The Tudor Society
  • Agecroft Hall and Gardens – open house!

  • The Fall of Lord Protector Somerset

    Portrait of Edward Seymour as 1st Earl of Hertford (c.1537), wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter. By unknown artist, Longleat House, Wiltshire.

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, woke up the most powerful man in Tudor England and went to bed a denounced traitor.

    Somerset had ruled as king in all but name since February 1547, leading his nephew King Edward VI’s government.

    He pushed bold reforms (the Act of Uniformity and the Book of Common Prayer), but rebellion, rivalry, and ambition brought him down. On 8 October 1549, the Privy Council branded Somerset a traitor. By the 11th, he had surrendered. Within days, he was in the Tower; his protectorate abolished.

    Find out more, and how this wasn’t actually the end of Somerset…

    [Read More...]
  • Tudor sea-captain William Hawkins

    St Nicholas Church, Deptford

    On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1589, William Hawkins, died.

    He’s not as famous as his brother, Sir John Hawkins, but let me tell you more about this merchant, sea captain and three-time mayor of Plymouth…

    [Read More...]
  • Women Who Ruled the World – Interview with Elizabeth Norton

    Elizabeth Norton

    n my latest historian/author interview for my youtube channel, I’m joined by historian Elizabeth Norton to talk about her new book Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy. We cover how she chose her rulers, the thorny language of “queen” vs “female king”, why so many societies accepted women only in crises, and the single pattern she kept seeing across five millennia.

    [Read More...]
  • From “Looking for Richard” to Writing Richard III — Wendy Johnson Interview

    In my latest interview on YouTube, I chat with historical novelist Wendy Johnson about her debut novel, “The Traitor’s Son”, her involvement in the “Looking for Richard” project, and her thoughts on the infamous Richard III.

    We explore:

    What being close to the 2012 discovery in Leicester changed for her as a writer and Ricardian
    Why start with boyhood, and what newcomers should unlearn about Richard
    Fact vs fiction: where the record ends and imagination begins
    Favourite sources for Edward, George, and Richard
    Places that shaped the story: Ludlow, Middleham, London
    Teasers for Books 2 & 3 in the trilogy
    Plus: Wendy’s top Ricardian must-visit sites, the scene she’d film first, and one non-fiction pick to read next.

    [Read More...]
  • Was Henry VIII Really Protestant?

    Was Henry VIII really Protestant video thumbnail

    King Henry VIII broke from Rome, dissolved the monasteries, and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church in England, so he was a Protestant, wasn’t he?

    Not quite.

    In this video, we explore:

    Why Henry VIII broke with the Pope, and it wasn’t about theology
    His 1521 book defending the Catholic sacraments against Martin Luther
    The Act of Supremacy and what it really meant
    The Six Articles and the continued persecution of Protestants
    What changed under Henry—and what stayed Catholic
    The king’s final days and the beliefs he clung to on his deathbed

    [Read More...]
  • The birth of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen and Gloriana

    Elizabeth i Rainbow Portrait

    On this day in Tudor history, 7th September 1533, at Greenwich Palace, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a daughter who would grow up to be Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess, a queen who would rule England for over 44 years.

    Find out more about her birth, the reactions and celebrations…

    [Read More...]
  • Could You Really Get Away with Murder at Henry VIII’s Court? – The Case of Sir William Pennington

    Richard Southwell

    In April 1532, courtier Sir William Pennington was murdered in the Westminster sanctuary.

    His killers? They walked away with a manslaughter verdict, a £1,000 pardon, and glittering careers.

    That’s Tudor justice for you!

    In this video, I explore:

    The argument and fight, from Westminster Hall to the sanctuary precinct
    How sanctuary should have worked,and how it was bent
    The official indictment vs. Carlo Capello’s explosive diplomatic report
    Cromwell’s intervention and the price of a royal pardon
    Holbein’s 1537 portrait: the scar carried from the fight
    What this case tells us about power, patronage, and Tudor justice

    [Read More...]
  • Sir Thomas Paston, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber

    Thumbnail for Sir Thomas Paston video

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th September 1550, Sir Thomas Paston, a gentleman of the privy chamber under Henry VIII and Edward VI, died.

    He was, of course, a member of the Pastons of Norfolk, a family famed for the Paston Letters, a treasure trove of family correspondence from the 1400s into the 1500s, which give us a vivid, everyday view of gentry life at the time.

    Find out more about Sir Thomas Paston in my video, as I trace his journey from younger son to royal insider…

    [Read More...]
  • The Sad Life of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon

    Portrait of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, by an unknown artist

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd September 1553, Edward Courtenay was created Earl of Devon by Queen Mary I.

    He hadn’t long been released from the Tower of London, having spent 15 years there, losing his father, the Marquess of Exeter to the executioner’s block.

    In this video, I trace the extraordinary (and rather sad) life of Edward Courtenay.

    [Read More...]
  • Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York

    Thumbnail for Thomas Savage video

    On 2nd or 3rd September 1507, Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York, died at Cawood Castle in Yorkshire.

    Savage wasn’t just a man of the church, he was one of King Henry VII’s most trusted servants, a skilled diplomat, and a powerful royal official in the north of England.

    [Read More...]
  • Dorcas Martin – Translator, bookseller and Puritan

    Thumbnail for Dorcas Martin video

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st September 1599, translator, bookseller, and Puritan, Dorcas Martin (née Eccleston) was laid to rest at All Hallows, Tottenham.

    Dorcas was the wife of Sir Richard Martin, twice Lord Mayor of London, and although she lived much of her life in her husband’s shadow, she carved out a place of her own in Elizabethan London, even having her translations of prayers and psalms appearing in “The Monument of Matrones” (1582), the very first anthology of women’s writing published in England…

    [Read More...]
  • Maurice Browne, a Forgotten Tudor Adventurer

    thumbnail for my Maurice Browne video

    When we think of Elizabethan adventurers, names like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh usually come to mind. But on 29th August 1583, another Tudor mariner met a tragic fate.

    His name was Maurice Browne and he went down with his ship, the Delight.

    Browne wasn’t just an adventurer, he was a well-connected courtier who worked for Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I’s famous spymaster. But his ambition and spirit of exploration led him to join Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s doomed voyage to North America…

    [Read More...]
  • Martyr Thomas Felton

    Thumbnail for Thomas Felton video

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th August 1588, a young Franciscan friar named Thomas Felton was hanged near Brentford, Middlesex.

    His crime?

    Being a Catholic seminary priest and refusing to acknowledge Queen Elizabeth I as head of the Church.

    Felton was just twenty-one years old when he went to the gallows for his faith…

    [Read More...]
  • Lady Anne Bacon (née Cooke)

    Thumbnail for Lady Anne Bacon video

    On this day in history, 27th August 1610, in the reign of King James I, a woman of learning, piety and conviction, a quite remarkable woman, was laid to rest at St Michael’s Church, St Albans. She was Lady Anne Bacon (née Cooke).

    Anne was the daughter of scholar and humanist Sir Anthony Cooke; the wife of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal; and mother of spy Anthony Bacon, and Francis Bacon, one of the greatest thinkers of the age. But she should be remember in her own right for her education, translations and scholarship.

    [Read More...]
  • Bishop Thomas Thirlby

    Thumbnail for Thomas Thirlby video

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th August 1570, Bishop Thomas Thirlby died while under house arrest at Lambeth Palace.

    He’d see all six of the Tudor monarchs on the throne and as well as being the very first Bishop of Westminster and Bishop of Ely, he’d carried out diplomatic missions, served as a privy councillor and nearly been made Lord Chancellor. But sadly, his faith led to his fall under Elizabeth I.

    [Read More...]
  • Mildred Cecil (née Cooke) – The Forgotten Tudor Powerhouse Behind William Cecil

    Mildred Cooke

    On this day in Tudor history, 25th August 1526, Mildred Cecil, Lady Burghley, was born into the influential Cooke family of Gidea Hall, Essex.

    Mildred was the daughter of scholar, humanist and royal tutor, Sir Anthony Cooke, but is best known as the wife of Elizabeth I’s chief advisor, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. However, Mildred was a powerhouse in her own right, a remarkable woman, and one of the most learned women of her age.

    [Read More...]
  • Elizabeth Boleyn: The Life of the Queen’s Mother – Interview with author Sophie Bacchus-Waterman

    Elizabeth Boleyn book

    In my latest interview for my youtube channel, I’m talking to historian and author Sophie Bacchus-Waterman about her debut book, “Elizabeth Boleyn: The Life of the Queen’s Mother”.

    It’s a ground-breaking biography.

    Why? Because it’s the first biography of Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire, who’s known to us as Anne Boleyn’s mother and who’s always been, before now, a rather shadowy figure. But she’s more than that Sophie uncovers Elizabeth’s real story: her career at court, her influence, and her role in the Boleyn family…

    [Read More...]
  • The Battle of Bosworth Field and the beginning of the Tudor Dynasty

    Henry VII and Richard III

    On this day in history, 22nd August 1485, the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, was killed when his Yorkist forces met those of Lancastrian Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

    Henry claimed the throne as Henry VII and went on to marry Richard’s niece, Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, thus uniting the royal houses of York and Lancaster. It was the start of a new dynasty of the throne of England: the Tudors.

    [Read More...]
  • Charles Brandon: A Tudor Survivor with a Tangled Love-life

    Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

    On 22nd August 1545, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, died a natural death, ending the life of one of the most colourful and daring figures of Henry VIII’s reign.

    His tangled love-life had seen him set aside a pregnant fiancée (or wife) to marry her aunt, secretly marry the king’s favourite sister, and marry his 14-year-old ward, who was actually promised to his son… but he remained the king’s closest ally for nearly four decades.

    Find out more about Charles Brandon…

    [Read More...]
  • A Groom of the Stool and Tudor Survivor You’ve Never Heard of – Sir Thomas Heneage

    Sir Thomas Heneage's tomb

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st August 1553, Sir Thomas Heneage died a natural death just days after he’d congratulated a victorious Queen Mary I.

    He was quite the survivor. He began his career in the household of Cardinal Wolsey, but then transferred to King Henry VIII’s privy chamber, surviving his former master’s fall and rising to the position of groom of the stool. Then, despite his Catholic faith, he served in Edward VI’s privy chamber, and rode to Ipswich during the succession crisis of 1553 to congratulate Mary when it became clear she was victorious against Queen Jane.

    Survival at the Tudor court wasn’t about luck, it was about timing, tact, and knowing when to step forward… and when to step back…

    [Read More...]
  • Thomas Bilney – The Reluctant Martyr

    An illustration of Thomas Bilney from John Foxe's Book of Martyrs

    On this day in Tudor history, 19th August 1531, Norfolk priest and preacher Thomas Bilney was burned at the stake in the Lollards’ Pit, Norwich.

    Bilney had been a passionate reformer, inspiring the likes of fellow martyr, Bishop Hugh Latimer, but under pressure, he broke and recanted, regretted his recantation but then, at the end, recanted once more.

    Find out more about Bolney, his career, religious wavering, and tragic end…

    [Read More...]
  • A Royal Wedding and a Massacre

    Henry of Navarre and Margaret of Valois

    On this day in history, 18th August in 1572, Henry of Navarre, leader of the Huguenots and the future King Henry IV of France, married Margaret of Valois, daughter of King Henry II and Catherine de’ Medici, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

    This royal wedding was meant to bring peace, to to heal the religious divisions between Protestants and Catholics in France, but, instead, there was an assassination followed by a bloody massacre which not only affected the city of Paris, but towns and cities across France…

    [Read More...]
  • The Forgotten Genius Behind The Spanish Tragedy and Hamlet – Thomas Kyd

    Thomas Kyd video thumbnail

    Did you know that before Shakespeare’s famous “Hamlet”, there may have been another?

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th August 1594, playwright Thomas Kyd was buried in London, aged just 36.

    He’s not a household name, not like William Shakespeare anyway, but he wrote “The Spanish Tragedy”, one of the biggest theatrical hits of the Elizabethan age, being performed 29 times at the Rose Theatre and published in 11 editions, more than any of Shakespeare’s plays at the time.

    [Read More...]
  • Mudlarking, African Women in Tudor England, and More at London Museum Docklands

    Mudlark finds a fork

    London Museum Docklands has been in touch with me to share some events they have coming up which may be of interest to some of you.

    From African women in Tudor London to archaeology, alchemy and mudlarking, there’s so much history to enjoy!

    [Read More...]
  • The princess who lived in the shadow of kings – Katherine of York

    Katherine of York video thumbnail

    On this day in history, 14th August 1479, Katherine of York was born.

    She was the daughter of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville, the sister of Queen Elizabeth of York and the Princes in the Tower, and the aunt of Henry VIII. She was at the very heart of Plantagenet and Tudor dynasties — living through regime change, rebellion, and royal funerals, yet she chose to live out her final days on her estates in Devon.

    [Read More...]
  • From Cromwell’s Ally to Mary’s Pardon – Sir John Kingsmill

    Thumbnail for Sir John Kingsmill video

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th August 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Sir John Kingsmill died a natural death.

    You may not have heard of him, but he worked with Thomas Cromwell, helped dissolve monasteries and chantries, and still managed to earn a pardon from Queen Mary I.

    Kingsmill was:
    – A lawyer and sheriff
    – A commissioner for Edward VI’s Protestant reforms
    – A beneficiary of monastic spoils
    – And the father of seventeen children

    [Read More...]
  • A Taste of Loyalty – A New Richard III Film

    A Taste of Loyalty

    Was Richard III really the monster Shakespeare painted him to be? Or have centuries of myth and propaganda hidden the man he truly was?

    Join me as I talk to the creative team behind “A Taste of Loyalty”—a powerful new short film (inspired by Matthew Lewis’s novel “Loyalty”), which explores one of the most pivotal (and misunderstood) moments in Richard III’s life.

    I interview Matt Lewis, historian and novelist; Thomas Dennis, director, screenwriter, and the man portraying Richard III; and Tiffany Lunn, composer and musical visionary for the film.

    [Read More...]
  • A Royal Wedding for a 13-year-old Princess

    Detail of Margaret Tudor's face from a portrait of her by Daniel Mystens

    On this day in Tudor history, thirteen-year-old Princess Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, married thirty-year-old King James IV of Scotland.

    It was an important diplomatic match, part of the Treaty of Perpetual Peace negotiated between the two kingdoms.

    In this video, I’ll take you inside:

    The background to the wedding
    grand wedding at Holyroodhouse
    Margaret’s rollercoaster life as queen, widow, regent and power player
    And how her bloodline still sits on the throne today

    [Read More...]
  • Lovechild and bigamist – Sir Robert Dudley, son of Elizabeth I’s favourite

    Sir Robert Dudley

    He was born a lovechild, died an exiled nobleman, and, in between, he explored the West Indies, built ships for Italian dukes, and underwent a bigamous marriage.

    This is the story of Sir Robert Dudley, who was born on this day in Tudor history, 7th August 1574, and was the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and Lady Douglas Sheffield.

    [Read More...]