Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

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 

December 29 - Elizabeth I's rogue and champion

On this day in history, 29th December 1605, in the reign of King James I, forty-seven-year-old Tudor nobleman George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, Yorkshire. Clifford was a courtier, naval commander, privateer, Elizabeth I's champion and a man she called her "rogue".
 
Find out all about this Earl of Cumberland, his unhappy marriage, his voyages and what it meant to be the queen's champion, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/nwtC7ZZLJ_s
 
You can see photos of his armour at https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23939
 
Also on this day in history, 29th (or 30th) December 1605, in the reign of King James I, Elizabethan navigator and explorer, John Davis died near Bintang, off the coast of Borneo. He died after being attacked by Japanese pirates. Davis is known for his voyages, for being the first Englishman to document a sighting of the Falkland Islands, for his 1594 “The Seaman's Secrets” and 1595 “The World's Hydrographical Description", and for his invention, the Davis Quadrant, or the backstaff.
Find out more about him, his final voyage and death in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/XKdRcXgxYew 

December 28 - A Lord Keeper of the Great Seal who supported learning

On this day in Tudor history, the feast of Childermas, 28th December 1510, lawyer, administrator and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was born. Bacon was the father of the famous philosopher, statesman, scientist and author, Sir Francis Bacon.
 
Bacon wasn't just a lawyer and statesman, he was also very concerned with the education of the young, and did much to support it.
 
Find out all about Sir Nicholas Bacon, his life and career, and how he was banished from court at one point, 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/XeYFwlAuHGc
 
28th December is also Childermas or Holy Innocents' Day, an important part of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Tudor times. In last year’s video, I explained the origin of this feast day and how it was commemorated in the Tudor period. https://youtu.be/5mB9GOmwpU4 

December 27 - Katherine Killigrew, "the Muses friend, and saint of Heav’n"

On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1583, scholar and Puritan Katherine Killigrew died after giving birth to a stillborn child. 
 
Katherine was the daughter of renowned humanist and scholar, Sir Anthony Cooke, and was known for her ability at writing poetry and her knowledge of languages, including Hebrew, Latin and Greek. She was a very accomplished Tudor lady.
 
Find out more about Katherine, and hear the epitaphs that were written in her honour, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/_ksia3B_T_k
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1539, Anne of Cleves landed at Deal in Kent in preparation for her forthcoming marriage to King Henry VIII. Anne of Cleves would be King Henry VIII's fourth wife. Find out more about her journey, the background to it, and what happened next, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/sl5n06RIlgc