Claire | May 17, 2022
While King Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was being declared null and void by Archbishop Cranmer at Lambeth, executions were taking place on Tower Hill. On this day in 1536, 17th May, George Boleyn, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were executed for high treason after being found guilty […]
Claire | April 30, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 30th April 1536, court musician Mark Smeaton was arrested and taken to the home of Henry VIII’s right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. What happened to him there over the next 24 hours is not known, but he ended up confessing to sleeping with Queen Anne Boleyn on three occasions. On […]
Claire | April 29, 2022
On 29th April 1536, three days before her arrest, Queen Anne Boleyn had encounters with two courtiers who would eventually be executed for allegedly sleeping with her and plotting with her to kill her husband, King Henry VIII. Find out about Sir Henry Norris, the king’s groom of the stool and friend, and musician Mark […]
Claire | April 30, 2021
On 30th April 1536, court musician Mark Smeaton was arrested and taken to Thomas Cromwell’s home to be interrogated. During his interrogation, which lasted 24 hours, Smeaton confessed to sleeping with Queen Anne Boleyn. On the same day that Smeaton was arrested, Alexander Alesius witnessed an argument between King Henry VIII and his second wife, […]
Claire | April 2, 2021
Thank you so much to Omar from Leeds for the excellent questions regarding Showtime’s The Tudors series for my Fan Q&A series on YouTube. Omar wanted to know if William Compton and Thomas Tallis, and George Boleyn and Mark Smeaton really had sexual relationships. I consider whether these storylines were just fictional devices and look […]
Claire | May 12, 2020
On this day in history, 12th May 1536, just twelve days after the first arrest in the fall of Anne Boleyn, four men were taken to Westminster Hall and tried for treason. Their names were Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. All four men were found guilty. Let me explain […]
Claire | April 30, 2020
On 30th April 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn had just 19 days to live and everything was moving quickly. On 30th April 1536, court musician Mark Smeaton was arrested and taken to the home of the king’s master secretary and right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. What happened to the lowly Smeaton in those next hours, we don’t […]
Claire | April 29, 2020
On this day in 1536, although she may have had an inkling that something was going on at the royal court, Queen Anne Boleyn could not have known that she only had twenty days to live. On 29th April 1536, the queen had encounters with two courtiers who would eventually be executed for allegedly sleeping […]
