On this day in Tudor history, 21st November 1558, just days after Elizabeth I's accession, courtier James Bassett died at Blackfriars, London, aged just about thirty-two.
Bassett had been a devoted servant of both Queen Mary I and her husband, Philip of Spain, and he was a scholar, exile, courtier, and diplomat, as well as being the son of Honor Grenville and stepson of Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle, an illegitimate son of Edward IV.
In this video, I explore:
• His deep loyalty to Stephen Gardiner
• His imprisonment and exile under Edward VI
• His rise at the courts of Mary I and Philip of Spain
• His diplomatic missions and political influence
• His marriage into the family of Sir Thomas More
• Why his life, though brief, reveals so much about Tudor politics and faith
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