Claire | July 25, 2020
On this day in Tudor history, 25th July 1535, the Feast of St James, the imperial ambassador wrote about a furious King Henry VIII who’d apparently been nearly driven to commit murder! What had angered the king? Well, it involved Henry VIII’s fool and some foolish name-calling. Find out more in my latest “on this […]
Claire | July 25, 2017
With his letter written on the Feast of St James (25th July) 1535, to Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle, who was Charles V’s advisor, Eustace Chapuys included an interesting post script. It was written in cipher, but said: “P.S.—He the other day nearly murdered his own fool, a simple and innocent man, because he happened to […]
Claire | April 1, 2014
As it’s April Fools’ Day today, I thought I’d take a look at Jane the Fool, the woman who was court fool to Queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Mary I (when she was princess and queen) and Queen Catherine Parr. Jane was what John Southworth, in his book “Fools and Jesters at the English Court”, refers […]
Claire | June 15, 2013
On 15th June 1560, William Somer (Sommers), former court fool to Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I died in Shoreditch, London. He was buried at St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch. Somer served as Henry VIII’s fool from June 1535 and just a month later got into trouble with the King. In July 1535, Eustace Chapuys, […]
