On this day in Tudor history, 2nd September 1591, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Richard Grenville died at sea.

Grenville was a naval commander and explorer and he died 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”.