Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Was Henry VIII a narcissist? A psychopath? A sociopath? These labels are increasingly applied to England's most famous king, but after years of researching Henry VIII and reading contemporary sources, I don't think the evidence allows us to make that kind of diagnosis. In this video, I explain why I believe there's an important difference between judging Henry VIII's actions and trying to retrospe...

Why did Henry VIII marry so differently from other European monarchs? Most Renaissance kings married for diplomacy, alliances and dynastic advantage. Personal attraction might have mattered, but politics usually came first. Henry VIII repeatedly did the opposite. Instead of choosing the most politically advantageous bride, he often pursued the woman he personally wanted to marry, even when it tran...

People often call Anne Boleyn the love of Henry VIII's life, but was she really? In this video, I'm taking a closer look at one of the most romanticised relationships in Tudor history and asking whether we've mistaken obsession, desire and possession for love. Henry VIII pursued Anne Boleyn for years, wrote her passionate letters, and changed the course of English history in order to marry her, ye...

The history of immigration in England is far older than many people realise. Immigration in Tudor England, medieval England and even Roman Britain helped shape the nation we know today. People often talk about immigration as though it is a modern issue, but England's history tells a very different story. In this video, we explore over a thousand years of migration to England, from the Romans, Angl...

#TudorHistory #FootballHistory #WorldCup Long before packed stadiums, professional leagues and World Cup tournaments, football in England was a very different game. There were no referees, no standard rules, no fixed number of players and, in some cases, no guarantee that everyone would make it home safely. In this video, historian Claire Ridgway explores the fascinating and often shocking world o...

England waited anxiously for the birth of Anne Boleyn’s child in 1533. Henry VIII had broken with Rome, overturned his kingdom, and married Anne believing she would finally give him the son and heir he desperately wanted. Astrologers predicted a prince, celebrations were prepared, a letter announcing the birth of a male heir had even been drafted in advance, but behind the splendour of Greenwich P...

On 20th May 1536, just one day after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Henry VIII became formally betrothed to Jane Seymour. Even by Tudor standards, many saw the speed of the relationship as shocking and unseemly. In this off-the-cuff video, I explore the gossip and murmuring at court following Anne’s fall, ask why Henry was in such a desperate hurry, and consider whether fears of pregnancy may have playe...

Two young princes vanished inside the Tower of London, and history has never agreed on what happened next. In 1483, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, disappeared from public view after their uncle seized the throne as King Richard III. Were they murdered? If so, who was responsible? For centuries, suspicion has fallen on Richard III, but was the case really that simple? In th...

Kings were overthrown, noble families destroyed, princes vanished, and England descended into decades of civil war. In this Beginner’s Guide to the Wars of the Roses, I explore the dynastic conflict between the rival houses of Lancaster and York, a struggle that would bring down the Plantagenets and pave the way for the Tudor dynasty. From the weak reign of Henry VI and the rise of Richard, Duke o...

In this episode of my Anne Boleyn series, we explore one of the most fascinating and controversial moments in Tudor history, the possibility of a secret marriage in November 1532, followed by a formal wedding in January 1533, all before the king’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon had been officially annulled. After years of frustration during the Great Matter, Henry stopped waiting for Rome and beg...

What if one of the most powerful men in Tudor England was responsible for helping the king go to the toilet? It sounds like the lowest of the low, but the Groom of the Stool was anything but a menial servant. In fact, this role placed a man at the very heart of royal power. In this video, I explore the surprisingly influential position of the Groom of the Stool under Henry VIII. From managing the...

Did Henry VIII really have a biblical reason to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon… or was he interpreting scripture to suit his own desires? In this video, we explore the religious argument at the heart of the King’s Great Matter: Henry VIII’s claim that his marriage was against God’s law. Using Leviticus 20:21, Henry argued that marrying his brother’s widow brought divine punishment. But th...

Anne Boleyn said yes to Henry VIII in 1527, but she didn’t become his queen until 1533. Why did it take six years? In this video, I explore the dramatic and complex story of Henry VIII’s “Great Matter” - his attempt to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. What began as a question of conscience soon spiralled into an international crisis involving the Pope,...

