Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

On this day in Tudor history, 6th December 1573, soldier and administrator, Sir Hugh Paulet, died at his home in Hinton St George in Somerset.    He distinguished himself as a soldier in Henry VIII's reign, served as Governor of Jersey in Edward VI's reign, was a Protestant but survived Mary I's reign and served as Vice-President of the Welsh marches, and had a successful career in Elizabeth I's reign. He was an important man and a servant of the Crown, but still managed to die a natural death at his home.   Find out more about Sir Hugh Paulet, his life and career, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/x-AOOFI9_yo   You can find out more about his son, who was asked to assassinate Mary, Queen of Scots, in this video - https://youtu.be/AH956PwobRs   Last year, I talked about the Feast of St Nicholas, which is the 6th December, and how it was the traditional day for a boy bishop to be elected. Find out more about the tradition, why Henry VIII banned it, and how it’s been revived today, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/QLtx-l95is0 

On this day in Tudor history, 5th December 1560, King Francis II of France, died at the age of just 15. Francis was King Consort of Scotland, as the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and his father had also proclaimed him and Mary as King and Queen of England back in 1558!   He was taken ill in mid-November with what appears to have been an ear infection, and it led to him dying on this day in history. His death led to Mary, Queen of Scots, returning to her homeland of Scotland, a country she hadn't seen for 13 years.    Find out more about Francis II of France, his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, his death and what happened next, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.   Also on this day in Tudor history, 5th December 1556, Anne de Vere was born, She was the daughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, and his second wife, Mildred Cooke. Anne only lived until she was 31 years old, but in her short life she managed to impress scholars, have five children, and have a rather eventful and unhappy marriage with Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who didn't treat her at all well and even refused to recognise their first daughter as his own, at one point. If only she had married Philip Sidney instead! Find out more about Anne in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/pUXSKiNLXo8 

On this day in Tudor history, 4th December 1514, merchant tailor and leading member of the Lollard community in London, Richard Hunne died while imprisoned in the Lollard's Tower at St Paul's.    Hunne, who had been arrested for heresy in October 1514, was discovered hanging from the ceiling of his cell. The Bishop of London and his chancellor claimed that Hunne had used his own silk girdle to commit suicide, but a coroner's inquest ruled that the hanging was faked and that Hunne was murdered.   But why was Richard Hunne murdered? And why had this merchant tailor been arrested in the first place? Was it just for heresy, or was there more to it?   Find out all about Hunne, his arrest, the charges against him, his death and what happened next, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/mNGjbWs58JA   You can read more about Hunne's case in John Foxe's Book of Martyrs at https://www.exclassics.com/foxe/foxe142.htm    Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about the death of a young king from what appears to have been an ear infection. Do make sure you’re subscribed and that you’ve hit the bell so you don’t miss that video. Also on this day in Tudor history, 4th December 1555, in Rome, papal sentence was passed on Thomas Cranmer, resulting in him being deprived of his archbishopric. Permission was also granted for his fate to be decided by the secular authorities. Thomas Cranmer went on to recant his Protestant faith on several occasions, but was still executed by being burned at the stake. Why? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/KRuycWXw1Jo 

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1600, sixty-nine-year-old peer and politician Roger North, 2nd Baron North, died at his London home.   North was a good friend of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, accompanying him on trips, witnessing his secret marriage and serving with him in the Netherlands. It was even said that he'd converted Leicester to Puritanism! North also served Elizabeth I as Privy Councillor and Treasurer of the Household, and was close to the queen.   Find out more about Leicester's good friend Roger North, his life and career, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/aKtKO5W36HI   Also on this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1536, a proclamation was made to the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace offering them a pardon. Henry VIII offered the rebels "free pardons" for their rebellion against him, his advisors and his religious measures, yet prominent rebels ended up being executed. I explain what happened in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/4S_zCy-NMqU    Claire is the founder of the Tudor Society, an online membership site for those who love Tudor history. There, you can learn from Claire and many other expert historians and authors, enjoy Tudor-focused magazines and live Q&A sessions with experts, and have access to all kinds of talks, articles, quizzes, virtual tours and more. Try it with a 14-day free trial - https://www.tudorsociety.com/signup/   Claire has written some bestselling Tudor history books:   On This Day in Tudor History - https://amzn.to/3oceahH The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown - https://amzn.to/3m8KaSi George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat - https://amzn.to/2TdwyZr The Anne Boleyn Collection - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T The Anne Boleyn Collection II - https://amzn.to/3o9LUwi The Anne Boleyn Collection III - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T The Life of Anne Boleyn Colouring Books - https://amzn.to/3jkJ5Vz   Claire has also done an online history course, The Life of Anne Boleyn, for MedievalCourses.com - https://medievalcourses.com/overview/life-anne-boleyn-mc06/   You can find Claire at: https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com  https://www.tudorsociety.com https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/ https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/ https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles  https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety  https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/  https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/

