Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

May 1 - A hot-tempered Tudor courtier

On this day in Tudor history, 1st May 1551, in the reign of King Edward VI, Norfolk landowner and Member of Parliament, Sir Edmund Knyvet, died. 
 
Knyvet had an interesting court career, being helped by his Howard connections, but he was known for his rather hot temper, which nearly led to him losing his right hand.
Find out more about hot-tempered Sir Edmun Knyvet 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/5kc8tSKlpP4
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 1st May 1517, foreign traders in London had their shops and property vandalised and damaged by a mob of angry apprentices and labourers, in what was known as the Evil May Day Riot. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/hQoTvH_0kcY
And 1st May 1536 was supposed to be a fun day for King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn at the annual May Day joust but suddenly the king left abruptly, taking his good friend and groom of the stool with him. What was going on? Find out in the 1st May 1536 video in The Fall of Anne Boleyn series - https://youtu.be/Hx1ba-2d8NU

April 30 - Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor

On this day in Tudor history, 30th April 1544, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Audley, Baron Audley of Walden and Lord Chancellor, died at his home in London.
 
Audley was Thomas Cromwell's right-hand man in 1536, during the fall of Anne Boleyn, and became even more important after Cromwell's fall.
 
Find out more about Thomas Audley, an important Tudor statesman, and how he served King Henry VIII, 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/nK9NMs255B4
 

April 29 - Bothwell prepares to marry Mary, Queen of Scots

On this day in Tudor history, 29th April 1567 (some sources suggest 26th), James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who had recently abducted and allegedly "ravished" Mary, Queen of Scots, had a suit of divorce made against him by his wife, Lady Jean Gordon.
 
Lady Gordon was persuaded by Bothwell to make this divorce suit as he was planning to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, which he did on 15th May 1567.
 
In this talk, Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society, explains what led up to this day, what happened next, and also what a truly horrible man Bothwell was.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/trdexa_EwUM
 
Here are the videos mentioned in the talk: 
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell - https://youtu.be/XRU_nEsUxFwMarriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Earl of Bothwell - https://youtu.be/7keV_p9U7JM 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 29th April 1617, Sir Dru Drury, a man who went from being a prisoner to being Lieutenant of the Tower of London, died in his 80s at his home. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/n0-bOfFxeWM 
And on this day in 1536, in the lead up to her fall, Queen Anne Boleyn had encounters with two courtiers who would eventually be executed for allegedly sleeping with her and plotting with her to kill King Henry VIII. Find out more in the video for 29th April 1536 - https://youtu.be/2GWjq7VJeG8 

April 28 - A man involved in the falls of two queens

 
On this day in Tudor history, 28th April 1548 (some sources say 6 May), courtier, diplomat, soldier and Keeper of Oatlands Palace, Sir Anthony Browne, died at Byfleet in Surrey. He had been one of Henry VIII’s most important and richest courtiers, and was also involved in the falls of two queens: Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves.
 
Find out more about this man and how he was involved in the falls of the two Annes in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 28th April 1603, Queen Elizabeth I was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in a lavish funeral. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/rJ7nrMF0Fow 
 
And on this day in 1536, in the lead up to Anne Boleyn’s fall, there were long council meetings, experts were being consulted and the Lady Mary, Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, was being given hope for the future. Something was going on! https://youtu.be/8QaGMigNhXE

April 27 - A Tudor and Stuart adventurer

On this day in history, actually in the Stuart period, 27th April 1609, Sir Edward Michelborne, member of Parliament, soldier and adventurer, died. 
 
He'd survived an unsuccessful naval campaign against the Spanish, being implicated in a rebellion, and an attack by pirates, to die a natural death at his home in Hackney.
 
Find out more about Sir Edward Michelborne in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.
 
You can find out more about the Japanese pirate attack on the Tiger in my video from 29th December - https://youtu.be/XKdRcXgxYew 
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/JNwbZX8bB5A
 
On this day in 1536, in the fall of Anne Boleyn, writs were issued summoning Parliament and according to Eustace Chapuys, a bishop was consulted regarding whether Henry VIII could abandon his second wife, Anne Boleyn. What was going on? Find out in my video at https://youtu.be/lpgeeVoJcgo
Also on this day in Tudor history, 27th April 1584, civil lawyer and judge, David Lewis, died in London. You can find out more about him in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/f7pGwIvDBzc 

April 26 - Shakespeare and the plague

On this day in Tudor history, 26th April 1564, the Bard, William Shakespeare, was baptised at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. This was just three months before the plague hit the town, wiping out a fifth of its population. Fortunately for him, and us, Shakespeare didn't catch it - phew!
 
Find out more about the plague and its outbreak in Stratford-upon-Avon in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 26th April 1540, Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece of the late Queen Anne Boleyn, married Francis Knollys.It is not known whether the marriage was a love match, but it appears to have been a very happy and successful marriage, and resulted in 14 children. You can find out more about them in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/c_rcS3AX7nk 
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/fbY5itlDUeY
 
And on this day in 1536, in the lead up to Anne Boleyn's fall, Queen Anne Boleyn met with her chaplain, Matthew Parker. The words that she spoke to him that day had such an impact on him that they stayed with him for the rest of his life. Find out more about this in my video on 26th April 1536 - https://youtu.be/2pgryv6sz3g 

April 25 - Catherine Parr publishes a book

 
On this day in Tudor history, 25th April 1544, an English translation of John Fisher’s Latin work, “Psalms or Prayers”, was published. It had been translated by none other than Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife. 
 
It was published anonymously, but there's rather a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing towards Queen Catherine as the translator. Find out more in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several history books. https://youtu.be/7bAAgFnKxMQ
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 25th April 1557, Tudor troublemaker Thomas Stafford, grandson of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, proclaimed himself "Protector of the Realm". It didn't go down well! Find out what happened in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/74aUAE-g22Q 
 
And don't forget to check out today's Fall of Anne Boleyn countdown video - https://youtu.be/XH3kyeRbdcI

April 24 - Divining your future love

Today, 24th April, is St Mark’s Eve, the day before the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist, one of Christ’s apostles and the man who is said to have written the Gospel of Mark. In medieval and Tudor times, St Mark's Eve was the night to divine who you were going to marry.
 
How did people go about divining their future partner?
 
Find out in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History". https://youtu.be/EH0DDFQgSuM
 
24th April is the first day of The Fall of Anne Boleyn Countdown series of videos that I did last year and you can find out all about what happened on 24th April 1536 in this video - https://youtu.be/jRx9pKlmABQ 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 24th April 1558, fifteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, got married for the first time. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/Xe3v6dVwwac