Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

October 11 - Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn set sail for Calais

On this day in Tudor history, 11th October 1532, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the newly created Marquess of Pembroke, set sail from Dover  aboard the king’s ship, The Swallow.
 
They were off to Calais on a mission involving the Great Matter, Henry VIII's quest for an annulment. But why? What would they do there? Who would they meet?
 
Find out more about this trip, what happened and what happened next, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, creator of The Anne Boleyn Files blog.
 
Links to other videos on this trip:
October 21 - Henry VIII leaves Anne Boleyn behind in Calais - https://youtu.be/ZB8WUZlqYFY
October 25 - Henry VIII, Francis I and a gift for Anne Boleyn - https://youtu.be/m7LbYIKx8_Y
October 27 - Anne Boleyn makes an entrance - https://youtu.be/JDGwNNM6G_E
November 14 - Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon get married but not to each other - https://youtu.be/WJD7rGXLCUs
Also on this day in Tudor history, 11th October 1537, there was a solemn procession and prayers said for Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife, who was in labour with her first and only child, Edward. In last year’s video, I share contemporary accounts of the procession and Jane’s labour - https://youtu.be/7ib2N2fvzqc

October 10 - The funeral of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth I's favourite

On this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1588, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, according to his instructions.
His funeral was well-attended and his widow, Lettice, a woman known by Elizabeth I as "the she-wolf", erected a monument to "her best and dearest husband" in the chapel, which was also the resting place of the couple's young son, Robert, "the noble impe".
Find out more about Leicester's funeral and resting place, and see some photos of his tomb, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/jQQhMB0S1m0
Also on this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1562, twenty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth I was taken ill at Hampton Court Palace. It was thought that it was just a bad cold, but it turned out that the queen had smallpox. Elizabeth became seriously ill and it was thought that she would die, causing panic over the succession, but Elizabeth recovered and reigned until 1603. She was nursed by her good friend, Mary Sidney, who also came down with smallpox and was badly disfigured by it. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/ohpybHXcxiM

October 9 - Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote

On this day in Tudor history, 9th October 1547, Miguel de Cervantes, author of the famous classic “Don Quixote”, a book known as "the first modern novel", was baptised in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His actual birthdate is unknown.
Now, this event didn’t happen in Tudor England, but it did happen in the Tudor period, and Cervantes is known the world over. Let Claire share with you some facts about this man, his rather interesting life, which including being held to ransom by pirates, and his works. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/n2v7AVmob9U
Also on this day in history, 9th October 1514, eighteen-year-old Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and daughter of the late Henry VII, married fifty-two year-old King Louis XII of France at Abbeville in France. Find out about her lavish entry into Abbeville and the wedding, including descriptions of Mary and her apparel, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/wYYJpU893lo

October 8 - Henry VIII forces Princess Mary to write letters

On this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1536, while the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion was getting underway in Lincolnshire and spreading to Yorkshire, Henry VIII wasn’t only issuing orders regarding the rebels, he was also issuing orders regarding his eldest daughter.
 
Henry and Mary had recently reconciled after Mary had finally submitted to him and recognised his supremacy and her illegitimate status. It was something that cost Mary dearly, but it did mend her relationship with her father and allow her back at court.
 
But then Henry VIII put more pressure on his daughter by forcing her to write to the pope and to Mary of Hungary, the emperor's sister.
 
What did Mary have to write? What did the king want of his daughter? And why had Mary submitted to her father?
 
Find out all about this 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/eaAfD48aaY0
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1515, Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and niece of King Henry VIII, was born at Harbottle Castle in Northumberland. Margaret was the daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen Dowager of Scotland, and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She was born while her mother was travelling to Henry VIII's court in London after feeling Scotland. Margaret was a fascinating lady and you can find out more about her in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/XhLKtBDLO5c

October 7 - Catherine of Aragon wins this round

On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1529, Pope Clement VII wrote to King Henry VIII regarding his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
It wasn't good news. Catherine of Aragon had won this battle, with the pope deciding that the marriage was valid, but she hadn't won the war. Henry VIII did get the marriage annulled in the end, but the pope didn't do it.
But what was going on? Why wouldn't the pope help? What was Henry VIII's argument for an annulment and on what grounds did Catherine appeal?
Find out more 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/hTJnfmsmXRU
Philip Campbell’s essay on the Great Matter can be found at https://www.medievalists.net/files/11010101.pdf 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1577, author, poet, courtier and soldier George Gascoigne died in Stamford, Lincolnshire. Gascoigne was a gifted poet and was hired in 1575 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to provide entertainment for Queen Elizabeth I's visit to Leicester's home, Kenilworth Castle. This was Leicester's last ditch attempt at getting the queen to marry him and he hoped Gascoigne could help him. Find out all about Gascoigne's masque, Zabeta, and what happened at Kenilworth, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/-AaOpqjmAJY 

October 6 - John Caius, royal physician and sweating sickness

On this day in Tudor history, 6th October 1510, John Caius was born at Norwich.
Caius was a theological scholar, founder of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, royal physician (to Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) and author of a book on sweating sickness.  
In today's "on this day" talk, historian Claire Ridgway gives an overview of John Caius' life and career, as well as sharing some of what he wrote on sweating sickness, that mystery Tudor illness. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/GPvSK4Nbt6I
Also on this day in Tudor history, 6th October 1536, reformer, scholar and Bible translator William Tyndale was executed. One of Tyndale's works had helped King Henry VIII while another incurred the king's wrath and led to Tyndale's execution. Why? What happened? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/2gEP87fBOhE 

October 5 - Edward Seymour gathers troops to defend Edward VI

On this day in Tudor history, 5th October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, ordered a gathering of men at Hampton Court Palace, where he was lodged with the young King Edward VI, due to tensions mounting between Somerset and John Dudley, Earl of Warwick.
 
What was going on and what happened when 4,000 peasants turned up? How did John Dudley react and what did King Edward VI have to say about it all?
 
Find out what happened, and how this led to Somerset's undoing, 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/WPlTPV9cpEU
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 5th October 1518, two-year-old Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, became betrothed to François, the Dauphin of France, who was just a few months old. This betrothal was part of a treaty agreed between England and France, Henry VIII and Francis I. Find out what happened at the betrothal ceremony at Greenwich Palace, as well as what else the treaty involved, and what happened to this betrothal in the end, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/v4_Y8Q0nXbA

October 4 - Sir Francis Bigod and his rebellion

On this day in Tudor history, 4th October 1507, Sir Francis Bigod, was born at Seaton, in Hinderwell, Yorkshire. 
Bigod led an uprising in Yorkshire in January 1537,  Bigod’s Rebellion, after the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace had been dispersed. But who was Bigod? Why would an evangelical reformer become involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace? What was his rebellion about and what happened to him?
 
Find out more about Sir Francis Bigod and Bigod's Rebellion 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/rPR8AQCZA2Y
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, Wednesday 4th October 1536, trouble erupted in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. This was part of what we know as the Lincolnshire Rising which, in turn, was part of the famous Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, which I have, of course, just mentioned. You can find out what happened in Horncastle, which included two murders, what the rebellion was all about, and how King Henry VIII responded to the rebel's grievances, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/9WBhp2N3hKM