The Tudor Society

YOUR SEARCH UNCOVERED 2137 RESULTS

  • 26 October – Rain stops rebels going to battle

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th October 1536, the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace halted at Scawsby Leys near Doncaster, where they met crown troops. The rebels were said to number around 30,000 and the crown’s army was only a fifth of the size, but the rebel leader, lawyer Robert Aske, chose to negotiate rather than fight.

    Why, when they could well have won?

    Well one Tudor chronicler puts it down to rain. You can find out more about this meeting, how rain put a stop to the rebels’ plans, and what happened next between the Pilgrimage of Grace rebels and Henry VIII, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 25 October – Twin saints and a local legend

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    Today, 25th October, is a feast day which was celebrated in medieval and Tudor times – the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, martyrs of the Early Church and the patron saints of cobblers.

    Find out more about these saints, how their feast day became linked to an important English victory over the French, how it was marked, and why these saints are linked to Faversham in Kent, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 24 October – Roanoke, the lost colony

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 24th October 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned to England after failing to find the lost colonists, which included his daughter, Ellinor (Elenora), his son-in-law, Ananias Dare, and his granddaughter, Virginia Dare.

    But what happened to these colonists and what did the word CROATOAN carved onto a post mean?

    Find out all about the Roanoke Colony and the theories regarding the disappearance of all 115 people, including the very latest research, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 19 October – An important European marriage

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in history, 19th October 1469, an event took place in Spain that was not only important in Spanish history, but which had an impact on Europe and which has links with the Tudors.

    The event was the marriage of an eighteen-year-old woman called Isabella and a seventeen-year-old man called Ferdinand. They’d become the famous Reyes Catolicos, the Catholic monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, and would bring together two powerful kingdoms, which comprised most of what is modern-day Spain.

    In today’s talk, I tell you more about this powerful couple, their reigns and their legacy.

    [Read More...]

  • 16 October – A meeting between two kings is arranged

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1532, while Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, were on their visit to Calais, English nobles met French nobles to arrange a meeting between the King of England and his French counterpart, King Francis I.

    In today’s talk, I give details on this event, who was there, what happened, and why Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had gone to Calais.

    [Read More...]

  • 14 October – Sir Thomas Chaloner and his very strong teeth

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1565, diplomat and poet, Sir Thomas Chaloner the Elder, died at his home in Clerkenwell, London. He was just forty-four years old. He’d served four Tudor monarchs as a diplomat, but he also wrote English and Latin works.

    Find out more about Thomas Chaloner, his life, his career, and how his teeth saved him from death, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 12 October – A revenge assassination by bandits in Wales

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 12th October 1555, Lewis Owen, member of Parliament and administrator in Wales, was assassinated on Dugoed Mawddwy, a mountain pass.

    Owen was murdered by a group of bandits as revenge for his campaign against them, which had led to around 80 hangings.

    Find out more about Lewis Owen, his life and what happened, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 5 October – Edward Seymour gathers troops to defend Edward VI

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, ordered a gathering of men at Hampton Court Palace, where he was lodged with the young King Edward VI, due to tensions mounting between Somerset and John Dudley, Earl of Warwick.

    What was going on and what happened when 4,000 peasants turned up? How did John Dudley react and what did King Edward VI have to say about it all?

    Find out what happened, and how this led to Somerset’s undoing, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 4 October – Sir Francis Bigod and his rebellion

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th October 1507, Sir Francis Bigod, was born at Seaton, in Hinderwell, Yorkshire.

    Bigod led an uprising in Yorkshire in January 1537, Bigod’s Rebellion, after the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace had been dispersed. But who was Bigod? Why would an evangelical reformer become involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace? What was his rebellion about and what happened to him?

    Find out more about Sir Francis Bigod and Bigod’s Rebellion in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 1 October – John Alcock, bishop and tutor to one of the Princes in the Tower

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st October 1500, John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, died at Wisbech Castle.

    Alcock wasn’t just a bishop, he was a scholar, a royal tutor, and an administrator. He served as tutor to King Edward IV’s son, Prince Edward, the future King Edward V and a boy who is known for being one of the ill-fated Princes in the Tower. He also christened another prince.

