The Tudor Society

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  • 20 September – Anthony Babington and the Babington Plot

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • New Tudor music album – Music for Anne Boleyn: Court music from her rise and reign

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 15 September – Elizabeth I saves the day!

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 14 September – Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 13 September – Tudor Poet John Leland

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 10 September – The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 8 September – John Shakespeare, father of William Shakespeare

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 7 September – Charles Brandon marries Catherine Willoughby

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    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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  • 1 September – Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • 29 August – The Feast of the Beheading of St John the Baptist

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • September 2020 – Tudor Life – France and the Tudors

    4 years ago Author: ADMIN Tim
    2 Comments

    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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  • 6 August – Margaret Tudor’s Secret Marriage

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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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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  • William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy (1478-1534)

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    William Blount was one of the premier courtiers in Tudor England and was born in Barton Blount in around 1478 to John Mountjoy, the third Baron Mountjoy. John Mountjoy died in 1485, leaving William the title when he was still a young boy, thus his uncle Sir James Blount was granted custody of his lands and marriage. William himself, therefore, did not enter into his inheritance until 31st January 1500.

    In 1497, Blount was involved in the suppression of the Cornish uprising by Perkin Warbeck, and during the same year, he married Elizabeth Say, and in 1498 he travelled to Paris. Here he met Erasmus, who became his tutor and referred to William as the ‘most learned among nobles’ and when Blount returned to England in 1499, Erasmus accompanied him. Following his return to England, Blount became tutor to Prince Henry, the future King Henry VIII, and introduced him to Thomas More and Erasmus and the work of the two men. Erasmus and Blount had a friendly relationship that lasted the majority of their lives, with the two men visiting each other frequently when time allowed.

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  • 4 August – Rebels fight most valiantly

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 4th August 1549, in the reign of King Edward VI, the Battle of Woodbury Common, part of the Prayer Book Rebellion, took place on Woodbury Common, near the village of Woodbury in East Devon.

    The battle was between the rebels and the crown troops commanded by John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. Although the rebels fought valiantly, they were defeated.

    Find out more about the battle and what caused the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 in today’s talk.

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  • 26 July – Anne Boleyn and St Anne

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Today, 26th July, is the feast day of St Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ. Happy St Anne’s Day to any Annes or Annas out there! Have a wonderful day!

    St Anne was very important to Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and a pageant at her coronation procession in 1533 took St Anne, combined with Anne Boleyn’s falcon badge, as its theme.

    Find out more about the pageant at Anne Boleyn’s coronation, and why St Anne was chosen as the theme, in today’s talk.

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  • 24 July – Richard Hesketh and his plot to depose Elizabeth I

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 24th July 1553, merchant and conspirator Richard Hesketh was born in Lancashire. Hesketh is known for the Hesketh Plot of 1593, when he urged Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, to lead a rebellion to claim the throne of England.

    But who was Richard Hesketh and why did he plot against Queen Elizabeth I? What happened to him and what happened to Ferdinando Stanley? And why did Stanley take bezoar stone and uncorn horn?

    Find out all about Hesketh, his background, his plot, and the aftermath in today’s talk.

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  • 22 July – Playwright Edward Sharpham and his Cupid’s Whirligig

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd July 1576, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, playwright and pamphleteer, Edward Sharpham, was baptised at Colehanger, East Allington, in Devon. Sharpham is thought to have written the plays “The Fleire” and “Cupid’s Whirligig”, and fellow playwright Ben Jonson referred to him as a rogue.

    Find out more about this lesser-known Tudor man and his comedy Cupid’s Whirligig in today’s talk.

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  • 13 July – Unease among Queen Jane’s councillors

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 13th July 1553, while John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was preparing to leave London to apprehend the late Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary, members of the new Queen Jane’s council were meeting with the imperial ambassadors.

    What was the meeting about? What was the news from East Anglia? And why were councillors beginning to feel uneasy?

    Find out what was going on in today’s talk.

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  • 6 July – The execution of Sir Thomas More

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, Tuesday 6th July 1535, Henry VIII’s former friend and Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, was beheaded on Tower Hill as a traitor.

    In today’s talk, I share accounts of his execution, including one that gives real insight into More’s personality, with his black humour on the scaffold.

    I also give details on the fate of Sir Thomas More’s head and what his daughter, Margaret Roper, did with it.

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  • 2 July – Thomas Boleyn’s loss is Thomas Cromwell’s gain

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd July 1536, Thomas Cromwell, the king’s right-hand man, was formally appointed Lord Privy Seal. The previous holder of the office had been Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, who’d been stripped of the office following the falls of his children, Queen Anne Boleyn and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford.

