Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Plays with wonderful titles, Sir Ralph Sadler's busy life, and a dying king makes his will

In this first part of This Week in Tudor History for week beginning 29th March, historian Claire Ridgway talks about William Wager, a playwright and clergyman who picked wonderful titles for his works; the interesting life and career of Sir Ralph Sadler, who started out working for Thomas Cromwell and who went on to serve Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) and Elizabeth I - oh, and Claire will tell us about his bigamous marriage! Then, finally, Claire will leave us with the dying King Henry VIII making his last will and testament.
 
29th March 1591 - The burial of playwright and Church of England clergyman, William Wager, at his church, St Benet Gracechurch. His plays included “Enough is as Good as a Feast” and “The Longer thou Livest the More Fool thou art”.
 
30th March 1587 - The death of diplomat and administrator, Sir Ralph Sadler, in his 80th year. He was laid to rest in St Mary’s Church, Standon.
 
31st March 1509 - The dying Henry VII made his last will and testament at Richmond Palace. He died three weeks later.
 
Sir Ralph Sadler's letters and speeches can be read at https://archive.org/details/statepaperslette01sadluoft/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater
and https://archive.org/details/statepapers02sadl/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater 
 
Other Tudor history events for these dates:
March 29 - As foul a lady as the smallpox could make her - https://youtu.be/OkBlboV2G8o
March 29 - Children encourage John Laurence at his sad end - https://youtu.be/ToYVgj9hQqI
March 30 - Thomas Cranmer and his protestation - https://youtu.be/P78Iz-2dLVA
March 30 - A "pregnant" Mary I makes her will - https://youtu.be/LWrcLR61Kbo
March 31 - John Donne, the bell tolls for thee - https://youtu.be/w7Gv5Dw8EJQ
March 31 - King Henry VIII as King Ahab, Anne Boleyn as Jezebel - https://youtu.be/fm1xJmzIyIA

16 Interesting facts about Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of King Henry VIII, the mother of Queen Mary I and the aunt of Emperor Charles V, but there are lots more interesting facts about this Tudor woman.
 
In this talk, historian Claire Ridgway shares 16 interesting facts about this Tudor queen consort. How many of them do you already know?
 
Here is the link to the video Claire mentioned, “September 9 - Catherine of Aragon and the mystery of James IV's body” - https://youtu.be/scoxeEPvLk4

Walter Ralegh's colonisation, a war over vestments, an earl who saved the day in 1536, and some burnings

In part two of this week in Tudor history, historian Claire Ridgway talks about Walter Ralegh (Raleigh) being given permission to colonise foreign lands in 1584; a disagreement over the wearing of vestments in 1566 which led to a pamphlet war, protests and ministers losing their parishes; a Tudor earl who saved the day for Henry VIII during the 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, and the burnings of three Protestant martyrs in Essex in 1555.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/rxdS2f7jpXI
 
25th March 1584 - Queen Elizabeth I granted letters patent to explorer Walter Ralegh giving him permission to colonise lands owned by indigenous people and those previously taken by Spain. This led to the founding of the colony on Roanoke Island, also known as the Lost Colony.
 
26th March 1566 - Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Edmund Grindal, Bishop of London, summon 110 ministers to Lambeth Palace to get them to pledge their willingness to wear vestments. 37 of those ministers refused and a pamphlet war broke out.
 
27th March 1539 - The burial of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, at St Peter's, Sheffield. He served as a soldier under Henry VII and Henry VIII, and it appears that his actions and influence in late 1536, during the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, led to the failure of the rebellion.
 
28th March 1555 - Protestants Stephen Knight and William Ptgot were burnt at the stake for heresy in Maldon and Braintree, Essex, and William Dighel was burnt at the stake in either Banbury, Oxfordshire, or Danbury, Essex.
 
The Lost Colony - https://youtu.be/DQdSpeYbMvg 
Walter Ralegh - https://youtu.be/ISexLsnGKug   
 
Other Tudor events for these dates:
 
March 25 - Margaret Clitherow, the Pearl of York, and her awful end - https://youtu.be/8RKxaGc4sHE
March 25 - Happy New Year - https://youtu.be/73k_gqClpFQ
March 26 - Robert Carey and his eventful ride to King James - https://youtu.be/dTyL66lKqMo
March 26 - Alchemy, astrology and angels   This man was involved with them all! - https://youtu.be/A5hy__pKZuQ
March 27 - Arrangements are made for Prince Arthur to marry Catherine of Aragon - https://youtu.be/ivJa_K_8dh0
March 27 - Reading the Bible in church could get you into trouble - https://youtu.be/nItFisCuqFU
March 28 - The amazing Raphael - https://youtu.be/S7eQEQttjWs
March 28 - Anne Boleyn's chaplain and almoner John Skip - https://youtu.be/yk_TxLMtiPM 
--
Claire RidgwayHistorian and author, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Societywww.theanneboleynfiles.comwww.tudorsociety.comhttps://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFileshttp://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/https://twitter.com/thetudorsocietyhttps://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/
 

Was Anne Boleyn treated as queen in the Tower of London?

