Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Who was Anne Boleyn...really? In this fast, source-based overview I cover her debated birth year, French education, rise to queenship, real influence on religion and politics, the 1536 downfall, and the biggest myths to bin (no, not a sixth finger). Perfect for newcomers and Tudor die-hards. What you’ll learn     • How Mechelen & France shaped her polish and politics     • What Anne actually d...

Join me for a lively deep-dive with historian and author Amy McElroy—whose books include Educating the Tudors and Women’s Lives in the Tudor Era, with Mary Tudor, Queen of France out next and a new project on Desiderius Erasmus underway. We talk Tudor education, women’s real power at home and court, Mary Tudor’s overlooked influence, and why Erasmus matters. In this interview, we explore: How Amy...

In April 1532, Sir William Pennington was cut down on the very edge of Westminster sanctuary—and his killers walked away with a manslaughter verdict, a £1,000 pardon, and glittering careers. In this Tudor true-crime deep dive, I unpack the fight, the politics, and the legal loopholes that made it possible. What’s inside: The argument and fight, from Westminster Hall to the sanctuary precinct How s...

On this day in Tudor history, 4 September 1550, Sir Thomas Paston, a gentleman of the privy chamber under Henry VIII and Edward VI, died. If the name Paston rings a bell, it should: the Paston Letters gave us one of the richest pictures of late-medieval/early-Tudor gentry life. But Thomas Paston wasn’t just part of a famous family, he carved out his own path at the heart of power. In this video, I...

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd September 1553, Edward Courtenay was created Earl of Devon by Queen Mary I. It was a stunning reversal of fortune for a man who had spent 15 years imprisoned in the Tower of London after his father, the Marquess of Exeter, was executed for treason. In this podcast, I trace the extraordinary life of Edward Courtenay: His royal blood as a great-grandson of King Edwa...

On 2nd or 3rd September 1507, Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York, died at Cawood Castle in Yorkshire. Savage wasn’t just a churchman — he was one of Henry VII’s most trusted servants, a skilled diplomat, and a powerful royal official in the turbulent north of England. In this video, I uncover his remarkable story: - His family connections to the influential Stanley clan - His education at Oxford, B...

On 1st September 1599, Dorcas Martin — translator, bookseller, Puritan, and wife of Sir Richard Martin, twice Lord Mayor of London — was laid to rest at All Hallows, Tottenham. Though she lived much of her life in her husband’s shadow, Dorcas carved out a place of her own in Elizabethan London. She acted as a bookseller during the fierce “pulpit wars” between Puritan preacher Thomas Cartwright and...

What if Prince Arthur, Henry VIII’s elder brother, had survived? In this special interview, I sit down with novelist Leah Toole to talk about her fascinating book "The Rose and The Pomegranate" — an alternative history novel that asks one of Tudor history’s biggest “what ifs.” In Leah’s world, Arthur Tudor doesn’t die in 1502 — and the ripple effects are enormous. Katherine of Aragon’s destiny cha...

In 1537, Cromwell had to investigate a sordid rumour about William Webbe's "pretty wench" and Henry VIII. It claimed the king had not only been unfaithful to his new queen, Jane Seymour, but had stolen another man’s mistress and kept her for himself. The story spread so widely it ended up in Alison Weir’s modern-day "Henry VIII: King and Court" and even inspired a scene in Showtime's "The Tudors"...

When we think of Elizabethan adventurers, names like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh usually come to mind. But on 29th August 1583, another Tudor mariner met a tragic fate — one whose name history has largely forgotten. His name was Maurice Browne. Browne wasn’t just an adventurer — he was a well-connected courtier who worked for Elizabeth I’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, and even a...

On 28th August 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, a young Franciscan friar named Thomas Felton was hanged near Brentford, Middlesex. Felton’s “crime”? His Catholic faith, and his refusal to acknowledge Elizabeth I as head of the Church. The son of Blessed John Felton (executed in 1570 for posting the papal bull of Elizabeth’s excommunication), young Thomas endured brutal imprisonment and tortur...

When you hear the name Bacon, you probably think of Sir Francis Bacon — philosopher, scientist, genius. But behind him stood an equally remarkable woman: his mother, Lady Anne Bacon (née Cooke). Born in the 1520s, Anne was one of the famous Cooke sisters of Gidea Hall, all of them classically educated at a level most Tudor men could only dream of. She mastered Latin, Greek, and even Italian, and g...

