Were William Compton and Thomas Tallis, and George Boleyn and Mark Smeaton lovers?

Lady Jane Grey is usually remembered as a tragic pawn, a frightened girl forced onto the throne by ambitious men. But that story simply doesn’t hold up. When Jane was told she was queen, she wept an...

15 Jan 9min

Three Monarchs - 13 Days - One Crown   In July 1553, England experienced one of the most volatile succession crises of the Tudor period. In just thirteen days, the crown passed from a dying teenage ki...

13 Jan 30min

Before Anne Boleyn left England for the European courts, before Henry VIII, before scandal, drama, queenship, and tragedy... there were two places that shaped her earliest world, places that were home...

10 Jan 8min

Was Anne Boleyn thirty-five when she died… or just twenty-eight? Because the answer completely changes how we read her downfall in 1536. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in this companion...

8 Jan 18min

Anne Boleyn is so often remembered at the height of drama, standing at the centre of Henry VIII’s court, caught in politics, passion, and tragedy. But Anne did not appear from nowhere. Before the sca...

6 Jan 30min

Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t a single day, it was a season. And Twelfth Night was its final, glittering crescendo. In this final episode of my Tudor Advent and Christmas series, I explore how Tu...

5 Jan 5min

Christmas Eve in Tudor England was a day of preparation, restraint, and anticipation, not feasting. It marked the final day of Advent. In this short Christmas Eve episode, I’m sharing quick reminders...

23 Des 20252min

Tudor Christmas didn’t just sound like gentle carols, it was bold, noisy, and spectacular. In this episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we step beyond singing and into the vibrant world of Tu...

22 Des 20256min