Joel Ridgway | March 31, 2022
On this day in history, 31st March 1631, the Tudor and Stuart metaphysical poet, satirist, lawyer and clergyman John Donne died. Donne had an amazing career, going on voyages, serving as a royal chaplain and diplomat, and writing sermons, songs, satires and poetry, including an erotic poem, “The Flea”. Find out more about John Donne […]
Claire | January 5, 2018
OK, so it wasn’t Gandalf that said this, it was actually the pope – sorry! Yes, on this day in history, 5th January 1531, Pope Clement VII wrote to Henry VIII telling him that he could not remarry while the case for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was still on-going. If […]
Claire | June 21, 2017
On this day in history, 21st June 1529, Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, appeared at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars, London. The purpose of this court, which was presided over by Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio, was to listen to the testimonies of both the king and queen regarding the validity of […]
Claire | June 18, 2017
On this day in history, 18th June 1529, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, made her first appearance at the special legatine court which had opened at Blackfriars, in London, on 31st May 1529 to hear Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine. The king sent proxies to […]
Claire | June 21, 2016
On this day in history, 21st June 1529, just over twenty years after their marriage, King Henry VIII and his first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, appeared before Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars. Cardinal Wolsey had been authorised by papal bull in April 1528 “to take cognisance of all matters […]
Claire | June 12, 2016
On this day in history, Sunday 12th June 1530, Queen Catherine of Aragon got rather cross with her errant husband, Henry VIII, telling him to “quit the evil life he was leading and the bad example he was setting”. Here is an account of the confrontation from Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador: “On this same […]
Claire | May 31, 2016
On this day in history, 31st May 1529, formal proceedings began into Henry VIII’s case for an annulment at a special legatine court presided over by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio at Blackfriars in London. The case came to nothing when it was adjourned in July 1529 for a summer recess, never to […]
Claire | May 23, 2016
Thank you to Clare Cherry, co-author of George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat, for sharing her thoughts on Anne Boleyn’s position as “the other woman” and second wife. Divorce is highly distressing and stressful, especially when there is a third party involved. Sometimes couples come to the mutual decision that their marriage is at […]
