October 30 - Elizabeth I's favourite is driven to desperation
On this day in Tudor history, 30th October 1600, Queen Elizabeth I refused to renew Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex’s monopoly on sweet wines, saying that “an unruly horse must be abated of his pro...
29 Okt 20206min
October 29 - Henry VIII bids farewell to his "loving brother"
On this day in Tudor history, 29th October 1532, King Henry VIII bid farewell to his “loving brother”, his French counterpart, King Francis I. The two kings had enjoyed each other's company at Calai...
28 Okt 20204min
October 28 - Ivan the Terrible writes a rude letter to Elizabeth I
On this day in Tudor history, 28th October 1570, Ivan IV of Russia, known commonly as Ivan the Terrible, wrote a rather rude letter to Queen Elizabeth I. Ivan was upset with Elizabeth's reaction to ...
27 Okt 20205min
October 27 - She shot pistols, flirted and took tobacco!
On this day in Tudor history, 27th October 1561, Mary Herbert (née Sidney), Countess of Pembroke, writer and literary patron, was born at Tickenhall, near Bewdley in Worcestershire. She was the sister...
26 Okt 20209min
October 26 - Rain stops rebels going to battle
On this day in Tudor history, 26th October 1536, the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace halted at Scawsby Leys near Doncaster, where they met crown troops. The rebels were said to number around 30,000 ...
25 Okt 20204min
October 25 - Twin saints and a local legend
Today, 25th October, is a feast day which was celebrated in medieval and Tudor times - the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, martyrs of the Early Church and the patron saints of cobblers. Fin...
24 Okt 20205min
October 24 - Roanoke, the lost colony
On this day in Tudor history, 24th October 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returned to England after failing to find the lost colonists, which included his daughter, Ellinor (Ele...
23 Okt 20205min
October 23 - The Dissolution of the Monasteries and its sad impact
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd October 1538, Thomas Goldwell, Prior of Christchurch, Canterbury, wrote to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief advisor, regarding the forthcoming dissolution of his ...
22 Okt 20209min
