Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Step back into a world of intrigue, passion, and ruthless ambition — welcome to Tudor England. Join historian and bestselling author Claire Ridgway as she uncovers the riveting stories of the Tudor dynasty. From the scandalous love affairs of King Henry VIII to the tragic fall of Anne Boleyn, the fierce reign of Elizabeth I, and the lesser-known secrets of Tudor court life, this podcast brings history to life in vivid detail. Hear dramatic tales of betrayal, execution, forbidden love, and political manoeuvring that shaped England forever. Discover daily Tudor history with fascinating “On This Day” episodes — unique insights you won’t find in typical history books. Get behind-the-scenes stories from Claire’s own research trips to historic sites like the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Hever Castle, and more. Enjoy interviews with top historians and experts in Tudor studies, plus lively Q&A sessions tackling listeners’ burning Tudor questions. 🖋 Who is Claire Ridgway? Claire is the author of the bestselling On This Day in Tudor History series and numerous other Tudor books loved by readers around the world. She founded The Tudor Society, connecting enthusiasts with experts through live online events, and runs the hugely popular history websites The Anne Boleyn Files and www.ClaireRidgway.com. Her mission: to uncover the human stories behind the crown — the hopes, fears, and triumphs of not only kings and queens but also the courtiers, rebels, and ordinary people who lived under the Tudor rose. What can you expect? - Gripping accounts of famous events like the Field of Cloth of Gold, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, or the Babington Plot. - Intimate portraits of Tudor figures: Anne Boleyn’s charm and downfall, Thomas Cromwell’s rise and brutal fall, Elizabeth I’s cunning survival. - Dark mysteries and unsolved deaths — who really killed Amy Robsart? Was Katherine Howard truly guilty? - Special episodes on Tudor fashion, food, medicine, and the day-to-day lives of Tudor men and women. Join thousands of Tudor fans worldwide Never miss an episode — subscribe now and become part of a global community that can’t get enough of Tudor drama. Explore more with Claire’s books, free resources, and live historical events at www.ClaireRidgway.com. Ready to travel back 500 years? Press play and let the adventure begin.
Episodes
Episodes



Sunday Jul 26, 2020
July 26 - Anne Boleyn and St Anne
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Today, 26th July, is the feast day of St Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ. Happy St Anne's Day to any Annes or Annas out there! Have a wonderful day!
St Anne was very important to Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and a pageant at her coronation procession in 1533 took St Anne, combined with Anne Boleyn's falcon badge, as its theme.
Find out more about the pageant at Anne Boleyn's coronation, and why St Anne was chosen as the theme, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown". You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/LKTiqLj6Jz8
Also on this day in Tudor history, 26th July 1588, 4,000 men assembled at Tilbury Fort in an effort to prevent the Spanish Armada from travelling up the Thames and attacking London. Find out what had led up to this day in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/N89PDhKj3Bk



Saturday Jul 25, 2020
July 25 - A fool gets into big trouble
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 25th July 1535, the Feast of St James, Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador wrote about a furious King Henry VIII who’d apparently been nearly driven to commit murder!
What had angered the king? Well, it involved Henry VIII's fool and some foolish name-calling. Find out more in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/QPDa1fnBQqw
Links to related videos:
Tudor Court Fools - https://youtu.be/nyy_ZaBsqps Sir Nicholas Carew - https://youtu.be/jRx9pKlmABQ
Also on this day in Tudor history, 25th July 1554, Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, married Philip of Spain, son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The couple got married at Winchester Cathedral and Mary's Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, officiated at the ceremony. Find out more about their wedding in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/289MSTDoZHA



Friday Jul 24, 2020
July 24 - Richard Hesketh and his plot to depose Elizabeth I
Friday Jul 24, 2020
Friday Jul 24, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 24th July 1553, merchant and conspirator Richard Hesketh was born in Lancashire. Hesketh is known for the Hesketh Plot of 1593, when he urged Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, to lead a rebellion to claim the throne of England.
But who was Richard Hesketh and why did he plot against Queen Elizabeth I? What happened to him and what happened to Ferdinando Stanley? And why did Stanley take bezoar stone and uncorn horn?
Find out all about Hesketh, his background, his plot, and the aftermath in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/oJBZikZLQmA
Also on this day in Tudor history, 24th July 1567, twenty-four-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned at Lochleven Castle, and who was recovering after miscarrying twins, was threatened with violence and forced to abdicate. Her young son, James, became King James VI of Scotland in her place. Find out more about what happened in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/Mq_BR9YRvQE



Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
July 23 - Baby Mary, Queen of Scots escapes with her mother
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd July 1543, or 24th according to some sources, Marie de Guise and her baby daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, escaped from Linlithgow Palace, helped by Cardinal David Beaton, and taken to Stirling Castle.
Why? What was going on in Scotland at this time?
Find out all about Mary's early months as Queen of Scots, and why Beaton helped her and her mother to move to Stirling, 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/occfUzBMZu8
Also on this day in Tudor history, 23rd July 1596, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, Privy Councillor and Lord Chamberlain, died at Somerset House in London. Hunsdon was the son of Mary Boleyn, nephew of the late Queen Anne Boleyn, and cousin and favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Find out more about him in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/gcYG4d-6QeU



Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
July 22 - Playwright Edward Sharpham and his Cupid's Whirligig
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd July 1576, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, playwright and pamphleteer, Edward Sharpham, was baptised at Colehanger, East Allington, in Devon. Sharpham is thought to have written the plays “The Fleire” and “Cupid's Whirligig”, and fellow playwright Ben Jonson referred to him as a rogue.
Find out more about this lesser known Tudor man and his comedy Cupid's Whirligig in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/tOQe5QBTudA
Cupid’s Whirligig - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=k15iAAAAcAAJ&pg=PT6&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
Also on this day in Tudor history, 22nd July 1536, Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, died at St James’ Palace. It was a huge blow for the king. You can find out about Fitzroy’s illness, death and burial, and what a favourite he was with his father, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/Ocq7Reasktg



Monday Jul 20, 2020
July 21 - The arrest of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Monday Jul 20, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 21st July, 1553, just days after he’d left London with an army to apprehend Mary, half-sister of the late king, Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland was arrested near Cambridge.
But how and why did the man who had ruled England on Edward VI’s behalf, as Lord President of his privy council, come to this?
Historian Claire Ridgway explains his role in the accession of Lady Jane Grey as Queen Jane in July 1553 and what happened when Mary overthrew Queen Jane. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/iR5B6U8_raI
Also on this day in Tudor history, 21st July 1545, in the reign of King Henry VIII, French forces landed on the Isle of Wight in an attempt to invade the English island. Find out what happened in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/hbPNbt5KcF8



Sunday Jul 19, 2020
July 20 - Queen Claude of France
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
On this day in history, 20th July 1524, Queen Claude of France, consort of Francis I, died at the age of just twenty-four at the Royal Chateau of Blois. She was temporarily laid to rest there and then later moved to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis just outside Paris.
Brantôme declared that Claude’s husband, Francis I, gave her “the pox, which shortened her days”, meaning syphilis, but the cause of her death is not known for certain.
In today's talk, Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society, gives an overview of Queen Claude's life, as well as sharing the theories regarding her death. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/makEt_XfOH8
Also on this day in Tudor history, 20th July 1554, John Knox, theologian and a leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, published a pamphlet attacking the Catholic Queen Mary I, her religious measures and her persecution of Protestants. Find out what he said in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/K5BsnQ3WTwQ



Saturday Jul 18, 2020
July 19 - The sinking of the Mary Rose
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 19th July 1545, Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, sank right in front of his eyes in the Battle of the Solent between the English and French fleets.
But why did the Mary Rose sink?
In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway shares the various theories on the sinking of the Mary Rose, as well as talking about the salvage operations over time, her raising in 1983, and the work of the Mary Rose Trust. See https://maryrose.org/ for details on visiting the ship and the museum.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/Bq7oWs73I18
Also on this day in Tudor history, 19th July 1553, the reign of Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) was brought to an end when Mary, the late King Edward VI's half-sister, was officially proclaimed queen in London. Hear contemporary accounts of how the news was celebrated in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/7ItxRRrwkZY

I'm historian Claire Ridgway
I'm the best-selling author of 13 history books and the founder of the TheAnneBoleynFiles.com, Elizabethfiles.com and The Tudor Society.
I help Tudor history lovers worldwide to gain access to experts and resources to discover the real stories behind myths and fiction, so that they grow in knowledge while connecting with like-minded people and indulging their passion for history.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I was a contributor for the BBC docudrama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and have been featured in BBC History Extra, USA Today, History of Royals Magazine, the Express, and Refinery 29, as well as on podcasts including Suzannah Lipscomb's Not Just the Tudors, Gareth Russell's Single Malt History, Natalie Grueninger's Talking Tudors, Hever Castle's Inside Hever, James Boulton's Queens of England, and many more.









