Claire | November 30, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the Feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII received a dressing down from two women: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to make his wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII’s treatment of his first wife was angering her, and Catherine told him so. And […]
Claire | November 8, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 8th November 1528, King Henry VIII made a rather strange public oration to “the nobility, judges and councillors and divers other persons” at Bridewell Palace. His speech was regarding his troubled conscience over the lawfulness of his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In his speech, he […]
Claire | October 7, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1529, in the reign of King Henry VIII, the pope wrote to the English king regarding his quest for an annulment of his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It wasn’t good news for Henry VIII. Pope Clement VII had decided that Henry VIII’s marriage […]
Claire | June 27, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 27th June 1505, the eve of the date chosen for their wedding, thirteen-year-old Henry, Prince of Wales, the future King Henry VIII, repudiated his two-year betrothal to nineteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon, his brother’s widow. Why would Henry do this to Catherine at the last minute? Find out in this […]
Claire | June 25, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 25th June 1503, in the reign of King Henry VII, the nearly twelve-year-old Henry, Prince of Wales, the future King Henry VIII, got betrothed to seventeen-year-old Catalina de Aragón (Catherine of Aragon). The betrothal took place at the Bishop of Salisbury’s palace in Fleet Street, London. Henry was the […]
Claire | June 23, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd June 1509, twelve days after their marriage, King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon processed through the streets of London dressed in their finery. This was their coronation procession. In this video, and transcript below, I share contemporary descriptions of the king and queen’s appearance and outfits, […]
Claire | June 21, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 21st June 1529, ten days after her 20th wedding anniversary, Queen Catherine of Aragon appeared at the Legatine Court at Blackfriars and delivered an impassioned speech which stole the show. This court was hearing the case for the annulment of Catherine’s marriage to the king, and Catherine was going […]
Claire | June 12, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 12th June 1530, twenty-one years and a day after they got married, Queen Catherine of Aragon got rather angry with her husband, King Henry VIII. Catherine accused the king of leading an evil life and setting a bad example. What led to these accusations? What had Henry VIII done […]
