has been visiting Little Moreton Hall, a stunning Tudor time-capsule which almost defies gravity. The is detailed look at the building, it’s history, inhabitants and features is fascinating.
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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 in today’s video.
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Not only is today the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare in 1564, but it is also the anniversary of his death in 1616!
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” 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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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?
Let me explain…
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Tim and I would just like to take this opportunity to say a very Happy Easter to all Tudor Society members. We hope you have a wonderful day, whatever you are up to today.Find out more about how Easter Sunday was celebrated in Tudor times, and also enjoy some photos I took at a re-enactment of the Easter story, in my article Easter Sunday.
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