On this day in Tudor history, 2nd December 1586, following a joint petition from the Houses of Lords and Commons, Elizabeth I finally agreed to a public proclamation of sentence against Mary, Queen of Scots: death.   Mary had been found guilty of high treason back in October 1586, but Elizabeth had not wanted to contemplate regicide. However,  Parliament believed that if Mary, Queen of Scots, was not executed, that she'd continue to plot against Elizabeth and would utterly "ruinate and overthrow the happy State and Common Weal of this most Noble Realm". She was too much of a danger and needed dealing with once and for all.   Find out what Parliament said and what happened next in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway.   September 26 - The man Elizabeth I wanted to murder Mary, Queen of Scots - https://youtu.be/AH956PwobRs    Also on this day in Tudor history, 2nd December 1546, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, poet, courtier, soldier and the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was arrested after a former friend gave evidence against him. King Henry VIII had just weeks to live and was increasingly paranoid, so the 'evidence' was just what Surrey's enemies needed to bring the earl down. Find out more about the Earl of Surrey's downfall, and how his father managed to keep his head in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/qgOp-iremGg 

On this day in Tudor history, 1st December 1581, twenty-five year old Roman Catholic priest Alexander Briant was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, along with Ralph Sherwin and Edmund Campion.    Briant had been imprisoned, starved, racked and tortured in other awful ways, but he claimed that he felt no pain due to God's help. He refused to give his interrogators the information he wanted, and he was tried for treason and suffered a full traitor's death.   In today's talk, Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History", shares Alexander Briant's story, what led to his arrest,  his account of what happened when he was tortured and his fellow prisoner's account of what was done to him.    Also on this day in Tudor history, 1st December 1541, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were tried for high treason at Guildhall, London. Both men had been linked romantically with Queen Catherine Howard. They were both found guilty of treason and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. But what about Catherine Howard and her lady, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, who had also been arrested. What was happening with them? Find out more about them, and the trial of Dereham and Culpeper in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/3vf3zSxkDf0 

On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1601, sixty-eight-year-old Queen Elizabeth I delivered her famous Golden Speech to the House of Commons.    In this final speech to Parliament, Elizabeth spoke of her position as Queen and her love and respect for her realm, her people, and for her members of Parliament. It was a speech that brought many of those listening to tears. It was obviously a very heartfelt speech by a queen who truly loved her people.   In today's talk, historian Claire Ridgway shares Elizabeth I's Golden Speech along with some beautiful portraits of the queen. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/d-9YFGnWjG4   Harleian Miscellany version  - https://archive.org/stream/harleianmiscella01oldy#page/366/mode/2up   Also on this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII was reproached by the two women in his life: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to marry, Anne Boleyn. Catherine of Aragon was not impressed by the way her husband was treating her, and Anne Boleyn didn't like the fact that the king was letting Catherine get the upper hand. They both told the king exactly what they thought. Find out what happened in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/eJGHWFhX_Tg 

