Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Walter Devereux: Poison Plot or Tragic Misfortune

On 16 September 1539, Walter Devereux was born at Chartley in Staffordshire. Nobleman, soldier, coloniser—and father to Robert Devereux, Elizabeth I’s brilliant but doomed favourite—Walter’s life was full of ambition, controversy, and whispers that outlived him.
From his meteoric rise at Elizabeth’s court to his brutal and ill-fated campaign in Ireland, Walter seemed destined for greatness. But at just 37, he died suddenly in Dublin in 1576. Official cause? Dysentery. The rumours? Poison… perhaps even at the hands of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester—who later married Walter’s widow, Lettice Knollys.
In this episode, I trace Walter’s journey from Chartley heir to Irish commander, explore his marriage into the Boleyn-Knollys family, and ask:
Why did his Irish venture turn so grim?
Was his death really natural—or the result of a Tudor plot?
How did his early end shape the fate of his son, the tragic Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex?
Poison or misfortune? You decide in the comments.
If you enjoyed this Tudor true-crime style tale, please like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss tomorrow’s story from Tudor history.
#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #ElizabethI #Essex #WalterDevereux #HistoryTok #ClaireRidgway  

What did Henry VIII REALLY look like?

When you picture Henry VIII, do you see Holbein’s towering figure in furs and jewels—broad, bearded, and imposing?That image is iconic... but it’s not the full story.In this video, I’m going back to the start of Henry’s reign to ask:What did Henry VIII really look like when he took the throne in 1509?
Before the tyranny, before the weight gain, before the codpieces and propaganda, Henry was something else entirely.Discover how contemporary eyewitnesses described himWhat portraits and armour tell us about his build and featuresAnd why our mental image of Henry is shaped more by politics than portraitsWho would you cast as young Henry in a film or series? Let me know in the comments!
Watch next: Tracking Henry VIII’s Weight Gain… Through His Armour - https://youtu.be/sesuSTxpXMs?si=rZ1_jWVl1l-jQ8FZDon’t forget to like, subscribe, and tap the bell for more myth-busting Tudor history from The Anne Boleyn Files.#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #YoungHenryVIII #AnneBoleynFiles #TudorMonarchy #HolbeinMyth #TudorPortraits #EarlyModernHistory

Tudor Quiz - 75 THOUSAND Youtube Subscribers - Play Along!

I can't believe that I've got over 75,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel, and to celebrate it, my lovely husband, Tim, put together a "mastermind" style expert round quiz to test my knowledge on the Tudors and especially the Boleyn family.There's a quick-fire round of two minutes where I have to answer as many questions correctly as I can, and then a slightly more leisurely round where I get some bonus questions.Let me know how many questions you got right by playing along now...THANK YOU to every single one of my subscribers, I really appreciate your support and I read every comment you leave.

Was Henry VIII Really Protestant?

The Truth About His Faith and the English Reformation
 
He broke from Rome. He dissolved the monasteries. He declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England…So that makes Henry VIII Protestant, right?Not quite.In this video, we explore:
Why Henry VIII broke with the Pope (spoiler: it wasn’t about theology)
His 1521 book defending the Catholic sacraments against Martin Luther
The Act of Supremacy and what it really meant
The Six Articles and the continued persecution of Protestants
What changed under Henry—and what stayed Catholic
The king’s final days and the beliefs he clung to on his deathbed
Tell me in the comments:Do you think Henry ever intended to spark a Reformation?Or was it all about control?Like, subscribe, and tap the bell for more daily Tudor history from the Anne Boleyn Files.Watch next: 
July 30 - Reformers and Catholics executed on the same day - https://youtu.be/ZUvIWF51n_Q#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #Reformation #EnglishReformation #WasHenryVIIIProtestant #ClaireRidgway #OnThisDay #TudorChurch #CatholicWithoutThePope #HistoryDebunked

Who was Marten Micron?

We rarely hear about Marten Micron, a young Dutch pastor who came to London as a refugee, and helped organise one of the most radical experiments of Edward VI’s reign: the Stranger Church at Austin Friars.
I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s video I’ll be sharing the remarkable story of Marten Micron: his ministry among London’s refugees, his influential writings on church order and catechism, his exile under Mary I, and his enduring legacy in the Reformation.
In this episode:
- Who Marten Micron was and how he came to London.
- Why the Stranger Churches were so significant in Edward VI’s England.
- Micron’s role in shaping worship, discipline, and teaching.
- His exile, death, and why his writings still mattered across Europe.
Join me as we uncover the story of a reformer too often forgotten, yet whose influence rippled far beyond Tudor England.
 
