If you have access to Welsh channel S4C then do tune in tomorrow night, Sunday 8th, at 8pm for Y Cymro a Laddodd Richard III (The Welshman Who Killed Richard III). Dr Susan Fern, who spoke to us last month about this very subject, was involved with the filming and it looks like it will be a very interesting programme.
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On 7th November 1485, at King Henry VII’s first Parliament, the late King Richard III and twenty-eight of his supporters were attainted, i.e. declared guilty of treason by bill of attainder.
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In today’s Claire Chats I share some of my top tips for ‘decoding’ and understanding Tudor primary sources. I really do hope that this video helps you with your research and reading.
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As part of the Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival, there will be a debate entitled “Plantagenets V. Tudors: Who Were England’s Greatest Monarchs?” at 8pm on 15th November 2015 at South Hampstead High School,
3 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SS.
“Henry VIII fascinates us for his greed and his murderous tendencies, his dissolution of the monasteries and his astonishing break from Rome. Elizabeth I is England’s Faerie Queene, our Gloriana. But what about the Plantagenets? 400 years before Henry VIII, the first Plantagenet – Henry II – carved an empire out of England and France that made him the most powerful prince in Europe.
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On this day in 1514, Mary Tudor, Queen of France, processed into Paris following her coronation the day before at St Denis.
It was a lavish occasion and must have been an incredible sight. According to Pierre Grigore, the pageants of Mary’s triumphant entry into the city included:
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As it’s 5th November today, I just thought I’d share with you some articles and resources on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605:
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The Protestant King James I of England had recently taken the throne in March 1603 after the death of Elizabeth I. There was hope that anti-Catholic laws would become less severe, but as of 5 November 1605, that had yet to happen.
Guy Fawkes was recruited in May 1604 by Thomas Wintour, cousin of Robert Catesby, to assist with the diabolical plot of blowing up the King, the Prince of Wales, and others at the next Opening of Parliament. The conspirators would then kidnap Prince Charles and Princess Elizabeth and return the country to the catholic fold.
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Thank you to Tamsin Lewis for sending me details of Passamezzo’s schedule of forthcoming performances.
Old Christmas Returned – a series of Christmas concerts in December and January. Playing in London, Warwick, Cambridge, Guildford, Stoke by Clare (Suffolk), Boxgrove (Surrey), Pangbourne, Snodland (Kent) and on the Isle of Wight.
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Here’s this month’s expert talk, a wonderful walk into the lives and skills of Tudor musicians. Jane is our resident Tudor music expert and her knowledge is amazingly deep fascinating.
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Today marks the anniversary of the death of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, on 1st November 1456. He died from the plague at Carmarthen Castle.
Thank you to Sarah Bryson for writing this article on Edmund for us.
Henry Tudor, King Henry VII, was the founder of the Tudor Dynasty. His mother was the imposing Margaret Beaufort who risked everything to see her son on the throne and in turn the houses of Lancaster and York united through the marriage of her son to Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. But who was Henry Tudor’s father? While so much is known about Henry’s mother, his father is a much more elusive figure and sadly he did not live to see his only son and heir claim the English throne.
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Happy Hallowtide!
How much do you know about this time of year and how and why it is celebrated? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz.
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As today is Halloween and it was traditional for medieval people to go “souling” at Hallowtide, I thought I’d make soul cakes. Mine are a bit more like soul “cookies” as I rolled them quite thin, but I hope you enjoy my video and why don’t you try out the recipe?
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In today’s Claire Chats Halloween special Claire shares some traditional medieval ghosts stories.
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On 30th October 1485, Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond and son of Lady Margaret Beaufort and the late Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, was crowned King Henry VII at Westminster Abbey.
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Here is a brief bio or factfile of Sir Walter Ralegh, the famous Elizabethan explorer:
Birth – c1552, perhaps 22nd January, in East Budleigh, Devon, England.
Parents – Walter Ralegh and Catherine Champernowne, niece of Kat Ashley, governess and friend of Elizabeth I. Catherine was married twice and Ralegh’s father (also Walter) was her second husband.
