On this day in Tudor history, 14th July 1514, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Cardinal Christopher Bainbridge died in Rome.
Who was this cardinal?
And who claimed to have poisoned him and why?
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July 14 – A poisoned cardinal, and a Bible translator
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July 13 – Some of Queen Jane’s councillors begin to feel uneasy
On this day in Tudor history, 13th July 1553, while the queen’s father-in-law, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was preparing to leave London to apprehend the late Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary, members of Queen Jane’s royal council were meeting with the imperial ambassadors.
What was the meeting about?
What was the news from East Anglia?
And why were the queen’s councillors beginning to feel uneasy?
Let me explain…
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July 12 – Mary rallies support while Queen Jane makes a mistake that will cost her dearly
On this day in Tudor history, 12th July 1553, Mary (future Mary I), the half-sister of the late King Edward VI, moved from Kenninghall to Framlingham Castle. There, she set about rallying support for her claim to the throne.
Lady Jane Grey, Mary’s cousin’s daughter, had been proclaimed queen on 10th July but Mary believed the crown was hers.
Sir Thomas Cornwallis was able to intercept Mary on her journey to Framlingham and pledge his loyalty to her. He wasn’t the only one flocking to her cause.
Meanwhile, back in London, the new queen, Queen Jane, made a serious mistake by refusing to send her father to go and apprehend Mary.
Why was this a mistake?
Find out what was going on back in 1553 in this video…
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July 11 – Men swap sides in the succession crisis of 1553
On this day in Tudor history, 11th July 1553, Sir Thomas Cornwallis, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, Lord Thomas Wentworth, and some other prominent Suffolk gentlemen declared for Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) in Ipswich, Suffolk. They then publicly proclaimed her the rightful queen.
However, the following day, Cornwallis recanted and proclaimed Mary as queen.
Why?
What happened to make this sheriff change his mind so soon?
Find out more about the situation in July 1553 in this video…
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July 10 – A plot to depose Elizabeth I
On this day in Tudor history, 10th July 1584, Francis Throckmorton was executed at Tyburn for high treason after the discovery of his plot, the Throckmorton Plot.
The Throckmorton Plot aimed to depose the Protestant Elizabeth I and to replace her with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots.
But why did Francis Throckmorton plot against his queen? Who did he plot with, and how was the plot discovered?
Find out more about Francis Throckmorton and his plot…
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Becoming Elizabeth – The series and the history behind it – Word Search
This week’s Sunday fun takes the new Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth”, and the real history behind it, as its inspiration.
How much do you know about the first four episodes, or the years 1547-8?
Test yourself with this fun word search.
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July 9 – Mary I wants to avoid bloodshed and vengeance, and Elizabeth I visits Leicester’s home
On this day in Tudor history, 9th July 1553, Mary (the future Mary I), daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, wrote to her late half-brother’s privy council regarding “some evil” that she had heard.
This was three days after Edward VI’s death and the day after Mary had proclaimed herself queen at at Kenninghall.
But what was going on? What had Mary heard and was she going to do about it?
Find out more about the situation and Mary’s letter…
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Remembering Mary I talk
Our Friday treat from the archives is an expert talk from Johanna Strong on Queen Mary I, who, I believe, is really stealing the show at the moment in the Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth”.
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July 8 – A rebellion begins, and Mary declares herself queen
On this day in Tudor history, 8th July 1549, in the reign of King Edward VI, a rebellion began in East Anglia. It was Kett’s Rebellion.
Find out more about Kett’s Rebellion, why it began, what happened next and what happened to the rebels leaders, in this short video:
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July 1553 – The month of three monarchs
July 1553 was a month of three Tudor monarchs – Edward VI, Queen Jane and Mary I – but how did this come about?
In this talk, historian and author Claire Ridgway looks at what led to the events of July 1553 and particularly the actions that Mary took to stage her successful coup d’etat.
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July 7 – The Dudley Conspiracy and the Father of English Botany
On this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Henry Peckham and John Danyell were hanged, drawn and quartered after being found guilty of treason for their involvement in the Dudley Conspiracy.
But what was the Dudley Conspiracy? And who was involved in it? What happened?
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July 6 – The death of Edward VI and the accession of Queen Jane, Lady Jane Grey
On this day in Tudor history, 6th July 1553, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI died at Greenwich Palace.
His “devise for the succession” named his heir as Lady Jane Grey, the daughter of Edward’s cousin, Frances Grey (née Brandon), Duchess of Suffolk.
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July 5 – The Essex Witches
On this day in Tudor history, 5th July 1589, three Essex women were hanged at Chelmsford, Essex, after being found guilty of murder by witchcraft. Their names were Joan Cunny, Joan Prentice and Joan Upney.
In this video, I explain how these women came to be accused of witchcraft and why they were hanged.
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July 4 – A Tudor composer, and two men burnt at the stake
On this day in history, 4th July 1623, Elizabethan composer William Byrd died.
