On this day in Tudor history, 24th March, judge and Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir James Dyer, died; Queen Elizabeth I died at Richmond Palace; and Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, died…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 24 March
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#OTD in Tudor History – 5 February
On this day in Tudor history, 5th February, diplomat Sir Henry Brooke was born, 15-year-old Elizabeth was questioned regarding Thomas Seymour, and Henry of Navarre abjured Catholicism…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 12 January
Today was a very busy day in Tudor times!
On this day in Tudor history, we have Henry VIII jousting as king for the first time, Elizabeth I travelling to the Tower of London, and the death of an important nobleman, soldier and naval commander…
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8 December – Ivan the Terrible and Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I and the Russian leader Ivan the Terrible had a rather volatile relationship. Find out more about it in this short video…
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6 December – The Bisley Boy Legend
For today’s Advent treat, I thought I’d share this Teasel’s Tudor Trivia video about a very strange legend concerning Elizabeth I – The Bisley Boy Legend.
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July 9 – Elizabeth I stays with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
On this day in Tudor history, 9th July 1575, Elizabeth I began a stay at Kenilworth Castle, home of her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
Her 19-day-stay was recorded by Robert Langham, a member of Leicester’s household, and by poet and actor George Gascoigne, who was hired by Leicester to provide entertainment.
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Sunday Fun – Young Elizabeth I Word Search
This week’s Sunday fun is a word search from our archives testing your knowledge of Elizabeth I’s early life, youth and pre-accession days.
Find the answers to the questions in this word search and be warned: the words can go in any direction!
Good luck!
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March 26 – The Vestments Controversy
On this day in Tudor history, 26th March 1566, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Edmund Grindal, Bishop of London, summoned one hundred and ten ministers to Lambeth Palace to get them to pledge their willingness to wear vestments, as worn by the man in front of them: Robert Cole, a former non-conformist who now complied.
The outfit consisted of a square cap, gown, tippet, and surplice. They were also asked “to inviolably observe the rubric of the Book of Common Prayer, and the queen’s majesty’s injunctions, and the Book of Convocation” and to commit to these orders on the spot, by writing “volo” or “no volo”.
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December 20 – Edward Arden and an alleged plot to kill the queen
On this day in Tudor history, 20th December 1583, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Edward Arden was hanged, drawn and quartered at Smithfield.
Arden was executed the day after his son-in-law, John Somerville, had been found dead in his cell at Newgate Prison.
Arden, a Warwickshire gentleman who was related to William Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, and married to a member of the Throckmorton family, had been found guilty of treason, after being implicated in Somerville’s plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I.
But was Edward Arden actually guilty? And why weren’t the others involved in this alleged plot executed?
Find out more about Edward Arden and what happened in 1583…
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November 30 – Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech
On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1601, Queen Elizabeth I gave her famous Golden Speech.
She addressed it to the House of Commons, and it was her final speech to Parliament.
In her speech, the sixty-eight-year-old Elizabeth I spoke of her position as queen and her love and respect for her realm, her people, and for her members of Parliament. It was a speech that brought many of the men present to tears. It was a heartfelt speech by a queen who truly loved her people.
Let me share Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech with you…
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October 28 – Ivan the Terrible’s rather rude letter to Elizabeth I
On this day in Tudor history, 28th October 1570, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Ivan IV of Russia wrote a rather rude letter to the English queen.
Ivan IV, more commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was upset with Elizabeth I’s reaction to his idea of a political alliance, an agreement to help each other if their lives were in danger, and wrote the letter while he was still angry.
His rude letter must have angered Elizabeth, but unlike Ivan, she waited to reply until her anger had subsided.
Find out what Ivan the Terrible and Elizabeth I wrote in their letters to each other, and how they came to be corresponding in the first place…
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October 7 – George Gascoigne, a man who helped Robert Dudley with a marriage proposal
On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1577, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, George Gascoigne died in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
As well as being an author and soldier, Gascoigne was a gifted poet. He was hired by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in 1575 to provide entertainment for the queen’s visit to Leicester’s home, Kenilworth Castle. Leicester was going to make one final attempt to persuade the queen to marry him, and he hoped Gascoigne could help him.
Find out all about Gascoigne’s masque, Zabeta, and what happened at Kenilworth…
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August 16 – The Norris family lose another two sons
On this day in Tudor history, 16th August 1599, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Thomas Norris, soldier and Lord President of Munster in Ireland, died at his home, Mallow Castle, in Cork.
Norris died as a result of an injury he’d sustained in a skirmish with Irish troops on 30th May 1599. His brother, Henry, died just five days later.
Thomas and Henry’s brothers, John, William and Maximilian, who were also soldiers, died in 1597, 1579 and 1593 respectively.
Queen Elizabeth I recognised the sacrifice of the Norris family and wrote a letter of condolence to her friends, Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norris, and his wife, Margery Williams.
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August 9 – Elizabeth I issues a mandate that causes a stir
On this day in Tudor history, 9th August 1561, while on a visit to Ipswich, in Suffolk, Queen Elizabeth I issued a royal mandate which caused quite a stir. She was forbidding women to reside in cathedrals and colleges.
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July 30 – Elizabeth rides to Wanstead to meet Mary
On this day in Tudor history, 30th July 1553, eleven days after her half-sister, Mary, had been proclaimed queen, Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, left her new home, Somerset House, to ride to Wanstead and greet Mary.
Somerset House was Elizabeth’s new London residence and you can find out more about how Elizabeth acquired it and who built it originally in this video:
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July 27 – Robert Dudley wanted to keep Elizabeth I out of harm’s way
On this day in Tudor history, 27th July 1588, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, wrote to Queen Elizabeth I with an invitation. He was intent on keeping the queen, the woman he loved, out of harm’s way.
