Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

October 20 - A countess twice over

On this day in Tudor history, 20th October 1557, or possibly 21st, courtier Mary Arundell died at Bath Place in London.
Mary is an interesting Tudor lady. Not only did she serve at least two of Henry VIII’s wives, but she was a countess twice over, having been married to both the Earls of Sussex and Arundel. She has also been confused with two other Tudor ladies, and we don't know whether the portrait you see in the thumbnail is really her.
 
Find out more about Mary Arundell's life, court career and those of her husbands, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/OdTkEmd1zhA
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 20th October 1536, Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy, yielded Pontefract Castle to the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace. However, all was not as it seemed, as Darcy and others on the castle were actually sympathetic to the rebel cause. Find out more about the situation at Pontefract Castle, the letters Darcy wrote to King Henry VIII, what happened on the night of 19th October and morning of 20th October, and why Darcy came to a sticky end, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/cQH-uosxMZ0 

October 19 - An important European marriage

On this day in history, 19th October 1469, an event took place in Spain that was not only important in Spanish history, but which had an impact on Europe and which has links with the Tudors.
 
The event was the marriage of an eighteen-year-old woman called Isabella and a seventeen-year-old man called Ferdinand. They'd become the famous Reyes Catolicos, the Catholic monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, and would bring together two powerful kingdoms, which comprised most of what is modern-day Spain.
 
In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway tells you more about this powerful couple, their reigns and their legacy. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/lcB2amixtQ0
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 19th October 1536, the Pilgrimage of Grace Rebellion in the north of England was well underway, and King Henry VIII had come to the decision that tough action was needed to put it down. The action he ordered wasn’t just tough, it was downright brutal, and you can find out more about it in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/JV7qr-uC7MU 

October 18 - Freedom for Elizabeth at last!

On this day in Tudor history, 18th October 1555, Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, finally received permission from her half-sister, Queen Mary I, to leave court and travel to her own estate at Hatfield, rather than return to house arrest in Woodstock.
Poor Elizabeth had spent the last 18 months being watched or imprisoned, so this must have been a huge relief.
But why had Elizabeth been watched and confined? What had she gone through and why?
Find out more about this awful part of Elizabeth I's life in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/g-ithNJKrgQ
Also on this day in Tudor history, 18th October 1541, Margaret Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII and eldest daughter of King Henry VII, died of a stroke.
Margaret Tudor is a fascinating Tudor lady. She was sent to Scotland at 13 to marry King James IV, she was widowed, divorced and unhappily married, she fled to England at one point, and she was the mother of Lady Margaret Douglas, and grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots AND Lord Darnley, and great-grandmother of King James VI of Scotland (King James I of England). What a life she had! Find out more about her in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/4MyX4SfN5IE 

October 17 - An English spy who suffered torture and execution in Rome

On this day in history, 17th October 1560, spy and Protestant martyr, Walter Marsh was baptised at St Stephen's Church in London.
Marsh came to a sticky end, being burned to death in Rome's Campo dei Fiori after having his tongue cut out, his hand cut off and being tortured with burning torches. He had been accused of being paid by Queen Elizabeth I to spy on Catholics and of showing contempt for the Eucharist. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/fu5tegmkq_I
 
Find out more about Walter Marsh, how he'd come to be in Rome and what he'd done to upset the authorities, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
Also on this day in Tudor history, 17th October 1586, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the famous poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney, died as a result of an injury inflicted in a battle with Spanish forces in the Netherlands. Find out more about Sidney, his works and what happened to him, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/fz6sVUKMBsM

October 16 - A meeting between two kings is arranged

On this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1532, while Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, were on their visit to Calais, English nobles met French nobles to arrange a meeting between the King of England and his French counterpart, King Francis I.
 
In today's talk, Claire Ridgway of the Anne Boleyn Files gives details on this event, who was there, what happened, and why Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn had gone to Calais.You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/FX_JBefelco
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1555, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Protestants Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake in Oxford for heresy. Along with Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, they have become known as the Oxford Martyrs.Find out more about these men and hear an account of their burnings – warning, it’s horrible – in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/tGs6BbntLTc 

October 15 - A Welsh teacher and poet is executed

On this day in Tudor history, 15th October 1584, schoolteacher and Welsh language poet, Richard Gwyn (Richard White), was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason at Wrexham in Wales due to his Catholic faith.
Find out about Richard Gwyn's life, how an attack by crows and kites made him steadfast in his faith, his arrest and downfall, his works, and the legends associated with his death, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/L9530Uuo4Ro
Also on this day in Tudor history, 15th October 1537, Prince Edward ( future King Edward VI), son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Queen Jane Seymour, was christened in a lavish ceremony in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. He was three days old. Find out more about the ceremony, godparents and gifts in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/mhgbi0UTJWo

October 14 - Sir Thomas Chaloner and his very strong teeth!

On this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1565, diplomat and poet, Sir Thomas Chaloner the Elder, died at his home in Clerkenwell, London. He was just forty-four years old. He’d served four Tudor monarchs as a diplomat, but he also wrote English and Latin works.
Find out more about Thomas Chaloner, his life, his career, and how his teeth saved him from death, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/3M70wAe2Tiw
J Stephan Edwards’ translation of Chaloner’s work on Lady Jane Grey - http://www.somegreymatter.com/chalonerelegy.htm
Also on this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1586, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, began at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire. Find out all about Mary's trial, what she was charged with and the evidence that Sir Francis Walsingham had gathered, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/XZ8LNew3oTw 

October 13 - Mary I's secret meetings with ambassadors in disguise

On this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1553, Queen Mary I wrote a very interesting letter to the imperial ambassador, Simon Renard. In it, she asked the ambassador to meet with her secretly, and she'd encouraged him previously to come to her secretly and in disguise.
 
Why? What was going on? And why did Mary seem to trust the emperor and his ambassadors more than her own council?
 
Find out more about the situation in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/XKWL6RONk5Y
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1549, Edward VI’s council abolished his uncle Edward Seymour’s protectorate and membership of the Council. It was the beginning of the end for Seymour and you can find out what he’d done to provoke his downfall, and what happened next, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/3y8vOOYwUFc