On this day in Tudor history, 5th January 1546, in the reign of King Henry VIII, geographer and poet, Richard Willes, was born in Pulham, Dorset.
Richard Willes has been described as “One of the quirkier figures in the literary history not only of the college but of the Elizabethan period as a whole”, and he certainly was an interesting Tudor man. Find out about his literary accomplishments, and what exactly made him so “quirky”, in today’s talk.
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This week’s Sunday puzzle is a wordsearch which tests your knowledge of Tudor rebels, those men who caused problems for the Tudor monarchs and their governments.
You can print out the wordsearch by clicking on the link or image below. Beware: the words can go in any direction. Good luck!
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On this day in Tudor history, 4th January 1575, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, courtier, diplomat and former rebel, Sir William Pickering, died at his home, Pickering House, in London.
He died a wealthy man and died a natural death, a miraculous feat seeing as he was a friend of the Earl of Surrey and the Duke or Northumberland, both of whom ended up on the scaffold, AND he was one of the men involved in planning Wyatt’s Rebellion in 1554. Wyatt lost his head, but Pickering kept his.
How? What happened? Find out more about Sir William Pickering in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd January 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated Reformer, German priest and professor of theology Martin Luther from the Catholic Church.
In today’s talk, I explain what led to Luther’s excommunication, what happened when Luther was called to the Diet of Worms, and what happened next to this famous Reformer.
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This month our intrepid roving reporter has gone to St Laurence’s, Ludlow, the church where the heart of Prince Arthur is buried. It’s a very large church with a fascinating history…
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On this day in Tudor history, 2nd January 1536, imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, visited his good friend, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII and a woman who was now officially called the Dowager Princess of Wales.
Catherine was seriously ill, in fact, she was dying, and this would be the last time that Chapuys saw her.
Find out from Chapuys’ own account what happened in the four days he spent with Catherine of Aragon.
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In today’s “on this day in Tudor history talk”, Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books, puts you out of your misery from the cliffhanger she left you with on 27th December, by telling you all about Henry VIII’s first meeting with his bride-to-be, Anne of Cleves, on 1st January 1540.
This meeting between King Henry VIII and the woman who would soon become his fourth wife, was a bit of a disaster, but exactly how much of a disaster was it? The accounts differ and in the video I share two slightly different contemporary accounts, one given in a chronicle and one shared in the annulment proceedings a few months later in 1540.
What happened on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester? Find out all about Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves’ first meeting in today’s talk.
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A very Happy New Year to Tudor Society members! Here’s to a wonderful 2020 for all of us! Thank you for being a member and we look forward to bringing you lots of Tudor history this year.
So far in 2020, we have Tony Riches, Sean Cunningham, Tracy Borman, Sarah Bryson, Kathleen Brogan and Sarah-Beth Watkins booked as speakers, and there are lots more to be scheduled – phew! It will be brilliant to hear them speak to us and to chat with them in the chatroom.
How did those at the Tudor court celebrate New Year? Well, here are some videos I’ve done on the topic…
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This month we have a fascinating and educational talk from author Tony Riches, taking us into the world of Katherine Willoughby, a woman who knew all of Henry VIII’s six wives.
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Here’s the full version of your monthly magazine: January’s Tudor Life magazine is 76 pages long and is themed with information about the Grey family.
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On this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1559, Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle, died while under house arrest in London. He was buried at St Dunstan-in-the-West on 6th January 1560.
Oglethorpe is known for officiating at Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation in 1559, but also for infuriating the queen at Christmas 1558 by disobeying her instructions at Mass.
What did Oglethorpe do?
Find out about Owen Oglethorpe’s life and career, and how he upset the queen and ended his days under house arrest, in today’s talk.
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On this day in Tudor history, 30th December 1568, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roger Ascham, scholar and royal tutor, died. He was laid to rest in the St Stephen’s chapel of St Sepulchre without Newgate, London.
Ascham served as tutor to Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth I, and is also responsible for the idea that Lady Jane Grey had abusive parents.
Find out more about Roger Ascham, his life and career, in today’s talk.
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On this day in history, 29th (or 30th) December 1605, in the reign of King James I, Elizabethan navigator and explorer, John Davis (also spelled Davys) died near Bintang, off the coast of Borneo.
Davis died after being attacked by Japanese pirates. He was about 55 when he died.
He is known for his voyages, for being the first Englishman to document a sighting of the Falkland Islands, for his 1594 “The Seaman’s Secrets” and 1595 “The World’s Hydrographical Description”, and for his invention, the Davis Quadrant, or the backstaff.
