On this day in Tudor history, 22nd November 1594, naval commander, privateer and explorer, Sir Martin Frobisher, died at Plymouth. He died of gangrene after having been shot in the thigh during hand-to-hand combat during a siege.
Frobisher is best known for his three voyages in search of the Northwest Passage and his naval service during the 1588 Spanish Armada, for which he was knighted.
Find out all about the life and career of this Tudor explorer in today’s talk.
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On this day in history, 20th November 1612, in the reign of King James I, courtier and author Sir John Harington died.
Why am I talking about a man who died in the Stuart period?
Well, because he was Queen Elizabeth I’s godson and because during her reign he invented the Ajax, or “jakes”, England’s first flush toilet.
Find out more about Sir John Harington and his flush toilet invention in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 13th November 1536, mercer and member of Parliament Robert Packington (Pakington, Pakyngton) was shot to death by an unknown assailant while he was on his way to mass at St Thomas of Acre Chapel. He was shot with a wheellock pistol.
Robert Packington has gone down in history as the first person in England to be killed by a handgun, but who killed him and why?
Find out about Packington, his murder, and the theories regarding who ordered his murder, in today’s talk.
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One of my very favourite Tudor primary sources is the diary or chronicle of merchant-tailor Henry Machyn, who recorded events between 1550 and 1563.
In this week’s Friday video, let me introduce you to Machyn and give you a bit of trivia about him, and explain how his diary started and how historians use it today.
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th November 1534, Philippe de Chabot, Seigneur De Brion and Admiral of France, landed on English soil. The purpose of the diplomatic mission he was leading was to renew Anglo-French relations.
George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, brother of Queen Anne Boleyn, had been put in charge of meeting the admiral and escorting him on his journey from the south coast to London, but it was no easy task. The admiral did not make things easy at all, and George was rather stressed about the situation.
Find out what happened, and how and why the ambassador’s visit was bad news all round for the Boleyns, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th November 1556, English explorer and navigator, Richard Chancellor, was killed. Chancellor is known as being the first foreigner to enter the White Sea and to establish relations with Russia and Tsar Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible.
Chancellor was sadly drowned after saving the Russian ambassador, Osip Napeya, when their ship, The Edward Bonaventure, was wrecked just off the Aberdeenshire coast of Scotland.
Find out about Richard Chancellor’s life, career and sad end in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 6th November 1501, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, met her betrothed, Arthur, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King Henry VII, at Dogmersfield in Hampshire.
The couple were actually already married by proxy, but had never met, and Catherine had only just arrived in England.
Find out more about the lead-up to Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor’s meeting on 6th November 1501, including Catherine’s journey from Spain to England, how their meeting went and what happened next, in today’s talk.
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Today is the anniversary of the discovery of Gunpowder Plot conspirator, Guy Fawkes, and 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the Palace of Westminster on the night of 4th/5th November 1605. The plotters were planning to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the opening of Parliament and assassinate the king, his government and leading bishops and nobles.
But why and what has this event in James I’s reign got to do with Tudor history?
Well, a lot, because the Gunpowder Plot had its roots in Elizabeth I’s reign.
Find out more about the Gunpowder Plot, and those involved, in today’s talk.
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Dr Emma Levitt shows us some amazing primary sources to unravel the spectacle of the tournament that Henry VIII would have enjoyed.
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On this day in Tudor history, 29th October 1532, King Henry VIII bid farewell to his “loving brother”, his French counterpart, King Francis I.
The two kings had enjoyed each other’s company at Calais and Boulogne, and Henry VIII was pleased with their meetings. In fact, things had gone so well that Henry VIII decided to marry Anne Boleyn!
Find out more about their farewell, and what had happened during the trip, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 22nd October 1537, an examination, or rather interrogation, was carried out regarding an accusation of treasonous words spoken against King Henry VIII.
Further investigations into the matter found that there was no evidence that these words were spoken, and that someone was trying to get another person into trouble.
What was going on? In a time when the punishment for high treason was death, this was very serious.
Find out more about what happened in this talk
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th October 1532, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the newly created Marquess of Pembroke, set sail from Dover aboard the king’s ship, The Swallow.
They were off to Calais on a mission involving the Great Matter, Henry VIII’s quest for an annulment. But why? What would they do there? Who would they meet?
Find out more about this trip, what happened and what happened next, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1588, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, according to his instructions.
His funeral was well-attended and his widow, Lettice, a woman known by Elizabeth I as “the she-wolf”, erected a monument to “her best and dearest husband” in the chapel, which was also the resting place of the couple’s young son, Robert, “the noble impe”.
Find out more about Leicester’s funeral and resting place, and see some photos of his tomb, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 9th October 1547, Miguel de Cervantes, author of the famous classic “Don Quixote”, a book known as “the first modern novel”, was baptised in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His actual birthdate is unknown.
Now, this event didn’t happen in Tudor England, but it did happen in the Tudor period, and Cervantes is known the world over. Let me share with you some facts about this man, his rather interesting life, which including being held to ransom by pirates, and his works.
[Read More...]King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings, was born Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, on this day in history, 2nd October 1452.
Here is an extract from my book Illustrated Kings and Queens of England on Richard III.
