The Tudor Society
  • 17 August – Sweating sickness kills a humanist scholar, and Dudley and Empson the Scapegoats

    On this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1517, Italian humanist scholar, cleric and poet, Andreas Ammonius died in London from sweating sickness. He was laid to rest at St Stephen’s, Westminster.

    Ammonius had also served Henry VIII as his Latin secretary and was a great friend of the famous humanist scholar, Erasmus. Find out more about Ammonius and the sweating sickness epidemic which caused his death…

    [Read More...]
  • 17 August – The end of Empson and Dudley

    On this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1510, King Henry VII’s former chief administrators, Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, were beheaded on Tower Hill as traitors even though they had served the former king loyally.

    What happened? Why were these two advisors executed by their former master’s son?

    I explain what led to Empson and Dudley’s executions.

    [Read More...]
  • 18 July – Edmund Dudley, the “false traitor”

    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...]
  • Dudley Castle – Philippa, roving reporter

    Philippa Lacey Brewell, the Tudor Society roving reporter, takes us around the ruins of Dudley Castle, in Dudley, West Midlands. This is a little known castle which is sadly in need of £5 million in restoration work to make it safe and to preserve it for the future. Philippa gets access to some areas which are not open to the public at the moment.

    [Read More...]
  • 17 August 1510 – The end of Empson and Dudley

    On this day in history, 17th August 1510, the second year of King Henry VIII’s reign, Henry VII’s former chief administrators, Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, were beheaded on Tower Hill after being found guilty of treason.

    Chronicler Edward Hall records:

    “The kynge beyng thus in hys progresse harde euery daye more and more complayntes of Empson and Dudley, wherfore he sent wryttes to the Shynfes of London, to put them in execucion, and so the xvii. day of August, they were both behedded at the Towre hyl, and their bodies buryed and their heades.”

    [Read More...]
  • 17 August 1510 – The Executions of Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson

    On 17th August 1510, the second year of King Henry VIII’s reign, Henry VII’s former chief administrators, Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, were beheaded on Tower Hill after being found guilty of treason.

    Chronicler Edward Hall records:

    “The kynge beyng thus in hys progresse harde euery daye more and more complayntes of Empson and Dudley, wherfore he sent wryttes to the Shynfes of London, to put them in execucion, and so the xvii. day of August, they were both behedded at the Towre hyl, and their bodies buryed and their heades.”

    [Read More...]
  • 18 July 1509 – Edmund Dudley convicted of treason

    On this day in history, 18th July 1509, Edmund Dudley, administrator, President of the King’s Council in the reign of Henry VII and speaker of the House of Commons, was convicted of treason after being blamed for the oppression of Henry VII’s reign. He was charged with conspiring to “hold, guide and govern the King and his Council” and ordering his men to assemble in London during the final days of Henry VII’s life.

    In the Third Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records (1842), we have the record of “Trial and conviction of Edmund Dudley, Esq. – Constructive Treason – Commissioners of Oyer and Terminer, London, 18 July, 1509. 1 Hen. VIII”:

    [Read More...]