Find out about William Byrd, his association with Thomas Tallis, and his works, in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts:
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July 3 – A Tudor pretender lands, and Mary I bids a final farewell to her husband, Philip of Spain
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Thomas Seymour Crossword Puzzle
As Thomas Seymour is a main character in the Starz series, “Becoming Elizabeth”, at the moment, I thought I’d test your knowledge of this Tudor man.
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July 2 – Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Old Scarlett the gravedigger
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd July 1489, Tudor clergyman, statesman, theologian, scholar and highly intelligent man Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born.
In this video, I share “13 things you probably didn’t know about Thomas Cranmer”…
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July 1 – Treaties arrange the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Prince Edward (Edward VI)
On this day in Tudor history, 1st July 1543, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the Treaties of Greenwich were signed between England and Scotland.
Among the terms of the treaties was the agreement of a marriage between five-year-old Prince Edward, the future Edward VI, and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots.
Scotland went on to reject the treaties and this led to a war between Scotland and England, the Rough Wooing.
Let me explain what these treaties were all about, what happened in the war known as the Rough Wooing, and why it was called that.
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Elizabeth: Apprenticeship by David Starkey
Elizabeth’s pre-accession years are being brought to life in the Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth” at the moment and an excellent book on this period of Elizabeth I’s life is David Starkey’s “Elizabeth: Apprenticeship”. Here’s a review from our archives from book reviewer Lil:
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June 30 – King Henry II of France suffers a mortal injury
On this day in Tudor history, 30th June 1559, King Henry II of France, suffered a mortal injury.
The keen sportsman was injured while jousting. He died on 10th July and was succeeded by his son, Francis II.
Jousting was a dangerous sport and Henry was fatally injured when splinters from his opponent’s lance entered his right eye.
Find out more about Henry II’s accident and death, and also his reign in this video…
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June 29 – The death of Lady Margaret Beaufort, and the Globe burns down!
Today is the anniversary of the death of sixty-six-year-old Lady Margaret Beaufort. matriarch of the Tudor dynasty, on 29th June 1509.
She died just four days after she had enjoyed the coronation celebrations of her grandson King Henry VIII and his new bride and queen, Catherine of Aragon.
Margaret Beaufort is surrounded by myth and it seems fashionable to see her as a religious zealot. But who was this influential Tudor lady? What did she do?
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28 June 1491 – The birth of King Henry VIII
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June 28 – A poisoned Catholic earl and the end of a rebel baron
On this day in Tudor history, 28th June 1557, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, was born at Arundel House, the Strand, London.
Arundel ended up being condemned to death for treason and dying of alleged poisoning in 1589, when he was just 32.
Let me tell you more about Arundel and his rather sticky end…
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June 27 – The end of two Cornish rebels, and a bishop who died in poverty
On this day in Tudor history, 27th June 1497, in the reign of King Henry VII, two of the chief commanders of the rebels of the Cornish Rebellion were executed.
Lawyer and member of Parliament Thomas Flamank and blacksmith Michael Joseph (known as Michael an Gof) were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in London.
What had led them to this awful end?
What was the Cornish Rebellion about and why do they have “fame permanent and immortal”?
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June 26 – Two loyal soldiers: Sir Edmund Carew and Sir John Wingfield
On 26th June 1513, in the reign of King Henry VIII, a loyal soldier lost his life serving the Crown.
What happened to Sir Edmund Carew? How did he die? And how else did his service to the Crown affect him?
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Tudor Coronations True or False Quiz
We’ve just had the anniversary of the coronation of the second Tudor monarch, King Henry VIII, who was crowned on 24th June 1509, so I thought I’d test your knowledge of Tudor coronations.
How much do you know about the coronations of the Tudor kings and queens?
Test your knowledge with this fun quiz…
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June 25 – Death of Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France and Henry VIII’s sister
On this day in Tudor history, 25th June 1533, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the king’s younger sister, Mary Tudor, former Queen of France and wife of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, died at her home in Suffolk. She was just thirty-seven years old.
Let me tell you about Mary’s ill-health, her death and funeral…
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June 24 – Happy birthday, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
On this day in Tudor history, 24th June 1532, the Feast of St John the Baptist, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and favourite of Elizabeth I, was born.
Elizabeth I called Leicester her “eyes” and “sweet Robin” and there was gossip over their relationship, but there was far more to Robert Dudley than his closeness to the queen. Find out all about his life and career…
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Harvington Hall
This week for our Friday treat, I want to share this video from our archives on the beautiful moated manor house, Harvington Hall. Thank you to Philippa Lacey Brewell for allowing us to travel vicariously!
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June 23 – Levina Teerlinc amd her miniatures, and a Tudor doctor and mathematician
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd June 1576, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, painter and miniaturist Levina Teerlinc died at Stepney in London.
Teerlinc was court painter to Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and was a prolific artist.
Find out more about her and her work…
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