Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

November 20 - Elizabeth I's godson and his flush toilet

On this day in history, 20th November 1612, in the reign of King James I, courtier and author Sir John Harington died. 
Why am I talking about a man who died in the Stuart period?
Well, because he was Queen Elizabeth I’s godson and because during her reign he invented the Ajax, or “jakes”, England’s first flush toilet.
 
Find out more about Sir John Harington and his flush toilet invention in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
Also on this day in history, 20th November 1591, Sir Christopher Hatton, Elizabeth I’s Lord Chancellor and favourite, died aged fifty-one. He was such a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I that he had a dazzling career and was constantly at her side. Find out more about Sir Christopher Hatton, his career and accomplishments, his patronage of learned men and explorers, and his special relationship with Elizabeth I, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/IzhdmD7Lgm8 

November 19 - Lord John Grey and how he escaped the axeman

On this day in Tudor history, 19th November 1564, Lord John Grey, youngest son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, died. 
 
He's not the Lord John Grey of the wonderful Outlander series, but he is just as interesting.
 
In Mary I's reign, he was involved in a rebellion with his brothers, Lord Thomas Grey and Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, but unlike them was not executed.
 
How did Lord John Grey escape execution? And why did he get into trouble again in Elizabeth I's reign.
 
Find out all about this Tudor lord in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway.
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 19th November 1587, Henry Vaux died of what was probably consumption at Great Ashby, the home of his sister, Eleanor Brooksby.
Henry Vaux is a fascinating Tudor man. He started out as a precocious child and poet, and grew up to be an important member of the Catholic underground. He was a Catholic recusant and priest harbourer, helping Jesuit priests in the Protestant reign of Queen Elizabeth I, both financially and by giving them a roof over the heads. Find out more about him, and what happened to him in Queen Elizabeth I's reign, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/ewJxPRqbELw

November 18 - A bishop ends his days in confinement

On this day in Tudor history, 18th November 1559, Ralph Baynes (Baines), Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, died. 
 
Baynes had been actively involved in the persecutions of Protestants in Mary I's reign, examining many well-known martyrs and featuring in John Foxe's "Book of Martyrs", but ended his days imprisoned in the home of Edmund Grindal, Bishop of London - why? 
 
Find out more about Ralph Baynes, his life and career, and how he came to be deprived of his bishopric and die the way he did, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
Also on this exact day in Tudor history, 18th November 1559, another former bishop died in custody: eighty-five-year-old Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of Durham, who was in the custody of Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth Palace.
Cuthbert Tunstall had an amazing career which spanned the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I, and he was imprisoned in two of those monarchs' reigns. In last year’s video, I gave an overview of Tunstall’s interesting life and career - https://youtu.be/zChSizjHXWg 
 
Claire is the founder of the Tudor Society, an online membership site for those who love Tudor history. There, you can learn from Claire and many other expert historians and authors, enjoy Tudor-focused magazines and live Q&A sessions with experts, and have access to all kinds of talks, articles, quizzes, virtual tours and more. Try it with a 14-day free trial - https://www.tudorsociety.com/signup/
 
Claire has written some bestselling Tudor history books:
 
On This Day in Tudor History - https://amzn.to/3oceahH
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown - https://amzn.to/3m8KaSi
George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat - https://amzn.to/2TdwyZr
The Anne Boleyn Collection - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Anne Boleyn Collection II - https://amzn.to/3o9LUwi
The Anne Boleyn Collection III - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Life of Anne Boleyn Colouring Books - https://amzn.to/3jkJ5Vz
 
Claire has also done an online history course, The Life of Anne Boleyn, for MedievalCourses.com - https://medievalcourses.com/overview/life-anne-boleyn-mc06/
 
You can find Claire at:
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 
https://www.tudorsociety.com
https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 
https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/

November 17 - Elizabeth I's accession

On this day in Tudor history, 17th November 1558, twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen Elizabeth I following the death of her half-sister, Queen Mary I.
 
In today's talk, Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books, looks at an alternative account of Elizabeth I's words on her accession, one recorded by her godson, Sir John Harington. Hear Elizabeth I's wonderful speech, which she used to motivate her supporters and to reassure those who'd served Mary I. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/5YhqvvWLa3w
 
Claire also looks at Elizabeth's words "This is the Lord's doing...", and notes the importance of the previous line in the Psalm.
 
Last year's video on Accession Day, 17th November 1558, can be viewed at https://youtu.be/93Gtppjj8C4

November 16 - An Elizabethan earl and rebel who never learnt his lesson

On this day in Tudor history, 16th November 1601, nobleman and rebel Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, died while in exile at Nieuwpoort in Flanders. 
 
