In “The Tudors” series, Henry VIII had a rather nasty accident and nearly drowned. This actually happened while the king was oput hawking in 1525.
Let me tell you more about it.
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5 December – A near-drowning for Henry VIII!
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4 December – King Henry VIII’s dogs
Did you know that Henry VIII was a dog-lover?
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Yes, the king had two favourite dogs called Cut and Ball, and you can find out more about them in this video I did a few years ago with the help of Teasel the dog… -
2 December – Henry VIII’s spectacles
For today’s Advent treat, I’m sharing this Teasel’s Tudor Trivia video from a few years ago. It’s about Henry VIII and what he used to help him read as his eyesight worsened with age.
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October 11 – Henry VIII becomes Defender of the Faith
On this day in Tudor history, 11th October 1521, Pope Leo X conferred on King Henry VIII the title of Fidei Defensor, “Defender of the Faith”.
This was a reward for Henry VIII writing his pamphlet Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum, “Declaration of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther”, which was dedicated to the Pope. The pamphlet defended the Catholic Church against Reformer Martin Luther’s work, “De captivitate Babylonica”, “On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church”, which had been published in 1520.
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October 9 – The Pilgrimage of Grace rebels send their grievances to Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 9th October 1536, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the rebels of Horncastle, Lincoln, dispatched their petition of grievances to the king and also north into Yorkshire.
These were the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, an uprising in the north of England which was sparked off initially by trouble in Lincolnshire. This trouble, in turn, was caused by discontent over the dissolution of Louth Abbey, the government commissions in the area and rumours that these commissions would confiscate jewels and plate from churches and impose new taxes.
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June 30 – Henry VIII and Catherine Howard set off on Progress
On this day in Tudor history, 30th June 1541, Henry VIII and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, set off on their royal progress to the North.
The main aims of the progress were to meet Henry’s nephew, King James V of Scotland, at York in September, and to show the king’s authority in the north, following the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, and to humiliate his subjects with displays of submission from them.
Here is my detailed video on this progress, which lasted from this day until the end of October, and was a huge undertaking with the whole royal court travelling from London as far north as York. It was on this progress that Catherine Howard had secret meetings with a member of her husband’s privy chamber, a certain Thomas Culpeper.
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June 21 – Henry VIII travels to the Tower of London
On this day in Tudor history, 21st June 1509, England’s new king, the nearly 18-year-old Henry VIII, travelled from Greenwich to the Tower of London.Chronicler Edward Hall recorded:
On the 21st day of this month of June, the king came from Greenwich to the Tower, over London Bridge, and so by Grace Church, with whom came many a well appareled gentleman, but in especial the Duke of Buckingham, which had a gowne all of goldsmithes work, very costly.
It was traditional for monarchs to stay at the Tower of London, where they would create Knights of the Bath, before their coronations. Henry and his new bride, Catherine of Aragon, were due to process through the streets of London to Westminster on 23rd June, and their coronation would take place on 24th.
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June 8 – Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, hopes for a reconciliation with her father
On this day in Tudor history, 8 June 1536, Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, wrote to her father in hope of a reconciliation now that her stepmother, Anne Boleyn, was dead.
Mary had been out of favour due to her refusal to accept the annulment of her parents’ marriage, her father’s supremacy and her status as illegitimate. She believed that Anne Boleyn was solely to blame for her troubles, writing that she understood that the king had “forgiven all her offences and withdrawn his displeasure”.
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May 28 – Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn is valid
On this day in Tudor history, 28th May 1533, at Lambeth Palace, Thomas Cranmer, the recently appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, proclaimed the validity of the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
This proclamation was the result of a secret enquiry carried out by the archbishop following the ruling of the special court set up at Dunstable Priory to hear the case for the annulment of Henry VIII’s first marriage. That court dissolved the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Convocation had already determined, on 5th April 1533, that the Pope had no power to issue a dispensation for a man to marry his brother’s widow when it was contrary to God’s law.
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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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May 22 – Edward Seymour joins Henry VIII’s privy council
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd May 1537, Edward Seymour, brother of Queen Jane Seymour, was sworn in as a privy councillor.
Edward, who was born in around 1500, had been at court since early adolescence, and he’d risen to become an esquire of the body by 1531.
In 1536, when the king was wooing his sister, Jane, Edward was appointed to the king’s privy chamber. Following Henry and Jane’s marriage, the rewards came thick and fast…
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May 20 – Henry VIII moves on with Jane Seymour
On this day in Tudor history, 20th May 1536, just 24 hours after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Henry VIII became betrothed to Jane Seymour, Anne’s former maid of honour.
The imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys wasn’t impressed by Jane, describing her as medium height, “no great beauty”, “rather pale”, inclined to be “proud and haughty” and lacking wit. Her age and length of time at court also made him doubt whether she was a virgin! He did like the fact that she was sympathetic to Mary’s cause though – phew!.
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May 15 – Henry VIII’s lack of sexual prowess is talked about in court!
On this day in Tudor history, 15th May 1536, the trials of Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, took place at the Tower of London.