Siblings – Ralegh’s mother had sons from her first marriage and from her second marriage, a total of five. Three of Ralegh’s half-brothers were prominent at the Elizabethan and Stuart Court – John, Humphrey and Adrian Gilbert. His brother, Carew Ralegh, was also prominent.
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Thank you to our art historian Melanie V. Taylor for letting me know about this wonderful virtual exhibition which has been designed to complement “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Food in the Middle Ages and Renaissance”, an exhibition organized by the Manuscripts Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles which is on now and which runs until 3rd January 2016.
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The Tudors thought about death around the start of November, and so for this month’s magazine we’re doing the same. You’ll be fascinated by the detailed articles we’ve put together for you to enjoy… though some are a little bit gruesome – be warned!
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Erasmus: his name is synonymous with humanism, education and intelligence. Across Northern Europe several Erasmus programs exist at universities, so students may pursue their studies at multiple universities and in multiple languages. During his lifetime, Erasmus corresponded with such notable people as Sir Thomas More and John Colet. Erasmus assisted Hans Holbein in his quest to move to England, and advised Anne of Cleves’s father when he was writing religious tolerance laws.
Desiderius Erasmus was born on 27 or 28 October 1466 or 1467* in Rotterdam, Netherlands. His exact date of birth is not known. The second son and an illegitimate child of his father, a priest, and mother, a physician’s daughter, Erasmus was sent to school at the age of five. In about 1484, when Erasmus was approximately eighteen years of age, his parents both died of plague. Erasmus’s three guardians sent Erasmus and his brother to a new, more conservative school run by the Brethren of the Common Life. There, Erasmus studied Latin and Christian theology.
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How much do you know about the Bible translators and Bibles of the Tudor period? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz.
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In this “In our Time” BBC Radio 4 programme from 2004, Melvyn Bragg discusses the Battle of Agincourt with guests Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History at Southampton University; Michael Jones, medieval historian and writer; John Watts, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Corpus Christie College, Oxford.
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As you may have read in this month’s Tudor Life magazine, 25th October marked the feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, and following the victory of England over France on 25 October 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt, the day became a celebration of that event too. Celebrations included bonfires, revelry and the crowning of a King Crispin.
Today, Heather Darsie shares an article with us on the Battle of Agincourt back in 1415.
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In today’s Claire Chats video, I am cooking Buttered Sweet Potatoes from Elinor Fettiplaces’s Receipt Book: Elizabethan Country House Cooking edited and modernized by Hilary Spurling. The original book was compiled by Lady Elinor Fettiplace from Oxfordshire in 1604 and it’s a treasure trove of Tudor recipes divided into the months of the year. In the October section, I found a recipe entitled “To Butter Potato Roots” and that’s what I have made.
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When Henry VIII came to the throne in 1509 he was just shy of his 18th birthday. He was tall, robust, handsome and athletic. Yet when the infamous King died on 28th January 1547 he weighed about 178kg and had a waist measurement of 52 inches and a chest measurement of about 53 inches. So how did this decline in Henry VIII’s physical appearance happen?
As a young man, Henry VIII was considered to be the most handsome prince in Europe. He was tall, standing at six foot two which was taller than the average man of the time. He was broad of shoulder, with strong muscular arms and legs, and had striking red/gold hair. It is said that rather than looking like his father, he resembled his grandfather the late Edward IV. In the armoury of the Tower of London is a suit of armour that Henry wore in 1514. The king’s measurements show that he had a waist of 35 inches and a chest of 42 inches, confirming that Henry was a well-proportioned, well-built young man.
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On the night of the 19th October 1536, Thomas Maunsell, Robert Aske and the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace threatened an assault on Pontefract Castle and its owner, Lord Darcy. By 8 o’clock on the morning of the 20th October, the castle had surrendered to the rebels and its inhabitants – which included the likes of Lord Darcy, Sir William Gascoigne, Sir Robert Constable, Edmund Lee, Archbishop of York, and Thomas Magnus, Archdeacon of the East Riding – had sworn the rebel oath.
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In this week’s Claire Chats, I talk about the advice given to Tudor people about sleeping and I look at what they actually slept on.
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