On this day in Tudor history, May Day, the Evil May Day Riot took place in London; Henry VIII left the 1536 May Day joust abruptly and never saw Anne Boleyn again; and Sir Edmund Knyvet, a hot-tempered courtier, died...
- 1461 – Execution of James Butler, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and 5th Earl of Ormond, at Newcastle after being captured by the Yorkists.
- 1508 – Birth of Sir William Cavendish, administrator. Cavendish was one of Cromwell's main agents in the dissolution of the monasteries and was appointed Treasurer of the Chamber in February 1546.
- 1517 - The Evil May Day Riot. A mob of young apprentices and labourers gathered at St Paul's and then went on a rampage through the streets of London, causing damage to property and hurting those who stood in their way. See video below.
- 1536 – The May Day Joust. Henry VIII left abruptly, taking Sir Henry Norris with him and interrogating him about his alleged affair with Queen Anne Boleyn. See video below.
- 1551 – Death of Sir Edmund Knyvet, Norfolk landowner and MP. Knyvet was known for his hot temper and nearly had his his hand cut off after he hit someone during a game of tennis. Find out more about him in the video below.
- 1590 – James VI of Scotland brought Anne of Denmark, his bride, to Scotland. The couple had been married by proxy in Copenhagen in August 1589, but Anne had to abandon her journey to Scotland due to storms. James decided to go and fetch her, and the couple married properly at the Bishop's Palace in Oslo in November 1589.
- 1621 - Death of Robert Chaloner, Church of England clergyman and educational benefactor, probably at Amersham. He was buried there at St Mary's Church. Chaloner was Canon of Windsor, but is more known for the bequests he left supporting a master at a grammar school and scholars or lecturers at Christ Church, Oxford.
Today is, of course, May Day, and you can find out more about how it was celebrated in the video below.