The Tudor Society

YOUR SEARCH UNCOVERED 1657 RESULTS

  • Martin Bucer, a Reformer who wanted Peace

    A German portrait of Martin Bucer

    On the night of 28th February 1551, a man who had spent his life fighting for religious reform took his last breath in Cambridge. His name was Martin Bucer—a theologian, a reformer, and a man whose influence stretched across Europe.
    But even in death, his struggles weren’t over. Six years after his burial, his body was dug up, put on trial for heresy, and publicly burned in Cambridge along with his works.

    So, who was Martin Bucer? Why was he considered such a threat that even his bones had to be destroyed? And why is he remembered today as a key figure in the Protestant Reformation?

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  • George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon

    A miniature of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, by Nicholas Hilliard

    He was the grandson of Mary Boleyn, the husband of Elizabeth Spencer, and a trusted courtier of Elizabeth I. But George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, wasn’t just another nobleman, he was a key figure in the world of Elizabethan theatre, a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and a man who rose to one of the most powerful positions at court.

    Today, let’s dive into the fascinating life of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon; his Boleyn connections, his military career, and his role in shaping the golden age of Elizabethan theatre.

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  • The Royal Family’s connection to the Boleyns and Tudors, and beyond

    A portrait of a woman thought to be Mary Boleyn from the collection at Hever Castle

    Today marks the anniversary of the accession of the late Queen Elizabeth II on 6th February 1952. She was the longest reigning monarch in British history, ruling from this day in 1952 until her death in September 2022. As we reflect on her remarkable reign, I thought it would be fitting to explore an intriguing piece of history—the present royal family’s descent from both the Tudors and the Boleyns.

    Yes, you heard that right! King Charles III has Tudor blood AND Boleyn blood.

    But wait—how is that possible? The last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, died childless, and as we all know, she was Anne Boleyn’s only surviving child. So where does the royal family’s Tudor-Boleyn connection come from?

    Let’s unravel this fascinating royal lineage…

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  • A Royal Wedding – Anne of York and Thomas Howard

    Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk

    On 4th February 1495, Anne of York, daughter of Edward IV and sister of Queen Elizabeth of York, married Thomas Howard, the future 3rd Duke of Norfolk, at Westminster Abbey. But this was far more than just a romantic union—it was a strategic marriage with deep political significance.

    It was an unlikely match. Anne was the sister-in-law of King Henry VII, and Thomas Howard’s father and grandfather had fought against Henry at the Battle of Bosworth Field just ten years earlier.

    So why did Henry VII allow this marriage? And what did it mean for the future of the Howard family?

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  • Did Archbishop Thomas Cranmer keep a secret wife in a box?

    Still from the Tudors series showing Cranmer's wife in a box

    Did Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, keep his secret wife in a ventilated chest?

    Well, yes, according to his Catholic detractors!

    But was there any truth in their claims, and where does the story come from?

    In 1532, Thomas Cranmer, who wasn’t yet Archbishop of Canterbury, was serving King Henry VIII as the resident ambassador at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. While he was with the emperor in Nuremberg, Cranmer met the city’s leading Lutheran preacher, Andreas Osiander, and the two became firm friends. Cranmer visited Osiander’s house often and at some point he met Osiander’s wife’s niece, Margarete, and that summer, despite the fact that he was an ordained priest, and was, therefore, supposed to remain celibate, Cranmer married her.

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  • Sir Anthony Denny

    Sir Anthony Denny

    Sir Anthony Denny was born on this day in Tudor history, the 16th January 1501, in the reign of King Henry VII, at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. He was the second son of Sir Edmund Denny, Baron of the Exchequer to Henry VIII, and his wife, Mary Troutbeck.

    Denny was educated at St Paul’s School, London, before moving on to St John’s College, Cambridge.

    Following employment in the service of Sir Francis Bryan, a man known as the “Vicar of Hell”, By 1533, he’d secured a place in Henry VIII’s inner sanctum—the privy chamber—a realm reserved for the king’s most trusted men, and he was made a yeoman of the wardrobe in 1536. He rose to become keeper of the privy purse in 1542 and then in 1546, first chief gentleman of the privy chamber and groom of the stool. Groom of the Stool may sound like a disgusting job to us, as it involved helping the king with his toilet habits, but it also meant intimate access to the king and influence over royal decisions. In 1540, following the king’s doomed marriage to Anne of Cleves, Denny was one of those in whom the king confided his unhappiness in the marriage.

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  • Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland

    A collage of the Dudley family

    Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland, is one of my favourite figures from Tudor history—and for good reason. Her story is one of resilience, faith, and immense tragedy. She lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in English history, lost her husband and children to the axe, and yet, she carried on. Today, on the anniversary of her death, I’m exploring her life and legacy.

