Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

A murdered French duke, Margaret Douglas's bad news, a Tudor countess, and Lady Katherine Grey

In this second part of “This week in Tudor history” for week beginning 15th February, historian Claire Ridgway tells us how the death of a French duke led to an awful massacre, and how the imprisoned Margaret Douglas heard of her son's murder, as well as introducing us to a countess who served all six of Henry VIII’s wives and who was close to his daughter Mary, and a noblewoman who managed to  give birth twice while imprisoned in the Tower of London.
 
18th February 1563 - Francis, Duke of Guise, was wounded by a Huguenot assassin at the Siege of Orléans. He died a few days later and his death was a factor in the 1572 St Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
 
19th February 1567 - An imprisoned Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, is informed of the murder of her son, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, King Consort of Scotland as the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
 
20th February 1552 - Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and sister of the late Queen Catherine Parr, dies at Baynard's Castle. She was buried at Old St Paul's Cathedral in a lavish funeral.
 
21st February 1568 - Death of Lady Katherine Seymour (née Grey), Countess of Hertford, and sister of the late Lady Jane Grey, or Queen Jane. Katherine was under house arrest at the time for marrying Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, without Queen Elizabeth I's permission.
 
St Bartholomew's Day Massacre - https://youtu.be/1DmTMXr0TcQ 
Edward Seymour, the Serial Secret Husband -  https://youtu.be/lYBsHD2kMw4Lady Mary Grey - https://youtu.be/amBA9_Ifjno 
 
Other Tudor events for these dates:
 
February 18 - Happy Birthday Queen Mary I - https://youtu.be/67X8uA_k2cM
February 18 - The Ridolfi Plot against Elizabeth I - https://youtu.be/_7WjajdaFRw
February 19 - King Edward VI's Coronation Procession - https://youtu.be/UwabU2pySns
February 19 - The Rose Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse - https://youtu.be/l-Xh1-cUads
February 20 - King Edward VI's Coronation - https://youtu.be/OZubBZP3-B4
February 20 - The hanging of Lady Hungerford - https://youtu.be/EjFZCHtXyfc
February 21 - The Execution of St Robert Southwell - https://youtu.be/i-lJgaY975Q
February 21 - Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick - https://youtu.be/VWSw1uwMvq8

The last monk to be Archbishop of Canterbury, a famous Reformer and an earl who wept for Elizabeth

In this first part of This Week in Tudor history for week beginning 15th February, Claire is going to tell you about the last monk to become Archbishop of Canterbury; the man who wrote one of the most important documents of the Protestant Reformation, and an earl who wept when he had to imprison Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth I.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/2ws9gUi9Kbo
 
15th February 1503, in the reign of King Henry VII - The death of Henry Deane, the last monk to become Archbishop of Canterbury.
 
16th February 1497, in the reign of King Henry VII - The birth of famous Protestant Reformer and writer of the Augsburg Confession, Philipp Melancthon, at Bretten in Germany. 
 
17th February 1557, in the reign of Queen Mary I - The death of Henry Radcliffe, 2nd Earl of Sussex, a man who was loyal to Mary I but who wept when he had to take her half-sister, Elizabeth, to the Tower.
 
James William Richard’s 19th century biography "Philip Melanchthon, the Protestant preceptor of Germany, 1497-1560" - https://archive.org/details/philipmelanchtho00richuoft
 
Other Tudor events for these dates:
 
February 15 - Dastardly Deeds in Tudor England - https://youtu.be/1NF_7RdLFDg
February 15 - Galileo, the Father of Modern Science - https://youtu.be/Ba0Wa_bR7EE
February 16 - Sir William Stanley is executed - https://youtu.be/S1myYUnze7o
February 16 - The burial of King Henry VIII at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle - https://youtu.be/eKeNITPiQAk
February 17 - Love at first sight for Mary, Queen of Scots? - https://youtu.be/dsuimqJz_sI
February 17 -  Edward Seymour is made Duke of Somerset - https://youtu.be/teSMa93EF6E

Mad people can be executed, a miscarriage of justice, problematic prophecies and William Waste All - February 8-14 Part 2

In this second part of This Week in Tudor History for the week beginning 8th February, historian Claire Ridgway talks about two parliamentary acts that allowed a king to execute his wife and to execute people showing signs of madness; a miscarriage of justice which led to a priest being executed in Elizabeth I’s reign; an Elizabethan astrologer who was ridiculed after his prophecies didn't come true,  and a man known as William Waste-all.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/9WrA3ivcjCU
 
11th February 1542 - King Henry VIII gave his assent "in absentia" to an act of attainder against his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, and her lady-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. A bill allowing people showing signs of lunacy was also passed, an awful thing, but the king was determined to take revenge.
 