    Find out more about this Tudor bishop and royal servant in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 30 September – A victorious Henry VIII returns to England

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 30th September 1544, fifty-three-year-old King Henry VIII returned to England after his third invasion of France and the French surrender of Boulogne to him and his troops.

    Hear a contemporary account of what happened during the siege of Boulogne and how and why the French surrendered to Henry VIII, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 29 September – A papal legate arrives for Henry VIII’s annulment case

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th September 1528, the papal legate, Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, landed at Dover on the Kent coast.

    Campeggio and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who had been appointed the pope’s vice-regent, were given the task of hearing Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

    Find out more about what happened when next, what happened at the special legatine court, and how Henry ended up waiting for his annulment for a few more years, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 28 September – Essex sees Elizabeth I without her mask of youth

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet
    Youtube thumbnail

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th September 1599, Elizabeth I’s favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, strode into the queen’s bedchamber unannounced and saw her without her makeup or wig, without her “mask of youth”.

    Why would he do such a thing?

    Find out why Devereux was troubled and wanted to see the queen urgently and how Elizabeth I reacted to his visit, and what happened next, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 27 September – John de la Pole and his link to the Tudors

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in history, 27th September 1442, in the reign of King Henry VI, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, was born.

    He may have been born in the Plantagenet period, but Suffolk’s first wife was Lady Margaret Beaufort, the future mother of Henry VII. Suffolk went on to serve Henry VII loyally, although his son was involved in the Lambert Simnel Rebellion

    Find out more about John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, his life and career, and what happened with his marriage to Lady Margaret Beaufort, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 23 September – William Averell and his Romeo and Juliet, AKA Charles and Julia

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in history, 23rd September 1605, in the reign of King James I, Tudor pamphleteer William Averell was buried at St Peter upon Cornhill.

    Averell’s first work was about two Welsh star-crossed lovers, Charles and Julia, and he also wrote a Protestant work about it raining wheat in Suffolk and Essex, an event which he saw as presaging the end of the world.

    Averell was an interesting character and you can find out more about him and his work in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 21 September – Pendleton the Proud, a fickle man

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st September 1557, Henry Pendleton, theologian, chaplain and friend of Bishop Bonner, was buried at St Stephen’s, Walbrook, London.

    Pendleton is known not only for his strong preaching, which led to him being shot at once, but also for his changing religious faith. He went from staunch Catholic to zealous Protestant to staunch Catholic, even taking part in disputations with his former friends and seeing them imprisoned and burnt.

    Find out more about Henry Pendleton, his life, career and changing religious beliefs, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 19 September – Explorer Thomas Cavendish and his circumnavigation

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 19th September 1560, explorer, navigator and privateer Thomas Cavendish was baptised at St Martin’s Church, Trimley St Martin in Suffolk.

    Cavendish is known for his imitation of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe, which he undertook in 1586, and for being the first Englishman to explore the island of St Helena, in the mid-Atlantic, but he also had a reputation as a spendthrift and his final voyage was a failure.

    Find out more about Thomas Cavendish in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 12 September – The newly married Earl of Argyll dies suddenly

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 12th September 1573, Protestant reformer, and leading politician in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, died suddenly at Barbreck. He had got married six weeks earlier and had shown no signs of illness before retiring to bed.

    Argyll was the third most important noble in Scotland, the most important highland chief, and a founder of the Lords of the Congregation. He went from opposing Mary, Queen of Scots, to leading her troops in battle.

    Why?

    Find out all about this interesting Scot’s life and career in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 11 September – Barnaby Fitzpatrick, friend of Edward VI

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th September 1581, Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron of Upper Ossory, died in Dublin, at the home of surgeon, William Kelly.

    In his youth, Fitzpatrick had been friends with Prince Edward (the future Edward VI) and had been educated with him. Historians once believed him to have been the young king’s “whipping boy”. He went on to serve Edward as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber when Edward became kin, but ended his days as a prisoner.

    Find out more about Barnaby Fitzpatrick, his life and career, and how he came to such a sad end, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 6 September – Martin Luther writes to the Pope

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th September 1520, the famous reformer Martin Luther sent his pamphlet “On the Freedom of a Christian” (also known as “A Treatise on Christian Liberty”) to Pope Leo X. In the pamphlet, he emphasised the “two-fold nature” of Christians as saints and sinners, flesh and spirit.