What do you think—should Marten Micron be remembered alongside figures like Cranmer and Calvin? Tell me in the comments!
Like, subscribe, and tap the bell so you don’t miss more daily deep dives into Tudor and Reformation history.
And if you’d like even more Tudor content—including my monthly digital magazine The Privy Chronicle—consider becoming a channel member and stepping into my Tudor court!
#TudorHistory #Reformation #MartenMicron #StrangerChurch #ClaireRidgway

The Pope Who Celebrated a Massacre

A medal for a massacre. A Te Deum for thousands of deaths. A celebration that still shocks centuries later.On this day in history—11 September 1572—Pope Gregory XIII ordered Rome to give thanks for not one, but two "victories": the Catholic triumph over the Ottomans at Lepanto and the mass slaughter of French Protestants during the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.In this episode:
The shocking papal reaction to the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
The political and religious tensions behind Gregory’s “thanksgiving”
Why he linked the massacre with the naval victory at Lepanto
The commemorative medal and what it tells us about 16th-century propaganda
Gregory XIII’s surprising legacy—from calendar reform to Jesuit patronage
To some, it was divine justice. To others—then and now—it was unthinkable.Watch next:The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre – https://youtu.be/1DmTMXr0TcQThe Gregorian Calendar - https://youtu.be/VRz98plSjqkLike, subscribe, and ring the bell for more daily deep dives into Tudor and early modern history.#OnThisDay #StBartholomewsDay #Lepanto #GregoryXIII #TudorHistory #Reformation #CounterReformation #ClaireRidgway #GregorianCalendar #HistoryDebate #ReligiousHistory #EarlyModernEurope

She Faced the Flames Cheerfully – The Martyrdom of Joyce Lewis

On this day in Tudor history—10 September 1557—Joyce Lewis was led to the stake at Lichfield for her Protestant faith.Eyewitnesses said she faced the flames with cheerfulness.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode, I share the powerful and heartbreaking story of a Tudor gentlewoman who chose faith and conscience over compliance—with devastating consequences.In this video:
Her noble lineage and tragic first marriage
The moment that changed her faith
Her arrest, trial, and unwavering defence of conscience
Her final toast to gospel believers
The dignity and defiance she showed at the stake
Her lasting legacy, memorialised centuries later in Mancetter
This is the story of a woman whose quiet courage still echoes today.Like, comment, and subscribe for more daily Tudor history stories.What do you think sustained Joyce Lewis’s bravery—faith, community, or sheer inner resolve? Tell me in the comments.Want more Tudor content, including my monthly digital magazine The Privy Chronicle? Consider becoming a channel member and stepping into my Tudor court!#TudorHistory #JoyceLewis #MarianMartyrs #OnThisDay #ProtestantMartyrs #MaryI #ClaireRidgway #TudorWomen #FaithAndFire #HistoryWithHeart #TudorMartyrs #ReformationHistory

“Near to Heaven by Sea”: Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s Last Voyage

We are as near to Heaven by sea as by land.” On this day, 9 September 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s tiny ship, the Squirrel, disappeared in an Atlantic storm, and an audacious Elizabethan life ended in a flash of foam and darkness.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today we follow Gilbert’s extraordinary arc: Devon gentleman and half-brother to Sir Walter Ralegh; soldier praised at Newhaven and feared in Munster for brutal tactics; polemicist for a Northwest Passage and English colonisation; MP who clashed in Parliament; and, finally, patent-holder who sailed to Newfoundland and claimed St John’s for Queen Elizabeth I, before disaster struck on the homeward voyage.In this episode:
Gilbert’s powerful family network (Kat Ashley & the Ralegh connection)
Soldier and strategist: praise in France, terror in Ireland
Pen and policy: A Discourse of a Discoverie & dreams of an academy
The 1583 voyage: The Delight, the Golden Hind, the Swallow, and the fateful Squirrel
Claiming St John’s—and losing men, charts, and nerve in a wreck
The storm off the Azores and Gilbert’s haunting last words
Legacy: how his vision fed later English ventures in the New World
If you enjoy these daily Tudor deep dives, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you don’t miss the next one.#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #Elizabethan #Exploration #Newfoundland #SirHumphreyGilbert #WalterRaleigh