Thank you so much to Edith and Lucy the dog for their excellent question regarding Anne Boleyn's imprisonment in the Tower of London in May 1536.
 
In series like The Tudors, Anne Boleyn is shown being treated like a queen even though she's a prisoner, and she's shown being attended by ladies-in-waiting? But is this true? That's what Edith and Lucy want to know.
 
In this talk, Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown", talks about where in the Tower Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and who attended her during that time. Claire also considers whether Anne was forced to watch the executions of the men, and who accompanied her to the scaffold on 19th May 1536.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/zr-wy1DJsac
 
--
Claire RidgwayHistorian and author, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Societywww.theanneboleynfiles.comwww.tudorsociety.comhttps://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFileshttp://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/https://twitter.com/thetudorsocietyhttps://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/
 

Henry Howard loses favour, purple fever takes an ambassador, and a Tudor judge and law reporter

In this first part of This Week in Tudor History, historian Claire Ridgway talks about Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s loss of royal favour after the English defeat in France, but his children’s joy at the news of him returning home; ambassador Sir Henry Unton (or Umpton) who was killed in France by the "purple fever", and Sir James Dyer, a Chief Justice who has gone down in history as the first law reporter.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/9fV6-17YkJA
 
22nd March 1546 - Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, lands at Calais to relieve Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, as King Henry VIII's lieutenant general. Find out what had happened, why Surrey had fallen out of favour and what happened next.
 
23rd March 1596 - The death of Sir Henry Unton, resident ambassador in France, from "a violent, burning fever" which was described as the "purple fever". Find out about Unton's life and career.
 
24th March 1582 - Death of judge, law reporter, Member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir James Dyer, at the age of 72.
 
Book recommendation: Henry VIII's Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey by Jessie Childs.
 
--
Claire RidgwayHistorian and author, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Societywww.theanneboleynfiles.comwww.tudorsociety.comhttps://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFileshttp://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/https://twitter.com/thetudorsocietyhttps://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/
 

A secret agent & rebel, Henry VIII's barber, More's granddaughter, and a Puritan soldier

in this second part of This Week in Tudor History, historian Claire Ridgway introduces Sir Christopher Blount, a secret agent and rebel who married his master’s widow and whose stepson, the Earl of Essex was his undoing; Edmund Harman, the man who trimmed and washed King Henry VIII’s hair and beard, and who was rewarded for it; Mary Bassett, Sir Thomas More's granddaughter, who was a highly educated Tudor woman and gifted translator; and Sir John Leveson (pronounced Looson), a Puritan and soldier whose later life was marred by a falling out over money.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/YD9Fxxn3MLI
 
18th March 1601 - The execution of Sir Christopher Blount, husband of Lettice Knollys (other married names: Devereux and Dudley), and stepfather of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. He was executed for treason after support the 1601 Essex's Rebellion.
 
19th March 1577 - Death of Edmund Harman, former barber to King Henry VIII and a man who is depicted in Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting, Henry VIII and the Barber Surgeons.
 
20th March 1572 - Death of Mary Bassett (née Roper), granddaughter of Sir Thomas More and a gifted translator.
 
21st March 1555 - Birth of Puritan Sir John Leveson, Kent landowner and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, at Whornes Place in Cuxton in Kent.
 
--
Claire RidgwayHistorian and author, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Societywww.theanneboleynfiles.comwww.tudorsociety.comhttps://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFileshttp://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/https://twitter.com/thetudorsocietyhttps://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/

Cromwell, Wolsey and Wolf Hall

Thank you so much to Emilie and the super cute Nathaniel the dog for asking about the real relationship between Thomas Cromwell and his master, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
 
Were the two men as close as they were shown in Wolf Hall? How did Cromwell feel about Wolsey's fall? You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBeAEJHvDNs
 
Historian Claire Ridgway answers these questions and also explains the history behind a scene in Hilary Mantel's second novel in the series, Bring Up the Bodies, in which Cromwell vows revenge on those involved in Wolsey's fall and in mocking him.
 
Here are links to read Cavendish’s two volume biography of Wolsey:Volume 1 - https://archive.org/details/lifecardinalwol01presgoog/ Volume 2 - https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.37226 

An interview with Claire Ridgway

In this interview journalism students, Merel and Emma, ask historian Claire Ridgway about the Tudor Society, including questions such as: “why did you (claire) start the Tudor Society”, “Do you (Claire) have any dreams for the Tudor Society?” and a quickfire round in which you can find out who Claire’s favourite Tudor Monarch is and with which Tudor she would have a cup of tea!
You can see this interview here:https://youtu.be/Ze_u4mAX_vg
Why not try out the Tudor Society with the trial which available here:https://www.TudorSociety.com/ref/68