On this day in Tudor history, 13th June, George Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny, died; a pregnant Catherine Parr and her husband, Thomas Seymour, set off for Sudeley Castle; and actor William Knell died in a pub brawl…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 13 June
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Mary Howard’s Lucky Escape: A Tudor Tale of Fortunate Refusal
Following the death of her husband, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Mary Howard’s father, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, put forward the idea that his daughter should marry the up and coming Thomas Seymour, but Mary wasn’t keen. In hindsight she had a rather lucky escape.
Let me tell you more…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 20 March
On this day in Tudor history, 20th March, Catholic priest and martyr Cuthbert Mayne was baptised; Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley and Edward VI’s uncle, was executed for treason; and Mary Bassett, translator and granddaughter of Sir Thomas More, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 5 March
On this day in Tudor history, 5th March, Henry VII issued letters patent to explorer John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), a bill of attainder listing 33 counts of treason was passed against Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, and a Spanish physician introduced tobacco into Europe…
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#OTD in Tudor History – 5 February
On this day in Tudor history, 5th February, diplomat Sir Henry Brooke was born, 15-year-old Elizabeth was questioned regarding Thomas Seymour, and Henry of Navarre abjured Catholicism…
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#OTD in Tudor History – 16 January
On this day in Tudor history, 16th January, a courtier and close friend of Henry VIII was born, a young king had his apartments broken into by his uncle, and a Howard man was tried for treason, and, unsurprisingly, found guilty…
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Thomas Seymour Crossword Puzzle
As Thomas Seymour is a main character in the Starz series, “Becoming Elizabeth”, at the moment, I thought I’d test your knowledge of this Tudor man.
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March 20 – St Cuthbert Mayne, an Elizabethan priest and martyr, and Forgetting God to love a king – Thomas Seymour’s end
On this day in Tudor history, 20th March 1544, Cuthbert Mayne (Main/Maine) or St Cuthbert Mayne, Roman Catholic priest and martyr, was baptised in Youlston in North Devon.
Cuthbert Mayne has gone down in history as the first seminary priest to be martyred. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Launceston on 30th November 1577, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Find out more about this Elizabethan martyr in this talk…
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March 5 – Tobacco comes to Europe, and Thomas Seymour and 33 counts of treason
On this day in Tudor history, 5th March 1558, Spanish physician Francisco Fernandes brought back live tobacco plants and seeds from Mexico to Europe.
I talk about the introduction of tobacco in Europe and how it was viewed as a cure-all, and how tobacco smoking became fashionable at Elizabeth I’s court.
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5 February – Elizabeth under investigation
On this day in Tudor history, 5th February 1549, in the reign of King Edward VI, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth I, was summoned to appear before Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who was keeping her under house arrest at Hatfield while the Crown investigated Thomas Seymour.
Edward VI’s privy council were investigating whether Elizabeth was secretly plotting to marry Thomas Seymour, Edward VI’s uncle, helped by her servants, Katherine Ashley and Thomas Parry.
Parry and Ashley had made confessions, but what had they said? And what would happen to them all?
Find out in today’s talk.
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30 August – Little Mary Seymour, a Tudor mystery
On this day in Tudor history, 30th August 1548, Catherine Parr, Queen Dowager (sixth wife of King Henry VIII) and wife of Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley, gave birth to a healthy daughter at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Thomas and Catherine named the little girl Mary after her godmother, the future Queen Mary I.
Lady Mary Seymour would soon be orphaned, and by the age of two she had disappeared from the records. What happened to Mary Seymour?
I talk about the various theories regarding Mary Seymour’s fate. What a Tudor mystery!
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20 March – Forgetting God to love a king – Thomas Seymour’s end
On this day in Tudor history, 20th March 1549, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron of Sudeley, was executed by beheading on Tower Hill.
In today’s video, I talk about his execution and share the poem he wrote in his last days. I also give details of how some of Seymour’s contemporaries viewed him.
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5 March – Thomas Seymour, Baron Sudeley, and 33 counts of treason
On this day in Tudor history, 5th March 1549, a bill of attainder was passed against Thomas Seymour, Baron Sudeley, uncle of King Edward VI, finding him guilty of 33 counts of treason.
In today’s video, I explain what happened and share some of the charges laid against this brother of Queen Jane Seymour.
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16 January
Thomas Seymour was accused of attempting to kidnap his nephew, King Edward VI, on this day in 1549, but what exactly happened? In this video, I recount the story, as told by two contemporary sources.
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Seymour Family – True or false?
The Seymour family was a very important family in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, but just how much do you know about them? Grab a coffee and snack, and settle down to test your knowledge with this fun quiz. Good luck!
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Thomas Seymour’s death warrant
Thank you so much to historical novelist Janet Wertman for inspiring today’s Claire Chats on the subject of just who signed Thomas Seymour’s death warrant – was it King Edward VI or was it Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector? I look at what the sources say.
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Thomas Seymour: A sexual predator?
In today’s Claire Chats, Claire considers the primary source evidence for Thomas Seymour’s behaviour with Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth I, between 1547 and 1549.
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Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, was born in or before 1509 and was the fourth son of Sir John Seymour and his wife Margery Wentworth. He would have grown up at the Seymour family home of Wolf Hall (also known as Wulfhall) in Wiltshire. He was one of a brood of six sons and four daughters, and his siblings included Edward Seymour, Lord Protector; Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife and queen consort; Elizabeth Seymour, who married three times: Sir Anthony Ughtred, Gregory Cromwell and John Paulet; and Sir Henry Seymour.
Nothing is known of his early life, but Thomas started his court career by serving courtier and diplomat, Sir Francis Bryan, in whose service he was in by 1530. The Seymour family began to rise in favour at Henry VIII’s court as the king started courting Jane Seymour in spring 1536 and then married her on 30th May 1536, following the execution of Queen Anne Boleyn. Thomas joined Henry VIII’s privy chamber in October 1536 and while his sister was queen his rewards included being knighted and being named joint master steward of Chirk and Holt. In 1538, he benefited from the dissolution of the monasteries by receiving land once owned by monasteries in Essex, Hampshire and Berkshire. He was involved in diplomatic missions to France, Vienna and the Low Countries in 1538, 1542 and 1543 respectively.
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Seymour Family Quiz
How much do you know about this famous Tudor family? Test yourself with this fun quiz by Rebecca Larson.
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Thomas Seymour Quiz
Thank you to Rebecca Larson, our new quiz writer, for this quiz on Thomas Seymour. Test your knowledge of this fascinating Tudor man with this fun quiz.
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16 January 1549 – Thomas Seymour tries to kidnap Edward VI
On this day in history, 16th January 1549, Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, was alleged to have broken into the King’s apartments at Hampton Court Palace to kidnap the young King. As he entered the royal residence, it is said that he disturbed the King’s beloved spaniel who started barking at him. In panic, Seymour is said to have shot the dog, a noise which alerted one of the guards who then apprehended Seymour.
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Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth
Claire talks about the strange relationship between Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth I, when she was a teenager. Strange things happened … or did they?
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