November 15 – Pope Clement VII threatens to excommunicate Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

| November 15, 2022

November 15 – Pope Clement VII threatens to excommunicate Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

On this day in Tudor history, 15th November 1532, an exasperated Pope Clement VII threatened King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquess of Pembroke, with excommunication. Why would the pope do that when Pope Leo X had granted the king the title of Defender of the Faith in 1521? Well, because Henry VIII had defied […]

September 25 – A poisoned pope?

| September 25, 2022

September 25 – A poisoned pope?

On this day in Tudor history, 25th September 1534, in the reign of Henry VIII, Pope Clement VII died in Rome. It was rumoured that the pope, born Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici, died from eating death cap mushrooms or from fumes from poisoned candles placed in his room, but it is more likely that […]

July 11 – Pope Clement VII has had all he can take of Henry VIII

| July 11, 2022

July 11 – Pope Clement VII has had all he can take of Henry VIII

By this day in Tudor history, 11th July 1533, Pope Clement VII had go to the end of his tether with King Henry VIII. But how had Henry VIII gone from being lauded as Defender of the Faith in 1521 to being threatened with excommunication under 12 years later? What on earth had he done […]

March 7 – The Great Comet and The Pope threatens Henry VIII

| March 7, 2022

March 7 – The Great Comet and The Pope threatens Henry VIII

This day in Tudor history, 7th March 1556, was one of the days on which the Great Comet, or the Comet of Charles V, was seen and recorded by Paul Fabricius, mathematician and physician at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Find out all about the Great Comet of 1556, what it looked […]

5 January – Richard Willes – A quirky Tudor man, and Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII

| January 5, 2022

5 January – Richard Willes – A quirky Tudor man, and Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII

On this day in Tudor history, 5th January 1546, in the reign of King Henry VIII, geographer and poet, Richard Willes, was born in Pulham, Dorset. Richard Willes has been described as “One of the quirkier figures in the literary history not only of the college but of the Elizabethan period as a whole”, and […]

15 November – The death of Katherine of York and the Pope threatens Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

| November 15, 2021

15 November – The death of Katherine of York and the Pope threatens Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

On this day in Tudor history, 15th November 1527, a woman who called herself “the excellent Princess Katherine, Countess of Devon, daughter, sister and aunt of kings”, died at Tiverton Castle in Devon. Katherine of York, Countess of Devon, daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, was just forty-nine when she died and had […]

5 January 1531 – You shall not remarry!

| January 5, 2018

5 January 1531 – You shall not remarry!

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 […]

11 July 1533 – The Pope puts his foot down with Henry VIII

| July 11, 2017

11 July 1533 – The Pope puts his foot down with Henry VIII

By 11th July 1533, Pope Clement VII had really had enough of King Henry VIII’s behaviour. The king who had been awarded the title “Fidei Defensor” (Defender of the Faith) by Pope Leo X in 1521, for defending the Catholic Church against the works of Martin Luther, had not only abandoned his first wife without […]

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