Claire | May 28, 2022
It seems so strange to go from counting down to Anne Boleyn’s execution in May 1536 to sharing events from a time of victory and joy for her in May 1533. On this day in Tudor history, 28th May 1533, over four months after Henry VIII had married Anne Boleyn at Whitehall Palace, and six […]
Claire | January 29, 2016
Today is the anniversary of Catherine of Aragon’s burial at Peterborough Abbey in 1536, so I just wanted to pose a question: “Was Catherine of Aragon right in fighting for her marriage and not accepting the annulment?” I’d love to hear your views on this so please do leave a comment. Allow me first to […]
Claire | January 5, 2015
On 5th January 1531, Pope Clement VII wrote to Henry VIII following a plea from Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s wife. In his letter he forbade Henry to remarry while the case for the annulment was still on-going and threatened him with excommunication if he took matters into his own hands and disobeyed Rome: “At […]
Claire | November 30, 2014
On 30th November 1529, St Andrew’s Day, Catherine of Aragon confronted her husband Henry VIII about the way he was treating her, saying that she had “long been suffering the pains of Purgatory on earth” and that she was “very badly treated by his refusing to dine with and visit her in her apartments”. It […]
Claire | November 8, 2014
On 8th November 1528, at Bridewell Palace, King Henry VIII made a public oration to “the nobility, judges and councillors and divers other persons” to explain his troubled conscience regarding the lawfulness of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. In this speech, the King explained that due to his worry that Mary was not his […]
Claire | October 29, 2014
On 29th October 1532, according to Wynkyn de Word, Henry VIII accompanied Francis I to Morgison, situated seven miles outside of Calais, and bid farewell to him there. Francis I then carried on to Paris: “And vpon the. xxix. daye of October the frensshe kynge departed fro Caleys to Parys ward and our kynge brought […]
Claire | September 29, 2014
On 29th September 1528 Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio, papal legate, landed at Dover on the Kent coast. He had arrived in preparation for hearing the case for the annulment of the marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, at a special legatine court. You can read more about this in my article […]
Claire | July 3, 2014
On Wednesday 3rd July 1533, Catherine of Aragon’s chamberlain William Blount, Lord Mountjoy, was instructed to inform his mistress that she was to recognise her new title of “Princess Dowager” and to refrain from referring to herself as “Queen”. The annulment of Catherine’s marriage to Henry VIII had been declared by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer on […]
