Claire | January 10, 2023
On this day in Tudor history, 10th January 1480, Margaret of Austria, Princess of Asturias, Duchess of Savoy, was born. Margaret was the daughter of Maximilian of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor, and Mary of Burgundy, and, in 1507, her father appointed her as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands as regent for her nephew, Charles. It […]
Claire | December 31, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1535, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Sir William Skeffington died at Kilmainham in Dublin. Skeffington was Lord Deputy of Ireland and was known as “the Gunner” due to his use of heavy artillery while taking Maynooth Castle in County Kildare. The whole garrison there were […]
Claire | December 30, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 30th December 1552, in the reign of King Edward VI, Francis Dryander died in Strasbourg. The Spanish humanist scholar, translator, author and Protestant apologist was from Spain originally and was born Francisco de Enzinas. He had changed his name to Francis Dryander after leaving Spain to study at Louvain. […]
Claire | December 29, 2022
On this day in history, 29th December 1605, in the reign of King James I, George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, Yorkshire. Clifford was just forty-seven years old at his death. He’d been a courtier, naval commander, privateer, Elizabeth I’s champion and a man she called her “rogue”. […]
Claire | December 25, 2022
A very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you have a wonderful time whatever you are doing today. In the video and transcript below, I explain how the Tudors celebrated Christmas before moving on to an “on this day” event, the death of Lettice Knollys (married names: Devereux, Dudley and Blount), a woman Elizabeth […]
Claire | December 23, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Nicholas Udall (Yevedale) was buried at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster. Udall was a schoolmaster, cleric, humanist and playwright, and he wrote a ballad for Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation celebrations in 1533. His ballad was about Anne Boleyn’s falcon badge… […]
Claire | December 22, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd December 1534, in the reign of King Henry VIII, John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, wrote a letter to Thomas Cromwell. Fisher was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time, and in his letter, Fisher begged for a shirt, sheet, food and books, as well as asking […]
Claire | December 21, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 21st December 1495, in the reign of King Henry VII, sixty-four-year-old Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford and 1st Earl of Pembroke, died at his manor at Thornbury. Jasper Tudor was the king’s uncle and had served as his mentor and advisor. Let me tell you more about this […]
