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The Tudor Society
  • #OTD in Tudor history – 18 March

    Portraits of Mary Tudor and a young Elizabeth I, and a photo of the Tower of London

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th March, Mary Tudor, Queen of France, was born; Lady Elizabeth (Elizabeth I) was arrested and taken to the Tower of London; and Sir Christopher Blount was executed for his part in the rebellion of his son-in-law, the Earl of Essex…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 17 March

    A portrait of a young Elizabeth I.

    On this day in Tudor history, 17th March, the Lady Elizabeth (Elizabeth I) delayed her arrest by writing her famous Tide Letter to her half-sister Mary I; theologian Alexander Alesius died in Edinburgh; and soldier and courtier William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, died at Hampton Court Palace…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 16 March

    A portrait of John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th March, soldier, translator and diplomat John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, died; priests Robert Dalby and John Amias were executed at York as traitors; and actor Richard Burbage was buried…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 15 March

    Portraits of William Warham and Henry VIII

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th March, Archbishop William Warham criticised Henry VIII in Parliament and was rewarded with foul language from the king; the Lady Mary (Mary I) publicly defied her half-brother Edward VI; and the imprisoned John Hooper was deprived of his bishopric…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 14 March

    A preparatory sketch of Sir John Russell by Holbein

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th March, judge Sir John Port, who is known for mumbling in a case, which had serious repercussions, died; Bishop Arthur Bulkeley, former chaplain to Charles Brandon and Thomas Cromwell, died; and Sir John Russell, Lord Privy Seal, died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 13 March

    portrait of Richard Burbage

    On this day in Tudor history, 13th March, Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex, died after a horse-riding accident; Welshman Sir Gelly Meyrick was hanged, drawn and quartered after the rebellion of his master, the Earl of Essex, and Elizabethan actor Richard Burbage died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 12 March

    Thomas Boleyn's brass memorial and a photo of Thomas Boleyn from The Tudors series

    On this day in Tudor history, a Cistercian monk was hanged for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace; Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, and father of Queen Anne Boleyn, died at Hever Castle; and Catholic priest and martyr Christopher Bales was baptised…

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  • Bloody Mary Show – LIVE

    Bloody Mary: LIVE! is coming to various locations across the UK. You can find all dates at https://www.partofthemain.com/.

    Looks like it might well be a very irreverent but fun show to enjoy!

  • Shakespeare’s Sisters: Four Women who wrote the Renaissance – Powerful talks

    Author Ramie Targoff is in the UK doing a series of talks…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 11 March

    A portrait of Pope Leo X and Giles Fletcher's work "The History of Russia"

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th March, Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici was proclaimed Pope Leo X, poet William Warner, “Our English Homer”, was buried, and poet, diplomat and MP Giles Fletcher the Elder died in London…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 10 March

    A photo of a re-enactor jousting and portraits of Henry VIII and William Paulet

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th March, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford and a man who commanded Henry Tudor’s archers at the Battle of Bosworth, died; Henry VIII suffered a jousting accident jousting against his friend, Charles Brandon; and William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester and a man who served Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 9 March

    A painting of The Murder of David Rizzio by John Opie

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th March, Mary, Queen of Scots’ private secretary was assassinated in front of the pregnant queen, Mary’s mother-in-law, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, died, and Lady Frances Radcliffe, one of Elizabeth I’s ladies of the bedchamber, died…

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  • Catherine of Aragon’s Heartbreak: The Lost Babies of a Queen

    Thumbnail for my video on Catherine of Aragon's stillbirths showing Michel Sittow's Madonna and Child

    In my latest video, I unravel the heartbreaking saga of Catherine of Aragon’s relentless quest to provide Henry VIII with a male heir, which saw her experiencing six pregnancies between 1509 and 1518, and losing five children.

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 8 March

    A portrait of Sir Nicholas Carew

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th March, Henry VIII was sent a leopard as a gift, Sir Nicholas Carew was executed for treason for allegedly plotting with Cardinal Pole, and outspoken reformer Richard Tracy died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 7 March

    A map of the Great Comet's course by Paul Fabricius, and portraits of Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII

    On this day in Tudor history, 7th March, the Pope threatened Henry VIII with excommunication of her married again, Germaine Gardiner and John Larke were executed for denying the royal supremacy, and the Great Comet was seen…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 6 March

    Portraits of Thomas Wriothesley and Juan Luis Vives

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th March, scholar and humanist Juan Luis Vives, a man who advised Catherine of Aragon on Mary I’s education, was born in Valencia, Spain; the Act for the Suppression of the Lesser Monasteries was introduced into Parliament; and Thomas Wriothesley got into trouble for allegedly abusing his authority…

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  • An evening with Alison Weir in East Grinstead

    Join The East Grinstead Bookshop for an evening with Alison Weir – from the comfort of your own sitting room – to celebrate the launch of ‘Mary I, Queen of Sorrows’ : A novel by Alison Weir.


