The Tudor Society
  • #OTD in Tudor history – 29 August

    A photo of the Tower of London and portraits of Margaret Pole and Cardinal Pole

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th August, Geoffrey Pole, son of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, and brother of the out-of-favour Cardinal Reginald Pole, was arrested; and it was the Feast of the beheading of St John the Baptist, a Tudor holy day…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 27 May

    Portraits of Margaret Pole, Cardinal Pole and Jane Seymour

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th May, Cardinal Pole sent Henry VIII a copy of his work, and in it, he criticised the king’s annulment; there were celebrations for the ‘quickening’ of Queen Jane Seymour’s baby; and Cardinal Pole’s mother, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was executed…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 9 April

    portrait of Catherine of Aragon

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th April, Catherine of Aragon found out that she’d been demoted to Dowager Princess of Wales; Cardinal Pole’s legatine powers were revoked; and Catherine Willoughby’s second husband, Richard Bertie, died…

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  • May 27 – Cardinal Pole makes an enemy of Henry VIII

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th May 1536, Cardinal Reginald Pole wrote to King Henry VIII from Venice.

    He wrote “Was informed by letters, first of your chaplain Mr. Starkey, and afterwards of Mr. Secretary, of your Grace’s pleasure that I should declare to you my opinion touching the superiority of the Pope, with other articles, and state my reasons. I have done so, accordingly, in a book which I send by the bearer. How it will satisfy you, He only knows in whose hand are the hearts of kings. If you wish further information of my purpose, I refer you to the bearer.”

    The cardinal attached a copy of his treatise, in which he criticised the king’s annulment and denied the royal supremacy. He was making an enemy and the king would take revenge.

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  • April 9 – The pope revokes Cardinal Pole’s legatine powers

    A portrait of Cardinal Reginald Pole by Sebastiano del Piombo

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th April 1557, Cardinal Reginald Pole’s legatine powers were revoked by Pope Paul IV.

    Pole, who was also Mary I’s Archbishop of Canterbury, had served as legate a latere to England from March 1554 until the pope deprived him of this power on 9th April 1557.

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  • The Pole Family

    As today is the anniversary of the arrests of members of the Pole family and their associates in 1538 for high treason, I thought I’d share this talk by Adam Pennington on the Poles:

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  • November 4 – Members of the Pole family and their associates are arrested for treason

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1538, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu; his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Neville; Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter; Courtenay’s wife, Gertrude Blount, and the couple’s son, Edward Courtenay, were arrested for treason. They were taken to the Tower of London.

    Montagu, Neville and Exeter, along with Montagu’s brother, Geoffrey Pole, were accused of plotting with Montagu’s brother, Cardinal Reginald Pole, against King Henry VIII. Montagu’s mother, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was also arrested for treason.

    Henry VIII had sought Cardinal Pole’s opinion on his marriage and the papacy, so why were members of his family accused of treason for communicating with the cardinal?

    Find out what Cardinal Pole had done to upset the king, and what happened to his family and friends…

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  • May 27 – Cardinal Pole makes an enemy and his mother, Margaret Pole, suffers a botched execution

    On 27th May 1536, Cardinal Reginald Pole, who was in Venice, wrote to King Henry VIII. It was a very polite letter but what he sent with it brought Pole and his family trouble. He made the mistake of making an enemy of King Henry VIII.

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  • 27 May – Cardinal Pole makes an enemy

    On 27th May 1536, Cardinal Reginald Pole, who was in Venice, wrote to King Henry VIII.

    It was a very polite letter but what he sent with it brought Pole and his family trouble. He made the mistake of making an enemy of King Henry VIII.

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  • A heretic cardinal, the other Tudor Drake, and a plotting baron

    In part two of This Week in Tudor History for the week beginning 5th April, I talk about why Pope Paul IV branded Cardinal Pole a heretic and took away his legatine powers, before introducing you to a sea captain named Drake, but not Sir Francis Drake, and telling you about John Lumley, a baron who was involved with the Ridolfi Plot but kept his head, and a man who was recorded as owning a full-length portrait of Anne Boleyn.

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  • 4 November – A cardinal’s actions lead to his family’s undoing

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1538, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Neville; Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter; Courtenay’s wife, Gertrude Blount, and the couple’s son, Edward Courtenay, were all arrested for treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

    Montagu, Neville and Exeter, along with Montagu’s brother, Geoffrey Pole, were accused of plotting with Cardinal Reginald Pole against the king. Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was also arrested, accused of the same.

    But how had it come to this, when Henry VIII had sought Cardinal Pole’s opinion on his marriage and the papacy?

    Find out what Cardinal Pole had done to upset the king, and what happened to his family and friends as a result, in today’s talk.

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  • 5 May – Can’t kill him for heresy, let’s try treason…

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th May 1543, religious radical, Adam Damplip, also known as George Bucker, was hanged, drawn and quartered in Calais, which was an English territory at the time.

    Although it was his heretical preaching that had got him into trouble, he couldn’t be executed as a heretic, so he was condemned as a traitor instead – clever, but nasty!

    Let me explain more in today’s talk.

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  • 15 December – Cardinal Pole is laid to rest

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th December 1558, Cardinal Reginald Pole, Mary I’s Archbishop of Canterbury and her chief advisor, was buried at Canterbury Cathedral. Coincidentally, Cardinal Pole had died the same day as his queen, on 17th November 1558.

    Find out a bit more about Cardinal Pole, his background, death and burial, in today’s talk.

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  • 9 January

    A portrait of Cardinal Reginald Pole by Sebastiano del Piombo

    Warning: In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I do describe what being hanged, drawn and quartered involved so feel free to fast forward that bit!

    Today’s “on this day” is about the executions of two of the men involved in the alleged Exeter Conspiracy of 1538. I hope you enjoy it.

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  • 17 November 1558 – The death of Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury

    A portrait of Cardinal Reginald Pole by Sebastiano del Piombo

    Did you know that 17th November 1558 was the death date of not only Queen Mary I, but also of Reginald Pole, Mary’s Archbishop of Canterbury? Strange, isn’t it?

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  • 15 December 1558 – The burial of Cardinal Reginald Pole

    A portrait of Cardinal Reginald Pole by Sebastiano del Piombo