Find out more about him, his final voyage and death, in today’s talk.
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This week’s Claire Chats was about the ages that prominent people lived to in the Tudor period, so I was inspired to test you on this topic in this week’s quiz. I do hope you enjoy this bit of Tudor fun! Good luck!
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Today, 28th December, is Childermas or Holy Innocents’ Day, which was an important part of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Tudor times.
In today’s talk, I explain the origin of this feast day and how it was commemorated in the Tudor period.
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On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1539, Anne of Cleves landed at Deal in Kent in preparation for her forthcoming marriage to King Henry VIII. Anne of Cleves would be King Henry VIII’s fourth wife.
Find out more about her journey, the background to it, and what happened next, in today’s talk.
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“How old were they when they died?” is the question that has been on Tim’s mind, so, in today’s Claire Chats, I share the ages at death of some prominent Tudor people.
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In today’s talk, I explain how St Stephen’s Day was celebrated in Tudor times and why it’s known as Boxing Day, before moving on to today’s “on this day event”.
On this day in Tudor history, 26th December 1546, an ill Henry VIII made some changes to his will in preparation for his nine-year-old son, Edward, inheriting the throne. I explain all…
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Merry Christmas! A very Happy Christmas to you and yours!
In today’s talk, I explain how Tudor people would have celebrated Christmas, before moving on to today’s “on this day” event, the death of Lettice Blount (also known as Lettice Devereux, Lettice Dudley and Lettice Knollys). Not only did she serve Queen Elizabeth I as a gentlewoman of the privy chamber, she was also the queen’s first cousin once removed, and was nicknamed the “she-wolf” by her royal mistress. Find out more about Lettice Knollys in today’s talk.
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In today’s final edition of Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Claire and Teasel share about one of the Christmas Eve traditions of the medieval and Tudor period, the Yule Log.
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On this day in Tudor history, 24th December 1545, Christmas Eve, King Henry VIII made his final speech to Parliament.
The king was concerned about the religious divisions in his realm and so chastised the Lords and Commons for their disagreements, and also the clergy for provoking this discord.
In today’s talk, I share some of the king’s compelling speech from that day in 1545.
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In today’s Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Claire and Teasel the dog share what is eaten on Christmas Day in the Ridgway household and what meat the Tudors would have tucked into.
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On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Nicholas Udall (Yevedale), schoolmaster, cleric, humanist and playwright, was buried at St Margaret’s, Westminster.
In today’s talk, I introduce this Tudor man and also share a ballad he wrote for Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation celebrations in 1533. His ballad was about Anne Boleyn’s falcon badge and how it related to the queen.
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In today’s edition of Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Claire and Teasel share with you how to avoid goblins in your household, and it’s all to do with your Christmas decorations. Please do heed this warning from poet Robert Herrick!
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On this day in Tudor history, 22nd December 1534, John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who was a prisoner in the Tower of London, wrote to Thomas Cromwell.
In his letter to Cromwell, the poor bishop begged him for a shirt, sheet, food and books, as well as asking him to intercede with King Henry VIII on his behalf.
It is so sad that a man who had served the king so loyally in the past had come to this, and, of course, the king’s mercy would only stretch to commuting his method of execution to beheading.
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As it’s the last Sunday before Christmas, we thought we’d test your knowledge of Tudor Christmas food. So, grab your favourite Christmas tipple, a mince pie or slice of Christmas cake, and have fun with this crossword puzzle. Good luck!
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On this day in Tudor history, 21st December 1495, Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford and 1st Earl of Pembroke, died at his manor at Thornbury at the age of around sixty-four.
Jasper Tudor was the uncle of Henry Tudor, a man who would become King Henry VII, and served as a mentor and advisor to him.
Find out more about this interesting Tudor man in today’s talk.
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Following on from yesterday’s video on Tudor Christmas drinks, Teasel and I talk about the staple drink of the medieval and Tudor periods, ale, and how it was made.
We recommend the Tudor Monastery Farm series and accompanying book for more on this and life in Tudor times.
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In today’s edition of Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel and I talk about what kinds of drinks the Tudors would have enjoyed over the Twelve Days of Christmas: syllabub, mulled wine, buttered beere, Lambswool and hippocras.
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On this day in Tudor history, 20th December 1541, a “very sickly” Agnes Tilney, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, begged King Henry VIII for forgiveness.
The dowager duchess had been arrested and taken to the Tower accused of misprision of treason for hiding her stepgranddaughter Catherine Howard’s past relationship with Francis Dereham.
In today’s talk, I share what the dowager duchess wrote to the king and also what happened to this sickly woman.
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