Easter Sunday marks one of the most important moments in Christian history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this video, I explore the events of that first Easter morning through the Gospel of John, including Mary Magdalene’s discovery of the empty tomb and her powerful encounter with the risen Christ. I also share a passage from William Tyndale's Bible, a version of the New Testament that bro...

Elizabeth I’s reign is often remembered as a  Golden Age,  a time of stability, cultural flourishing, and triumph over the Spanish Armada. But was it really golden for everyone? In this video, I go beyond the myth to explore the realities beneath the surface of Elizabeth I’s England, because while this period brought opportunity and power for some, for others it was marked by poverty, conflict, an...

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a moment at the heart of the Christian faith, remembered as the ultimate act of sacrifice and redemption. But how was Good Friday marked in Tudor England? In this video, I explore both the meaning of Good Friday and the powerful, physical rituals that shaped its observance in medieval and Tudor times. From the biblical account of Christ’s t...

Maundy Thursday is often overlooked today, but in Tudor England it was marked with powerful and symbolic royal rituals. In this video, I explore the meaning of Maundy Thursday - from the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet, to the development of royal Maundy ceremonies in medieval and Tudor England. By the reign of Henry VIII, the monarch would wash the feet of poor people and give...

Elizabeth I is often remembered as England’s greatest monarch, but why? Her reign lasted over 44 years and saw the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the rise of Shakespeare and the arts, and the emergence of England as a global power. It’s often described as a Golden Age, but how did Elizabeth achieve all of this? In this beginner’s guide to Elizabeth I’s reign, I explore how a woman who began life as...

I recently watched Louis Theroux' documentary "Inside the Manosphere", in which he interviewed several members of the online Manosphere, a community of influencers promoting controversial views of women.  And I couldn’t stop thinking about Tudor England, because as I listened to these modern influencers, their ideas about women - what they expect, how they judge, and how they define women’s roles...

For centuries, two queens have carried damaging reputations. Anne Boleyn has often been portrayed as the ambitious seductress who trapped King Henry VIII, while Elizabeth Woodville has been accused of using witchcraft to ensnare Edward IV. But how much truth is there in these stories? In this podcast, I explore how both women have been vilified in remarkably similar ways, and consider how the myth...

For centuries, Anne Boleyn has been portrayed as the great seductress of Tudor history, the ambitious woman who bewitched Henry VIII and destroyed his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. But when we examine the evidence, the surviving sources tell a very different story. Henry VIII’s own love letters reveal that he pursued Anne relentlessly, writing to her repeatedly and even worrying that she did no...

Before Elizabeth I became one of England’s greatest monarchs, she faced a scandal that could have destroyed her reputation , and possibly her future. In 1547, after the death of Henry VIII, the young Princess Elizabeth went to live with her stepmother, the dowager queen Catherine Parr. Catherine had secretly married Thomas Seymour, the ambitious uncle of the new king, Edward VI. What followed beca...

Queen Elizabeth I is remembered as Gloriana, England’s Virgin Queen and ruler of a golden age. But before the crown came danger. Born the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth went from celebrated princess to declared illegitimate, from royal heir to political suspect. Under her half-sister Mary I, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London, interrogated for treason, and at one point be...

Was Anne Boleyn really too socially inferior to marry Henry Percy, heir to the powerful Earldom of Northumberland? For centuries, Anne Boleyn has been portrayed as an ambitious social climber, a woman of comparatively humble origins who dared to reach beyond her station. According to popular tradition, her relationship with Henry Percy was doomed because she was simply too low. But the historical...

In May 1536, Anne Boleyn went from Queen of England to execution in just eighteen days. It remains one of the most shocking political collapses in English history - a moment that destroyed families, reshaped the Tudor court, and sent shockwaves across Europe. Having researched Anne Boleyn’s life and fall since 2009, I still find these events deeply affecting. Each return to the primary sources - l...