On this day in Tudor history, 10 September 1533, King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I), was christened at the Church of Observant Friars in Greenwich.
Elizabeth I’s christening service was a lavish ceremony presided over by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who also stood as the little girl’s godfather.
In today’s talk, I share a contemporary source of Elizabeth’s christening service and also of the celebrations that followed.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 9th September 1513, during the reign of King Henry VIII, English and Scottish forces clashed at the bloody Battle of Flodden.
Henry VIII was campaigning in France at the time, so Catherine of Aragon was in charge as regent. It was a victory for Catherine and also for Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, who led the English troops against the Scots on that day. Henry missed this moment of victory.
King James IV of Scotland died at the Battle of Flodden, but what happened to his body?
In today’s talk, I give details of the battle, Catherine’s role in England’s victory, and explains what is thought to have happened to James IV’s remains.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 7th September 1533, at Greenwich Palace, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a daughter who would grow up to be Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess, a queen who would rule England for over 44 years.
Happy birthday to Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)!
Find out more about her birth, the reactions and celebrations in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
This month, Philippa Brewell, our roving reporter, visits Layer Marney Hall, a stunning Tudor building which was visited by Henry VIII and is incredibly well preserved today.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 1st September 1532, in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle, King Henry VIII elevated his sweetheart Anne Boleyn to the peerage by making her Marquess of Pembroke.
This was a hugely significant act because Henry VIII made Anne a marquess in her own right, granted the title to her and her heirs male (legitimate or not) and gave her a title associated with his father, Henry VII, and uncle, Jasper Tudor. It also made her a rather wealthy woman, and a fitting consort for their trip to Calais to meet with King Francis I of France.
Find out more about what happened on this day in 1532, who was there, and just what Anne Boleyn was given by King Henry VIII, in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 30th August 1548, Catherine Parr, Queen Dowager (sixth wife of King Henry VIII) and wife of Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley, gave birth to a healthy daughter at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Thomas and Catherine named the little girl Mary after her godmother, the future Queen Mary I.
Lady Mary Seymour would soon be orphaned, and by the age of two she had disappeared from the records. What happened to Mary Seymour?
I talk about the various theories regarding Mary Seymour’s fate. What a Tudor mystery!
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 29th August 1538, Geoffrey Pole, son of Sir Richard Pole and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was arrested. He was already on thin ice, having been a staunch supporter of Queen Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary, but he now was suspected, like other members of his family, of being in communication with his brother, Cardinal Reginald Pole, a man who had upset King Henry VIII by writing a treatise against him and his policies.
Unlike other members of his family, including Margaret Pole, Geoffrey managed to survive this trouble – how? Why? What happened?
I explain all in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 26th August 1533, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, prepared for the birth of her first child by “taking her chamber” at Greenwich Palace. This child was of course the future Queen Elizabeth I.
“Taking her chamber” was common practice in Tudor England, and in today’s talk, I explain all of the rituals and traditions involved, as well as describing what Anne Boleyn’s chamber would have been like.
[Read More...]
This week’s Claire Chats video talk has been inspired by an “on this day in Tudor history” event from this week and some comments and questions I received about it – the proxy wedding of Princess Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, and King Louis XII. I thought I’d explain what proxy weddings were/are, why they were needed, and share some examples of historical proxy weddings.
[Read More...]
On this day in history, 13th August 1514, Princess Mary Tudor, youngest surviving daughter of the late King Henry VII and sister of King Henry VIII, married King Louis XII of France by proxy.
In today’s talk, I share details of the ceremony, and what everyone was wearing, and explais the symbolic consummation.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 5th August 1549, during the reign of King Edward VI, son of King Henry VIII, the Battle of Clyst St Mary took place near Exeter, in Devon. It was part of the Prayer Book Rebellion, a rebellion against the religious measures of King Edward’s government.
I explain what provoked this rebellion and what happened when the Crown’s forces got to Clyst St Mary on this day in 1549.
[Read More...]
Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I were half-sisters, sharing a father: King Henry VIII, but how much do you know about these Tudor queens regnant?
Test yourself with this week’s fun quiz. Good luck!
[Read More...]
Hello, Claire here! I’m celebrating reaching 25,000 YouTube subscribers today by having a bit of fun at Tim’s expense, although I am allowing Henry VIII and William Shakespeare to help him a bit.
Play along with us and see whether you can do better than Tim with these Tudor history questions (surely you can!). Get 1 point for each correct answer and question 16 is worth a possible 3 points. The questions are below, and then the answers below that, so please don’t look ahead! Good luck!
I would just like to say a big thank you for following this channel. I feel so blessed to be able to talk Tudor with you.
[Read More...]
What a confusing day it must have been for the citizens of London on 30th July 1540! For it was on this day in history, in the reign of King Henry VIII, that both Catholics and men of the reformed faith were executed in London. Crazy times indeed!
Find out more about why Thomas Abell, Edward Powell and Richard Fetherston, and Robert Barnes, William Jerome and Thomas Garrard, were executed in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 25 July 1554, on the Feast of St James, Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, married Philip of Spain, son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
The couple got married at Winchester Cathedral and Mary’s Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, officiated at the ceremony.