On this day in Tudor history, 29th November 1528, nobleman and courtier, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, was born.   Montagu began his court career with the help of his father in Henry VIII's reign. served as a privy councillor in Mary I's reign, and died a natural death as a wealthy man in Elizabeth I's reign. He even survived being implicated in a rebellion!   Who was Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, and just how did he manage to not only have an excellent court career, but leave a fortune to his grandson, when he was a Catholic in Elizabeth I's reign?   Find out all about him in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books.   Also on this day in Tudor history, 29th November 1530,  Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s former Lord Chancellor, died at Leicester Abbey. The cardinal cheated the executioner by dying a natural death while on his way to London to answer charges of treason. You can find out about Cardinal Wolsey's death, and who ended up being buried in the sarcophagus he'd had commissioned in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/KtVsZbo9RWs 

On this day in Tudor history, 28th November 1565, member of Parliament and political agent Francis Yaxley set sail for Scotland from Antwerp.    Sadly, Yaxley's ship was wrecked in a storm and he never reached Scotland, and neither did the gold he was carrying to Mary, Queen of Scots.   But why was he carrying gold and who was it from? What happened to the gold?   Find out all about Yaxley, how he came to be travelling from Antwerp to Scotland, and what happened to him and the gold, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway.   Also on this day in Tudor history, 28th November 1499, Edward Plantagenet, styled Earl of Warwick, was executed by beheading on Tower Hill. Warwick was a potential claimant to the throne being the son of George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III, but it was his involvement in a plot by pretender Perkin Warbeck that was his final undoing.Find out more about his short and sad life, much of it spent in prison, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/nqbeu8R3XMw 

On this day in Tudor history, 27th November 1531, former Benedictine monk and reformist, Richard Bayfield, was burnt at the stake at Smithfield for heresy after Sir Thomas More had caught him importing heretical books into England.   It wasn't Bayfield's first brush with the authorities. He'd been in trouble for heresy previously so was now deemed a "relapsed heretic". This time, penance wasn't enough, he was condemned to death.   Find out more about Richard Bayfield, how he went from being a monk to a reformer, and how he ended up at the stake as a Protestant martyr. Claire also shares John Foxe's account of Bayfield's burning. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/K2C1uDitPV0   Also on this day in Tudor history, 27th November 1582, eighteen-year-old William Shakespeare, the famous playwright and a man known as the Bard, married twenty-six-year-old Anne (also known as Agnes) Hathaway, at Temple Grafton, near Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire.  Anne Hathaway was pregnant at the time of their marriage and went on to give birth to a daughter, Susannah, the following May. You can find out more about William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and their marriage, and also what happened to them, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/d0_g9G8TXGA   

On this day in Tudor history, 26th November 1585, Catholic priest Hugh Taylor and his friend Marmaduke Bowes were hanged at York.  They were the first men executed under Elizabeth I's 1585 statute which made it treason to be a Jesuit or seminary priest in England or to harbour such a priest.    These two Catholics were beatified in 1987 by Pope John Paul II as two of the 85 Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales. Find out more about these men and what this 1585 legislation was all about in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/93IK-VoDABY   Book recommendation: "God’s Traitors: Terror & Faith in Elizabethan England” by Jessie Childs.   Also on this day in Tudor history, 26th November 1533, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, married Mary Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, at Hampton Court Palace. They were both fourteen years old.It appears that the marriage, which was a political match rather than a love match, was the idea of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. You can find out more about the marriage and its context in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/BiUZPBM3wDA 

On this day in Tudor history, 25th November 1545, lawyer, member of Parliament, diplomat and ecclesiastical administrator, Sir Thomas Legh, died.  Legh was a faithful servant to King Henry VIII, but his work during the dissolution of the monasteries led to complaints against him and even rebellion.   He was a vicious man, known for his harsh treatment of monks, but he also played a key role in protecting Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1543 when his enemies tried to bring him down.   Let me give you a few facts about this Tudor man, Sir Thomas Legh...Also on this day in Tudor history, 25th November 1487,  Elizabeth of York, queen consort of Henry VII and mother of one-year-old Arthur Tudor, was crowned queen at Westminster Abbey. Find out more about her coronation, including what Elizabeth wore and who attended, plus a list of some of the interesting dishes served at her coronation banquet which included swan and seal, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/FaW8MH35q90 

