The English Cardinal Who Backed Spain’s Invasion of England
On this day in Tudor history, 16 October 1594, Cardinal William Allen died in exile in Rome. To Catholics, he was the shepherd who kept the old faith alive. To Elizabeth I’s government, he was a trait...
15 Okt 20254min
Arthur Tudor: The King We Lost
Before Henry VIII, there was another heir. Prince Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, married to Katharine of Aragon, and dead at fifteen. In this interview, Gareth Streeter (author of Arthur, Prince of Wa...
15 Okt 202555min
Henry VIII’s Boyhood Companion Who Became His Enforcer
On this day in Tudor history, 15 October 1542, William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Southampton, died on campaign at Newcastle, serving Henry VIII one last time. He’d been by the king’s side since childhood;...
14 Okt 20255min
Arthur Grey: The Elizabethan Soldier Who Went Too Far?
On this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1593, Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey of Wilton, died at his Buckinghamshire home. He’d served Elizabeth I as a soldier, statesman, and staunch Protestant, but ...
13 Okt 20254min
"I'll do it my way!"
On 13 October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, the man who had ruled England as Lord Protector for young Edward VI, lost it all. By the next day, he was in the Tower. How did the most powerful ...
12 Okt 20258min
Did Edward VI Really Kill His Falcon
Did England’s boy-king really tear his pet falcon to pieces? In 1551, a foreign ambassador claimed that thirteen-year-old Edward VI, Henry VIII’s only son, plucked and ripped apart his own falcon, sa...
11 Okt 20258min
The Power, Peril, and Legacy of Lady Jane Grey’s Grandfather
On this day in Tudor history, 10 October 1530, Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, died. Soldier, jouster, courtier, and grandfather of Lady Jane Grey, he lived a life that perfectly captured the dan...
9 Okt 20256min
Henry VIII’s Bloody Response to Rebellion: The Pilgrimage of Grace Begins
On this day in Tudor history, 9 October 1536, anger in Lincolnshire burst into open revolt. At Horncastle, a crowd raised their hands in agreement: “We like them very well!”, and sent a blunt list of...
8 Okt 20254min
