The Tudor Society

  • 2 September – The deaths of an Irish earl and an explorer

    2 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd September 1534, Gerald Fitzgerald, 9th Earl of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, died in the Tower of London at around the age of 47. Kildare had been arrested on 29th June 1534, accused of corruption and causing rebellion in Ireland.

    Kildare seems to have spent most of his career being accused of crimes, but his son Silken Thomas’s rebellion was his final undoing.

    He was already ill when he was arrested and imprisoned, suffering from the after effects of being shot, but at least his wife was able to nurse him.

    Find out more about this Earl of Kildare, his life and career…

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  • 2 September – Sir Richard Grenville and the loss of The Revenge

    4 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd September 1591, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, naval commander and explorer Sir Richard Grenville died at sea from injuries sustained while commanding his ship, The Revenge, in the Battle of Flores in the Azores.

    Unfortunately, Grenville’s death was a result of him disobeying orders and doing his own thing.

    Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote about the battle and the loss of The Revenge in his “The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet”, and in today’s talk, Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society, shares excerpts from Tennyson’s poem and explains what exactly happened at the battle.

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