The Tudor Society

17 August – Sweating sickness kills a humanist scholar, and Dudley and Empson the Scapegoats

On this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1517, Italian humanist scholar, cleric and poet, Andreas Ammonius died in London from sweating sickness. He was laid to rest at St Stephen's, Westminster.

Ammonius had also served Henry VIII as his Latin secretary and was a great friend of the famous humanist scholar, Erasmus. Find out more about Ammonius and the sweating sickness epidemic which caused his death...

Also on this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1510, King Henry VII's former chief administrators, Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, were beheaded on Tower Hill as traitors even though they had served the former king loyally.

What happened? Why were these two advisors executed by their former master's son?

Find out...

What was sweating sickness? Find out more in this video:

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17 August – Sweating sickness kills a humanist scholar, and Dudley and Empson the Scapegoats