The Tudor Society

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  • January 16 – Sir Anthony Denny

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th January 1501, in the reign of King Henry VII, Sir Anthony Denny was born at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. He was the second son of Sir Edmund Denny, Baron of the Exchequer to Henry VIII, and his wife, Mary Troutbeck.

    The courtier and good friend of Henry VIII was educated at St Paul’s School, London, before moving on to St John’s College, Cambridge.

    Following employment in the service of Sir Francis Bryan, a man known as the Vicar of Hell, Denny joined King Henry VIII’s privy chamber in 1533 and was made a yeoman of the wardrobe in 1536.

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  • January 15 – Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th January 1555, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland and wife of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, died in Chelsea, London.

    Forty-six-year-old Jane had outlived her husband, who was executed in 1553 after Mary I had successfully seized the throne from the couple’s daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey.

    Here are some facts about this Duchess of Northumberland…

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  • January 11 – Blessed William Carter

    The Tyburn Tree, the gallows at Tyburn

    On 11th January 1584, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Blessed William Carter was executed for treason.

    Printer William Carter, who was about thirty-six years of age at his death, had been found guilty of treason for printing a book which allegedly contained a passage inciting the queen’s assassination. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.

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  • October 10 – Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is buried

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1588, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the queen’s favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried.

    He was laid to rest in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, according to his instructions.

    Leicester’s funeral was well-attended and his widow, Lettice (née Knollys), a woman known by Elizabeth I as “the she-wolf”, erected a monument to “her best and dearest husband” in the chapel. The chapel is also the resting place of the couple’s young son, Robert, “the noble impe”, Lettice, and Leicester’s brother, Ambrose.

    Find out more about Leicester’s funeral and resting place, and see some photos of his tomb…

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  • Tudor royal funerals

    People all over the world have tuned in to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II today, a queen who reigned for over 70 years and who was descended from Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, and, therefore, King Henry VII, as well as having Boleyn blood.

    The funeral procession and ceremony were full of tradition and ritual, and our Tudor ancestors would recognise much of it, so I thought I’d share with you some information on Tudor royal funerals.

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  • May 18 – Catherine Woodville, and a rebel comes to a sticky end

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th May 1497, Catherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham and Bedford, died.

    Who was Catherine Woodville and how was she linked to the famous Woodvilles who rose in the reign of King Edward IV?

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  • Medieval Stained Glass – To tempt an artist by Toni Mount

    A warm Tudor Society welcome to historian and author Toni Mount and huge congratulations to her on the forthcoming release of her tenth Seb Foxley medieval murder mystery, a series I adore.

    Toni is sharing a guest article with us to celebrate the publication of The Colour of Rubies

    In my tenth and latest Seb Foxley medieval murder mystery, The Colour of Rubies, the story requires our hero to go to Westminster Palace in order to discover a dead body – what else! Those familiar with my scribe/artist/sleuth will know that colour means everything to Seb so what better reason could he have for going to the royal palace with his brother, Jude, than to admire the beautiful stained glass in the Chapel of St Stephen?

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  • Battle of Bosworth Quiz

    Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth. The battle took place on 22nd August 1485 and was between the forces of King Richard III and Henry Tudor. Henry’s forces defeated those of Richard, and Henry became King Henry VII.

    Test your knowledge of the battle with this fun quiz and scroll down for more resources on the battle.

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  • 16 June – A scandalous earl dies of gangrene

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th June 1614, Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, died of gangrene following surgery on his thigh.

    Find out more about this Tudor earl, and how he was involved in a murder plot, in today’s #TudorHistoryShorts talk…

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  • June 2021 – Tudor Life – Wrath

    Bringing our “sins” series to a close, we have a packed magazine focusing on wrath. As you can imagine, this is a powerful magazine as the Tudor monarchs were well known for vengeance, fury and hate at times. 72 pages of Tudor articles.

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  • 18 May – I have a little neck

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn’s execution was postponed.

