Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

August 22 - The end of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland

On this day in Tudor history, 22nd August 1553, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was beheaded on Tower Hill for his part in putting his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, on the throne. Northumberland's friends and supporters, Sir John Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer, were also executed.
 
Northumberland was actually scheduled to die the previous day and the crowd turned up to see, the scaffold was prepared and even the executioner was ready... but, instead, the duke was taken to church.
 
Why? 
 
Find out why and also hear a contemporary account of the duke's execution in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/pahguELnWpE
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 22nd August 1485, the Battle of Bosworth took place. King Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, starting the Tudor dynasty on the throne of England. Find out what happened on that day in rural Leicestershire, and how Henry was victorious even though Richard came into battle with a huge advantage, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/PhFpPpt23Fg 

August 21 - A sad end to a bishop whose career spanned the reigns of three kings

On this day in Tudor history, 21st August 1536, two months after he was forced to resign his bishopric, Robert Sherborne (Sherborn), former Bishop of Chichester, died at Chichester. He was buried in the cathedral there. 
 
He was around 82 years of age and it seems a sad end to a man who had done his best to keep his bishopric in order and to serve his king and country.
 
Find out more about Robert Sherborne, Bishop of Chichester, and what led to his forced resignation, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books.
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 21st August 1568, antiquary, translator and cartographer Humphrey Llwyd died from a fever. Llwyd is known as the Inventor of Britain and a key figure in the Renaissance in Wales, but what exactly did he do to deserve such recognition? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/gmS6hr2dgWE 

August 20 - A proxy wedding for King James VI in Denmark

On this day in Tudor history, 20th August 1589, twenty-three-year-old King James VI of Scotland married fourteen-year-old Anne of Denmark by proxy at Kronborg Castle, Helsingør, Denmark.
 
James had chosen Anne of Denmark as his bride after praying and meditating over portraits of her and Catherine of Navarre, and Anne was very excited about marrying him. Unfortunately, married bliss didn't last long.
 
Find out more about the proxy wedding, Anne's eventful voyage, their real wedding and their married life, 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/EwyDv-9mtDY
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 20th August 1588, there was a thanksgiving service at St Paul's to thank God for his divine intervention when England defeated the Spanish Armada. It was thought that God had sent his Protestant Wind to save England from Catholic Spain. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/wwCKaBRmA_4 

August 19 - A defiant but polite Mary I

On this day in Tudor history, 19th August 1551, Princess Mary, the future Mary I, wrote to her half-brother King Edward VI regarding orders that he had sent, orders that she was not going to obey.
 
As historian Henry Ellis noted, this letter is evidence of Mary's talent at writing and her intellect, and it also shows just how stubborn she could be. But then Edward was stubborn too! He wasn't going to let his sister defy him but she wasn't going to obey him and compromise her faith - oh dear!
 
Find out more about the situation, and hear Mary's words to Edward, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/q0HNva_JJHU
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 19th August 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots returned to her homeland, Scotland, from France following the death of her first husband, King Francis II of France. Find out more about her return to Scotland, which was the start of her troubles, in last year’s talk - https://youtu.be/pcZjTw1_mp4 

August 18 - The trial of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland

On this day in Tudor history, 18th August 1553, less than a month after his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey or Queen Jane, had been overthrown by Queen Mary I, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was tried for treason at Westminster Hall in London. 
 
During his trial, Northumberland pointed out that it couldn't be treason to be acting by royal warrant and that some of those judging him had acted under the same warrant, but it did him no good. 
 
Find out what happened at his trial, what his reaction was to his sentence, and what happened to William Parr, Marquess of Northampton, and John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, who were tried with him, in today's talk from author Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/RU5aZO3uFA0
 
Northumberland’s arrest - https://youtu.be/iR5B6U8_raI Also on this day in Tudor history, 18th August 1587, the first child born to English settlers in the New World was born in the Roanoke Colony. Her name was Virginia Dare. This colony has become known as the lost colony because all 115 colonists disappeared. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/lZDaYgPfxoQ 

August 17 - Henry VIII's Latin secretary dies of sweating sickness

 
On this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1517, Italian humanist scholar, cleric and poet, Andreas Ammonius died in London from sweating sickness. He was laid to rest at St Stephen's, Westminster. 
 
Ammonius had also served Henry VIII as his Latin secretary and was a great friend of the famous humanist scholar, Erasmus. Find out more about Ammonius and the sweating sickness epidemic which caused his death in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
What was sweating sickness? - https://youtu.be/qwSjvIixzP8
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/l4tC71oohqw
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 17th August 1510, King Henry VII's former chief administrators, Sir Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson, were beheaded on Tower Hill as traitors even though they had served the former king loyally. What happened? Why were these two advisors executed by their former master's son? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/2Up3Dpp2mIk 
 
 

August 16 - The Norrises lose another two sons in the Queen's service

On this day in Tudor history, 16th August 1599, soldier and Lord President of Munster in Ireland, Sir Thomas Norris, died at his home, Mallow Castle, in Cork, as a result of an injury he’d sustained in a skirmish with Irish troops on 30th May 1599. His brother, Henry, died just five days later. Thomas's brothers, John, William and Maximilian, who were also soldiers, died in 1597, 1579 and 1593 respectively.
 
Queen Elizabeth I recognised the sacrifice of this family and wrote a letter of condolence to her friends, Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norris, and his wife, Margery Williams. Find out what she wrote to the grieving couple in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/cLN7c9Dm0-k
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 16th August 1513, the Battle of Spurs took place at Guinegate, or Enguinegatte, in France. It actually wasn't a pitched battle at all, as the French knights fled the scene, but that didn't stop Henry VIII claiming victory and doing a bit of exaggerating. Find out more about it in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/VGmHZ8dKKLM 

August 15 - The Oaten Hill Martyrs

On his day in Tudor history, 15th August 1588, Catholics Robert Wilcox, Edward Campion, Christopher Buxton and Robert Widmerpool were examined while imprisoned in the Marshalsea prison in Southwark, London. 
 
These men ended up being executed, three of them for being Catholic priests and one for giving aid to priests, at Oaten Hill, Canterbury. All four died with courage and in 1929 were beatified.
 
Find out more about these men and how they came to be executed 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/-7UPcJ5VRaQ
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 15th August 1603, Lady Mary Scudamore (née Shelton), a member of Elizabeth I's Privy Chamber and one of her favourite sleeping companions, was buried at Holme Lacy in Herefordshire. Mary was very close to the queen but suffered the queen's wrath at one point. I explain all in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/SFbnuab0u0k