Lovechild and bigamist – Sir Robert Dudley, son of Elizabeth I’s favourite
He was born a lovechild, died an exiled nobleman—and in between, he explored the West Indies, built ships for Italian dukes, and underwent a bigamous marriage. On this day in Tudor history, 7th Augus...
6 Aug 20258min
Tudor True Crime: The Baron, the Grudge, and the Double Murder
Welcome to another chilling instalment of Tudor True Crime with me, historian and author Claire Ridgway. Today, we uncover the dark story of Charles Stourton, 8th Baron Stourton—a nobleman whose pride...
5 Aug 202511min
The Man Who Helped Make Henry VII King
The Untold Story of Sir Reginald Bray - He wasn’t a king… but he helped make one. Sir Reginald Bray may not be a household name, but this quiet powerhouse of the Tudor court knew Henry VII from boyho...
4 Aug 20254min
Blown to Bits in Battle: The Tudor Rogue Who Might’ve Been Henry VIII’s Son
He dreamt of invading Ireland with Spanish gold and papal blessing… Instead, he died in a Moroccan ditch, his legs blown off by cannon fire. This is the incredible, tragic, and chaotic story of Thoma...
3 Aug 20257min
The Fairest Church in England
You’re walking through a busy modern city—and then a towering Gothic church stops you in your tracks. That’s exactly what happened to me in Bristol, when I stumbled upon St Mary Redcliffe, a church Qu...
2 Aug 20253min
What links Kate Bush and Anne Boleyn
What connects legendary singer Kate Bush and Tudor queen Anne Boleyn? In this fascinating and inspiring interview, I chat with novelist Natalia Richards, author of The Falcon’s Rise and The Falcon’s F...
1 Aug 202553min
Still Fighting the Dead: Germain Gardiner’s Scathing Attack on Martyr John Frith
On this day in Tudor history, 1st August 1534, Catholic gentleman Germain Gardiner published a scathing posthumous attack on Protestant martyr John Frith—over a year after Frith had been burned at the...
31 Jul 20255min
Killed by a Butcher
The Shocking End of a Tudor Baron - Edmund Sheffield’s Fall He was a baron, courtier, soldier, and poet... with powerful patrons like Thomas Cromwell and George Boleyn. But on 31st July 1549, during...
30 Jul 20254min
