The Tudor Society

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  • 22 August – The end of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd August 1553, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was beheaded on Tower Hill for his part in putting his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, on the throne. Northumberland’s friends and supporters, Sir John Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer, were also executed.

    Northumberland was actually scheduled to die the previous day and the crowd turned up to see, the scaffold was prepared and even the executioner was ready… but, instead, the duke was taken to church.

    Why?

    Find out why and also hear a contemporary account of the duke’s execution in today’s talk.

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  • 20 August – A proxy wedding for King James VI in Denmark

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th August 1589, twenty-three-year-old King James VI of Scotland married fourteen-year-old Anne of Denmark by proxy at Kronborg Castle, Helsingør, Denmark.

    James had chosen Anne of Denmark as his bride after praying and meditating over portraits of her and Catherine of Navarre, and Anne was very excited about marrying him. Unfortunately, married bliss didn’t last long.

    Find out more about the proxy wedding, Anne’s eventful voyage, their real wedding and their married life, in today’s talk.

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  • 16 August – The Norrises lose another two sons in the Queen’s service

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 16th August 1599, soldier and Lord President of Munster in Ireland, Sir Thomas Norris, died at his home, Mallow Castle, in Cork, as a result of an injury he’d sustained in a skirmish with Irish troops on 30th May 1599. His brother, Henry, died just five days later. Thomas’s brothers, John, William and Maximilian, who were also soldiers, died in 1597, 1579 and 1593 respectively.

    Queen Elizabeth I recognised the sacrifice of this family and wrote a letter of condolence to her friends, Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norris, and his wife, Margery Williams. Find out what she wrote to the grieving couple in today’s talk.

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  • 15 August – The Oaten Hill Martyrs

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On his day in Tudor history, 15th August 1588, Catholics Robert Wilcox, Edward Campion, Christopher Buxton and Robert Widmerpool were examined while imprisoned in the Marshalsea prison in Southwark, London.

    These men ended up being executed, three of them for being Catholic priests and one for giving aid to priests, at t. All four died with courage and in 1929 were beatified.

    Find out more about these men and how they came to be executed in today’s talk.

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  • 14 August – William Parr, brother of Queen Catherine Parr

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 14th August 1513, William Parr, Marquess of Northampton and brother of Queen Catherine Parr, was born.

    William Parr is a fascinating man. He had a wonderful court career, his first wife eloped and left him, his divorce was granted and then rescinded, he was imprisoned in the Tower but then released, his marital happiness was rather shortlived… but he died a natural death!

    Find out more about William Parr in today’s talk.

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  • 13 August – The sad ends of Friar Conn O’Rourke and Partick O’Healey, Bishop of Mayo

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 13th August 1579, Roman Catholics Friar Conn, or Connatius, O’Rourke and Patrick O’Healy, Bishop of Mayo, were hanged just outside Kilmallock, co. Limerick.

    So desperate was Sir William Drury, Lord President of Munster, to get rid of these two Catholics, that he used martial law to find them guilty of treason, rather than giving them a trial. Find out why, what Drury did to poor Bishop O’Healey, and what happened to their remains afterwards, in today’s talk.

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  • 12 August – Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford, daughter of Margaret Pole

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 12th August 1570, Lady Ursula Stafford died. She was the daughter of the late Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, sister of Cardinal Reginald Pole, and wife of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford. She had Plantagenet blood being the granddaughter of George, Duke of Clarence.

    Find out more about the life of this interesting Tudor lady, and the tragic fall of her family, in today’s talk.

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  • 9 August – Elizabeth I’s words cause horror among her clergy

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 9th August 1561, while on a visit to Ipswich, in Suffolk, Queen Elizabeth I issued a royal mandate forbidding women to reside in cathedrals and colleges.

    Although she wasn’t going as far as banning clerical marriage, her mandate caused concern, and even horror, among her clergy, particularly her married Archbishop of Canterbury, who was a huge supporter of clerical marriage.

    Find out more about what Elizabeth I ordered, the reactions of William Cecil, Matthew Parker and Richard Cox, and why the Protestant Elizabeth may have issued this mandate, in today’s talk.

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  • 5 August – Two brothers killed in suspicious circumstances

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 5th August 1600, John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, and his brother, Alexander Ruthven, Master of Ruthven, were killed in mysterious circumstances at Gowrie House near Perth in Scotland.

