Claire | April 29, 2017
On 29th April 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn had two separate encounters with male courtiers, men who would soon be accused of sleeping with her and plotting with her to kill King Henry VIII. You can read more about Anne’s encounters with Mark Smeaton, a musician, and Sir Henry Norris, her husband’s groom of the stool, […]
Claire | April 29, 2016
On Saturday 29th April 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn had two separate encounters with two courtiers who would end up being accused of sleeping with her and of plotting the King’s death with her. The first encounter was with Mark Smeaton, a groom of the privy chamber, a court musician and a man who had been […]
Claire | April 29, 2015
On 29th April 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn had two encounters with male courtiers which she later worried about when imprisoned in the Tower. The first involved court musician Mark Smeaton and the second involved Sir Henry Norris, her husband’s Groom of the Stool and a man who was courting Anne’s cousin, Madge Shelton. Both were […]
Claire | May 16, 2013
On this day in 1536, the five men condemned to death for high treason prepared for their executions, which were scheduled for the following day. Sir William Kingston wrote to Thomas Cromwell on 16th May regarding preparations for the building of the scaffold for Anne Boleyn’s execution and mentioning that the men were waiting to […]
Claire | May 8, 2013
It was the way of the Tudor court, as men fell from favour others were waiting in the wings to mop up the crumbs and gain from their fall. It seems brutal to us today, but I guess it’s human nature; there are always people looking to see how they can gain from another’s misfortune. […]
Claire | May 1, 2013
The May Day joust of 1st May 1536 should have been like every other May Day joust. It should have been a day of celebration, of fun and joy. Instead, it was to be the first outward sign that something was wrong in Tudor Paradise. Anne Boleyn sat watching the May Day jousting at Greenwich […]
Claire | May 17, 2012
Today is the anniversary of the executions of Henry Norris, William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, Mark Smeaton and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford. I find it a sad day because these men were innocent victims of a plot against the Queen. They were dragged into something they didn’t deserve to be and ended their days on […]
Claire | May 1, 2012
What should have been a fun day, a celebration, turned into a nightmare for Henry Norris, Henry VIII’s Groom of the Stool and good friend. The day started well, with Norris leading the defenders and George Boleyn the challengers, but then Norris’s horse refused to run. Fortunately, this did not ruin the joust because the […]
