The Tudor Courtier You’ve Never Heard Of
On this day in Tudor history, 21st November 1558, a devoted servant of both Queen Mary I and her husband, Philip of Spain, died tragically young. His name was James Bassett. I’m historian and author ...
20 Nov 20254min
The Tudor Knight Killed by a Frog?!
The Bizarre Death of Sir Marmaduke Constable On this day in Tudor history, 20th November 1518, a seasoned soldier and loyal servant of four Tudor kings met one of the strangest deaths ever recorded:...
19 Nov 20256min
The Tudor Scholar Who Died Before Making History
On this day in history, 19th November 1604, one of the most gifted churchmen of Elizabethan and early Jacobean England died - Richard Edes, Dean of Worcester, royal chaplain, poet, playwright, and one...
18 Nov 20256min
The Banker Who Tried to Overthrow Queen Elizabeth I
The Ridolfi Plot Explained He wasn’t a soldier, a spy, or a nobleman, but a Florentine banker who nearly toppled a queen. In 1571, Roberto di Ridolfi masterminded one of the boldest conspiracies o...
17 Nov 202512min
Elizabeth I’s Forgotten Festival
How England Celebrated Accession Day Like a National Holiday Every year on 17th November, England erupted in bells, bonfires, and jousting tournaments, all to celebrate Queen Elizabeth I’s Accession...
16 Nov 20255min
A Beginner's Guide to Henry VII
A thin, cautious man stepped onto a Welsh beach in August 1485 with fewer soldiers than his enemy, and more to lose than anyone in England. Three weeks later, he had killed a king, married his rival’s...
15 Nov 202510min
Did Mary, Queen of Scots’ Husband Kill Her Lover, or His Own?
A jealous husband. A royal favourite. A queen held at gunpoint. On the night of 9 March 1566, David Rizzio, secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, was dragged from her side and stabbed over fifty times i...
14 Nov 20258min
The Abbot Who Defied Henry VIII
The Martyrdom of Hugh Faringdon On this day in Tudor history, 14 November 1539, a man of God was executed at the gate of his own abbey. His name was Hugh Faringdon, Abbot of Reading, a scholar, roy...
13 Nov 20256min