    Why am I talking about a Scottish event? Well, because the brothers were killed as they allegedly tried to kidnap, King James VI of Scotland, who, in 1603, inherited the English throne from Queen Elizabeth I.

    But what happened? Did these men really try to kidnap the king or was there more to the story?

    Find out in today’s talk.

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  • 3 August – A notorious Tudor rake

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd August 1562, Essex magnate and notorious rake, John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, died at his home, Hedingham Castle in Essex.

    Oxford served four Tudor monarchs and was great chamberlain at the height of his career, but he had a rather colourful reputation. Find out more about the life of this Earl of Oxford and what gave him his reputation in today’s talk.

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  • 2 August – Spaniards land in Cornwall and cause trouble

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On 2nd August 1595, as part of the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604, four galleys containing somewhere between 200 and 400 Spanish soldiers landed at Mount’s Bay on the coast of western Cornwall.

    The local militia fled and so the Spaniards went on to cause devastation in the area.

    Find out exactly what the Spaniards did in Cornwall in today’s talk.

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  • 1 August – A young blind woman is burnt for heresy

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st August 1556, a blind woman named Joan Waste was burnt in Derby for heresy after she refused to recant her Protestant faith.

    Joan was just twenty-two when she died and had learnt the New Testament by having people read it to her.

    Find out more about Protestant martyr, Joan Waste, her short life and her sad end, in today’s talk.

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  • 29 July – England’s clever tactics against the Spanish Armada

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 29th July 1588, the English naval fleet attacked the Spanish Armada in a battle known as the Battle of Gravelines.

    England defeated Spain and it was down to the new tactics they’d learned from previous encounters with the Armada and from capturing a Spanish ship, as well as weather conditions.

    What were these new and successful tactics and what happened at the Battle of Gravelines?

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  • 25 July – A fool gets into big trouble

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 25th July 1535, the Feast of St James, t, the imperial ambassador wrote about a furious King Henry VIII who’d apparently been nearly driven to commit murder!

    What had angered the king? Well, it involved Henry VIII’s fool and some foolish name-calling. Find out more in today’s talk.

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  • 21 July – The arrest of John Dudley

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 21st July, 1553, just days after he’d left London with an army to apprehend Mary, half-sister of the late king, Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland was arrested near Cambridge.

    But how and why did the man who had ruled England on Edward VI’s behalf, as Lord President of his privy council, come to this?

    I explain his role in the accession of Lady Jane Grey as Queen Jane in July 1553 and what happened when Mary overthrew Queen Jane.

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  • 20 July – Queen Claude of France

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in history, 20th July 1524, Queen Claude of France, consort of Francis I, died at the age of just twenty-four at the Royal Chateau of Blois. She was temporarily laid to rest there and then later moved to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis just outside Paris.

    Brantôme declared that Claude’s husband, Francis I, gave her “the pox, which shortened her days”, meaning syphilis, but the cause of her death is not known for certain.

    In today’s talk, I give an overview of Queen Claude’s life, as well as sharing the theories regarding her death.

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  • 16 July – The death of Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 16th July 1557, forty-one-year-old Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, died at her home, Chelsea Old Manor. She’d been ill for a few months.

    Anne of Cleves was a warm and generous lady, something which is shown in her last wishes with the bequests to her household, friends and stepdaughters.

    Find out more about her bequests and her funeral arrangements in today’s talk.

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  • 14 July – Richard Taverner and his Bible

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th July 1575, evangelical reformer and translator, Richard Taverner, died at Woodeaton in Oxfordshire. He was laid to rest in the parish church at Woodeaton.

    Richard Taverner is mainly known for his Bible translation, “Taverner’s Bible”, but there is far more to him than that, including his time as Thomas Cromwell’s chief propagandist.

    Find out all about Richard Taverner’s life and career in today’s talk.

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  • 10 July – The Throckmorton Plot against Elizabeth I

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 10th July 1584, Catholic conspirator, Francis Throckmorton, was executed at Tyburn for high treason after the Throckmorton Plot had been discovered.

    The Throckmorton Plot was a plot to depose Elizabeth I and to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, but why did Francis Throckmorton plot against his queen? Who did he plot with and how was the plot discovered?

    Find out more about Francis Throckmorton and his plot in today’s talk.

