In this week’s Claire Chats, I talk about how Palm Sunday was commemorated in the medieval and Tudor periods, and how it is celebrated today where I live. I would love to hear how your community, church, or family mark this day, if they do.
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th April 1554, in the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary I, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, son of poet and diplomat Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, was beheaded on Tower Hill after being found guilty of high treason.
Wyatt had led a rebellion which sought to depose the queen and to replace her with her half-sister Elizabeth, but he refused to implicate Elizabeth in the plot. He went to his death asserting her innocence.
Find out more about what happened and hear his final speech in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th April 1512, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, eldest daughter of the late King Henry VII, and sister of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a boy who would become King James V of Scotland.
Find out more about James V, his life and reign, and his relationship with his uncle, King Henry VIII, in today’s video
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On this day in Tudor history, 9th April 1533, Catherine of Aragon, who’d been banished from the royal court, received a visit from a delegation of the king’s councillors. They were there to inform her that she was no longer queen.
Catherine was a tough cookie, though. Even when she was threatened by the king, she did not submit, she carried on calling herself queen right until the end – good for her!
Find out all about this visit, and their subsequent visit in July 1533, in today’s video.
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In today’s video, I talk about an act of rebellion in 1554, an act of defiance by someone opposed to Queen Mary I’s religious changes.
It was on this day in Tudor history, 8th April 1554, that a cat dressed as a Catholic priest and holding a piece of paper to represent the communion wafer, was hanged at the gallows in Cheapside.
Find out more about what happened, the meaning behind it, and Queen Mary I’s reaction to it, in my video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th April 1538, Elizabeth Boleyn, (née Howard), Countess of Wiltshire and Ormond, was laid to rest at St Mary’s Church, Lambeth.
In today’s video, I give details on Elizabeth’s burial and her resting place, which is now a Garden Museum, and her ledger stone. You can also see my photos of the former church.
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The topic of this week’s Sunday fun is not very nice I’m afraid – sorry! It’s a crossword puzzle on horrible deaths and executions that happened in the Tudor period.
Open and print out the crossword puzzle by clicking on the link below, or the image below, grab your favourite snack and drink, make yourself comfortable, and let’s get that brain working!
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Today is the anniversary of the death of Sir Francis Walsingham on 6th April 1590. Walsingham had an amazing career, serving Elizabeth I as a diplomat, secretary, adviser and spymaster.
Find out more about the man Elizabeth I called her “Moor” in today’s video.
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Sorry about the tongue-in-cheek title, but the cook of Bishop Fisher’s household really did get into hot water on this day in 1531 when he was boiled to death for high treason at Smithfield.
He was found guilty of high treason by an act of Parliament, but why? What happened and why did King Henry VIII take a personal interest in this case?
Find out all about Richard Roose and the case of poisoning in today’s video
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“The past is a foreign country”, so says the blurb for Ian Mortimer’s “Time Traveller’s Guide” series of books, and it’s so true. One of the things that people find it hard to understand, when looking at the lives of medieval and Tudor people, is the role of religion in their daily lives, just how central it was to everything.
In this week’s Claire Chats talk, I go into this and attempt to give you a little more insight into the lives of these people.
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Today, I pay tribute to the amazing Mildred Cecil, Lady Burghley, on the anniversary of her death in 1589, by sharing some facts about her.
Mildred was not only the wife of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, she was an accomplished and influential woman in her own right. A truly fascinating Tudor personality.
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On this day in Tudor history, Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, was buried in a lavish funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Find out about her tomb, and her incredible lineage and links to royals, in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 2nd April 1552, King Edward VI recorded in his diary “I fell sick of the measles and the smallpox”.
What do we know about his illness and subsequent recovery? What was smallpox like and how was it treated? Did this bout of illness have any bearing on his future health?
Find out, in today’s “on this day” video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 1st April 1536, the imperial ambassador passed on information he’d received from two separate sources to his master, Emperor Charles V. The news was regarding Henry VIII and his behaviour towards one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting, a certain Jane Seymour.