    Sir William Kingston, the Constable of the Tower of London, was surprised by the queen’s reaction when he informed her of the delay – why? How did Anne react? What did she say?

    Find out exactly what Anne Boleyn said…

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  • This week in Tudor History – 11 – 17 January – Part 1

    This week, I thought I’d split the week into two, so this video covers Tudor history events that took place on 11th, 12th and 13th January – the execution of a printer, the death of a baron, soldier and naval commander, the death of a godson of Henry VIII…

    Below, you’ll also find videos from previous years that cover these dates.

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  • 6 December – An important man who managed to die a natural death

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th December 1573, soldier and administrator, Sir Hugh Paulet, died at his home in Hinton St George in Somerset.

    He distinguished himself as a soldier in Henry VIII’s reign, served as Governor of Jersey in Edward VI’s reign, was a Protestant but survived Mary I’s reign and served as Vice-President of the Welsh marches, and had a successful career in Elizabeth I’s reign. He was an important man and a servant of the Crown, but still managed to die a natural death at his home.

    Find out more about Sir Hugh Paulet, his life and career, in today’s talk.

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  • 22 November – Explorer Sir Martin Frobisher dies of gangrene

    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd November 1594, naval commander, privateer and explorer, Sir Martin Frobisher, died at Plymouth. He died of gangrene after having been shot in the thigh during hand-to-hand combat during a siege.

    Frobisher is best known for his three voyages in search of the Northwest Passage and his naval service during the 1588 Spanish Armada, for which he was knighted.

    Find out all about the life and career of this Tudor explorer in today’s talk.

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  • November 21 – John Bale, a churchman and playwright who courted controversy

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st November 1495, churchman, Protestant playwright, historian and Bishop of Ossory, John Bale was born in Suffolk.

    Bale wrote twenty-four plays, and a book on famous British writers, which is his most well-known work. His work on Protestant martyrs was also used by the famous martyrologist John Foxe.

    John Bale also courted controversy with his attacks on Catholics, and he spent a fair amount of time in exile.

    Find out all about this accomplished Tudor man in today’s talk.

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  • 20 November – Elizabeth I’s godson and his flush toilet

    On this day in history, 20th November 1612, in the reign of King James I, courtier and author Sir John Harington died.

    Why am I talking about a man who died in the Stuart period?

    Well, because he was Queen Elizabeth I’s godson and because during her reign he invented the Ajax, or “jakes”, England’s first flush toilet.

    Find out more about Sir John Harington and his flush toilet invention in today’s talk.

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  • 13 November – Murder by handgun in London

    On this day in Tudor history, 13th November 1536, mercer and member of Parliament Robert Packington (Pakington, Pakyngton) was shot to death by an unknown assailant while he was on his way to mass at St Thomas of Acre Chapel. He was shot with a wheellock pistol.

    Robert Packington has gone down in history as the first person in England to be killed by a handgun, but who killed him and why?

    Find out about Packington, his murder, and the theories regarding who ordered his murder, in today’s talk.

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  • 12 November – Wily Winchester

    On this day in Tudor history, 12th November 1555, Mary I’s Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, died. He was laid to rest at Winchester Cathedral in what is now known as the Bishop Gardiner Chantry Chapel.

    In today’s talk, I tell you about the life and career of “Wily Winchester”, a man who went from being a valued advisor to being imprisoned, and then got back into favour, crowned a queen and became Lord Chancellor! He led quite a life!

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  • 27 October – She shot pistols, flirted and took tobacco!

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th October 1561, Mary Herbert (née Sidney), Countess of Pembroke, writer and literary patron, was born at Tickenhall, near Bewdley in Worcestershire. She was the sister of the poets Sir Philip Sidney and Robert Sidney, Earl of Leicester, was a writer herself and an extremely talented lady, and she also lived life to the full.

    After her husband died, she had fun shooting pistols, flirting, taking tobacco and dancing. A fun lady!