On this day in Tudor history, 24th November 1572, John Knox, the Scottish clergyman, famous Reformer , royal chaplain, and founder of Presbyterianism, died at his home in Edinburgh as his second wife, Margaret, read aloud from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.    John Knox is known for bringing the Protestant reformation to the church in Scotland and his controversial views about women rulers, but he was also chaplain to King Edward VI and had a very eventful life, being taken prisoner by the French and being forced into service on the galleys of their fleet at one point.   Find out more about John Knox's life and career in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History". You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/dRJTCsw8V5g   The Works of John Knox can be read online at Archive.org - https://archive.org/search.php?query=works%20of%20john%20knox  July 20 - John Knox's attack on Mary I - https://youtu.be/K5BsnQ3WTwQ  Also on this day in Tudor history, Saturday 24th November 1487, the coronation procession of Elizabeth of York, queen consort of King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, took place in London. Elizabeth of York's coronation was scheduled for the next day. She had become queen in January 1486, but her coronation had been postponed due to pregnancy and trouble with the Cornish rebels and Perkin Warbeck. Finally, Henry VII's wife and the mother of little Prince Arthur could be crowned queen. Find out all about her coronation procession, what Elizabeth wore, who was involved and what happened, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/2NH0UdCYyB4 

On this day in Tudor history, 23rd November 1598, scrivener and sailor Edward Squire was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn for treason after being accused of plotting with Jesuits in Seville to poison Elizabeth I's saddle and the Earl of Essex's chair.   Squire, who ended up in Seville after being captured by Spaniards while on a voyage with Sir Francis Drake, confessed under torture, but claimed his innocence at his trial and execution.   But what exactly happened, and how and why did a Protestant scrivener and sailor end up accused of treason?   Find out all about Edward Squire and the alleged plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and her favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/eTmUVXqPlUU   Also on this day in Tudor history, 23rd November 1499, in the reign of King Henry VII, pretender Perkin Warbeck was hanged at Tyburn after allegedly plotting to help another claimant, Edward, Earl of Warwick, escape from the Tower of London. Warbeck had claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower, and had even been proclaimed King Richard IV, but his rebellion and claim failed. Find out all about Warbeck in last year’s video -  https://youtu.be/Kdfrn8bj7yA

On this day in Tudor history, 22nd November 1594, naval commander, privateer and explorer, Sir Martin Frobisher, died at Plymouth. He died of gangrene after having been shot in the thigh during hand-to-hand combat during a siege.   Frobisher is best known for his three voyages in search of the Northwest Passage and his naval service during the 1588 Spanish Armada, for which he was knighted.   Find out all about the life and career of this Tudor explorer in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/N96bbIVBr2I   Also on this day in Tudor history, 22nd November 1545, Henry VIII’s trusted physician and confidant, Sir William Butts, died after suffering from malaria.Sir William Butts was the doctor who was sent to treat Anne Boleyn, when she was ill with sweating sickness, and also advised on Princess Mary's sickness. He was also the man King Henry VIII confided in about his problems consummating his marriage to Anne of Cleves. He was obviously a man the king could trust. You can find out more about him in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/39hVtHLo_l8    Claire is the founder of the Tudor Society, an online membership site for those who love Tudor history. There, you can learn from Claire and many other expert historians and authors, enjoy Tudor-focused magazines and live Q&A sessions with experts, and have access to all kinds of talks, articles, quizzes, virtual tours and more. Try it with a 14-day free trial - https://www.tudorsociety.com/signup/   Claire has written some bestselling Tudor history books:   On This Day in Tudor History - https://amzn.to/3oceahH The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown - https://amzn.to/3m8KaSi George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier and Diplomat - https://amzn.to/2TdwyZr The Anne Boleyn Collection - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T The Anne Boleyn Collection II - https://amzn.to/3o9LUwi The Anne Boleyn Collection III - https://amzn.to/3kiQc1T The Life of Anne Boleyn Colouring Books - https://amzn.to/3jkJ5Vz   Claire has also done an online history course, The Life of Anne Boleyn, for MedievalCourses.com - https://medievalcourses.com/overview/life-anne-boleyn-mc06/   You can find Claire at: https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com  https://www.tudorsociety.com https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/ https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/ https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles  https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety  https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/  https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/