    Luther is, of course, seen as the catalyst of the European Reformation, and in today’s talk, I explain why, what he believed, how he ended up being excommunicated and made an outlaw, and what happened to him.

    [Read More...]

  • 5 September – The death of Bloody Bonner

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th September 1569, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London and a man nicknamed “Bloody Bonner”, died in Marshalsea Prison. He had started his career in Henry VIII’s reign and was not just a churchman, he was also a diplomat.

    In today’s talk, I flesh out this Tudor bishop who got his nickname from being in charge of burning reformers in London. Find out about his life, career and how he ended up dying in prison.

    [Read More...]

  • 4 September – A marriage is agreed between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th September 1539, William, Duke of Cleves, signed the marriage treaty promising his sister, Anne of Cleves, in marriage to King Henry VIII.

    Anne would of course become Henry VIII’s fourth wife.

    Find out all about the marriage agreement and its terms, and what happened next, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 3 September – The death of a clown

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd September 1588, or possibly the 5th September, actor and clown, Richard Tarlton, died in Shoreditch. He was buried in St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch.

    Tarlton was a member of the Queen’s Men acting company, but is famed for his post-play jigs as a clown. He was also known for being able to cheer up Queen Elizabeth I – how wonderful.

    Find out more about Tudor clown Richard Tarlton, his life and career, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 2 September – A very wealthy Irish earl dies in the Tower

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    4 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd September 1534, Gerald Fitzgerald, 9th Earl of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, died in the Tower of London at around the age of 47. Kildare had been arrested on 29th June 1534, accused of corruption and causing rebellion in Ireland.

    Kildare seems to have spent most of his career being accused of crimes, but his son Silken Thomas’s rebellion was his final undoing.

    He was already ill when he was arrested and imprisoned, suffering from the after effects of being shot, but at least his wife was able to nurse him.

    Find out more about this Earl of Kildare, his life and career, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 31 August – The Bloody Flux

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 31st August 1545, a contagious disease known as the ‘Bloody flux’ hit the port of Portsmouth, killing many of the men serving on the ships in its port.

    But what was the Bloody Flux? What were its symptoms and why did it kill so many soldiers and sailors?

    Find out about the disease, famous victims of the Bloody Flux, and how it is still affecting people today, in this talk:

    [Read More...]

  • 30 August – The Treaty of the More

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 30th August 1525, the Treaty of the More was agreed between King Henry VIII of England and Louise of Savoy, who was acting as regent for her son, King Francis I of France, while he was imprisoned by imperial forces.

    Why was Francis in prison? What were the terms of the Treaty of the More? How did this treaty affect Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary? And what happened next.

    Find out all about the Treaty of the More and its consequences in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 28 August – Robert Dudley’s last letter to Elizabeth I

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th August 1588, an ailing Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, wrote his final letter to his queen and childhood friend, Elizabeth I. He wrote it while on his way to Buxton, in Derbyshire, to take the waters for his health.

    The letter is very special because Elizabeth labelled it “His Last Letter” and kept it close by her until her own death in 1603.

    In today’s talk, I share a transcript of Robert Dudley’s last letter, and talk about Elizabeth I’s reaction to his subsequent death.

    [Read More...]

  • 27 August – The Battle of St Quentin

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th August 1557, St Quentin was stormed by English and Imperial forces. Admiral de Coligny and his French troops, numbering only a thousand, were overcome by around 60,000 soldiers, and St Quentin fell. Henry Dudley, the youngest son of the late John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was killed by a cannonball during the storming.

    Find out about the siege and battle, and what happened next, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 25 August – Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and uncle of two queens

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in history, 25th August 1554, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, magnate, soldier and uncle of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, died of natural causes at his home of Kenninghall in Norfolk. He was laid to rest in St Michael’s Church, Framlingham, Suffolk.

    Find out more about this important Tudor man, and how he escaped the axe-man and died at a good age in his bed, in this talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 23 August – The Siege of Haddington

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 23rd August 1548, Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, arrived at the Siege of Haddington, in East Lothian, Scotland, with a large army. This siege was part of the Anglo-Scottish war known as the War of the Rough Wooing between England and Scotland., regarding Henry VIII’s desire to marry his son, Edward, off to Mary, Queen of Scots.

    What happened at this siege and to Haddington after it?

    Find out in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]