Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

The Tudor Day of Feasting, Faith… and the Winter Kill

Today, 11 November, is Martinmas, the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours.
In Tudor England, it was far more than a saint’s day. It marked the great “winter slaughter”, when families across the realm, from manor to cottage, salted and cured their meat to survive the long months ahead.In this video, I explore the man behind the feast, St Martin, the Roman soldier who became a saint after cutting his cloak in half to clothe a beggar, and reveal how faith, food, and survival intertwined in Tudor life.Discover:
The story of St Martin of Tours and why 11 November became his feast day
How Tudor households prepared for winter by salting meat and preserving food
The meaning of old sayings like “His Martinmas will come, as it does to every hog”
Why salt was treasured as life itself
And how Spain’s La Matanza still echoes the traditions that fed the Tudors
Martinmas was the Tudor turning point, the end of harvest, the beginning of winter, and a moment of gratitude for what the land and animals provided.#Martinmas #TudorLife #SaintMartin #TudorHistory #MedievalTraditions #HistoryOfFood #FeastDays #TudorEngland #TudorFeast #ClaireRidgway #TheAnneBoleynFiles #TudorCustoms #TudorFarm #HistoryYouTube

He Dared to Betray the Queen

He was handsome, daring, and utterly reckless, the man who stole the heart of England’s greatest queen in her final years, and then broke it.Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, was born on this day in 1565. He rose from ambitious courtier to Elizabeth I’s beloved favourite - charming, bold, and impossible to ignore. But his pride and defiance would destroy him.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in this episode we’ll trace the rise and ruin of the Queen’s “darling of her old age”: his dangerous ambition, his disastrous rebellion, and the shocking betrayal that ended with an axe on Tower Green.Was Robert Devereux a tragic hero, or the author of his own destruction?Watch until the end to decide for yourself.
 
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#TudorHistory #ElizabethI #RobertDevereux #EarlofEssex #TudorCourt #TudorScandal #OnThisDay #AnneBoleynFiles #BritishHistory #ClaireRidgway
 

A Beginner’s Guide to the Tudors

Power. Passion. Intrigue. Revolution.The Tudors ruled England for just over a century, but they changed it forever.In this Beginner’s Guide to the Tudors, I explore how a Welsh courtier’s secret marriage to a queen created one of the most fascinating dynasties in history.From the scandalous rise of Henry VIII and his six wives, to the tragedy of Lady Jane Grey and the genius of Elizabeth I, this is the story of how the Tudors reshaped religion, monarchy, and identity itself.You’ll discover:- How the dynasty began with a forbidden royal romance.- How Henry VII built a new age from the ashes of civil war.- How Henry VIII’s obsession for an heir changed faith forever.- How Mary I’s struggle for unity divided a nation.- And how Elizabeth I turned survival into a Golden Age.If you think you know the Tudors, think again.
This is your beginner’s guide to the dynasty that changed England forever.#TudorHistory #HenryVIII #ElizabethI #TudorDynasty

The Queen’s Hidden Child

The Mystery of Arthur Dudley
 
A secret heir to the English throne… or one of the cleverest impostors in Tudor history?In 1587, a young Englishman was captured by Spanish sailors off the coast of San Sebastián. He called himself Arthur Dudley, and claimed to be the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.Was he the Virgin Queen’s hidden child, smuggled away in infancy to protect a royal scandal?Or a spy sent by Walsingham’s network on the eve of war with Spain?Join me as I uncover the astonishing story of Arthur Dudley - his confession, his captivity, and the enduring mystery that still haunts Elizabeth’s legend.Listen until the end and decide for yourself: heir, hoax, or Tudor agent?#TudorHistory #ElizabethI #ArthurDudley #TudorMystery #HistoryTok #AnneBoleynFiles #RobertDudley #TheVirginQueen #HistoricalMystery