Unsurprisingly, they were both found guilty of committing incest and plotting to kill the king, and sentenced to death – see video below. But there was some humiliation for the king when George was handed a note about his sister talking to his wife, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, about the king’s lack of sexual prowess.
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May 11 – King Henry VIII accuses the English clergy of treason
On this day in Tudor history, 11th May 1532, Henry VIII suggested that the English clergy were traitors.
Chronicler Edward Hall records that Henry VIII sent for the Speaker of the House of Commons and 12 members of the House of Commons, “havyng with hym eight Lordes”, and while holding a copy of the bishops’ oath to Rome
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May 10 – Archbishop Cranmer opens a special court into Henry VIII’s great matter
On this day in Tudor history, 10th May 1533, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, opened a special court at Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire.
The court’s job was to rule on the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
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April 27 – Can Henry VIII abandon Anne Boleyn?
On this day in Tudor history, 27th April 1536, John Stokesley, Bishop of London, was approached to see if Henry VIII could “abandon” his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, recorded that Stokesley replied that he would only give his opinion to the king himself, and that before doing so he needed to be clear what the king wanted. He certainly didn’t want to endanger himself by offending the king or the queen.
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From the Archives: Talk on Henry VIII as a military leader
As today is the anniversary of King Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, I thought I’d share this talk by historian and author Gareth Russell on Henry VIII’s successes and failures as a military leader.
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The difficulties of turning a short film about Henry VIII into a novel
This article is part of a blog tour for ‘I am Henry,’ the new novel based on the award-winning short film of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn by Jan Hendrik Verstaten and Massimo Barbato, which is due out tomorrow, 22nd April.
We were delighted that our little short film ‘I am Henry’ was received well. It won, in total, 13 film awards, including a prestigious Gold Remi. The only criticism we had from the viewers that loved it was that it was not long enough. They wanted to see what happened to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon.
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April 21 – The death of Henry VII and the accession of 17-year-old Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 21st April 1509 fifty-two-year-old Henry VII died, leaving the throne to his seventeen-year-old son, also called Henry.
Henry VII had ruled for over 23 years, since defeating King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The accession of Henry VIII, who was a good-looking and athletic young man of 6’3, was greeted with rejoicing. He seemed to be the ideal Renaissance Prince.
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March 19 – Edmund Harman, Henry VIII’s barber
On this day in Tudor history, 19th March 1577, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Edmund Harman, former barber, of Henry VIII, died at Burford in Oxfordshire. He had retired there after Henry VIII’s death. Harman was buried at Taynton Church.
Harman, who was originally from Ipswich, had entered the king’s service by 1533 and served him until the king’s death in 1547. His main duty was the daily washing and trimming of the king’s beard and hair, but he also served Henry VIII as keeper of the wardrobe.
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Henry VIII and the Merchants
Susan Rose is now retired but was a Senior lecturer and later a research fellow at Roehampton. She worked for over 30 years for the Open University in various roles and has written books on both medieval ships and also late medieval and early modern trade. Here, she shares an article about Henry VIII and shares some information about Stephen Vaughan. She has written a book entitled "Henry VIII and the Merchants" which available here.
Building on my knowledge and understanding of the world of traders and its importance to the rulers of England detailed in my book, The Wealth of England (Oxbow 2018) my research and new book takes the reader from the bustle and brilliance of Antwerp, the hub of European trade and finance in the early sixteenth century to the courts of Henry VIII, the Regent of the Netherlands, and the Emperor Charles V.Stephen Vaughan a young London Merchant Adventurer who became an assistant and friend of Thomas Cromwell. Through that connection, he was drawn into the world of the court in London and the service of the King abroad. At first, he combined negotiations over the trading privileges of English merchants in the booming markets of Antwerp with personal commissions for Cromwell, buying books or items like a globe or a chest for private papers.
As a convinced supporter of the reformed religion, though never a member of any sect, Vaughan also had close contact with William Tyndale the translator of the Bible into English and frequently sent word back to London of plots by those seeking to undermine the King’s policies. More serious diplomatic missions for the Crown involved visits to Lutheran princes and an attempt to convince the Regent of the Netherlands Charles V’s sister that another sister, the Duchess of Milan, would make a fine bride for Henry.
After Cromwell's fall and execution, he was drawn closer to the King and the Privy Council and was finally charged with raising the emergency financing necessary if Henry was to join Charles in a war against France in 1543-6. This entailed obtaining loans on the Antwerp Bourse, the centre of the money market of the day. No English King had done this previously and royal advisers had no experience at all in this kind of operation. Vaughan had to deal with a complex tangle of differing coinages, exchange rates which changed rapidly in response to the news of the day, and networks of experienced brokers and bankers always out for their own advantage.
His letters to London bewail those he had to deal with who were, 'foxes and wolves which are shrewd beasts whose natures are well known to your Honors.' The broker he was forced to use, Gaspare Ducci, was an essential contact with the Fuggers and other bankers but was 'so greedily hunting after gain' for himself that it was hard to trust him.
Vaughan's personal life showed him to be a loving father, especially to his carefully educated daughters. Anne became a convinced Protestant and has become renowned as a poet under her married name, Anne Locke Vaughan. Jane, later Wiseman, took a different path as a heroine of the recusants in Elizabeth’s reign by harbouring the Jesuit, John Gerrard.
About the book
Drawing heavily from the State Papers of the King, Henry VIII and the Merchants traces Stephen Vaughan's careers as a servant of Thomas Cromwell and of Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Stephen Vaughan, a Londoner with an international outlook, was a member of the Company of Merchant Taylors, as well as a Merchant Adventurer in the Low Countries. As a young man Vaughan was drawn into the employ of Thomas Cromwell and worked in his private office. Thus, Vaughan became heavily involved in the world of government and court politics at a time when the style, tempo and effectiveness of official life in London was changing rapidly and the world was quickly opening up as his travels to Europe drew him into the enticing world of business and finance.
For the first time, this notable study uncovers the secrets of Vaughan's life from his relatively humble beginning to his high-power career as an ambassador, spy, and financial agent of the crown on the Bourse at Antwerp. What is more, on a wider canvas this intimate tale shows how individuals were affected by and reacted to the drastic changes in religion, politics and everyday life under the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII.
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Henry VIII and His Six Wives Online Event – register now!
Historian Claire Ridgway’s next online event, Henry VIII and His Six Wives, is open for registration with an early bird discount coupon!
Register now and join Claire, Dr Tracy Borman, Dr Linda Porter, Gareth Russell, Dr Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey as they delve into the lives of this iconic king and his six queens consort.
Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a completely online event and its starts properly on 22nd May 2023. However, Claire is hosting zoom video calls twice a month leading up to the event so participants can get to know each other and talk Tudor. The zoom calls start on 12th February and the topic for discussion is Henry VIII in film and on TV.
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January 31 – Henry VIII’s death is announced
On this day in Tudor history, 31st January 1547, Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley announced the death of King Henry VIII to Parliament. The king had died on 28th January.
Chronicler and Windsor Herald Charles Wriothesley records the late king’s son, nine-year-old Edward, being officially proclaimed king
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January 19 – Diplomat Sir Edward Carne and Henry VIII’s fourth marriage
On this day in Tudor history, 19th January 1561, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Edward Carne died in Rome. He was about sixty-five years of age.
The administrator and diplomat, who came from Glamorgan in Wales originally, carried out diplomatic missions for King Henry VIII, was a royal commissioner during the dissolution of the monasteries, negotiated for a fourth marriage for Henry VIII after the death of Jane Seymour, was Mary I’s English ambassador to Rome, and claimed descent from the Kings of Gwent! An interesting man.
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January 5 – The Christening of Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
On this day in Tudor history, Sunday 5th January 1511, the lavish christening of Henry, Duke of Cornwall, took place in the Chapel of Observant Friars at Richmond, in Surrey.
The little duke had been born on New Year’s Day at Richmond Palace on New Year’s Day. He was the son of King Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and news of the prince’s birth had been met with bonfires, wine being given out to the citizens of London, and processions.
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December 17 – The excommunication of Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 17th December 1538, King Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Pope Paul III.
The papacy had threatened the English king with excommunication several times during the Great Matter, but the final straw was Henry VIII’s desecration of one of the holiest shrines in Europe.
How did Henry VIII go from being “Defender of the Faith” to being excommunicated? Find out…
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November 3 – A man said to be Henry VIII’s illegitimate son dies in the Tower
On this day in Tudor history, 3rd November 1592, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir John Perrot died at the Tower of London.
Sir John Perrot, who was a privy councillor and former Lord Deputy of Ireland, is a fascinating Tudor character. He survived being a Protestant and protecting ‘heretics’ in Mary I’s reign, and he was saved six times from serious punishment by Queen Elizabeth I’s intercession.
Was this favour due to him being the queen’s half-brother? Some people think so.
You can find out more about Perrot and the arguments for and against him being Henry VIII’s son, in this video:
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October 2 – Henry VIII’s sister, Mary Tudor, sets sail for France
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd October 1514, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Princess Mary Tudor set sail for France.
The eighteen-year-old sister of Henry VIII was saining from Dover to France in order to marry fifty-two-year-old King Louis XII of France.
Find out about the arrangements for the journey, who was at Dover, how the bad weather affected Mary’s crossing to Boulogne, and what happened next…
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Henry VIII as a military leader: Myth, reality and legacy by Gareth Russell
As today is the anniversary of Henry VIII’s return from France on 30th September 1544 after the English victory at the Siege of Boulogne, I thought I’d share this expert talk from our archives.
Historian and author Gareth Russell discusses the successes and failures of Henry VIII as a military leader…
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September 30 – A triumphant Henry VIII returns to England from France
On this day in Tudor history, 30th September 1544, fifty-three-year-old King Henry VIII returned to England from France.
The king was returning in victory following the French surrender of Boulogne to him and his troops.
Hear a contemporary account of what happened during the siege of Boulogne and how and why the French surrendered to Henry VIII…
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