The Tudor Society
  • July 20 – Philip of Spain arrives in England

    A portrait of Philip of Spain by Anthonis Mor

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th July 1554, Philip of Spain arrived in England, at Southampton, in readiness for his marriage to Mary I.

    Winchester Cathedral, seat of Bishop Stephen Gardiner, had been chosen as the wedding venue, due to the recent Wyatt’s Rebellion in London, and Mary and her court set off from Richmond on 16th June.

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  • May 21 – Philip II of Spain

    A portrait of Philip II of Spain by Anthonis Mor

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st May 1527, King Philip II of Spain was born at Valladolid in Spain.

    Philip was the eldest son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Isabella of Portugal. His titles included King of Spain, King of Portugal, King of Naples and Sicily, Duke of Milan, and Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands. He was also joint sovereign of England following his marriage to his second wife, Mary I, in 1554.

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  • August 26 – Mary I prepares for her husband’s departure

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th August 1555, Mary I and her husband, Philip of Spain, departed from Whitehall to prepare for Philip’s departure. He was returning to the Low Countries.

    Mary had just come out of confinement after months of believing she was pregnant, and now her husband was leaving her, so it must have been difficult for her. Philip would be gone for over 18 months.

    Find out more about Mary’s state of health and mind, the arrangements for Philip’s departure, and Mary’s reaction…

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  • July 25 – Mary I gets married, and a kidnapped child actor

    On this day in Tudor history, 25 July 1554, on the Feast of St James, Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Catherine of Aragon, got married at Winchester Cathedral in a ceremony officiated by Lord Chancellor Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester.

    The thirty-eight-year-old Mary married twenty-seven-year-old Philip of Spain, son of her cousin, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

    Let me share a contemporary account of Mary and Philip’s wedding ceremony…

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  • May 21 – Philip of Spain, a Duke of Norfolk, and a Bible translator

    Today is the anniversary of the birth of King Philip II of Spain, husband of Queen Mary I.

    I’m commemorating his birthday by sharing a few facts about this European ruler…

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  • Philip II of Spain Quiz

    Today is the anniversary of the marriage of Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain at Winchester Cathedral in 1554.

    How much do you know about Mary I’s king consort?

    Test your knowledge of Philip II of Spain with this fun quiz.

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  • 20 July – Philip of Spain prepares to marry Mary I

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th July 1554, Philip of Spain, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, arrived in England to prepare for his marriage to Queen Mary I.

    Find out more in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts…

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