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.
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



Monday Jul 13, 2020
July 14 - Richard Taverner and his Bible
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 14th July 1575, evangelical reformer and translator, Richard Taverner, died at Woodeaton in Oxfordshire. He was laid to rest in the parish church at Woodeaton.
Richard Taverner is mainly known for his Bible translation, "Taverner's Bible", but there is far more to him than that, including his time as Thomas Cromwell's chief propagandist.
Find out all about Richard Taverner's life and career in today's talk from Tudor history author, Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/q8nMh_bx5qU
Also on this day in Tudor history, 14th July 1551, fifteen-year-old Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, and his fourteen-year-old brother, Charles, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, both sons of Catherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk, and the late Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, died at Buckden. The boys had been taken ill in a sweating sickness epidemic that had hit Cambridge. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/oSNvXjyiFDY



Sunday Jul 12, 2020
July 13 - Unease among Queen Jane's councillors
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 13th July 1553, while John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was preparing to leave London to apprehend the late Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary, members of the new Queen Jane's council were meeting with the imperial ambassadors.
What was the meeting about? What was the news from East Anglia? And why were councillors beginning to feel uneasy?
Find out what was going on 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/3anPO7y1M24
Also on this day in Tudor history, 13th July 1626, Tudor poet and courtier, Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester, brother of Sir Philip Sidney, died at Penshurst Place, the family seat in Kent. Sir Philip Sidney is known as one of the great poet and scholars of the Tudor age, but his brother, Robert, was also a talented poet. Find out more, including how historians discovered his work, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/3mb_HSVgM_I



Saturday Jul 11, 2020
July 12 - Men flock to Mary's cause and Jane makes a mistake
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 12th July 1553, Mary (future Mary I) moved from Kenninghall to Framlingham and set about rallying support. Sir Thomas Cornwallis was able to intercept her on her journey and pledge his loyalty to her. He wasn't the only one flocking to her cause.
Meanwhile, back in London, the new queen, Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey), made a serious mistake by refusing to send her father to go and apprehend Mary.
Why was this a mistake? Find out what was going on back in 1553 in this talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/FR03kIuoBHU
Also on this day in Tudor history, 12th July 1543, King Henry VIII got married for the sixth and final time. The fifty-two-year-old king married thirty-one-year-old Catherine Parr, Lady Latimer, in the Queen’s Closet of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. Hear a contemporary account of the wedding service and find out who attended it in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/3ZX9HMVMzcg



Friday Jul 10, 2020
July 11 - Men change sides from Queen Jane to Mary
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Friday Jul 10, 2020
On this day in history, 11th July 1553, in Ipswich, Suffolk, Sir Thomas Cornwallis, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, Lord Thomas Wentworth, and some other prominent Suffolk gentlemen declared for Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) and publicly proclaimed her the rightful queen. However, the following day, Cornwallis recanted and proclaimed Mary as queen.
Why? What happened to make this sheriff change his mind so soon?
Find out more about the situation in July 1553 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/Vu1bD2dJIQ4
Also on this day in Tudor history, 11th July 1533, Pope Clement VII had had enough of the misbehaving King Henry VIII. But how had this English king gone from being lauded as Defender of the Faith to now being threatened with excommunication? What had he done to upset the Pope? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/WepPlD4RW60



Thursday Jul 09, 2020
July 10 - The Throckmorton Plot against Elizabeth I
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 10th July 1584, Catholic conspirator, Francis Throckmorton, was executed at Tyburn for high treason after the Throckmorton Plot had been discovered.
The Throckmorton Plot was a plot to depose Elizabeth I and to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, but why did Francis Throckmorton plot against his queen? Who did he plot with and how was the plot discovered?
Find out more about Francis Throckmorton and his plot in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/V4nOTSdE27Y
Also on this day in Tudor history, 10th July 1553, Lady Jane Grey was officially proclaimed “Queen Jane” at the Tower of London, in Cheapside and Fleet Street. However, one young man could not keep quiet about his views regarding Mary being the rightful queen and he suffered a nasty punishment as a result. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/dWcNfJCLqkw



Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
July 9 - Mary wants to avoid bloodshed and vengeance
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 9th July 1553, three days after the death of her half-brother, King Edward VI, and the day after she'd proclaimed herself queen at her estate at Kenninghall, Mary (future Mary I), daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, wrote to the late king's privy council regarding "some evil" that she'd heard.
But what was going on? What had Mary heard and what was she going to do about it?
Find out more about the situation and Mary's letter 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/VEGUbLa45AM
Also on this day in history, 9th July 1540, Anne of Cleves went from being Henry VIII’s queen consort to being his “right dear and right entirely beloved sister” after their marriage was annulled. Why was their marriage annulled? How did Anne of Cleves react to the news? What happened to her and Henry VIII afterwards? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/DUblFQhi58M



Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
July 8 - Thomas Boleyn's important duty
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, on 8th July 1503, during the reign of King Henry VII, Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne Boleyn, left Collyweston in Northamptonshire to undertake an important job for the king.
He was to be part of a retinue escorting King Henry VII's eldest daughter, Margaret Tudor, to Scotland, for her marriage to King James IV.
Find out more about the retinue and journey 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/eK4F_if9Nm0
Also on this day in Tudor history, 8th July 1553, two days after her half-brother King Edward VI's death and one day after hearing news of his death, Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, declared that she was Edward VI's heir and so was queen - Queen Mary I. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/M4uasqpXbHs
John Leland's full account can be read in Joannis Lelandi antiquarii De rebus Britannicis collectanea - https://archive.org/stream/joannislelandia01heargoog#page/n324/mode/2up, p. 265 onwards.



Monday Jul 06, 2020
July 7 - William Turner, Father of English botany
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1568, naturalist, herbalist, ornithologist, reformer and physician, William Turner, died. Turner is known as “the father of English botany and of ornithology”, but why and who exactly was he?
In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway gives an overview of Turner's life and career, including his attacks on Bishop Gardiner and his time in exile, plus a bit of trivia about the training of his little dog. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/0sl9iHg7qEY
Also on this day in Tudor history, 7th July 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Henry Peckham and John Danyell were hanged, drawn and quartered after being found guilty of treason for their involvement in the Dudley Conspiracy. But what was the Dudley Conspiracy? And who was involved in it? What happened? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/Q9M_UKKxUws
Turner’s “A new herball, wherin are conteyned the names of herbes….” - https://archive.org/details/b30342053_0002
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/

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.