Westmorland had fled into exile following the failure of the Northern Rebellion, a plot to release Mary, Queen of Scots, from prison and to overthrow Elizabeth I. He didn't learn his lesson, being involved in a further plot. 
 
The earl died a sad end in debt and separated from his wife and daughters, but it was his own fault.
 
Find out more about the rebel northern earl in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
The Northern Rebellion - https://youtu.be/FG62xg8gLkA 
 
Also on this day in history, 16th November 1612, Elizabethan conspirator, William Stafford, died. He's an interesting Tudor character because he had Plantagenet blood and also because he was allegedly the chief plotter in the Stafford Plot, a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, but he was only imprisoned for a short time and lived the rest of his life quietly in Norfolk, dying a natural death.How and why did William Stafford escape serious punishment for the Stafford Plot and what did Sir Francis Walsingham have to do with it all? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/-C4qyueA30o 

November 15 - A Princess of York

On this day in Tudor history, 15th November 1527, a woman who called herself "“the excellent Princess Katherine, Countess of Devon, daughter, sister and aunt of kings”, died at Tiverton Castle in Devon.
 
Katherine of York, Countess of Devon, daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, was just forty-nine when she died and had taken a vow of chastity after her husband's death.
 
In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway gives an overview of Henry VIII's aunt's life and explains why she took her vow of chastity. Find out all about her. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/WRdSpLmCYxw
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 15th November 1532, a rather cross Pope Clement VII threatened King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn with excommunication. The English king had angered the pope by defying his instructions and previous threats, and going his own way by setting aside Catherine of Aragon and living with Anne Boleyn. The pope was not impressed with this disobedient king. In last year’s video, I shared excerpts of the pope’s letter, as well as explaining the context and what happened next. https://youtu.be/E578mJ6f9Y0 
 
Claire is the founder of the Tudor Society, an online membership site for those who love Tudor history. There, you can learn from Claire and many other expert historians and authors, enjoy Tudor-focused magazines and live Q&A sessions with experts, and have access to all kinds of talks, articles, quizzes, virtual tours and more. Try it with a 14-day free trial - https://www.tudorsociety.com/signup/
 
Claire has written some bestselling Tudor history books:
 
On This Day in Tudor History - https://amzn.to/3oceahH
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown - https://amzn.to/3m8KaSi
George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat - https://amzn.to/2TdwyZr
The Anne Boleyn Collection - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Anne Boleyn Collection II - https://amzn.to/3o9LUwi
The Anne Boleyn Collection III - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T
The Life of Anne Boleyn Colouring Books - https://amzn.to/3jkJ5Vz
 
Claire has also done an online history course, The Life of Anne Boleyn, for MedievalCourses.com - https://medievalcourses.com/overview/life-anne-boleyn-mc06/
 
You can find Claire at:
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 
https://www.tudorsociety.com
https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 
https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/

November 14 - Bad Signs for Culpeper and Lady Rochford

On this day in Tudor history, 14th November 1541, an inventory was taken of  "the goods and chattels, lands and fees of" Thomas Culpeper, a groom of King Henry VIII's privy chamber and a man who had been having secret meetings with Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife.An inventory had also been taken of the possessions of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, wife of the late George Boleyn, a woman who had allegedly helped the queen meet with Culpeper.
 
But what was going on in November 1541 and what was listed in these inventories?
 
Find out 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/FSexhhdtbH0
 
Also, on this day in Tudor history, 14th November, the Feast of St Erkenwald, there may have been two royal Tudor weddings. We know that Catherine of Aragon married Arthur, Prince of Wales, on 14th November 1501, but chronicler Edward Hall gives 14th November 1532 as the date of a secret wedding for King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, in Dover. Find out more about these two royal weddings in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/WJD7rGXLCUs 

November 13 - Murder by handgun in London

On this day in Tudor history, 13th November 1536, mercer and member of Parliament Robert Packington (Pakington, Pakyngton) was shot to death by an unknown assailant while he was on his way to mass at St Thomas of Acre Chapel. He was shot with a wheellock pistol.
Robert Packington has gone down in history as the first person in England to be killed by a handgun, but who killed him and why?
 
Find out about Packington, his murder, and the theories regarding who ordered his murder, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books.
You can see this video on YouTube...
https://youtu.be/SMa5708ykYU
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 13th November 1553, the former Queen Jane, or Lady Jane Grey, was tried for treason at Guildhall in London. She wasn't the only one tried, her husband Lord Guildford Dudley, his brothers Ambrose and Henry Dudley, and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, were also tried for treason for their parts in putting Jane on the throne. Find out more about their trials, and what happened to them, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/TPKyQdlXv3Y