Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Step back into a world of intrigue, passion, and ruthless ambition — welcome to Tudor England. Join historian and bestselling author Claire Ridgway as she uncovers the riveting stories of the Tudor dynasty. From the scandalous love affairs of King Henry VIII to the tragic fall of Anne Boleyn, the fierce reign of Elizabeth I, and the lesser-known secrets of Tudor court life, this podcast brings history to life in vivid detail. Hear dramatic tales of betrayal, execution, forbidden love, and political manoeuvring that shaped England forever. Discover daily Tudor history with fascinating “On This Day” episodes — unique insights you won’t find in typical history books. Get behind-the-scenes stories from Claire’s own research trips to historic sites like the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Hever Castle, and more. Enjoy interviews with top historians and experts in Tudor studies, plus lively Q&A sessions tackling listeners’ burning Tudor questions. 🖋 Who is Claire Ridgway? Claire is the author of the bestselling On This Day in Tudor History series and numerous other Tudor books loved by readers around the world. She founded The Tudor Society, connecting enthusiasts with experts through live online events, and runs the hugely popular history websites The Anne Boleyn Files and www.ClaireRidgway.com. Her mission: to uncover the human stories behind the crown — the hopes, fears, and triumphs of not only kings and queens but also the courtiers, rebels, and ordinary people who lived under the Tudor rose. What can you expect? - Gripping accounts of famous events like the Field of Cloth of Gold, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, or the Babington Plot. - Intimate portraits of Tudor figures: Anne Boleyn’s charm and downfall, Thomas Cromwell’s rise and brutal fall, Elizabeth I’s cunning survival. - Dark mysteries and unsolved deaths — who really killed Amy Robsart? Was Katherine Howard truly guilty? - Special episodes on Tudor fashion, food, medicine, and the day-to-day lives of Tudor men and women. Join thousands of Tudor fans worldwide Never miss an episode — subscribe now and become part of a global community that can’t get enough of Tudor drama. Explore more with Claire’s books, free resources, and live historical events at www.ClaireRidgway.com. Ready to travel back 500 years? Press play and let the adventure begin.
Episodes
Episodes



Thursday Apr 15, 2021
15 April - Blows and evil words from Elizabeth I
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
On this day in Tudor history, courtier Sir John Scudamore was laid to rest. His wife served Queen Elizabeth I and appears to have suffered in doing so.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/WEXDEJXyzYA
Find out what happened to Mary Scudamore in this #TudorHistoryShorts video from Claire Ridgway.



Wednesday Apr 14, 2021
14 April 1556 - Conspirator cheats executioner
Wednesday Apr 14, 2021
Wednesday Apr 14, 2021
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/



Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
13 April 1630 - The priest harbouring countess
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
On this day in Tudor history, 13th April 1630, Anne Howard (née Dacre), Countess of Arundel, died at Shifnal.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:https://youtu.be/8YAfEw53eFQ
Anne was the eldest daughter of Thomas Dacre, 4th Lord Dacre of Gilsand, and wife of Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, but there are some other interesting facts about this Tudor lady.
Find out more about this Countess of Arundel from historian Claire Ridgway.



Monday Apr 12, 2021
12 April 1533 - Outrage at Anne Boleyn's behaviour
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
On this day in Tudor history, 12th April 1533, Anne Boleyn's behaviour caused a stir and Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, was outraged. He didn't know she was actually queen. In his eyes, there was one queen: Catherine of Aragon.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/-A4IeSD34rQ
Find out more about this day in 1533 in Claire's longer video - https://youtu.be/3vKjaT3H1Kc



Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Teasel's Tudor Trivia - What is the queen's closet?
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Teasel the dog is a curious animal and she was wondering how Henry VIII and his bride managed to fit in a closet for their wedding. Her mind really did boggle!
In this edition of Teasel's Tudor Trivia, Claire explains what a queen's closet actually was. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/OSeL7LdvBJw
Links to find out more about the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace:
https://www.chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk/architecture/
https://hrpprodsa.blob.core.windows.net/hrp-prod-container/10931/chapel_royal_leaflet_-_english_2011_2.pdf



