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.

In July 1577, a courtroom in the city of Oxford turned deadly.

Within days of the trial of a Catholic recusant and bookseller, hundreds, including Nicholas Barham, Queen Elizabeth I’s top lawyer, were dead.

No violence. No uprising. Just a hidden killer…gaol fever!

On this day in history, 22nd July 1437 (or 1438), John Scrope, 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton, was born at Bolton Castle in Yorkshire. He was a man who’d back the losing side multiple times, but with his head intact.

He fought at Towton with Edward IV, rebelled against him, supported Richard III, then Henry VII, then backed a royal pretender… yet he survived! He reall was like a cat with nine lives.

In my latest “On This Day” video on YouTube, I’ve headed slightly beyond the Tudor world — north to Scotland — to uncover the story of a young queen who deserves far more recognition than she gets.

On this day in history, 14th July 1486, Queen Margaret of Denmark, consort of James III of Scotland, died at just 30 years old. But her brief life left a permanent mark on British history.

Because of Margaret, Orkney and Shetland became — and remained — part of Scotland. A forgotten dowry, a pledged territory, and a queen who quietly changed the map of the British Isles.

But there’s so much more to her than diplomacy…