Find out exactly what happened, what Henry and Jane were up to, and how long this had been going on, in today’s video.
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Thanks to all those who came to our live chat event with Wendy Dunn, we discussed lots to do with writing Tudor historical fiction, and my highlight was the discussion on getting the best balance in historical phrasing for speech. Fascinating. For all Full Members who missed the chat, here is the transcript.
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Back by popular demand, after his wonderful talks on King Henry VII, is Nathen Amin! Nathen is author of Tudor Wales, York Pubs, and the bestseller The House of Beaufort, and is currently working on his fourth book, Henry VII and Pretenders to the Tudor Crown.Nathen’s talk is on the Beaufort family and we do hope you enjoy it. Nathen will be joining is in the Tudor Society chatroom on Sunday 28th April to answer your questions on the Beauforts, his books and research.
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On this day in Tudor history, 31st March 1532, Henry VIII was left fuming after Friar William Peto likened him to King Ahab and preached against his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Friar Peto also made a prophecy that some believe was fulfilled after the king’s death in 1547.
I explain exactly what happened on this day 1532 to make Henry VIII so furious, what Peto said and what happened next.
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Test your knowledge of prominent Tudor women with this week’s Sunday quiz. Grab your favourite snack and beverage, make yourself comfortable, and let’s begin. Good luck!
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On this day in Tudor history, Queen Mary I wrote her will. She did it because she believed that she was just about to give birth, and, obviously, childbirth was a risky processes.
Find out more about Mary’s will and what happened with this “pregnancy” in today’s “on this day” video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 29th March 1551, Mary Dudley married Henry Sidney. Happy anniversary to Mary and Henry!
Both Mary and Henry served Queen Elizabeth I loyally and for many years, and, unfortunately, Mary suffered a great deal after she nursed the queen through smallpox in 1562.
Find out more about Mary Dudley and Henry Sidney in today’s video.
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In this week’s Claire Chats video talk, Claire looks at Elizabeth I’s death on 24th March 1603, the various theories regarding her cause of death and what the primary sources said about her symptoms.
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As you will already know, historical novelist Wendy J Dunn is our March expert speaker. Wendy’s talk is on “The Journey of Writing Historical Fiction” and you can catch her talk at https://www.tudorsociety.com/writing-historical-novels-expert-talk-wendy-j-dunn/ if you haven’t had chance to view it yet.Wendy will be joining us in the chatroom tomorrow, Friday 29th March, to answer your questions on writing historical fiction. One lucky participant will win one of Wendy’s novels. I know there are lots of you who are working on novels, or who want to do so in the future, so now’s your chance to “grill” a novelist. Wendy is also a playwright and poet, and she teaches writing, so a real expert to help us.
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Today is the anniversary of the death of John Skip, Bishop of Hereford, on 28th March 1552.
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I talk about Skip’s time serving Queen Anne Boleyn as chaplain and almoner, and a controversial sermon he preached just a month before Anne’s fall.
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What a wonderful magazine we have for members this month. Packed with stunning photos, top class articles and much more under the topic “Remembering the Dead”.
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In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I share the story of William Hunter, a nineteen-year-old apprentice whose trouble started when he was caught reading the Bible to himself in church.
William ended up being burned at the stake for heresy on 26th or 27th March 1555 in his hometown of Brentwood Essex.
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On this day in Tudor history, 26th March 1609, John Dee, astrologer, mathematician, alchemist, antiquary, spy, philosopher, geographer and adviser to Elizabeth I, died.
John Dee was a fascinating Tudor man and someone who narrowly missed getting into big trouble for his hobbies. Alchemy, talking with angels, mathematics… what wasn’t he into?
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No, I haven’t gone mad! Today, 25th March, was really the start of the calendar new year in Tudor times. Find out more in today’s video.
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