On this day in Tudor history, 4th October 1507, Tudor rebel Sir Francis Bigod, was born at Seaton, in Hinderwell, Yorkshire.
Bigod is known for an uprising he led in Yorkshire in January 1537 after the Pilgrimage of Grace Rebellion had been brought to an end.
Bigod was an evangelical reformer rather than a Catholic, so why would he be involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace? Why did he rebel and what happened to him…
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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd October 1518, King Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, sang a mass to the king and the French ambassadors at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Wolsey was celebrating a treaty that had been made between England and France.
The celebrations also included a banquet and a lavish masque of lords and ladies dressed beautifully and disguised with masking hoods. Among those disguised were some well-known courtiers, people like Sir Francis Bryan and Bessie Blount, Henry VIII’s mistress.
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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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On this day in Tudor history, 1st October 1500, in the reign of King Henry VII, John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, died at Wisbech Castle.
As well as being a clergyman, John Alcock had been a scholar and he’d served as a royal tutor and administrator.
Alcock had been a tutor to Prince Edward, the son of King Edward IV and the future King Edward V, who, of course, has gone down in history as one of the Princes in the Tower. Alcock also christened another prince.
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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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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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On this day in Tudor history, 29th September 1564, Michaelmas, Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite, Robert Dudley, was made Earl of Leicester and Baron Denbigh.
Dudley was made earl in a ceremony in front of the Scottish ambassador, Sir James Melville, as the queen was granting him the earldom to make him a suitable potential bridegroom for Mary, Queen of Scots.
There was a moment of intimacy during the proceedings – Elizabeth I tickled Robert Dudley’s neck!
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On this day in Tudor history, 28th September 1599, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Elizabeth I’s favourite, strode into the queen’s bedchamber unannounced. Elizabeth wasn’t ready to see people. She wasn’t made up and she wasn’t wearing her wig. She must have been furious with Essex.
Why would Essex do such a thing?
Find out why Robert Devereux needed to see his queen so urgently and how Elizabeth I reacted to his visit…
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On this day in history, 27th September 1442, in the reign of King Henry VI, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, was born.
Why am I talking about a duke born in the Plantagenet period?
Well, because he was the first husband of the Tudor matriarch, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and his son was involved in a rebellion against King Henry VII.
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On this day in Tudor history, 26th September 1580, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, explorer Sir Francis Drake landed at the port of Plymouth.
He was returning from his 3-year circumnavigation of the Globe and his ship, The Golden Hind, was laden with treasure and spices.
Let me tell you about his circumnavigation of the Globe, what he brought back, and how the queen rewarded him for his efforts…
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As today is the anniversary of the death of Pope Clement VII in 1534, a death said by some to have been caused by poisoning, I thought I’d test your knowledge of Tudor poisonings with a fun crossword puzzle.
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On this day in Tudor history, 25th September 1525, in the reign of King Henry VIII, explorer, navigator and naval administrator Stephen Borough (Burrough) was born at Borough House, Northam Burrows, Northam, in Devon.
Borough was an Arctic explorer who learnt his navigational skills from first his uncle and then Spanish pilots in Seville.
Borough discovered Novaya Zemlya and the Viagatz Strait (Kara Strait), which was named the Burrough Strait until the late 1800s.
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On this day in Tudor history, 24th September 1589, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roman Catholic priest, William Spenser, and layman Robert Hardesty were executed at York. Spenser was executed for being a priest, and Hardesty for sheltering him.
In 1987, the two men were beatified as two of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales.
Find out more about William Spenser and Robert Hardesty, and how they came to their awful ends…
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I’ve received quite a few questions recently regarding the practice of heart burial in Tudor times, so I thought I’d share these talks on heart burial, and burial in general, from our archives…
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On this day in Tudor history, 23rd September 1571, John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury, died at Monkton Farleigh Manor. He was laid to rest in Salisbury Cathedral.
Forty-nine-year-old Jewel had been taken ill while preaching a sermon in Lacock, Wiltshire.
Jewel’s life and career spanned the reigns of King Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I – a time of huge religious change. He was a clergyman, a Protestant exile, a theologian and bishop, and someone who spoke up for what he believed.
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On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Amy Dudley (née Robsart) was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy, who was married to Elizabeth I’s favourite, Robert Dudley, had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of the house she was renting. The coroner ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”.
Amy was buried in a lavish ceremony at St Mary’s, a funeral which cost Robert Dudley over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended…
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On this day in Tudor history, 21st September 1557, in the reign of Queen Mary I, theologian and chaplain Henry Pendleton was buried at St Stephen’s, Walbrook, London.