12th February 1584, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I - The executions of five Catholic priests by hanging, drawing and quartering at Tyburn. One of them, James Fenn, suffered a huge miscarriage of justice, being accused of plotting in Rome when he was actually in England, in prison, at the time!
 
13th February 1564, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I - Astrologer and physician John Harvey was baptised at Saffron Walden in Essex. Harvey ended up being ridiculed with his brother, Richard, after their prophecies of apocalyptic events didn't come true.
 
14th February 1492, in the reign of King Henry VII - Death of William Berkeley, Marquis of Berkeley, a man who took part in the last English battle fought between private armies of feudal magnates, but who was nicknamed William Waste All by the family historian.
 
Teasel's Tudor Trivia video on Valentine's Day can be found at https://youtu.be/iSl4Zk7htSc 
 
Videos on other Tudor events for 11-14th February:
February 11 - The birth and death of Elizabeth of York - https://youtu.be/FIeJtsYCvcU
February 11 - Success for George Boleyn - https://youtu.be/m9Gs3tvgCWo
February 12 - The executions of Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley - https://youtu.be/qf7up1CHfJAFebruary 12 - Blanche Parry, a mother figure to Elizabeth I  - https://youtu.be/eaB9piZbhxs
February 13 - Bess of Hardwick - https://youtu.be/zCehMXaVkqs
February 13 - The Executions of Catherine Howard and Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford - https://youtu.be/4nGL47QKe4k
February 14 - Being a royal favourite doesn't save you - https://youtu.be/5A5CSKvzbhE
February 14 - A dog licks up the king's blood - https://youtu.be/jg-97Zi5ZLs

Did Charles Brandon have a French mistress? - Tudor Fan Q&A

In this edition of "Fan Questions", questions asked by her YouTube viewers, historian Claire Ridgway answers a question about Showtime's "The Tudors" series.
 
Annette from Michigan, US, wanted to know about a storyline concerning Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in Season 4 of The Tudors. Did Charles Brandon really have a French mistress whom he took back to England?
 
Find out the answer to this question, and whether Suffolk was really estranged from his wife, Catherine Willoughby, at this time, in this talk.
 
March 22 - Catherine Brandon (Catherine Willoughby), Duchess of Suffolk, a woman with spirit! - https://youtu.be/dVz3KEzvYso
September 7 - Charles Brandon marries Catherine Willoughby - https://youtu.be/uabimBawgsI
July 14 - The Brandon boys are no more - https://youtu.be/oSNvXjyiFDY
March 3 - A secret marriage for Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon? - https://youtu.be/yPlUHeSNi40
May 13 - Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon get married again! - https://youtu.be/-8Anes65T9A

A man who refused a title, Lady Jane Grey's reprieve, and a naughty earl with a magic ring

In this first part of "This Week in Tudor History", historian Claire Ridgway introduces a chap named John, one of the many johns in his family, who turned down a title; explains why Lady Jane Grey's execution was postponed and what happened, and introduced an earl who appears to have been a bit of a Tudor bad boy.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/Rz6quwsuFAw
 
8th February 1545, in the reign of King Henry VIII - Death of courtier and soldier Sir John Arundell of Lanherne, or John Arundell III, a man who turned down a barony from King Henry VIII. Find out why. 
 
9th February 1554 - Queen Mary I postpones Lady Jane Grey's scheduled execution and gives her a three-day reprieve. Her execution had already been postponed from 7th February, and in December 1553 it had appeared that Jane would be given mercy. What happened between December 1553 and February 1554? Why did Mary finally sign Jane's death warrant and then why did she give her a reprieve? Find out!
 
10th February 1564, in Queen Elizabeth I's reign - Death of Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland. Neville served King Henry VIII as a soldier, swapped sides in the succession crisis of 1553, and appears to have been a bit of a Tudor bad boy, being involved in dastardly plots against his own family. He had a magic ring though!
 
