The Tudor Society

26 May – A wife and mother of poets

On this day in history, 26th May 1621, Barbara Sidney (née Gamage), Countess of Leicester, was buried at Penshurst.

Find out about this Tudor lady, whose marriage was the concern of several prominent Tudor men and who ended up marrying an Elizabethan poet.

Also on this day in Tudor history, 26th May 1520, in the lead-up to King Henry VIII’s meeting with Francis I of France at the Field of Cloth of Gold, the English king met with his nephew Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, at Dover Castle on the south coast of England.

Find out more about this meeting and the rather lavish outfits worn by Henry VIII and his queen consort, Catherine of Aragon:

And on this day in Tudor history, 26th May 1536, Henry VIII's daughter, Mary, sought the help of Thomas Cromwell, the king's right-hand man.
Now that Anne Boleyn was dead and gone, Mary hoped for a reconciliation with her father the king. What happened and how was she treated? Find out:

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26 May – A wife and mother of poets