    The East Grinstead Bookshop are very excited to announce the national launch of Dr Alison Weir’s new historical novel, Mary I, Queen of Sorrows, on Thursday 9 May, 7pm which be available as an on-line event, broadcast across the world. The event will be live-streamed from the historic Sackville College Almshouse, built in 1609 to solve the homeless problem in East Grinstead and still in use as an almshouse today.

    Dr Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the UK, with over three million copies of her fiction and non-fiction works sold to date. Even as a young girl Alison was fascinated by the Tudors, and has spent most of her life researching and writing about this period. This, her latest novel, is the third in the Tudor Rose series which fictionalises the lives of Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and now Mary I.

    Mary was the daughter of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, a precocious young child with an able intellect and a talent for the harpsichord. Yet, as the first Queen Regnant of England she became a notorious terror, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of protestants and earning the accolade ‘Bloody Mary’. What happened?

    Independent Bookseller John Pye will be in conversation with Alison for an evening of lively debate and storytelling, looking at the life of Mary and celebrating the launch of ‘Queen of Sorrows’.

    “An exquisitely drawn, poignant portrayal of one of history’s most complex, maligned and fascinating figures. Told with all of Alison Weir's characteristic verve and eye for evocative period detail, this is a book that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned. A must for Tudor fans everywhere.” (Author and Historian, Tracy Borman)

    Tickets may be purchased from https://www.eastgrinsteadbookshop.co.uk/event-details/alison-weir-in-conversation-with-john-pye-book-launch

  • New online event – The Everyday Tudor Woman

    Logo for The Everyday Tudor Woman event

    In my latest six-day event, I will be joined by two other Tudor historians, Brigitte Webster and Bess Chilver, in delving into the life of the 16th century common woman and unveiling what it was really like to be a woman during the Tudor period.

    I’m so excited by this event because as interesting as it is to look at the lives of the Tudor queens and Henry VIII’s six wives, it’s wonderful to spend time looking at how the average woman lived.

    The event will run from 25th-30th April and will comprise video talks and live video Q&A sessions with the experts via zoom. The zooms are always brilliant, my favourite part! So much so, that we also have four zoom discussion calls leading up to the event, and the first one is this Sunday, 10th March!

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 5 March

    A portrait of Thomas Seymour and an engraving of a 16th century man smoking a pipe

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th March, Henry VII issued letters patent to explorer John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), a bill of attainder listing 33 counts of treason was passed against Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, and a Spanish physician introduced tobacco into Europe…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 4 March

    Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn in the Tudors, and portraits of Mary Boleyn and her son, Henry Carey

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th March, Anne Boleyn made her court debut at the Château Vert pageant, Mary Boleyn gave birth to a son, and spelling reformer and grammarian William Bullokar was born…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 3 March

    Portraits of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, and Margaret Tudor

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd March, Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor may have got married in France, Margaret Tudor, former Queen of Scotland, married for the third time, and Edward IV’s illegitimate son, Arthur Plantagenet, Lord Lisle, died in the Tower of London…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 2 March

    A portrait of a younger Henry VIII, an engraving of Sir Thomas Bodley, and a portrait of Anne of Denmark

    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd March, Henry VIII used the motto “she has wounded my heart” at the Shrovetide joust, founder of the Bodleian Library Sir Thomas Bodley was born, and Anne of Denmark, wife of King James VI and I, died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 1 March

    A portrait of George Wishart

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st March, Scottish evangelical preacher George Wishart was hanged and burnt, conspirator William Stafford was born, Grand Prior Sir Thomas Tresham died, and physician, poet and musician Thomas Campion died…

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  • In memory of historian Derek Wilson

    Derek Wilson

    Here at the Tudor Society, we are so very saddened to hear of the death of historian and author Derek Wilson on 5th February 2024 at the age of 88.

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 29 February

    A portrait of Archbishop John Whitgift

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th February, Pope Paul III was born, Protestant Patrick Hamilton was burnt at the stake in St Andrews, and John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury and Elizabeth I’s “White gift”, died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 28 February

    The Fitzgerald Arms and a photo of Castle Hill, Edinburgh

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th February, Gerald Fitzgerald, 11th Earl of Kildare and the fugitive “Wizard Earl” was born, Protestant Thomas Forret was burnt at the stake, and Protestant reformer Martin Bucer died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 27 February

    An engraving of Catholic martyr Roger Filcock and a statue of St Anne Line

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th February, English forces were defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Ancrum Moor, diarist and clergyman Richard Madox died at sea, and two priests and the woman who harboured them were executed…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 26 February

    Portraits of Christopher Marlowe, Edward Seymour and John Dudley

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th February, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon and grandson of Mary Boleyn was born, four men were executed after being accused of conspiring with the Duke of Somerset against the Duke of Northumberland, and poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe was baptised…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 23 February

    A photo of Henry Grey's head

    On this day in Tudor history, 23rd February, Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII, was buried at Westminster Abbey, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was executed on Tower Hill following the failed Wyatt’s Rebellion, and religious pamphleteer Job Throckmorton was buried…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 22 February

    Madonna and Child by Michel Sittow, and a portrait of Marie de Guise

    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd February, little Henry Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, died suddenly, and Marie de Guise was crowned Queen of Scotland, rather than England, which had apparently been an option for her…

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