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In this month's magazine, we have gone undercover and have been searching for spies and sedition in the Tudor court... we definitely found some information worth of passing on to the queen... enjoy! [Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 25th September 1525, explorer, navigator and naval administrator Stephen Borough (Burrough) was born at Borough House, Northam Burrows, Northam, in Devon.
This Arctic explorer learnt his navigational skills from first his uncle and then Spanish pilots in Seville. He discovered Novaya Zemlya and the Viagatz Strait (Kara Strait), which was named the Burrough Strait until the late 1800s.
Hear an overview of Stephen Borough’s life and career in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home and the subsequent inquest had ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”. She was buried in a lavish ceremony which cost her widower over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 20th September 1586, Anthony Babington, John Ballard, John Savage, Chidiock Tichborne and three other conspirators were executed near St Giles-in-the-Fields in London.
They suffered full traitors’ deaths, being hanged, drawn and quartered, after being found guilty of treason for plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I in the famous Babington Plot, which sought to replace Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots.
Find out more about Anthony Babington, the Babington Plot, the men involved, how it was discovered, and how it led to Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution, in today’s talk.
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A big thank you to composer and music producer Roberto Lorenz who has written this guest article for us today about his album, “Music for Anne Boleyn – Court music from her rise and reign”, which was released on 7th September 2020.
Over to Roberto…
Ever since my history teacher first mentioned her, I’ve been obsessed with Anne Boleyn, who, as he put it, “reached the highest peak and fell”. There’s something surreal about Anne’s rapid rise and fall – it’s like a tragic fairy tale and yet a perfect example for the always astonishing, always unpredictable reality of life. Anne Boleyn is one of those historical figures that become more mysterious the more we find out about them. We’ll never fully understand her complex personality, never hear her voice, never see how she moved and gestured, never even know her birthday. However, one direct connection to Anne has survived: the music of her lifetime.
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On this day in Tudor history, 15th September 1589, the Battle of Arques began.
This battle was part of the final war of the French Wars of Religion, a series of conflicts in France from 1562-1598 between Catholics and Huguenots. It was fought between the new French king, Henry IV, and the Catholic League led by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, and looked bad for Henry until troops sent by Elizabeth I arrived – phew!
You can find out more about what led to this battle, what happened at the battle, and what happened next, in this talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 14th September 1540, Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London, Knight of the Garter and comptroller of the King’s household, died at his home in Painswick in Gloucestershire.
Sir William Kingston was Constable of the Tower of London while Queen Anne Boleyn was imprisoned there in May 1536, and his letters to Thomas Cromwell are an excellent primary source for historians, but there’s much more to this royal servant than that. He had a wonderful career in service to the king and benefited as a result.
Find out more about Kingston in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 13th September 1503, poet and antiquary John Leland was born. Leland is known for his Latin poems and his antiquarian writings which included a defence of the history of King Arthur, which he presented to Henry VIII and his notes on his travels around England and Wales.
Leland also wrote verses for Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation procession and was a royal chaplain. He had a very sad end, though, suffering some kind of mental breakdown and going mad.
Find out more about John Leland, his life and works, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, Saturday 10th September 1547, in the reign of King Edward VI, the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, also known as the Battle of Pinkie, took place near Musselburgh, in Scotland, on the banks of the River Esk. The English forces, led by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, defeated the Scots, killing thousands.
It was a bloody battle, but started off well for the Scots. In today’s talk, I share an eye-witness account of how the battle changed so dramatically, leading to the loss of between 6,000 and 15,000 Scots.
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On this day in Tudor history, 8th September 1601, John Shakespeare, father of playwright William Shakespeare, was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
John was a glover and whittawer, and also an important man in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, serving as high bailiff, chief alderman and deputy bailiff, and being given the right to educate his children at the local grammar school for free. However, he also ran into trouble at times.
Find out more about the life of William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th September 1533, just over two months after the death of his previous wife, Mary Tudor. Queen of France, forty-nine-year-old Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, married his ward, fourteen-year-old Catherine Willoughby.
Find out more about this Tudor couple, how they came to be married, what their marriage was like, and what happened to them, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 1st September 1566, Edward Alleyn, a major figure in the Elizabethan theatre, was born in the parish of St Botolph without Bishopsgate, London, and baptised the following day.
In today’s talk, I share some facts about Edward Alleyn, including his personal life, the plays he was involved in, his theatre investments, and his desire to be appointed master of the bears, bulls and mastiff dogs!
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Today, 29th August, is the Feast of the beheading of St John the Baptist. Lovely!
In today’s talk, I share the story behind this Tudor holy day, a story which is often depicted in illuminations in manuscripts and psalters.
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In this month’s packed magazine we have gone all continental with great articles highlighting the connection between France and the Tudors.
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On this day in Tudor history, 6th August 1514, Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and Regent of Scotland, married for a second time.
The widow of King James IV of Scotland married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, the most important Scottish magnate, in a secret ceremony at Kinnoull in Perthshire. When news got out, it led to Margaret losing the Regency of Scotland.
Find out what happened next and how things turned out with Margaret and Angus, and how and why Margaret sought refuge at the English court, in today’s talk.
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