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 31 December

    Queen Elizabeth I 1558-1560

    On this day in Tudor history, 31st December, “the Gunner” Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at Kilmainham (1535), and Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle, died while under house arrest (1559)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 26 December

    Henry VIII

    On this day in Tudor history, Protestant exile and businesswoman Rose Lok was born in London (1526), Henry VIII made some changes to his will (1546), and the Feast of St Stephen was celebrated…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 25 December

    Lettice Knollys

    On this day in Tudor history, magistrate, sheriff and witch-hunter Brian Darcy died (1587), and Lettice Knollys (married names: Devereux, Dudley and Blount) died at the age of ninety one (1634)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 23 December

    Elizabeth I with a sketch of Whitehall Palace behind

    On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December, schoolmaster, cleric and playwright Nicholas Udall was buried (1556), and Queen Elizabeth I moved from Somerset House to Whitehall, which became her principal residence (1558)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 21 December

    Stained glass window depicting Jasper Tudor and his wife, Catherine Woodville

    On this day in Tudor history, Henry VII’s uncle and mentor, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, died (1495), and the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle (or Didymus or Doubting Thomas) was celebrated…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 16 December

    Portrait of Catherine of Aragon and a photo of the Archbishop's Palace at Alcala de Henares

    On this day in Tudor history, Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first queen consort, was born at Alcalá de Henares (1485), and soldier and courtier George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, died (1503)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 14 December

    A photo of Westminster Abbey and a portrait if Mary I

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th December, the six-day-old daughter of James V of Scotland became Mary, Queen of Scots, on her father’s death (1542), and Queen Mary I was buried at Westminster Abbey (1558)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 6 December

    19th-century depiction of a medieval boy bishop

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th December, soldier and administrator Sir Hugh Paulet, a man who served four monarchs, died (1573), and the Feast of St Nicholas was celebrated with the election of a Boy Bishop…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 4 December

    Thomas Cranmer

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th December, merchant tailor and prominent Lollard Richard Hunne was found hanging in his prison cell in suspicious circumstances (1514) and the pope deprived Thomas Cranmer of his archbishopric and permission was granted for his fate to be decided by the secular authorities (1555)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 22 November

    Dr William Butts

    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd November, Henry VIII’s trusted physician and confidant Sir William Butts died at Fulham Manor (1545); and naval commander, privateer and explorer Sir Martin Frobisher died of gangrene (1594) after suffering an injury in hand-to-hand combat…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 18 November

    Cuthbert Tunstall

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th November, Ralph Baynes, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, died while imprisoned in the Bishop of London’s home, and his fellow clergyman, Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London, died in prison at Lambeth Palace (1559)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 7 November

    Portraits of Richard III and Henry VII

    On this day in Tudor history, 7th November, Henry VII’s first Parliament attainted Richard III and his supporters (1485); and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer visited a confined Queen Catherine Howard, seeking a confession (1541)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 28 October

    Portraits of Ivan the Terrible and Elizabeth I

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th October, celebrations included wrestling and bear baiting on the last day of Henry VIII’s meeting with Francis I (1532); and Ivan IV of Russia, known commonly as Ivan the Terrible, wrote a rather rude letter to Queen Elizabeth I…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 25 October

    Henry VIII and Francis I

    On this day in Tudor history, 25th October, Henry VIII returned to Calais following his visit to the French court at Boulogne, taking Francis I with him; and today is the the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, martyrs of the Early Church and the patron saints of cobblers…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 24 October

    A miniature of Queen Jane Seymour

    On this day in Tudor history, 24th October, Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife, died at Hampton Court Palace; and John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned to England after failing to find the lost colonists…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 20 October

    A painting of Pontefract Castle and the Pilgrimage of Grace banner

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th October, Lord Darcy yielded Pontefract Castle to the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace, but all was not how it seemed (1536), and courtier Mary Arundell, a countess twice over, died at Bath Place in London (1557)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 10 October

    Portraits of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th October, Queen Elizabeth I was taken ill with what was thought to be a cold, but was actually smallpox (1562); and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick (1588)…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 9 October

    Mary Tudor and Louis XII

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th October, Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor, married Louis XII of France at Abbeville; and Miguel de Cervante, author of Don Quixote, was baptised in Alcalá de Henares…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 8 October

    A miniature of Margaret Douglas

    On this day in Tudor history, Henry VIII’s niece, Lady Margaret Douglas, was born; and Henry VIII forced his daughter, Mary, to write to the pope and to Mary of Hungary, the emperor’s sister…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 6 October

    William Tyndale's execution

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th October, royal physician, scholar and college founder John Caius was born; and reformer and Bible translator William Tyndale, a man whose works had both helped Henry VIII and incurred the king’s wrath, was executed…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 3 October

    Portraits of Jane Seymour and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd October, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey sang a mass to Henry VIII and the French ambassadors at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate a treaty between England and France; and imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys wrote to Charles V informing him that Jane Seymour’s coronation was being postponed…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 29 September

    Portraits of Robert Dudley, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th September, Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, papal legate, arrived in England ready to hear the case for Henry VIII’s annulment; and Elizabeth I made her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester so that he could marry Mary, Queen of Scots…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 21 September

    Lettice Knollys and Robert Dudley

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st September, theologian and chaplain Henry Pendleton, a man known for changing his faith, was buried; and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, married Lettice Devereux in secret…

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