Other events for 8th, 9th and 10th February:
 
February 8 - The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots - https://youtu.be/sd3hP9Qb8Yk
February 8 - The Queen's favourite rebels - https://youtu.be/dhxFDUnxQig
February 9 - An awful end for a bishop - https://youtu.be/dE_mtQMSHVA
February 9 - Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, is taken to the Tower - https://youtu.be/53HVn-dfMyk
February 10 - Catherine Howard goes to the Tower - https://youtu.be/jYbD8-Qua-sFebruary 10 - The murder of Lord Darnley - https://youtu.be/jYbD8-Qua-s
 
Sir John Arundell's memorial brass, which depicts him in full armour, can be seen at  https://www.pinterest.es/pin/342344009155130091/ 
Executions of Lord Guildford Dudley and Lady Jane Grey - https://youtu.be/qf7up1CHfJA

Which colours did Anne Boleyn like?

In this edition of her series on "Questions about Anne Boleyn", Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown" considers which colours Anne Boleyn liked.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:https://youtu.be/AhfdKtqKxBQ
It's impossible to say what Anne Boleyn's favourite colour was, but we do know the colours Anne chose to wear and the colours she chose for fabrics for Elizabeth's nursery and clothes.
Find out which colour fabrics were ordered for and by Anne Boleyn in this talk.

A princess marries, a queen faces death, and a spy and lawyer die - 1-7 February Part 2

In this second part of "This week in Tudor history" for the week beginning 1st February, historian and author Claire Ridgway talks about Tudor events and people associated with 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th February.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/AoTzXI0v7y8
 
4th February 1495, in the reign of King Henry VII - Anne of York, daughter of the late King Edward IV, marries Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, at Westminster Abbey in London. 
 
5th February 1605, diplomat, Member of Parliament and spy, Sir Edward Stafford dies. Even though he appears to have spied for Spain during the Spanish Armada, he managed to avoid serious trouble. Why and how?
 
6th February 1585, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, lawyer, legal scholar and law reporter, Edmund Plowden, died in London.
 
7th February 1587, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the warrant for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived at Fotheringhay Castle and Mary was informed that she would be executed the following day. Who told her? How did she react? And how did she prepare for death?
 
Thomas Howard - https://youtu.be/gkA0xdCzT6Q William Stafford and the Stafford Plot - https://youtu.be/-C4qyueA30o
Mary, Queen of Scots' execution - https://youtu.be/sd3hP9Qb8Yk 

An alchemist, the Princes in the Tower's doctor, and a duke who suffered a rigged trial

In this first part of "This week in Tudor history" for the week beginning 1st February, historian and author Claire Ridgway talks about Tudor events and people associated with 1st, 2nd and 3rd February.
 
1st February 1552, in the reign of King Edward VI - The birth of Roger Cooke, an alchemist who worked for Dr John Dee, Francis Anthony, the Wizard Earl (Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland) and Sir Walter Ralegh, and a man with whom Dee shared the secret of a special elixir.
 
2nd February 1508, in the reign of King Henry VII - The death of physician and Provost of King's College Cambridge, John Argentine. Argentine was said to have been the last person to have attended on the Princes in the Tower before their disappearance.
 
3rd February 1478, in the reign of King Edward IV - The birth of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham was executed for alleged treason in 1521, but it appears that his downfall was more to do with King Henry VIII's fear of Buckingham's wealth, importance and Plantagenet blood.
 
Other Tudor events for these dates:
February 1 - Mary I's Rousing Speech - https://youtu.be/hwf3CbwYjWM
February 1 - Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots' death warrant - https://youtu.be/Hq9b7nM51GY
February 2 - The Feast of Candlemas - https://youtu.be/sXj14xV4gCE
February 2 - Sir Francis Bryan, the Vicar of Hell - https://youtu.be/5f3QFIIvq2w
February 3 - Mary, Queen of Scots' death warrant - https://youtu.be/cIEZJXK9q8M
February 3 - Silken Thomas - https://youtu.be/JA5hsZk0G3k 
 
The Private Diary of John Dee - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19553/19553-h/19553-h.htm Francis Anthony and his drinkable gold - https://youtu.be/UPf24CDIVTo