16 April - The Mary Rose

On this day in Tudor history, in the reign of King Henry VIII, a ship that would become the king's favourite flagship began her first tour of duty.
 
Find out more about The Mary Rose's career in this video from Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/8NxjFeZfa3s
 
Here are links to more detailed videos on The Mary Rose:
August 10 - The Mary Rose's first battle - https://youtu.be/2Btr6lCMYko
July 19 - The sinking of the Mary Rose - https://youtu.be/Bq7oWs73I18

Did Henry VIII and Francis I really wrestle?

Thank you to Leah for her excellent question regarding a scene from Showtime's "The Tudors" series in which Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII challenges  Emmanuel Leconte as Francis I to a wrestling match at the Field of Cloth of Gold meeting.
 
Did Henry VIII and Francis I really wrestle? And, if so, what happened?
 
Find out all about the history behind this scene from historian Claire Ridgway.

Teasel's Tudor Trivia - What is the queen's closet?

Teasel the dog is a curious animal and she was wondering how Henry VIII and his bride managed to fit in a closet for their wedding. Her mind really did boggle!
 
In this edition of Teasel's Tudor Trivia, Claire explains what a queen's closet actually was. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/OSeL7LdvBJw
 
Links to find out more about the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace:
 
https://www.chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk/architecture/
https://hrpprodsa.blob.core.windows.net/hrp-prod-container/10931/chapel_royal_leaflet_-_english_2011_2.pdf

20 Interesting Facts about Anne Boleyn

In the latest in her "Facts about...." series, Claire Ridgway, owner of The Anne Boleyn Files, shares twenty interesting facts about Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/-ThPzlsGV9Y
 
Find out more about this Tudor queen consort.
 
Top 10 Facts about Anne Boleyn - https://youtu.be/GexVHyK2iXo
Boleyn or Bullen - What was Anne Boleyn's real name? - https://youtu.be/kCVZ-9msYFc
Questions about Anne Boleyn - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrKpzoJ8DPHBLgzGr0Gg2IcU 
The Fall of Anne Boleyn - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrIov3Augf3dy9QDBFL1yViK
Anne Boleyn and the Boleyns - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrLjVti06aNo1KLQg9Cn64FR 
Interesting facts about Catherine of Aragon - https://youtu.be/3A07bnAjjb0 
The Anne Boleyn Files – https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 

November 3 - King Henry VIII is Supreme Head of the Church

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd November 1534, Parliament passed the First Act of Supremacy, establishing King Henry VIII's supremacy of the English church and rejecting the authority of the pope.
 
In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway, shares what the act said and explains that it didn't actually make him head of the church, just confirmed the fact, and goes on to share the oath that people had to take and what it meant if they refused.
 
It was an important act in the break with Rome and the English Reformation.
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 3rd November 1592, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, privy councillor and former Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, died at the Tower of London. Perrot is a fascinating Tudor man who survived being a Protestant and protecting 'heretics' in Mary I's reign, and who was saved six times from serious punishment by Queen Elizabeth I's intercession. Some people believe that this favour, and a few other factors, point to him being King Henry VIII's illegitimate son. You can find out more about Perrot and the arguments for and against him being Henry VIII's son, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/fErn8FUH6n0
 
Claire is the founder of the Tudor Society, an online membership site for those who love Tudor history. There, you can learn from Claire and many other expert historians and authors, enjoy Tudor-focused magazines and live Q&A sessions with experts, and have access to all kinds of talks, articles, quizzes, virtual tours and more. Try it with a 14-day free trial - https://www.tudorsociety.com/signup/
 
Claire has written some bestselling Tudor history books:
 
On This Day in Tudor History - https://amzn.to/3oceahH
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown - https://amzn.to/3m8KaSi
George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat - https://amzn.to/2TdwyZr
The Anne Boleyn Collection - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Anne Boleyn Collection II - https://amzn.to/3o9LUwi
The Anne Boleyn Collection III - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Life of Anne Boleyn Colouring Books - https://amzn.to/3jkJ5Vz
 
Claire has also done an online history course, The Life of Anne Boleyn, for MedievalCourses.com - https://medievalcourses.com/overview/life-anne-boleyn-mc06/
 
You can find Claire at:
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 
https://www.tudorsociety.com
https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 
https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/

October 29 - Henry VIII bids farewell to his "loving brother"

On this day in Tudor history, 29th October 1532, King Henry VIII bid farewell to his “loving brother”, his French counterpart, King Francis I.
 
The two kings had enjoyed each other's company at Calais and Boulogne, and Henry VIII was pleased with their meetings. In fact, things had gone so well that Henry VIII decided to marry Anne Boleyn!
 
Find out more about their farewell, and what had happened during the trip, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/kEPDmMbBGiE
 
Also on this day in history, 29th October 1618, in the reign of King James I, Elizabethan courtier, explorer, author and soldier, Sir Walter Ralegh was executed in the Old Palace Yard at Westminster Palace. He’d led an eventful life. He'd been a favourite of Elizabeth I, he’d been imprisoned in the Tower of London on several occasions, he'd been accused of atheism at one point, had sailed to America and tried to establish a colony, he was knighted for his service in Ireland, and he was a poet too! Find out all about Sir Walter Ralegh's colourful life in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/ISexLsnGKug 

October 16 - A meeting between two kings is arranged

On this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1532, while Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, were on their visit to Calais, English nobles met French nobles to arrange a meeting between the King of England and his French counterpart, King Francis I.
 
In today's talk, Claire Ridgway of the Anne Boleyn Files gives details on this event, who was there, what happened, and why Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had gone to Calais.You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/FX_JBefelco
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1555, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Protestants Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake in Oxford for heresy. Along with Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, they have become known as the Oxford Martyrs.Find out more about these men and hear an account of their burnings – warning, it’s horrible – in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/tGs6BbntLTc 

October 8 - Henry VIII forces Princess Mary to write letters

On this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1536, while the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion was getting underway in Lincolnshire and spreading to Yorkshire, Henry VIII wasn’t only issuing orders regarding the rebels, he was also issuing orders regarding his eldest daughter.
 
Henry and Mary had recently reconciled after Mary had finally submitted to him and recognised his supremacy and her illegitimate status. It was something that cost Mary dearly, but it did mend her relationship with her father and allow her back at court.
 
But then Henry VIII put more pressure on his daughter by forcing her to write to the pope and to Mary of Hungary, the emperor's sister.
 
What did Mary have to write? What did the king want of his daughter? And why had Mary submitted to her father?
 
Find out all about this in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/eaAfD48aaY0
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1515, Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and niece of King Henry VIII, was born at Harbottle Castle in Northumberland. Margaret was the daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen Dowager of Scotland, and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She was born while her mother was travelling to Henry VIII's court in London after feeling Scotland. Margaret was a fascinating lady and you can find out more about her in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/XhLKtBDLO5c