28 April 1603 – The funeral of Queen Elizabeth I
On this day in 1603, Elizabeth I’s funeral took place in London. After her death on 24th March 1603, the…
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…
Elizabeth I and her temper
Elizabeth I was the daughter of two hot-tempered individuals, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, so it is little wonder that…
Wyatt dies proclaiming Elizabeth’s innocence
On this day in Tudor history, 11th April 1554, in the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary I, Sir Thomas…
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,…
Easter Sunday in Tudor times
On Easter Sunday in medieval and Tudor times, the candles that had been kept burning around the Easter sepulchre since…
Good Friday
Today is Good Friday and I thought I’d share with you how it is usually commemorated in my nearest town…
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…
Happy Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week. Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into the…
26 March 1566 – Arguments over vestments
On this day in Elizabeth I’s reign, 26th March 1566, Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Edmund Grindal, Bishop of…
26 March 1603 – James VI receives news of Elizabeth I’s death and his accession as James I
On this day in history, 26th March 1603, Sir Robert Carey arrived at Holyrood in Edinburgh, Scotland, to inform the…
25 March 1584 – Elizabeth I gives permission to Walter Raleigh to colonise lands in the New World
On this day in history, 25th March 1584, Queen Elizabeth I granted letters patent to explorer Walter Raleigh (Ralegh) giving…
Elizabeth I books – my top picks
To mark the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth I on this day in 1603, I thought I’d share…
Elizabeth I’s last days from The Virgin Queen
I loved “The Virgin Queen” series starring Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth I, and I think Elizabeth I’s last days were…
Elizabeth I Portraits
As it’s the anniversary of our favourite monarch, the iconic Queen Elizabeth I, I thought I’d share some Elizabeth I…
The death of Elizabeth I, Gloriana, the Virgin Queen
On this day in Tudor history, 24th March 1603, sixty-nine year-old Queen Elizabeth I died at Richmond Palace. She had…
The dying Elizabeth I finally takes to her bed
On this day in Tudor history, 21st March 1603, a dying Queen Elizabeth I finally took to her bed. Sixty-nine-year-old…
Forgetting God to love a king – Thomas Seymour’s execution
On this day in Tudor history, 20th March 1549, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron of Sudeley and Lord High Admiral, was…
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…