What was his invitation?
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Elizabeth: Apprenticeship by David Starkey
Elizabeth’s pre-accession years are being brought to life in the Starz series “Becoming Elizabeth” at the moment and an excellent book on this period of Elizabeth I’s life is David Starkey’s “Elizabeth: Apprenticeship”. Here’s a review from our archives from book reviewer Lil:
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June 7 – A queen’s physician is hanged, and a historic meeting
On this day in Tudor history, 7th June 1594, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the queen’s physician, Roderigo Lopez, was hanged, drawn and quartered after being accused of plotting to poison the queen.
Find out more about Lopez and what happened…
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May 8 – Charles Wriothesley, Elizabeth I’s Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, and a show of strength
On this day in Tudor history, 8th May 1508, herald and chronicler Charles Wriothesley was born in London.
Wriothesley’s chronicle is one of the major primary sources for King Henry VIII’s reign, so let Claire tell you more about its writer, Charles Wriothesley, Windsor Herald, and what heralds actually are.
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Elizabeth I’s Early Life Crossword Puzzle
How much do you know about the early years of that iconic queen, Elizabeth I?
Test your knowledge with this fun crossword puzzle.
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April 28 – Elizabeth I’s funeral, Sir Anthony Browne and an executed priest
On this day in Tudor history, 28th April 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in a lavish funeral.
Find out more about her funeral…
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March 21 – Elizabeth I takes to her bed and The end of Thomas Cranmer
On this day in Tudor history, 21st March 1603, a dying Queen Elizabeth I finally took to her bed.
Elizabeth I had been queen since November 1558, but now she was dying. She had deep-rooted melancholy, couldn’t sleep and was refusing to eat. She spent her days lying on cushions in her withdrawing chamber. But on 21st March, she was finally persuaded to go to bed.
Find out more about these last days in this talk…
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March 18 – Elizabeth I is arrested and The birth of Mary Tudor, Queen of France
On this day in Tudor history, 18th March 1554, Palm Sunday, the twenty-year-old Lady Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I) was escorted by barge from her home at Whitehall Palace along the River Thames to the Tower of London, and imprisoned there.
Elizabeth had been implicated in Wyatt’s Rebellion, a rebellion that sought to depose Queen Mary I and put Elizabeth, the queen’s half-sister, on the throne in her place.
Where was Elizabeth imprisoned? What happened to her? Find out more about Elizabeth’s arrest and her time in the Tower of London in this talk…
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March 17 – Alexander Alesius’ terrifying vision of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I’s famous Tide Letter
On this day in Tudor history, 17th March 1565, Scottish theologian and Reformer Alexander Alesius (also known as Ales, Aless), died in either Leipzig or Edinburgh.
Alesius wrote a huge number of theological works, was friends with reformers Philip Melancthon and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, but had a row with the Bishop of London at one point.
Find out more about Alexander Alesius and his terrifying vision or nightmare he experienced in the early hours of 19th May 1536, the day of Queen Anne Boleyn’s execution in this talk…
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18 February – The Ridolfi Plot against Elizabeth I and the birthday of Queen Mary I
On this day in history, 18th February 1612, Italian banker Roberto di Ridolfi died in Florence, Italy, aged 80.
Amazingly, he died a natural death even though he’d been the brains behind the Ridolfi Plot, a plot to depose Queen Elizabeth I and to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, thereby restoring Catholicism in England.
Find out more about Ridolfi and his famous plot in this talk…
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5 February – Elizabeth was under investigation and the birth of Sir Henry Brooke
On this day in Tudor history, 5th February 1549, in the reign of King Edward VI, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth I, was summoned to appear before Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who was keeping her under house arrest at Hatfield while the Crown investigated Thomas Seymour.
Edward VI’s privy council were investigating whether Elizabeth was secretly plotting to marry Thomas Seymour, Edward VI’s uncle, helped by her servants, Katherine Ashley and Thomas Parry.
Parry and Ashley had made confessions, but what had they said? And what would happen to them all?
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Blog: A New Theory on the Princes in the Tower and More
At the end of last year we started something new on the website: a blog. Each month we will look back on exciting discoveries, new books, exhibitions, and lots more. In addition to that, we will mention what you may have missed on the Tudor Society website and look ahead to upcoming events. Today’s blog focuses on the first month of 2022!
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23 January – Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange and the death of Ferdinand II
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd January 1571, after dining with its founder, Sir Thomas Gresham, Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in London.
Find out more about the official opening, what the Royal Exchange was, why Gresham paid for its building, and what happened to it, in this talk…
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23 December – Elizabeth I moves to a property her mother knew well and the burial of Nicholas Udall
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December 1558, just over a month after her accession, England’s new queen, Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, moved from Somerset House to Whitehall Palace, which became her principal residence.
Whitehall, formerly York Place, had once been home to her mother, Anne Boleyn, and had been the setting of Anne’s marriage to Henry VIII. I wonder if Elizabeth felt close to her mother there.
Find out more about Whitehall Palace, and also Somerset Place, the property Elizabeth left, in this talk…
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2 December – Elizabeth I finally agreed to sentence Mary, Queen of Scots; to death and Henry Howard was arrested
On this day in Tudor history, 2nd December 1586, following a joint petition from the Houses of Lords and Commons, Elizabeth I finally agreed to a public proclamation of sentence against Mary, Queen of Scots: death.
Mary had been found guilty of high treason back in October 1586, but Elizabeth had not wanted to contemplate regicide. However, Parliament believed that if Mary, Queen of Scots, was not executed, that she’d continue to plot against Elizabeth and would utterly “ruinate and overthrow the happy State and Common Weal of this most Noble Realm”. She was too much of a danger and needed dealing with once and for all.
Find out what Parliament said and what happened next in this talk…
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