Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

“Truce”… then Cannon Fire: San Juan de Ulúa (1568) - The Road to the Armada

On this day in Tudor history, 23 September 1568, a tense “harbour truce” at San Juan de Ulúa (Veracruz) exploded into close-quarters battle.Spanish warships surged in; cannon roared; John Hawkins and his young kinsman Francis Drake barely escaped with the Minion and Judith as the flagship Jesus of Lübeck was wrecked. Many English sailors were captured, some facing the Inquisition.I’m Claire Ridgway. In this episode, I unpack the ambush that hardened English attitudes, reshaped the navy, and helped set the course toward the Spanish Armada, including the uncomfortable truth that Hawkins’s ventures were tied to the transatlantic slave trade, central to both profit and Spanish fury.What you’ll learn:Why Hawkins sought shelter at San Juan de Ulúa, and the “safe-conduct” deal that failed
The battle itself: ship list, tactics, and how Drake cut free
Two empires, two narratives: “treachery” vs “piracy”
Long consequences: Hawkins’s navy reforms and the rise of race-built galleons
How Ulúa forged the mindset behind later Elizabethan raids and 1588
If this “On This Day” deep dive gripped you, please like, subscribe, and tell me in the comments: Treachery or piracy, how do you read Ulúa?#OnThisDay #TudorHistory #SanJuanDeUlua #JohnHawkins #FrancisDrake #SpanishArmada #NavalHistory #EarlyEmpire

The Carpenter Who Built Henry VIII’s World

Ever looked up at Hampton Court’s Great Hall and wondered who made that jaw-dropping roof?On this day in Tudor history, 22 September 1544, James Nedeham, master carpenter, architect and Surveyor of the King’s Works, died while on campaign with Henry VIII at Boulogne. You may not know his name, but you know his work: Hampton Court’s Great Hall roof, Traitors’ Gate timbering at the Tower of London, and key projects at Whitehall and beyond.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway. In this episode, meet the craftsman who helped stage Tudor power.What you’ll learn:
How a London guildsman rose to Master Carpenter & Surveyor of the King’s Works
The story behind Hampton Court’s hammer-beam masterpiece
Nedeham at the Tower of London: Jewel House & Traitors’ Gate (1532)
Whitehall, Canterbury, and reusing monastic sites after the Dissolution
His final campaign with Henry VIII and memorial at Little Wymondley
Question for you: If you could time-travel through one Tudor space, which would it be—Hampton Court, Whitehall, or the Tower—and why?If you enjoy the “hidden makers” of Tudor England, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for daily On This Day history.Hashtags: #TudorHistory #HamptonCourt #HenryVIII #TowerOfLondon #Whitehall #OnThisDay #ArchitecturalHistory #GreatHall #TraitorsGate

A Duchess’s Cry for Help

Content note: This video discusses historical allegations of domestic abuse.Imagine being one of the highest-ranking women in England, then writing that you were locked away, stripped of your jewels, pinned until you spat blood, and dragged from bed by your hair.Those are the claims of Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, set down in letters to Thomas Cromwell, and answered by her husband, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.I’m Claire Ridgway. Today we examine Elizabeth’s marriage, her letters, Norfolk’s rebuttal, and what this case shows about coercive control and power at the Tudor court.In this episode:
Elizabeth Howard’s background & marriage to Thomas Howard
Bess Holland, household tensions, and banishment from court
The letters to Cromwell: isolation at Redbourne, financial control, intimidation, and alleged assaults
Norfolk’s defence—and why children and kin sided against Elizabeth
How historians read these sources today: myth, motive, and patterns of abuse
Read the letters (primary sources):- Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies of Great Britain, Vol. II, pp. 218–225; p. 358 onwards:https://archive.org/details/lettersroyaland00greegoog/page/n242/mode/2up- Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies, Vol. VI, pp. 96–100:https://archive.org/details/lettersroyaland06greegoog/page/n116/mode/2upIf this topic interests you, please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts: Do you find Elizabeth’s testimony or Norfolk’s defence more convincing, and why?
#TudorHistory #TrueCrime #ElizabethHoward #DukeOfNorfolk #ThomasCromwell #DomesticAbuseHistory #AnneBoleyn #HistoryDocumentary  