Imagine being remembered not just as a bishop, diplomat, and court insider… but also as the student who annoyed a future martyr with your recorder practice! That was Thomas Thirlby, a man whose life saw the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He supported Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, helped suppress the Pilgrimage of Grace, became the very...

When you hear the name Cecil in Tudor history, you probably think of William Cecil, Elizabeth I’s right-hand man. But behind him was his wife, Mildred Cecil, born Mildred Cooke on 25th August 1526 — a woman every bit as remarkable, and one of the most learned women of her age. In this video, I uncover the fascinating life of Mildred Cecil: - Her extraordinary humanist education, ranking her alongs...

On 19th May 1536, Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, was executed within the Tower of London. Contemporary sources say she was laid to rest in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, but legends place her hundreds of miles away, in Norfolk or Suffolk… and some even claim her heart was buried elsewhere. In this podcast, I, Claire Ridgway, historian, author of The Fall of A...

What do we really know about Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire and mother of Anne Boleyn? Until now, she’s been little more than a shadow in history — remembered only as the wife of Thomas Boleyn and the mother of Anne, Mary, and George. But in a groundbreaking new biography, historian Sophie Bacchus-Waterman uncovers Elizabeth’s real story: her career at court, her influence, and her role i...

On 22nd August 1545, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, died — ending the life of one of the most colourful and daring figures of Henry VIII’s reign. He was the king’s jousting companion, his most loyal friend, and the man bold enough to secretly marry Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, in Paris… without royal permission. How did Brandon risk everything, pay a massive price, and still remain the king’s cl...

What does it take to survive the deadly world of Tudor politics? Sir Thomas Heneage seems to have known the answer. He began his career in Cardinal Wolsey’s household, slipped seamlessly into Henry VIII’s privy chamber, witnessed the king’s secret wedding to Anne Boleyn, replaced an executed groom of the stool, worked with Thomas Cromwell… and still managed to keep his head. By the time of his dea...

Not every Tudor story ends in scandal, downfall, or execution. Some are about loyalty, courage, and quiet strength. On this day in Tudor history, 20th August 1580, Sir George Bowes—a loyal soldier, administrator, and one of Elizabeth I’s most dependable northern men—died peacefully at his home in Streatlam, County Durham. Bowes may not be a household name, but his story is one of unshakeable servi...

What happens when one of England’s earliest reformers loses his nerve—yet dies for it anyway? On this day in Tudor history, 19th August 1531, Thomas Bilney, priest and preacher from Norfolk, was burned at the stake in Norwich’s infamous Lollards’ Pit. Bilney had once been a fiery voice for reform—distributing William Tyndale’s books, preaching against saints and pilgrimages, and even inspiring fut...

A royal wedding meant to bring peace… instead ended in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 16th century. On 18th August 1572, Henry of Navarre—leader of the French Huguenots and future King Henry IV—married Margaret of Valois, daughter of King Henry II and Catherine de’ Medici, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. This marriage was supposed to heal France’s religious divisions between Protestants a...

What inspires a 13-year-old to dress as Henry VIII and teach Tudor history on YouTube? Meet Mason Thomas, the brilliant young creator of "King Henry’s Royal Court", a channel blending comedy, satire, dramatic reenactments, and historical insight — all told through Henry VIII’s eyes. In this interview, Mason shares how his passion for history began, why he chose Henry VIII, and how he balances humo...

In 1590, Catholic gentleman John Hocknell — imprisoned in Chester Castle for his faith — didn’t die of plague, hunger, or age. He was murdered… by his own gaoler. The weapon? A pitchfork. The killer? The castle’s underkeeper, i.e. Hocknell's gaoler. In this episode of Tudor True Crime, I, historian and author Claire Ridgway, uncover the shocking story of Hocknell’s repeated imprisonments for recus...

Before Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there may have been another… Written by a man history almost erased. On this day in Tudor history—15th August 1594—playwright Thomas Kyd was buried in London, aged just 36. In his short life, he wrote The Spanish Tragedy, one of the biggest theatrical hits of the Elizabethan age—performed 29 times at the Rose Theatre and published in 11 editions, more than any of Shake...

Today I’m telling the often forgotten story of Katherine of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, sister to Elizabeth of York and the Princes in the Tower, and aunt to Henry VIII. Katherine’s life began in splendour—once betrothed to a Spanish prince, raised at the glittering Yorkist court—but her future was derailed by scandal, political shifts, and personal loss. Declared illegiti...