    But what is a privy seal and what does the Lord of the Privy Seal do?

    Find out more in today’s talk.

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  • 29 June – Henry Percy, sweetheart of Anne Boleyn

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 29th June 1537, just over a year after the execution of his former sweetheart, Anne Boleyn, Henry Algernon Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, died at around the age of thirty-five.

    He’d been ill for some time and had actually collapsed after he sat in judgement on Anne Boleyn and her brother, George, in May 1536. But who was Henry Percy and what happened between him and Anne?

    Find out more about him in today’s talk.

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  • 26 June – Farther than Wingfield, no man dares to go

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 26th June 1596, soldier Sir John Wingfield was buried in the cathedral at Cadiz in southern Spain. Wingfield had been shot in the head in the attack on Cadiz on 21st June.

    John Stow recorded that at his funeral “the generalls threw their handkerchiefs wet from their eyes into the grave” and poet John Donne wrote “Farther than Wingfield, no man dares to go”, but who was this courageous soldier?

    Find out more about him and how he died in today’s talk.

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  • 25 June – Prince Henry (Henry VIII) gets betrothed

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 25th June 1503, the nearly twelve-year-old Henry, Prince of Wales, eldest surviving son of King Henry VII, got betrothed to seventeen-year-old Catherine of Aragon at the Bishop of Salisbury’s palace in Fleet Street, London.

    But why did it take them until 1509 to get married? What happened?

    Find out about their betrothal and their subsequent break-up in today’s talk.

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  • 22 June – Thomas Boleyn becomes a Knight of the Bath

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, the night of 22nd June 1509, King Henry VIII rewarded twenty-six men for their loyal service to the crown by making them Knights of the Bath as part of the celebrations for his coronation.

    One of the men honoured for his service to the crown was Thomas Boleyn, father of the future queen, Anne Boleyn. But what had he done to deserve this honour? Find out more about Thomas Boleyn’s rise at the court of Henry VII, and how he was a royal favourite long before his daughters became involved with the king, in today’s talk.

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  • 21 June – Lady Jane Grey is Edward’s heir

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 21st June 1553, letters patent were issued stating that the dying King Edward VI’s heir was Lady Jane Grey, eldest daughter of the king’s cousin, Frances Grey (née Brandon), Duchess of Suffolk.

    Why was Lady Jane Grey his heir when Edward had two half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and who else was listed in his “devise for the succession”. Find out more about Edward VI’s plan for the succession in today’s talk

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  • 19 June – A bad end for a priest threatening William Cecil with hell

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 19th June 1573, Jesuit priest and former rector of a Lincolnshire parish, Thomas Woodhouse, was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.

    Blessed Thomas Woodhouse was the first priest to be executed in Elizabeth I’s reign, and he was beatified in December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII.

    When you hear what he said to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, you can understand just why he was seen as a traitor by Burghley and Elizabeth I’s government. Not wise words in those times, but he stuck to his faith and principles.

    Find out more in today’s video.

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  • 18 June – Robert Recorde, his urinal and the equals sign

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Yes, you read that title right! On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1558, the will of Welsh mathematician, physician and mint administrator Robert Recorde was proved.

    Recorde invented the “=” sign and wrote books on mathematics and also a urological treatise “The Urinal of Physick”.

    Let me tell you all about this man and his works, which have such catchy titles!

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  • 13 June – A pregnant Catherine Parr goes to Sudeley

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 13th June 1548, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, and his wife, Catherine Parr, the dowager queen, set off from Catherine’s manor of Hanworth in London to travel to Seymour’s seat of Sudeley Castle. They were accompanied by Lady Jane Grey and around 100 others.

    Seymour wanted his wife to enjoy the final months of her pregnancy safe in the Cotswolds away from the Plague in London and for his first-born child to be born at Sudeley.

    In today’s talk, I share details on who accompanied the couple, what Sudeley was like and what happened next.

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  • 11 June – St Barnabas Day and garlands

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Happy St Barnabas Day!

    Yes, 11th June is the Feast of St Barnabas, a feast day that was celebrated by the Tudors by decorating churches with garlands of flowers.

    Find out more about St Barnabas and how he was commemorated in medieval and Tudor times in today’s talk.

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  • 8 June – Elizabeth Woodville

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 8th June 1492, in the reign of King Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville, died at Bermondsey Abbey.

    Elizabeth Woodville was the wife of King Edward IV and mother of Elizabeth of York and the Princes in the Tower, King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, but there’s far more to her than that.

    Enjoy this overview of Elizabeth Woodville’s life.

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