Month: August 2010
Elizabeth I – Primary Sources
While there are some excellent biographies and books out there on Elizabeth I, her reign and Elizabethan times, there’s nothing…
St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
On this day in history, the 24th August 1572, an estimated 3,000 French Protestants (Huguenots) were massacred in Paris and…
The Battle of Bosworth 1485
Today is the 525th anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth, the battle which saw the death of King Richard III,…
Spanish Armada 9 – God Blew and They Were Scattered
On this day in history, the 20th August 1588, a thanksgiving service was held at St Paul’s in London to…
Mary Queen of Scots Lands in Scotland
On this day in history, at six o’clock on the morning of Tuesday 19th August 1561, Mary Queen of Scots…
Painting the Armada Exhibition
Visitors to London this summer will be able to visit a wonderful exhibition of six huge paintings of the Spanish…
The Spanish Armada 8 – Elizabeth’s Tilbury Speech
On the 9th August 1588 (old calendar) Elizabeth I appeared before her troops gathered at Tilbury. In her article “The…
The Spanish Armada 7 – Elizabeth I Visits Tilbury
Even though the remaining ships of the Spanish Armada were homeward bound, England was still expecting to be threatened by…
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
I meant to write this article to coincide with the anniversary of William Cecil’s death, the 4th August 1598, so…
Mary I Enters London as Queen
On this day in history, 3rd August 1553, Mary, who had just been proclaimed Queen, rode with her half-sister, Elizabeth,…
Elizabeth and Leicester – Bess and Robin
After reading Jeane Westin’s wonderful novel about the relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, I…
His Last Letter: Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester
Just a quick post to say that I have written a review of Jeane Westin’s “His Last Letter: Elizabeth I…
The Spanish Armada 6 – The Spanish Fleet Homeward Bound
By the first week of August 1588, the battered, defeated and demoralised Spanish Armada had started the first part of…