Claire | October 27, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, Sunday 27th October 1532, a banquet was held in Calais by King Henry VIII in honour of his fellow king, Francis I of France. After the banquet, Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, accompanied by ladies including her sister, Mary Boleyn, made a dramatic entrance “gorgeously apparalled with visers on […]
Claire | October 25, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 25th October 1532, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, was sent “a diamond worth 15,000 or 16,000 crowns” by King Francis I, who, that day, had accompanied King Henry VIII from the French royal court at Boulogne to Henry and Anne’s accommodation at […]
Claire | October 21, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 21st October 1532, King Henry VIII left Anne Boleyn behind in Calais while he travelled to Boulogne. Henry VIII and his sweetheart, Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, had travelled to Calais to meet with the French king, Francis I, to obtain his support for their union. On this day […]
Joel Ridgway | October 29, 2021
On this day in Tudor history, 29th October 1532, King Henry VIII bid farewell to his “loving brother”, his French counterpart, King Francis I. The two kings had enjoyed each other’s company at Calais and Boulogne, and Henry VIII was pleased with their meetings. In fact, things had gone so well that Henry VIII decided […]
Joel Ridgway | October 28, 2021
On this day in Tudor history, 28th October 1570, Ivan IV of Russia, known commonly as Ivan the Terrible, wrote a rather rude letter to Queen Elizabeth I. Ivan was upset with Elizabeth’s reaction to his idea of a political alliance, an agreement to help each other if their lives were in danger, and wrote […]
Joel Ridgway | October 25, 2021
Today, 25th October, is a feast day which was celebrated in medieval and Tudor times – the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, martyrs of the Early Church and the patron saints of cobblers. Find out more about these saints, how their feast day became linked to an important English victory over the French, how […]
Claire | February 8, 2019
When I asked for your questions about Anne Boleyn so that I could do a series of videos answering them, I also received quite a few questions on Anne Boleyn’s sister, Mary Boleyn. Fiction such as The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into a movie and adapted for television, has made many people interested […]
Claire | October 27, 2018
On this day in history, Sunday 27th October 1532, in Calais, which was an English territory at the time, King Henry VIII hosted a lavish “great banquet” for Francis I, King of France. Henry VIII and his sweetheart, Anne Boleyn Marquess of Pembroke, had travelled to Calais to gain Francis’ public recognition and approval of […]