From “Looking for Richard” to Writing Richard III — Wendy Johnson Interview

Villain or maligned? In this interview, historical novelist Wendy Johnson—a founding member of Philippa Langley’s “Looking for Richard” project—joins me to discuss her debut novel, The Traitor’s Son, which traces Richard III’s formative decade (1461–1471).We explore:
What being close to the 2012 discovery in Leicester changed for her as a writer and Ricardian
Why start with boyhood—and what newcomers should unlearn about Richard
Fact vs fiction: where the record ends and imagination begins
Favourite sources for Edward, George, and Richard
Places that shaped the story: Ludlow, Middleham, London
Teasers for Books 2 & 3 in the trilogy
Plus: Wendy’s top Ricardian must-visit sites, the scene she’d film first, and one non-fiction pick to read next.I’m Claire Ridgway. Thanks for watching. Please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts below!#RichardIII #WarsOfTheRoses #HistoricalFiction #LookingForRichard #Plantagenets #MedievalHistory

Katherine Willoughby: Duchess, Exile, Survivor

On this day in Tudor history, 19 September 1580, Katherine Willoughby (Katherine Brandon, later Katherine Bertie), Duchess of Suffolk, died after a long illness and was laid to rest at Spilsby, Lincolnshire.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’m telling the story of one of my favourite Tudor women, a brilliant, resilient figure who moved from court glitter to deepest grief, from duchess to exile and back again, guided by a sharp mind and a fiercer faith.In this episode:
Heiress & child-bride: ward of Charles Brandon and Duchess at 14
Court & conscience: official mourner at Catherine of Aragon’s funeral; hiring Hugh Latimer to preach
Tragedy in 1551: losing both sons to the sweating sickness the same day
Love & exile: marriage to Richard Bertie, flight under Mary I, return under Elizabeth I
Legacy: patronage of reform, Miles Coverdale in her household, and that famous little dog named “Gardiner”
If you enjoy deep dives into remarkable Tudor women, please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts below.#OnThisDay #TudorHistory #KatherineWilloughby #DuchessOfSuffolk #CharlesBrandon #Reformation #SweatingSickness #ElizabethI

Heir, Hostage, Court Favourite… Dead at 15 - Henry Brandon’s Story

On this day in Tudor history, 18 September 1535, Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, was born at Chartley in Staffordshire. The eldest son of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and Catherine Willoughby, Henry’s life was full of promise, until it was heartbreakingly cut short.
Educated alongside Prince Edward (the future Edward VI), Henry thrived at court: he carried the orb at Edward’s coronation, ran at the ring, and studied at Cambridge under some of the greatest humanist tutors of the day. He was a young noble who seemed destined for greatness.But in the summer of 1551, the dreaded sweating sickness struck. Within hours, Henry and his younger brother Charles were dead, snuffing out the Brandon male line in one cruel blow.In this podcast, I share Henry’s brief but brilliant story, his education, his role at court, and the tragedy that ended his family’s hopes.
If you enjoy daily Tudor stories, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell. And let me know in the comments: which Tudor “might-have-been” do you wish had lived to fulfil their promise?#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #HenryBrandon #EdwardVI #TudorTragedy #ClaireRidgway
 

The Quiet Power Behind the Reformation: Bullinger

On 17 September 1575, Zurich lost one of its great reformers: Heinrich (Henry) Bullinger.While Luther thundered, Calvin systematised, and Zwingli fought and died, Bullinger quietly anchored the Swiss Reformation, and his writings reached far beyond Switzerland, shaping the faith of Tudor England.In this episode, I explore:
Bullinger’s rise from Bremgarten priest’s son to Zurich’s leading pastor
His household with Anna Adlischweiler—marriage, 11 children, orphans, and refugees
His leadership after Zwingli’s death in 1531, keeping Zurich’s church steady
The Decades - sermons that became required reading in Elizabethan England
His covenant theology - grace freely offered, faith shown through conduct
His role as a bridge-builder: the First and Second Helvetic Confessions, and a vast correspondence that reached Edward VI and Elizabeth I
Bullinger’s death on this day in 1575 marked the end of an era, but his influence endured - quiet, steady, and lasting.Had you heard of Bullinger before today? And which Reformation voice - Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, or Calvin - do you find most compelling? Tell me in the comments.If you enjoy these daily glimpses into Tudor history, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell. For exclusive extras—zoom calls, behind-the-scenes content, and my monthly magazine—consider joining my channel membership.\#OnThisDay #TudorHistory #Reformation #Bullinger #ChurchHistory #ProtestantReformers #ClaireRidgway #ElizabethanEngland

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