7 July - Mary hears news of Edward VI's death

On this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1553, in the short reign of Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey), Mary, eldest daughter of King Henry VIII, received news of her half-brother King Edward VI's death.
Where was Mary received the news? What was she doing and what happened next?
Find out in this latest edition of #TudorHistoryShorts from historian Claire Ridgway. 
https://youtu.be/r5R8payyIXQ

3 July - Mary I bids farewell to Philip for the final time #shorts

On 3rd July 1557, Queen Mary I said goodbye to her husband, King Philip II of Spain, for the final time, although she didn't know it at the time.
Find out more about why he had returned in the first place and what happened next in this latest edition of #TudorHistoryShorts from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this as a video here:
https://youtu.be/3FZMB4WEesA

8 June - Mary is very wrong

Henry VIII's eldest daughter, Mary, was convinced that her woes were all down to her stepmother, Anne Boleyn, and so there was hope for Mary after Anne Boleyn's execution in 1536.
What did Mary expect to happen and what did happen?
Find out more in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts from historian Claire Ridgway. https://youtu.be/1vY4uoO0pqA

14 April 1556 - Conspirator cheats executioner

On this day in Tudor history, 14th April 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Sir Anthony Kingston, died at Cirencester. He was on his way to London to face charges that had been laid against him, and it's likely that he would have been executed.
Why? What had he done? 
Find out what Kingston was accused of from Claire Ridgway.
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/

This week in Tudor History, January 18-24, Part 1

Part 1 of "This week in Tudor History" covers Tudor history events from 18th to 21st January.
 
Find out all about these Tudor events from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History" and several other Tudor history books.
 
18th January 1543 - Baptism of composer, court musician and perhaps spy Alfonso Ferrabosco at the Cathedral of San Petronio, in Bologna, Italy. This Italian composer popularised the madrigal at the English court and may have acted as a spy for Elizabeth I in Italy. Find out more about his life, career, marriage and children, from Claire.
 
19th January 1561 - Administrator and diplomat, Sir Edward Carne, died in Rome. This man, who claimed to descend from the Kings of Gwent was sent by Henry VIII to negotiate a marriage match with Christina of Milan and then Anne of Cleves, and marriage matches for his daughter, the future Mary I. Find out more and how he ended up dying in Rome.
 
20th January 1558 - The state opening of Mary I's fifth and final Parliament, and the only public appearance of the queen since July 1557! 
 
21st January 1556 - The death of Eustace Chapuys, imperial ambassador and a man whose dispatches are a wonderful source for Tudor historians, researchers and authors. Chapuys was a fascinating man and a loyal supporter and friend of Catherine of Aragon and her daughter, the future Mary I. Find out more about him, and how he helped the queen and princess.
 
Enjoy Alfonso Ferrabosco’s works being performed:https://youtu.be/mASvlU5JCt4https://youtu.be/qQHSKuCfwlc 

November 12 - Wily Winchester

On this day in Tudor history, 12th November 1555, Mary I’s Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, died. He was laid to rest at Winchester Cathedral in what is now known as the Bishop Gardiner Chantry Chapel.
 
In today's talk, Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History", tells you about the life and career of "Wily Winchester", a man who went from being a valued advisor to being imprisoned, and then got back into favour, crowned a queen and became Lord Chancellor! He led quite a life! 
 
You can see this video on YouTube here:https://youtu.be/_P309bgQiYo
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 12th November 1537, the corpse of Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife, was transported by a chariot in a procession from Hampton Court Palace to Windsor Castle, in preparation for burial. Jane Seymour's heart and entrails had been buried in the chapel at Hampton Court Palace following her death on 24th October 1537. Queen Jane's stepdaughter, the Lady Mary, acted as chief mourner for the proceedings. In last year’s video, I gave details of the procession, the service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where Jane was buried, and the commemoration in the city of London, so do watch that - https://youtu.be/fS2dShOcH3I 

October 13 - Mary I's secret meetings with ambassadors in disguise

On this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1553, Queen Mary I wrote a very interesting letter to the imperial ambassador, Simon Renard. In it, she asked the ambassador to meet with her secretly, and she'd encouraged him previously to come to her secretly and in disguise.
 
Why? What was going on? And why did Mary seem to trust the emperor and his ambassadors more than her own council?
 
Find out more about the situation 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/XKWL6RONk5Y
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1549, Edward VI’s council abolished his uncle Edward Seymour’s protectorate and membership of the Council. It was the beginning of the end for Seymour and you can find out what he’d done to provoke his downfall, and what happened next, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/3y8vOOYwUFc 

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