As it was the anniversary of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s execution this week, I thought I’d pay tribute to this Tudor man by giving you an overview of his life and sharing some of his works.
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Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
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This week in Tudor History – 18-24 January – Part 2
Part 2 of “This week in Tudor History” covers Tudor history events from 22nd to 24th January.
22nd January 1561, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I – The birth of politician, philosopher, author and scientist Francis Bacon at York House, the Strand, London. Bacon is known as “the Father of the Scientific method” and Baconians believe that he was the true author of some or all of William Shakespeare’s plays…
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This week in Tudor History – 18-24 January – Part 1
Part 1 of “This week in Tudor History” covers Tudor history events from 18th to 21st January.
Find out all about these Tudor events…
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Quiz – Match the words to the Tudor monarch
Who said what and to whom?
How much do you know about the words written and spoken by the Tudor kings and queens?
Test yourself with today’s fun quiz.
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Get involved in my videos
As you know, I do regular Tudor history-themed videos for YouTube and I just wanted to share with you an idea Tim had for my channel.
The idea is for viewers to actually be a part of my videos by recording themselves asking a question. The topic is the Tudors: fact or fiction?
Do you have a burning question about a Tudor novel, TV series or movie? Well, here’s your chance to be in a video and get your question answered.
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The Royal Supremacy and the Break with Rome
On this day in history, 15th January 1535, in his privy chamber, in the presence of men including Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, the Duke of Norfolk, and Thomas Audley, Henry VIII proclaimed that he was now the supreme head of the Church in England.
But why had he taken this title and what events had led to this proclamation?
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This week in Tudor History – 11 – 17 January – Part 2
This second part of this week’s “This week in Tudor History” covers events that took place in the Tudor period on 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th January. Find out all about these Tudor events
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Off with her head – A History Channel Podcast including an interview with Claire
Just before Christmas I recorded an interview with the History Channel podcast team, which was fun to do as it’s always lovely to talk about Tudor history, and especially Anne Boleyn.
If you’re in an English speaking country, you should be able to find the podcast on your usual podcast platform. Here’s the blurb and a few links for you:
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This week in Tudor History – 11 – 17 January – Part 1
This week, I thought I’d split the week into two, so this video covers Tudor history events that took place on 11th, 12th and 13th January – the execution of a printer, the death of a baron, soldier and naval commander, the death of a godson of Henry VIII…
Below, you’ll also find videos from previous years that cover these dates.
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Tudor Marys Wordsearch
Mary was a very popular name in the Tudor period, with people naming their daughters after the Virgin Mary, godmothers and royalty, but can you use the clues to find the surnames of important Tudor Marys in this wordsearch?
Remember, the words can go in any direction!
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Lil’s Reviews – Innocent Traitor
In the first of a long series of book reviews, this week we have Lil with a review of her favourite Tudor book – Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir.
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Heart Burial
In today’s edition of Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel and I look at the practice of heart and entrails burial.
Was it common to bury the heart and entrails separately from the rest of the body in medieval and Tudor times?
Why would people have their organs and body buried separately?
I answer these questions and also give real examples, including those of prominent Tudor people and royalty.
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6 January – The Feast of Epiphany or Kings’ Day
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It was an important day in the Tudor calendar, and it brought the feasting and celebrations of the Twelve Days of Christmas to a close. It’s still an important day in many countries today.
Find out more about Epiphany and how it was celebrated at the Tudor court, and how it is celebrated today, with these resources:
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The Tudor Society on BBC Radio Bristol
I had the pleasure of chatting to James Hanson on BBC Radio Bristol this morning, just for a couple of minutes, about Christmas decorations and Candlemas.
I know from my social media feeds that many people have already taken down their decorations and got “back to normal”, and usually the tradition is to take them down before Twelfth Night or Epiphany, but medieval and Tudor people didn’t rush to take down the greenery they’d put up.
I talked about this live on air with James…
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This week in Tudor History January 4 – 10
In this new series for 2021, I’m looking at Tudor events a week at a time. This talk covers events from the Tudor period which took place on January 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th.
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January Births and Deaths Crossword Puzzle
Happy New Year! Our first quiz/puzzle of 2021 tests your knowledge of births and deaths that either took place during the Tudor period or were of people associated with the Tudors.
Simply click on the link or image below to open and print out the crossword puzzle, then grab your favourite snack and beverage, make yourself comfortable and get those little grey cells working!
Hint: All the answers can be found on the Tudor Society website.
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Happy New Year and the death of a king
Happy New Year!
In this video that I did for the YouTube channel, I talk about King Louis XII of France, first husband of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, and his death on this day in history, 1st January 1515.
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Anne of Cleves – Heather R Darsie – Expert Talk
In this month’s expert talk, Heather R Darsie, author of “Anna, Duchess of Cleves”, looks at what Anne of Cleves’ early life in Germany was like.
Join Heather in the Tudor Society chatroom for a live Q&A session on Anne of Cleves on 23rd January.
