Category: People
Tudor and Elizabethan people were a fascinating lot…
Bess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, who has gone down in history as Bess of Hardwick, was buried on this day…
Not forgetting what words her grace’s mother said to me – Matthew Parker, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I
On 17th December 1559, just over a year after Queen Elizabeth I had come to the throne, 55-year-old Matthew Parker…
23 April – The birth and death of William Shakespeare, the Bard
Today is the anniversary of the traditional birthdate of William Shakespeare on 23rd April 1564, and also the anniversary of…
Sir Francis Walsingham – Elizabeth I’s spymaster
Today is the anniversary of the death of Sir Francis Walsingham on 6th April 1590. Walsingham had an amazing career,…
Mary Sidney, as foul a lady as the smallpox could make her
Happy anniversary to Mary (née Dudley) and Henry Sidney who got married on this day in Tudor history, 29th March…
St Cuthbert Mayne, Catholic martyr
On this day in Tudor history, 20th March 1544, Cuthbert Mayne (Main/Maine) or St Cuthbert Mayne, Roman Catholic priest and…
Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley
This page has been written exclusively for The Elizabeth Files by novelist Jeane Westin, writer of “The Virgin’s Daughters: In…
24 September 1589 – Executions of William Spenser and Robert Hardesty at York
On 24th September 1589, William Spenser, Roman Catholic priest and martyr, and layman Robert Hardesty were executed at York. Spenser…
Celebrating Shakespeare’s Birth
Although it is not actually known which day in 1564 William Shakespeare was born, his birth is celebrated on 23rd…
26 February 1564 – Baptism of Christopher Marlowe
On this day in history, 26th February 1564, Christopher Marlowe, poet, translator and playwright, was baptised at St George’s Canterbury….
Execution of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset – 22 January 1552
On 22nd January 1552, between 8am and 9am, the former Lord Protector of England, Edward Seymour, Duke of Seymour, was…
4 September 1588 – The Death of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Today is the anniversary of the death of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He died on 4th September 1588 at…
Happy 485th Birthday John Dee!
Today marks the 485th anniversary of the birth of one of my favourite Tudor men, John Dee. Happy 485th birthday,…
11 April 1554 – Execution of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger
On this day in history, 11th April 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, son of the poet and diplomat Sir…
25 February 1601 – Execution of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
On this day in history, the 25th February 1601 at just before 8am on the 25th February 1601, Robert Devereux,…
12 February 1590 – Death of Blanche Parry
On this day in history, 12th February 1590, Elizabeth I’s former childhood nurse and chief gentlewoman of the privy chamber,…
10 February 1567 – Murder of Lord Darnley, Husband of Mary Queen of Scots
At 2am on the 10th February 1567, Kirk o’Field, the house where Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, was lodging, was blown…
Wyatt’s Rebellion 1554
On 22nd January 1554, Thomas Wyatt the Younger met with fellow conspirators at his home of Allington Castle in Kent…
22 January 1552 – Execution of Edward Seymour
Between 8 o’clock and 9 o’clock on the morning of the 22nd January 1552, former Lord Protector of England, Edward…
20 January 1569 – Death of Miles Coverdale, Bible Translator
On this day in history, 20th January 1569, the famous Bible translator and Bishop of Exeter Miles Coverdale died after…