
Enjoy this amazing 82 page Lady Jane Grey Special Edition magazine.
[Read More...]Henry VII was born at Pembroke Castle on the 28th January 1457. His parents were the thirteen year-old Lady Margaret Beaufort and her husband Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, who, unfortunately, had died of the plague three months before Henry’s birth.
[Read More...]Windsor Castle dates back to the time of William the Conqueror, who started building the Castle in 1070. Work was completed in 1086 and the great castle was built as a means to defend and secure the western path towards London. The castle was built on an earth mound which supported a keep and has an Upper and Lower Ward.
[Read More...]]On the 27th January 1596, Sir Francis Drake, explorer, sea captain and pirate, died of dysentery in Portobelo harbour, Panama. When he realised that death was near, he asked to be dressed in his armour. Although he requested burial on land, Drake was buried at sea in a lead coffin, along with his second cousin, Admiral Sir John Hawkins.
Here are some facts about Sir Francis Drake, the famous Elizabethan sailor and navigator…
[Read More...]Thanks to a question from Tudor Society member Sharon I have been digging into what Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, said about Henry VIII’s serious jousting accident in January 1536: “[…] Thinks he might ask of fortune for what greater misfortune he is reserved, like the other tyrant who escaped from the fall of the house, in which all the rest were smothered, and soon after died.”
[Read More...]The world’s first gardening manual, which once belonged to Henry VIII, is going on display at Buckingham Palace in March 2015.
[Read More...]Thomas Cromwell is hot property at the moment and is just everywhere – I wonder why…
Anyway, I thought I’d draw your attention to some articles about him and also some recommended reading on him.
[Read More...]A quiz about actors and actresses who have played Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on TV and on the big screen.
[Read More...]An article by Adrienne Dillard on what life was like for Marian exiles like Catherine Carey and her husband Francis Knollys who fled to the Continent.
[Read More...]Information about the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) Conference 21-22 March 2015 and a discount code for tickets.
[Read More...]On 22nd January 1554, Thomas Wyatt the Younger met with fellow conspirators at his home of Allington Castle in Kent to make final plans for their uprising against Mary I and her decision to marry Philip of Spain. This rebellion would become known as Wyatt’s Rebellion.
[Read More...]On 22 January 1552, between 8 and 9am, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and former Lord Protector, was executed on Tower Hill.
[Read More...]Margaret Pole
In 1478, her father Clarence was executed by her uncle the king on grounds of treason. By the tender age of 5, Margaret had lost both of her parents, and her future was uncertain. What would become of this young princess?
1485, the Battle of Bosworth. Richard III, the last Plantagenet king was defeated in battle by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor. Henry had now founded an entirely new dynasty, and sat on the throne as the first Tudor Monarch. Margaret must have felt insecure. She and her brother, Edward, were next in line to the throne through their Yorkist blood, which the new Tudor king was fully aware of. The young Edward of Warwick, younger brother of Margaret, was hastily detained and kept under house arrest before being incarcerated into the Tower of London. His claim to the throne made him too much of a threat to be freely living in society, therefore the new Tudor king had no alternative but to confine the young aristocrat. Henry arranged a series of clever marriages for the daughters of the previous king and also for Margaret. The Yorkist princesses were married off to allies of Henry, who he knew could be trustworthy, indeed ensuring the princesses did not marry men who could pose a threat to Henry’s throne. Margaret was paired with Sir Richard Pole, an unlikely match in status, Margaret being of royal birth and Richard only a member of the gentry, hardly a suitable match.
Historian Dr Elizabeth Goldring, an expert on Robert Dudley from the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick, has recently participated in an interesting interview on BBC radio about some Warwickshire Tudor sites such as Kenilworth Castle. It's only online for just over two more weeks, so don't miss out listening to the recording:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02g9qzl
Or listen here:
We're hoping to have either an expert chat or magazine article (or both) with Dr. Goldring, so watch out!
On 17th January 1569, Agnes Bowker of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, allegedly gave birth to a cat. Events like this were seen as portents and so news of them spread like wildfire through pamphlets.
[Read More...]A warm welcome to Alexander Taylor and Connor Byrne who will be writing for the Tudor Society website.
[Read More...]On this day in history, 16th January 1549, Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, was alleged to have broken into the King’s apartments at Hampton Court Palace to kidnap the young King. As he entered the royal residence, it is said that he disturbed the King’s beloved spaniel who started barking at him. In panic, Seymour is said to have shot the dog, a noise which alerted one of the guards who then apprehended Seymour.
[Read More...]We had a wonderful live-chat session with author Sandra Vasoli (author of “Je Anne Boleyn”) last night. The questions were coming in thick-and-fast and Sandra had some amazing additional stories to tell us about her visit to the Vatican Archives to see the love letters of Henry VIII.
[Read More...]Just a quick reminder that author Sandra Vasoli will be live in The Tudor Society chatroom this evening to answer your questions on her novel Je Anne Boleyn and the recent talk she gave Tudor Society members.
As part of the research for her book, Sandi visited the Vatican Archives to see the original letters that Henry VIII wrote to Anne Boleyn while they were courting. She goes into detail on this visit in her talk, sharing the experience of actually holding the letters, and what she could tell about Henry's state of mind by the way the letters were written. It's a fascinating talk so do listen to it - click here to listen to it now.
The live chat session with Sandi will be tonight at 6pm EST(11pm UK, midnight Central European Time, 3pm PST). I look forward to seeing you on the chatroom. Remember, one lucky chatter will win a copy of Sandi's novel.
Note: You need to be a Tudor Society member to hear the monthly talks and take part in the live chat sessions.