On this day in Tudor history, 9 January 1493, Christopher Columbus recorded in his ship’s journal: “On the previous day [8th January 1493], when the Admiral went to the Rio del Oro [Haiti], he said he quite distinctly saw three mermaids, which rose well out of the sea; but they are not so beautiful as they are said to be, for their faces had some masculine traits.”

Mermaids, as you probably know, are mythical creatures whose origin is the siren of Ancient Greek mythology. The original siren was actually a bird with a human head, but the Greeks were depicting the siren as part fish by the classical period. Homer told of the sirens using their beautiful song as a lure, and that has also become associated with the mermaid. By 1493, when Columbus’s crew allegedly saw three mermaids, the mermaid had the head a torso of a woman and instead of legs, a fishtail. They are depicted in this way in medieval manuscripts, and the British Library explains, “Mermaids and sirens also frequently appear in the margins of Psalters as symbols of temptation. In the Luttrell Psalter a siren holds a mirror and a comb, perhaps as a warning against the lure of vanity and luxury.”

What do Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and the Tower of London have in common? Balthasar Guercy, an Italian physician who served both queens—and found himself imprisoned for his beliefs.

Originally from Milan, Guercy rose to prominence at the Tudor court, healing some of the most powerful figures of the day. But in 1543, he was arrested for supporting papal authority, a dangerous stance under Henry VIII’s reign. Facing potential execution, Guercy’s life hung in the balance… until Holy Roman Emperor Charles V stepped in to save him.

Kidnapping, violence, treason… Not exactly what you’d expect from the man behind one of the most influential literary works of Elizabethan England, but George Puttenham’s life was anything but ordinary.

On this day in Tudor history, 6th January 1591, author and literary critic George Puttenham was laid to rest at St Bride’s, Fleet Street. He’d led a life full of scandal. From kidnapping a teenage girl to accusations of high treason and violent disputes, this literary critic’s life reads more like a Tudor crime drama.

Catherine de’ Medici has gone down in history as The Serpent Queen, but did she really poison a queen with deadly gloves, practise the dark arts and keep a squad of seductive female spies?

On this day in Tudor history, 5 January 1589, Catherine de’ Medici, Queen Consort and Queen Regent of France, passed away. Her legacy? A swirl of dark legends, court intrigues, and tales of power, ambition, and tragedy.

On this day in Tudor history, 31st December, “the Gunner” Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at Kilmainham (1535), and Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle, died while under house arrest (1559)…

On this day in Tudor history, 29th December, Elizabeth I’s champion, George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, was buried (1605), and navigator and explorer John Davis (Davys) died in hand-to-hand combat with Japanese pirates…

On this day in Tudor history, 28th December, Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal for Queen Elizabeth I, was born (1510), and Childermas, one of the Twelve Days of Christmas, was celebrated…

On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December, schoolmaster, cleric and playwright Nicholas Udall was buried (1556), and Queen Elizabeth I moved from Somerset House to Whitehall, which became her principal residence (1558)…

On this day in Tudor history, Henry VII’s uncle and mentor, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, died (1495), and the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle (or Didymus or Doubting Thomas) was celebrated…

On this day in Tudor history, 19th December, Katherine Palmer, former Abbess of Syon, died in exile a month after confronting an angry mob (1576), and conspirator John Somerville was found dead in his cell at Newgate Prison (1583)…

On this day in Tudor history, 13th December, civil lawyer and dean of Chester William Clyffe died (1558), and pirate, sea captain, and explorer Sir Francis Drake finally left Plymouth on his circumnavigation of the Globe (1577)…