Friday Apr 09, 2021
A heretic cardinal, the other Tudor Drake, and a plotting baron
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Friday Apr 09, 2021
In part two of This Week in Tudor History for the week beginning 5th April, historian Claire Ridgway talks about why Pope Paul IV branded Cardinal Pole a heretic and took away his legatine powers, before introducing you to a sea captain named Drake, but not Sir Francis Drake, and telling you about John Lumley, a baron who was involved with the Ridolfi Plot but kept his head, and a man who was recorded as owning a full-length portrait of Anne Boleyn.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/KYOd2blMjG8
9th April 1557 - Mary I's Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Reginald Pole, had his legatine powers revoked by Pope Paul IV.
10th April 1586 - Death of sea captain Sir Bernard Drake, probably from gaol fever (typhus) at Crediton in Devon.
11th April 1609 - Death of conspirator, patron and collector, John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, at his London home.
Other Tudor events for these dates:
April 9 - Catherine Willoughby's second husband - https://youtu.be/xHtICfkzS7g
April 9 - From queen to dowager princess - https://youtu.be/c-zdfPaiK0U
April 10 - The Gregorian Calendar versus the Julian Calendar - https://youtu.be/VRz98plSjqk
April 10 - The Birth of King James V of Scotland - https://youtu.be/CiXTTLBhjus
April 11 - Victory for Anne Boleyn, finally! - https://youtu.be/3m9MnNczwzY
April 11 - The end of rebel Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger - https://youtu.be/HCKNH7_NFsU
--
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/



Thursday Apr 08, 2021
20 Interesting Facts about Anne Boleyn
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
In the latest in her "Facts about...." series, Claire Ridgway, owner of The Anne Boleyn Files, shares twenty interesting facts about Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/-ThPzlsGV9Y
Find out more about this Tudor queen consort.
Top 10 Facts about Anne Boleyn - https://youtu.be/GexVHyK2iXo
Boleyn or Bullen - What was Anne Boleyn's real name? - https://youtu.be/kCVZ-9msYFc
Questions about Anne Boleyn - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrKpzoJ8DPHBLgzGr0Gg2IcU
The Fall of Anne Boleyn - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrIov3Augf3dy9QDBFL1yViK
Anne Boleyn and the Boleyns - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLepqWJ7TpkrLjVti06aNo1KLQg9Cn64FR
Interesting facts about Catherine of Aragon - https://youtu.be/3A07bnAjjb0
The Anne Boleyn Files – https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com



Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
In part 1 of This Week in Tudor History for week beginning 5th April, historian Claire Ridgway will be talking about King James VI of Scotland's journey from Edinburgh to London, following his accession to the throne of England as James I; the life and career of Henry Stafford, Earl of Wiltshire, who managed to avoid the awful fates of his father and brother despite his Plantagenet blood; the death of King Charles VIII of France after hitting his head on a lintel, and the accession of King Louis XII, and finally Magdalen Browne, Viscountess Montagu, patron of Catholics and a woman whose properties were Catholic safe houses in Elizabeth I's reign.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/u8_7TyiwJhs
5 April 1603 - King James VI/James I left Edinburgh to travel to London after hearing of the death of Queen Elizabeth I and his accession.
6th April 1523 - Death of Henry Stafford, Earl of Wiltshire, son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and brother of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who were both executed for treason.
7th April 1498 - Death of King Charles VIII of France after hitting his head on a lintel at the Château d'Amboise, and the accession of King Louis XII.
8th April 1608 - Death of Magdalen Browne (née Dacre), Viscountess Montagu, following a stroke she had suffered in that January.
Other Tudor history events for those dates:
April 5 - The Pope was wrong... - https://youtu.be/xK2eAghRhgg
April 5 - A bishop's cook gets into hot water - https://youtu.be/E4i2ZMYWovU
April 6 - The serial secret husband - https://youtu.be/lYBsHD2kMw4
April 6 - Sir Francis Walsingham: The Queen's spymaster - https://youtu.be/XLP3N2AYuLg
April 7 - Robert Aske, the rebel leader - https://youtu.be/h6qe-bftBWA
April 7 - Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of Queen Anne Boleyn, is laid to rest - https://youtu.be/GyWTdjzHrK4
April 8 - The Second Martin - https://youtu.be/4OoFNN0Liu4
April 8 - A cat in priest's clothing - https://youtu.be/OS9hTIwPFhE
--
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/

I'm historian Claire Ridgway
I'm the best-selling author of 13 history books and the founder of the TheAnneBoleynFiles.com, Elizabethfiles.com and The Tudor Society.
I help Tudor history lovers worldwide to gain access to experts and resources to discover the real stories behind myths and fiction, so that they grow in knowledge while connecting with like-minded people and indulging their passion for history.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I was a contributor for the BBC docudrama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and have been featured in BBC History Extra, USA Today, History of Royals Magazine, the Express, and Refinery 29, as well as on podcasts including Suzannah Lipscomb's Not Just the Tudors, Gareth Russell's Single Malt History, Natalie Grueninger's Talking Tudors, Hever Castle's Inside Hever, James Boulton's Queens of England, and many more.