Pendleton, who was a friend of Bishop Bonner, is known not only for his strong preaching, which led to him being shot at once, but also for his changing religious faith. Pendleton went from staunch Catholic to zealous Protestant back to staunch Catholic. He even took part in disputations with his former friends and saw them imprisoned and burnt.
Find out more about Henry Pendleton, his life, career and changing religious beliefs…
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On this day in Tudor history, 20th September 1586, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, conspirators Anthony Babington, John Ballard, John Savage, Chidiock Tichborne, and three others, were executed near St Giles-in-the-Fields in London.
They were hanged, drawn and quartered after being found guilty of treason for the Babington Plot, which sought to assassinate Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.
Find out more about Anthony Babington, the Babington Plot, the men involved, how it was discovered, and how it led to Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution…
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People all over the world have tuned in to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II today, a queen who reigned for over 70 years and who was descended from Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, and, therefore, King Henry VII, as well as having Boleyn blood.
The funeral procession and ceremony were full of tradition and ritual, and our Tudor ancestors would recognise much of it, so I thought I’d share with you some information on Tudor royal funerals.
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On this day in Tudor history, 19th September 1560, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Thomas Cavendish was baptised at St Martin’s Church, Trimley St Martin in Suffolk.
Explorer, navigator and privateer Thomas Cavendish is known for his imitation of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe, which he undertook in 1586. He is also known for being the first Englishman to explore the island of St Helena, in the mid-Atlantic. Unfortunately, Cavendish also had a reputation as a spendthrift, and his final voyage was a failure.
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On this day in Tudor history, 18th September 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, died at Padua in Italy.
Courtenay, who died from a fever, had been sent to the Continent after being implicated in Wyatt’s Rebellion. The 1554 rebellion sought to replace Queen Mary I with her half-sister, Elizabeth, who would marry Courtenay.
Let me tell you more about Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, and how he was a prospective bridegroom for both of Henry VIII’s daughters…
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As it’s the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19th September, I thought that I’d test you on the burials of Tudor royals.
Let’s get those little grey cells working!
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On this day in Tudor history, 17th September 1563, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, died.
The courtier and soldier died during an outbreak of the plague, which was rife in London that year and killed about 24% of London’s citizens.
Manners had served King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I, so had a long and interesting career, which also saw him imprisoned at one point.
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On this day in Tudor history, 16th September 1519, in the reign of King Henry VIII, scholar, humanist, theologian, Dean of St Paul’s and founder of St Paul’s School John Colet died.
Colet had suffered three attacks of sweating sickness between 1517 and 1519, and it was the third one that killed him.
Humanists such as Erasmus were influenced by Colet’s work.
Let me give you an overview of the life of John Colet…
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On this day in Tudor history, 15th September 1589, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a battle was fought at Arques in France.
The Battle of Arques was part of the final war of the French Wars of Religion, a series of conflicts in France from 1562-1598 between Catholics and Huguenots. It was a battle between the troops of the new French king, Henry IV, and the troops of the Catholic League led by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne.
The battle wasn’t looking good for Henry IV, but then everything changed when troops sent by Elizabeth I arrived on the scene.
Find out more about what led to this battle, what happened at the battle, and what happened next…
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On this day in Tudor history, 14th September 1540, Sir William Kingston died at his home in Painswick in Gloucestershire.
Sir William Kingston was a Knight of the Garter and comptroller of the king’s household during Henry VIII’s reign. He was also Constable of the Tower of London while Queen Anne Boleyn was imprisoned there in May 1536. His daily letters from the Tower to Thomas Cromwell in May 1536 are a wonderful resource for historians.
Kingston had an impressive career serving Henry VIII and was rewarded for his loyal service.
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On this day in Tudor history, 13th September 1520, in the reign of King Henry VIII, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, was born in Bourne in Lincolnshire.
William Cecil was Queen Elizabeth I’s chief advisor and a man she called her “spirit”.
Cecil is a fascinating man whose court career took him from serving King Edward VI to Queen Elizabeth I.
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On this day in Tudor history, 12th September 1573, Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, died suddenly at Barbreck.
Argyll was a Protestant reformer, and leading politician in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and he’d got married just six weeks earlier.
On the night he died, he showed no signs of illness before retiring to bed, so his death was very sudden.
Argyll was the third most important noble in Scotland, the most important highland chief, and a founder of the Lords of the Congregation. He went from opposing Mary, Queen of Scots, to leading her troops in battle.
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To mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022, I thought I’d test your knowledge of this queen, who descended from Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII, and Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn.
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th September 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots, set off on her first royal progress in Scotland.
Eighteen-year-old Mary had been in Scotland for less than a month, having returned from France following her husband Francis II’s death. Now, she wanted to see her homeland and her people, and show the people their queen.
This royal progress was to be an eventful one. It included a brush with death and a violent altercation!
Let me tell you more…
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