In today’s talk, I share a contemporary account of Mary and Philip’s wedding ceremony.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 21st July 1545, in the reign of King Henry VIII, French forces landed on the Isle of Wight in an attempt to invade the English island.
In today’s “on this day” talk, I share contemporary accounts of what happened – what the French forces did to the island and what the result was.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 18th July 1509, just three months into the reign of King Henry VIII, one of King Henry VII’s chief advisors was accused of being a “false traitor” and convicted of treason.
The new king, the young Henry VIII, used Dudley and his colleague, Richard Empson, as scapegoats for his father’s unpopular regime.
Find out more about the charges against Edmund Dudley in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 16th July 1546, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Protestant martyrs Anne Askew, John Lascelles, John Adams and Nicholas Belenian were burned at the stake at Smithfield in London for heresy.
Poor Anne had been illegally racked, so special provision had to be made for her execution.
In today’s talk, I share an account of the ends of these courageous people, along with some trivia about one of them.
[Read More...]
After a filling breakfast (Full English for me!), our lovely coach driver, Alan, took us to Sudeley Castle, in Winchcombe, in the Cotswolds.
As well as being the home and place of death of Catherine Parr, sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII, Sudeley also served as home to Lady Jane Grey, one of our executed queens, in 1548. Jane was the ward of Catherine’s fourth husband, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, who owned the castle, and so joined Catherine there when she retired to Sudeley as she prepared for the birth of her first and only child. Jane was at Sudeley when Catherine died in September 1548 and acted as chief mourner at Catherine’s funeral at the church within the grounds.
[Read More...]
On this day in history, 9th July 1540, Anne of Cleves went from being Henry VIII’s queen consort to being his “right dear and right entirely beloved sister” after their marriage was annulled.
Why was their marriage annulled? How did Anne of Cleves react to the news? What happened to her and Henry VIII afterwards?
I explain the situation in today’s talk.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 8th July 1553, two days after her half-brother King Edward VI’s death and one day after hearing news of his death, Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, declared that she was Edward VI’s heir and so was queen – Queen Mary I.
In today’s talk, I explain what had led Mary to this point and why Mary had fled London.
[Read More...]
I’ve recently started researching Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, and as well as using contemporary sources, such as Tudor chronicles, ambassadors’ dispatches etc., I also look at secondary sources to see what other historians say about the person and to look at the sources they rely on. I love these research journeys and the different tangents and branches I end up following.
I thought it would be useful to Tudor Society members if I shared some of the books that I have found useful or have bought and will be using for my research into Anne and her life, so here you are!
[Read More...]
Oh dear! Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, had a bit of a bad day on this day in Tudor history, 3rd July 1533. Not only had she trodden on a pin and was suffering with a bad cough, but she was also told that she had to stop calling herself queen – not likely!
In today’s “on this day” video,I share Thomas Cromwell’s letter to Catherine’s chamberlain on this matter, and also give Catherine’s reaction to it. She was a spirited and strong lady!
[Read More...]
Thanks to all who came to the live chat on Saturday night. We had a fast-paced discussion about queenship and in particular the six wives of Henry VIII.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 1st July 1543, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the Treaties of Greenwich were signed.
These treaties were between the kingdoms of Scotland and England, and, amongst other terms, was the agreement of a marriage between Prince Edward, the future King Edward VI, and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Scotland’s subsequent rejection of the treaties led to a war known as the Rough Wooing – a great name!
In today’s video, I explain what these treaties were all about and what happened in the war known as the Rough Wooing, and why it was called that.
[Read More...]
Today is the anniversary of the death of sixty-six-year-old Lady Margaret Beaufort on 29th June 1509, just four days after she enjoyed the coronation celebrations of her grandson King Henry VIII and his queen consort. Catherine of Aragon.
Margaret Beaufort was the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty and was an amazing woman, in many ways, yet she 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?
In today’s video, I flesh out Margaret Beaufort with a few facts about her and her life.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 26th June 1535, in the reign of King Henry VIII, a new commission of oyer and terminer was appointed in the case against Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII’s former Lord Chancellor and good friend. More was being indicted for high treason, and, of course, would eventually be executed.
How had this Tudor statesman come to this?
In today’s video, I explain why More was accused of high treason.
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 25th June 1533, Mary Tudor, former Queen of France, wife of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and sister of King Henry VIII, died at her home in Suffolk. She was just thirty-seven years old.
In today’s video, I talk about Mary’s ill-health, her death and funeral.
[Read More...]
No, I’m not talking about Henry VIII’s love-life!
As you will know from my “on this day in Tudor history” videos and posts, there are many, many momentous Tudor dates. The Tudor period was packed full of important Tudor events. So, for this week’s Sunday quiz, I decided to test you on just a few of them. I hope you have a head for dates!
[Read More...]
On this day in Tudor history, 21st June 1529, Queen Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, stole the show with an incredible speech at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars, a court that was hearing the case for the annulment of her marriage to the king.
The speech was given while she knelt at her husband’s feet and she appealed directly to him. It’s an incredible speech and I share it with you in today’s video.
[Read More...]