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  • 8 July – Thomas Boleyn’s important duty

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, on 8th July 1503, during the reign of King Henry VII, Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne Boleyn, left Collyweston in Northamptonshire to undertake an important job for the king.

    He was to be part of a retinue escorting King Henry VII’s eldest daughter, Margaret Tudor, to Scotland, for her marriage to King James IV.

    Find out more about the retinue and journey in today’s talk.

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  • 7 July – William Turner, Father of English botany

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1568, naturalist, herbalist, ornithologist, reformer and physician, William Turner, died. Turner is known as “the father of English botany and of ornithology”, but why and who exactly was he?

    In today’s talk, I give an overview of Turner’s life and career, including his attacks on Bishop Gardiner and his time in exile, plus a bit of trivia about the training of his little dog.

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  • 3 July – Pretender Perkin Warbeck lands

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd July 1495, the pretender Perkin Warbeck landed at Deal in Kent with men and ships. In the ensuing battle, the Battle of Deal, with Kentish men who supported King Henry VII, around 150 of Warbeck’s men were killed and over 160 captured. Warbeck managed to escape, fleeing to Ireland.

    Who was Warbeck claiming to be? Whose support did her have? And what happened next?

    Find out more about claimant Perkin Warbeck in today’s talk.

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  • 1 July – Sir Thomas More is found guilty

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 1st July 1535, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII’s former Lord Chancellor, was tried for high treason by a special commission of oyer and terminer. The commission found him guilty and he was executed on 6th July 1535.

    But how did More, a faithful and loyal servant of the king, end up in this mess? Who was on the commission and what exactly happened?

    Find out all about the fall of Sir Thomas More in today’s talk.

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  • 30 June – A mortal head wound for a jousting King of France

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 30th June 1559, keen sportsman, King Henry II of France, suffered a mortal head wound while jousting. He died on 10th July and was succeeded by his son, Francis II.

    Jousting was a dangerous sport and Henry was fatally injured when splinters from his opponent’s lance entered his right eye. Awful!

    Find out more about Henry II’s accident and death, and also his reign, in today’s talk.

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  • 28 June – A Catholic earl and poisoned roasted teal

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 28th June 1557, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, was born at Arundel House, the Strand, London.

    Philip ended up being condemned to death for treason and dying of alleged poisoning in 1589, when he was just 32, so let me tell you a bit more about him and what led him to that very sticky end.

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  • 24 June – Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I’s favourite

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 24th June 1532, the feast of St John the Baptist, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and favourite of Elizabeth I, was born.

    Elizabeth I called Leicester her “eyes” and “sweet Robin” and there was gossip over their relationship, but there was far more to Robert Dudley than his closeness to the queen. Find out all about his life and career in today’s talk:

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  • 20 June – Anne of Cleves is cross about Catherine Howard

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 20th June 1540, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Queen Anne of Cleves, complained to her advisor about her husband’s interest in one of her maids of honour, a certain Catherine Howard. What was going on and what happened next?

    Find out more about the final weeks of Henry VIII’s and Anne of Cleves’ marriage in today’s talk.

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  • 12 June – Thomas Cromwell’s quaking hand and most sorrowful heart

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 12th June 1540, a clearly frightened Thomas Cromwell, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his arrest on 10th June for treason, wrote to King Henry VIII regarding his “most miserable state”, asking for mercy, and pleading his innocence.

    I share Cromwell’s letter in today’s talk. It is an eloquent letter but also a very moving one. His fear is palpable.

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  • 9 June – William Paget, a man who served 4 monarchs

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th or 10th June 1563, William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, diplomat and administrator, died, probably at his estate of West Drayton in Middlesex.

    By his death, he’d served four Tudor monarchs and even though he’d fallen from favour and been imprisoned, he kept his head and climbed back in favour.

    But who was Baron Paget? Well, let me give you a few facts about this Tudor man.

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  • 4 June – Lightning strikes St Paul’s

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On the afternoon of this day in Tudor history, Wednesday 4th June 1561, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, London was hit by a tremendous thunderstorm. Fires caused by lightning strikes destroyed one church and damaged St Paul’s Cathedral.

    Find out more about the storm, how St Paul’s was damaged, the reactions to the lightning strike, what Queen Elizabeth I did, and what happened next, in today’s talk.

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