Claire | January 30, 2023
I’ve just finished my Discovering Mary I event, which was fabulous. We all had such fun with the chats and zoom calls and feel that we’ve come away with a new understanding of Mary. A big thank you to all the historians and participants who made it such a wonderful event. I’ve been promising a […]
Claire | January 7, 2023
On this day in Tudor history, 7th January 1536, at two o’clock in the afternoon, King Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had been demoted to Dowager Princess of Wales, died at Kimbolton Castle. Catherine had been ill for several months, but had felt worse after drinking a draught of Welsh beer in […]
Claire | December 27, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1539, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the king’s bride-to-be, Anne of Cleves landed at Deal in Kent. Anne of Cleves would be Henry VIII’s fourth wife and had travelled from Düsseldorf in preparation for the wedding. Find out more about Anne of Cleves’ journey, the […]
Claire | December 16, 2022
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Queen Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Mary I. Catalina de Aragón was born during the night of 15th/16th December 1485 at Alcalá de Henares in Spain. She was the daughter of Isabella (Isabel) I of Castile and Ferdinand (Fernando) […]
Claire | December 11, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 11th December 1539, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the king’s bride-to-be, Anne of Cleves, arrived at Gravelines, just a few miles outside of Calais. Anne and her retinue were greeted by Lord Lisle, Deputy of Calais. Anne of Cleves was on her way to England to become […]
Claire | December 10, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 10th December 1541, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were executed at Tyburn. Culpeper, a groom of the privy chamber, and Dereham, a member of Queen Catherine Howard’s household had been found guilty of high treason for intending to do ill with the […]
Claire | December 1, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 1st December 1541, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were tried for high treason at Guildhall, London. Both men had been linked romantically with the king’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Culpeper, a member of Henry VIII’s privy chamber, and Dereham, a secretary to […]
Claire | November 30, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the Feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII received a dressing down from two women: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to make his wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII’s treatment of his first wife was angering her, and Catherine told him so. And […]