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Tudor Life January 2021 Taster
Become a member and enjoy the magazine along with monthly expert talks, live chats, exclusive videos, resources, articles and more - click here. We have a 14-day free trial so there's nothing to stop you.
The full January Tudor Life magazine contains:
- Can we ever know what the tudors looked like? by Nathen Shipley
- 1536: Henry VIII’s Declining Manhood by Emma Levitt
- Is this part of the lost Tudor crown? by Leanda de Lisle
- Lusty old Louis by Sarah-Beth Watkins
- The Sins of Youth by Lauren Browne
- Some dangerous impacts of lust by Gareth Russell
- Lusty Sons by Roland Hui
- Tudor Titles Crossword Quiz by Catherine Brooks
- Margaret Tudor’s Journey to Scotland by Susan Abernethy
- Editor’s Picks - books on Lust by Gareth Russell
- Jousting Still Happens! Photo montage by Claire and Tim Ridgway
- Sir Henry Wyatt 1460-1537 by Toni Mount
- Wide ranging history knowledge an interview with Gareth Russell by Catherine Brooks
- Lost without a trace: The search for a plan of the “Lost” Fortress at Haddington by Jon Cooper
- The Peasants’ Revolting LIves | An Alternative History of Britain book reviews by Charlie Fenton
- But it’s good for you by Rioghnach O’Geraghty
Click on the magazine BELOW to open up the taster right now...
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January 2021 – Tudor Life – Lust
Happy new year! 2021 will undoubtedly be a better year than 2020… and to start you off, here’s the JANUARY magazine on the subject of lust …
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31 December – “The Gunner”, Sir William Skeffington
On this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1535, in the reign of Henry VIII, Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at Kilmainham in Dublin.
Skeffington had become known as “the Gunner” following his use of heavy artillery while taking Maynooth Castle in County Kildare, where he killed, or had executed, the whole garrison.
Find out more about the life and career of Sir William Skeffington in today’s talk.
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New Year’s Eve and St Sylvester
I’m posting this week’s Friday video a day early because I’m talking about New Year’s Eve, which is also the feast day of St Sylvester, a 4th century pope.
Find out more about this saint and hear William Caxton’s 15th century version of a legend associated with him, in this week’s video.
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30 December – An outlaw scholar from Spain who died of the plague
On this day in Tudor history, 30th December 1552, in the reign of King Edward VI, Spanish humanist scholar, translator, author and Protestant apologist, Francisco de Enzinas died at Strasbourg from the plague. He was buried there the next day. Humanist Francisco had changed his name to Francis Dryander after leaving Spain to study at Louvain.
Dryander fit a lot into his thirty-four years of life. He escaped from prison and was an outlaw, he translated the Bible, he taught Greek in England, he was supported by Archbishop Cranmer and the Duchess of Suffolk, and published several works.
Find out more about the accomplished Francis Dryander in today’s talk.
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29 December – Elizabeth I’s rogue and champion
On this day in history, 29th December 1605, in the reign of King James I, forty-seven-year-old Tudor nobleman George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, Yorkshire. Clifford was a courtier, naval commander, privateer, Elizabeth I’s champion and a man she called her “rogue”.
Find out all about this Earl of Cumberland, his unhappy marriage, his voyages and what it meant to be the queen’s champion, in today’s talk.
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28 December – A Lord Keeper of the Great Seal who supported learning
On this day in Tudor history, the feast of Childermas, 28th December 1510, lawyer, administrator and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was born. Bacon was the father of the famous philosopher, statesman, scientist and author, Sir Francis Bacon.
Bacon wasn’t just a lawyer and statesman, he was also very concerned with the education of the young, and did much to support it.
Find out all about Sir Nicholas Bacon, his life and career, and how he was banished from court at one point, in today’s talk.
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27 December – Katherine Killigrew, “the Muses friend, and saint of Heav’n”
On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1583, scholar and Puritan Katherine Killigrew died after giving birth to a stillborn child.
Katherine was the daughter of renowned humanist and scholar, Sir Anthony Cooke, and was known for her ability at writing poetry and her knowledge of languages, including Hebrew, Latin and Greek. She was a very accomplished Tudor lady.
Find out more about Katherine, and hear the epitaphs that were written in her honour, in today’s talk.
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December Tudor History Events Quiz
Test your knowledge on events that took place in the month of December during the Tudor period, or related to the Tudor period, in today’s fun quiz.
The answers can all be found on the Tudor Society website (if you get stuck). Good luck!
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26 December – The interesting life of Rose Lok
On this day in Tudor history, 26th December 1526, Protestant Rose Lok was born.
Rose lived well into her 80s and had an interesting life, being a Protestant exile, a businesswoman, and being the daughter of a man who supplied Anne Boleyn with religious books. She also had a ship named after her!
Find out all about Rose Lok in today’s talk.
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Christmas Day – Happy Christmas!
A very Happy Christmas to all those of you celebrating today. Tim and I send you our greetings and hope you have a lovely time.
Do enjoy these Christmas readings…
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