    Find out more about this gifted Tudor woman, who was as beautiful as she was talented, and whose work was praised, and used, by men such as Shakespeare.

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  • 10 October – The funeral of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I’s favourite

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1588, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, according to his instructions.

    His funeral was well-attended and his widow, Lettice, a woman known by Elizabeth I as “the she-wolf”, erected a monument to “her best and dearest husband” in the chapel, which was also the resting place of the couple’s young son, Robert, “the noble impe”.

    Find out more about Leicester’s funeral and resting place, and see some photos of his tomb, in today’s talk.

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  • Happy birthday to King Richard III

    King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings, was born Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, on this day in history, 2nd October 1452.

    Here is an extract from my book Illustrated Kings and Queens of England on Richard III.

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  • 29 September – A papal legate arrives for Henry VIII’s annulment case

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th September 1528, the papal legate, Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, landed at Dover on the Kent coast.

    Campeggio and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who had been appointed the pope’s vice-regent, were given the task of hearing Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

    Find out more about what happened when next, what happened at the special legatine court, and how Henry ended up waiting for his annulment for a few more years, in today’s talk.

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  • 12 September – The newly married Earl of Argyll dies suddenly

    On this day in Tudor history, 12th September 1573, Protestant reformer, and leading politician in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, died suddenly at Barbreck. He had got married six weeks earlier and had shown no signs of illness before retiring to bed.

    Argyll was the third most important noble in Scotland, the most important highland chief, and a founder of the Lords of the Congregation. He went from opposing Mary, Queen of Scots, to leading her troops in battle.

    Why?

    Find out all about this interesting Scot’s life and career in today’s talk.

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  • 8 September – John Shakespeare, father of William Shakespeare

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th September 1601, John Shakespeare, father of playwright William Shakespeare, was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

    John was a glover and whittawer, and also an important man in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, serving as high bailiff, chief alderman and deputy bailiff, and being given the right to educate his children at the local grammar school for free. However, he also ran into trouble at times.

    Find out more about the life of William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, in today’s talk.

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  • 1 September – Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st September 1566, Edward Alleyn, a major figure in the Elizabethan theatre, was born in the parish of St Botolph without Bishopsgate, London, and baptised the following day.

    In today’s talk, I share some facts about Edward Alleyn, including his personal life, the plays he was involved in, his theatre investments, and his desire to be appointed master of the bears, bulls and mastiff dogs!

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  • September 2020 – Tudor Life – France and the Tudors

    In this month’s packed magazine we have gone all continental with great articles highlighting the connection between France and the Tudors.

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  • 8 August – Edward VI’s Burial

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th August 1553, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI was buried in Henry VII’s Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey in a funeral service performed by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.

    Although his Catholic half-sister, Mary, was on the throne, Edward was buried with Protestant rites and it was the first time the English Book of Common Prayer was used for the funeral of a monarch.

    Find out more about Edward VI’s funeral, how Mary I marked his passing, and Edward VI’s resting place, in today’s talk.

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  • 26 July – Anne Boleyn and St Anne

    Today, 26th July, is the feast day of St Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ. Happy St Anne’s Day to any Annes or Annas out there! Have a wonderful day!

    St Anne was very important to Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and a pageant at her coronation procession in 1533 took St Anne, combined with Anne Boleyn’s falcon badge, as its theme.

    Find out more about the pageant at Anne Boleyn’s coronation, and why St Anne was chosen as the theme, in today’s talk.

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  • 21 July – The arrest of John Dudley

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st July, 1553, just days after he’d left London with an army to apprehend Mary, half-sister of the late king, Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland was arrested near Cambridge.

    But how and why did the man who had ruled England on Edward VI’s behalf, as Lord President of his privy council, come to this?

    I explain his role in the accession of Lady Jane Grey as Queen Jane in July 1553 and what happened when Mary overthrew Queen Jane.

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  • 24 June – Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I’s favourite

    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 in today’s talk:

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