From the Tower’s Master to Its Prisoner

On this day in Tudor history, 7th November 1565, Sir Edward Warner, soldier, courtier, Member of Parliament, and twice Lieutenant of the Tower of London, died at his Norfolk home.He was a man who lived at the heart of Tudor politics, serving four monarchs, guarding rebels and queens alike, and somehow surviving the shifting loyalties of an age where one wrong step could mean the scaffold.Warner fought in Scotland, helped defend Norwich during Kett’s Rebellion, and rose high under Edward VI, only to fall when he sided with Lady Jane Grey and the Duke of Northumberland.Under Mary I, he found himself imprisoned in the very Tower he had once commanded.When Elizabeth I came to the throne, his fortunes reversed again, until another scandal erupted involving Lady Katherine Grey, sister of the “Nine Days’ Queen", who somehow became pregnant while in his custody.Sir Edward Warner’s story is one of duty, compassion, and danger, a Tudor survivor who lived through rebellion, imprisonment, and redemption.Join me, Claire Ridgway, as we uncover the life of this remarkable - and often forgotten - man of the Tudor age.#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #TowerOfLondon #KatherineGrey #ElizabethI #HenryVIII #AnneBoleynFiles
 

The Rose and the Lily

On this day in Tudor history, 6th November 1514, the streets of Paris glittered with banners, music, and colour.Eighteen-year-old Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, had been crowned Queen of France the day before… and now she was the radiant heart of a lavish royal procession.Imagine it: a fountain flowing with a lily and a rose, pageants of goddesses and virtues, and Mary herself portrayed as the Queen of Sheba — the bringer of peace to France’s King Louis XII.Every display was rich with meaning: divine unity, peace between nations, and the promise of a new era.But behind the splendour lay a fragile truth.Mary’s marriage to Louis would last only a few months before his death, yet for that one November day, she was the embodiment of beauty, hope, and Tudor diplomacy:the rose of England entwined with the lily of France.Join me, Claire Ridgway, as I explore the story of Mary Tudor’s triumphal entry into Paris, a breathtaking moment where art, politics, and pageantry met in perfect harmony.#MaryTudor #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #HenryVIII #QueenOfFrance #TudorDynasty #AnneBoleynFiles 

The Gunpowder Plot: How Guy Fawkes Nearly Blew Up Parliament and the King

“Remember, remember the Fifth of November…”It’s one of the most famous rhymes in English history, but behind the fireworks and bonfires lies a night of terror, faith, and betrayal that almost changed the course of Britain forever.On 5th November 1605, guards discovered Guy Fawkes in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster, surrounded by 36 barrels of gunpowder. His mission? To blow up King James I, the royal family, and Parliament in one devastating explosion.In this podcast, I uncover the gripping true story of the Gunpowder Plot — how religious tension, persecution, and broken promises drove a group of young English Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, to plan the ultimate act of treason, and how it all started in Elizabeth i's reign.Discover how:- A secret undercroft was filled with gunpowder right beneath the Lords chamber- A mysterious letter betrayed the plotters’ plan- And how one night’s failure created centuries of tradition, from Bonfire Night to the cry of “Remember, remember the Fifth of November!”
Recommended Reading & Viewing:– God’s Traitors by Jessie Childs– Gunpowder (BBC/HBO mini-series, starring Kit Harington)#GuyFawkes #GunpowderPlot #BonfireNight #JamesI #RobertCatesby #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles #HistoryExplained #EarlyStuartHistory #TreasonAndPlot
 

A Tudor Scholar’s Balancing Act

On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1551, theologian, royal chaplain, and scholar John Redman, the first Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, died of consumption.Redman was one of Tudor England’s most brilliant and balanced minds, a man who sought to reconcile faith, scholarship, and conscience in an age of division.Serving both Henry VIII and Edward VI, he defended traditional Catholic ideas while embracing elements of reform, earning respect from both sides of the religious divide.In this video, I explore the remarkable life of John Redman - from his early days at Oxford and Cambridge to his roles as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, royal chaplain, and architect of Tudor theology.Discover how he helped shape the Edwardian Prayer Book, advised the crown on religion, and tried to hold England’s faith together during one of its most turbulent transformations.On This Day in Tudor History brings forgotten Tudor figures back to life. Subscribe and ring the bell for daily stories from the world of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and the people who shaped their age.#TudorHistory #JohnRedman #TrinityCollege #Cambridge #Reformation #HenryVIII #EdwardVI #OnThisDay #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles