Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Get involved in Claire's videos

Tim came up with an idea of how Claire can get her viewers actively involved in her YouTube videos, and Claire wants to give it a try.
 
Do you want to be featured in a video? Do you have a burning question about a Tudor novel, TV series or movie? Well, here's your chance to be in a video and get your question answered.
 
The link for submissions is https://forms.gle/xx6H7witzouQycUQ8

This week in Tudor History, January 11-17 - Part 2

This second part of this week's "This week in Tudor History" covers events that took place in the Tudor period on 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th 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.
 
14th January 1515 - On this day in the reign of King Henry VIII, following the death of King Louis XII of France, King Henry VIII sent his best friend, Charles, Duke of Suffolk, to fetch Louis' widow and bring her back to England. The widow was, of course, Henry VIII's younger and favourite sister, Mary Tudor. This mission ended up in a secret marriage though! See https://youtu.be/yPlUHeSNi40 for more on Suffolk and Mary's secret marriage.
 
15th January 1555 - On this day in the reign of Queen Mary I, Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland, died at Chelsea. Jane was the widow of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, mother-in-law of Lady jane Grey pr Queen Jane, and mother of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
 
16th January 1501 - On this day in the reign of King Henry VII, courtier Sir Anthony Denny was born at Cheshunt. Denny became a close confidant of King Henry VIII, serving him as groom of the stool and being chosen as the one to tell the king he was dying in 1547, and he also helped Catherine Parr in 1548 when she needed help to protect her marriage and the reputation of her stepdaughter, Princess Elizabeth.
 
17th January 1587 - On this day in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, clockmaker Bartholomew Newsam (Newsum, Newsham) died. This famous craftsman also made sundials and scientific instruments, and appears to have been employed by Elizabeth I. Here are links to see some examples of his craftsmanship:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1888-1201-126
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1912-0208-1
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=Bartholomew%20Newsam&perPage=20&sortBy=Relevance&offset=0&pageSize=0
 
Links to previous years' videos:
January 14 - Francis Kett leaps and dances in the fire - https://youtu.be/hgwEQnfpkxs 
January 14 - Elizabeth I's coronation procession - https://youtu.be/qltgENLUJLk
January 15 - The death of Catherine Carey (Knollys), daughter of Mary Boleyn - https://youtu.be/LPq30SRVnes
January 15 - Elizabeth I's coronation - https://youtu.be/oejNK0u49qU
January 16 - Thomas Howard breaks his promise about Mary, Queen of Scots - https://youtu.be/lGi8S6H3SVs
January 16 - Thomas Seymour, a kidnap attempt and the king's dog - https://youtu.be/EPxknjmtU8Q
January 17 - Poet Thomas Wyatt is arrested - https://youtu.be/dlEQrkr8CDg
January 17 - Leicestershire woman gives birth to a cat! - https://youtu.be/AVOtEP_alvc

This week in Tudor History, January 11-17: Part 1

This week, Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History", is dividing the week into two parts, and this first part covers Tudor events that took place on 11th, 12th and 13th January.
 
11th January 1584 - On this day in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the execution of printer William Carter took place at Tyburn. Carter was hanged, drawn and quartered for treason for printing a book which allegedly contained a passage inciting Queen Elizabeth I's assassination.
 
12th January 1573 - On this day in Elizabeth I's reign, William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, diplomat, soldier and naval commander, died at Hampton Court. He had served under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. He managed to survive the fall of his good friend, John Dudley, in 1553, by choosing to be loyal to Mary I rather than Queen Jane, and managed to serve both Mary I and Elizabeth I loyally.
 
13th January 1593 - On this day in Elizabeth I's reign, Sir Henry Neville died. Neville was the son of a condemned traitor and a godson of King Henry VIII.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/9IUhCAmIJ_E
 
January 11 - The first recorded lottery - https://youtu.be/a_-XqukRpgk
January 11 - A colourful Lord of Misrule - https://youtu.be/JymzFhm6AZs
January 12 - Elizabeth I goes to the Tower! - https://youtu.be/zrFCkpxXDvU
January 12 - Henry VIII's first joust as king - https://youtu.be/paalH_oJQ8s
January 13 - The Prince of Poets - https://youtu.be/QmtPkSctg4c
January 13 - Henry Howard is tried for treason - https://youtu.be/x9oMnRRIY9g
 
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/

Was Anne Boleyn a Commoner?

Anne Boleyn became King Henry VIII's official queen consort following their marriage in 1533, and it's often said that she was a commoner and even an ambitious social climber. But what class of society did Anne Boleyn fit into really?
 
Was Anne Boleyn an aristocrat? A noble? Or was she a commoner?
 
In this edition of historian Claire Ridgway's series "Questions about Anne Boleyn", Claire, with the help of Boni the dog, explains the social class that Anne was a member of and how it fit in with the other classes. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/NCmmt9ZqvlI
 
Claire mentions Gareth Russell's course "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" which can be found at https://medievalcourses.com/overview/six-wives-henry-viii-monarchy-matrimony-tudor-england-mc05/. It's completely online.

This Week in Tudor History January 4-10

In her new series for 2021, historian Claire Ridgway looks at Tudor events a week at a time. This talk covers events from the Tudor period which took place on January 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/JuVEgbxZmQA
 
The burial of Roger Ascham, scholar, author and royal tutor, on 4th January 1569, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. You can find out more in Claire's previous video on Ascham - https://youtu.be/ww-k27C_G2k
 
The christening of Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, at Richmond on 5th January 1511. Claire gives details of his christening and the celebrations for the birth of this prince, which included a tournament and a pageant which got out of control!
 
The birth of Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria, on 6th January 1538, in the reign of King Henry VIII. Claire gives an overview of the life of this Tudor lady who served Queen Mary I and became a supporter and protector of English exiles and Jesuits, as well as a woman who interceded with Philip of Spain on behalf of English Catholics and against Queen Elizabeth I.
 
The burial of famous Elizabethan goldsmith and miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard on 7th January 1619 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.
 
The death of magnate and soldier Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, on 8th January 1570 in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Claire gives an overview of Clifford, including his service to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, and Henry VIII, his brush with the 1553 succession crisis, his grief over his wife's death and the rather interesting way he was revived from a serious illness, and how he managed to avoid getting involved in a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I.
 
The death of schoolmaster and map engraver Clement Adams on 9th January 1587, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
 
The death of religious writer, Puritan and clergyman, Arthur Dent, on 10th January 1603, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Claire talks about his death and his works, which influenced writers like John Bunyan, and whether he inspired Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Dent's "The Plaine-Man's Path to Heaven" can be read online at https://archive.org/details/plainmanspathway00dentuoft
 
Here are links to past "on this day in Tudor history" videos for this week:
 
January 4 - A rebel keeps his head - https://youtu.be/2kEb_UeSvdo
January 4 - William Roper - https://youtu.be/c7S4qjVE_6c
January 5 - Richard Willes - A quirky Tudor man - https://youtu.be/XZc-C0ovay4
January 5 Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII - https://youtu.be/culFjoE6dWw
January 6 - Epiphany Fun and Feasting - https://youtu.be/BSa6LnURMOQ
January 6 - The marriage of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves - https://youtu.be/ytKSoWUwZgg
January 7 - "You shall find Calais lying in my heart" - https://youtu.be/539WC6DZpI0
January 7 - Death of Catherine of Aragon - https://youtu.be/uaC9L-p4tdA
January 8 - Mary Shelton, Anne Boleyn's cousin and lady - https://youtu.be/gj6Rk75PBwg
January 8 - Henry VIII celebrates news of Catherine of Aragon's death - https://youtu.be/CiDHm2a3pYE
January 9 - A queen twice over! - https://youtu.be/WiQPw7sd_gM
January 9 - Executions of Henry Pole and Henry Courtenay - https://youtu.be/HfaT6DE86ZQ
January 10 - Margaret of Austria - https://youtu.be/7CjV6rA2YdE
January 10 - There never was so obstinate a heretic - https://youtu.be/aCc-1a7Ww3M

Some New Year News and the death of a king

Happy New Year!
 
Today, Claire explains what you can expect from her in 2021. Don't worry, it's still lots of Tudor history for you, but she's mixing things up a bit.
 
Claire also talks about King Louis XII of France, first husband of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, and his death on this day in 1515.
 
You can find out more about Mary Tudor's marriage to Louis XII in Claire's video - https://youtu.be/wYYJpU893lo

December 31 - "The Gunner" Sir William Skeffington

On this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1535, in the reign of Henry VIII, Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at Kilmainham in Dublin.
 
Skeffington had become known as "the Gunner" following his use of heavy artillery while taking Maynooth Castle in County Kildare, where he killed, or had executed, the whole garrison.
 
Find out more about the life and career of Sir William Skeffington in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/Cv3g50GOaDA
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1559, Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle, died while under house arrest in London. Oglethorpe is known for officiating at Queen Elizabeth I's coronation in 1559, but also for infuriating the queen at Christmas 1558 by disobeying her instructions at Mass. What did Oglethorpe do?
Find out about Owen Oglethorpe's life and career, and how he upset the queen and ended his days under house arrest, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/x-QM9sGujUY 

December 30 - An outlaw scholar from Spain who died of the plague

On this day in Tudor history, 30th December 1552, in the reign of King Edward VI, Spanish humanist scholar, translator, author and Protestant apologist, Francisco de Enzinas died at Strasbourg from the plague. He was buried there the next day. Humanist Francisco had changed his name to Francis Dryander after leaving Spain to study at Louvain.
 
Dryander fit a lot into his thirty-four years of life. He escaped from prison and was an outlaw, he translated the Bible, he taught Greek in England, he was supported by Archbishop Cranmer and the Duchess of Suffolk, and published several works.
 
Find out more about the accomplished Francis Dryander in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History". You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/DYZXMAi-paE
 
Also on this day in history, 30th December 1568, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roger Ascham, scholar and royal tutor, died. He was laid to rest in the St Stephen’s chapel of St Sepulchre without Newgate, London. Ascham served as tutor to Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth I, and is also responsible for the idea that Lady Jane Grey had abusive parents.Find out more about Roger Ascham, his life and career, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/ww-k27C_G2k