Author: Rebecca Larson

Summer Reading Recommendations

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A special shout out to my dear friend Heather Teysko of the Tudor History Summit, Tudorcon and the English Renaissance History Podcast for coming up with this idea first. If you’re looking for a Tudor themed book to check out this Summer, I have created a list of my personal favorites and separated them by fiction and nonfiction. The books listed are in no particular order. Nonfiction Elizabeth by David Starkey: An abused child, yet confident of her destiny t [More]

Historical Fiction and Its Impact on History

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This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about - historical fiction, and history. Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir are quite possibly the most well-known authors on Tudor history. Both women are historians, both women are authors. While Gregory appears to only write historical fiction, Weir began her popular career writing non-fiction, and then transformed into what I would consider fiction/historical fiction. Before I delve into the topic I must confess that I am a [More]

Hugh Latimer’s Slander of a Dead Man

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This post was originally made on my Thomas Seymour Society blog. I recently picked up The Reign of Edward VI by James Anthony Froude and started looking for information on Thomas Seymour. It was while searching that I came across some new information. On page 77, in the section of the book about the Protectorate, I found this line: the admiral had seduced and deserted at least one innocent woman, who fell into crime and was executed. The source for this statement is [More]

The Life of Edward VI of England (Part Three)

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Prince Edward was the long-awaited, and much celebrated, son of Henry VIII. He is arguably the least talked about of all the Tudor monarchs. We know him as King Edward VI. In case you missed the first two parts you can find them here. As we continue on our journey to tell the story of King Edward VI life, we will start at the time of the execution of his uncle, Sir Thomas, Baron Seymour of Sudeley and Lord High Admiral. Thomas Seymour was placed in the Tower [More]

Death of a Tudor Queen: Elizabeth of England

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On this day, 24 March 1603, died Gloriana, the last of the Tudors to sit on the throne of England. In her final days it was reported that Elizabeth appeared to suffer from a depression after the death of one of her ladies-in-waiting and the execution of the Earl of Essex. It was also stated that Elizabeth held great regret about executing her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots - causing her to shed many tears. Near the end of her life the Queen was so fearful of death, so [More]

The Unfortunate Countess: Margaret Pole

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At Farleigh Castle on the 14th of August 1473, a daughter was born to the Duke and Duchess of Clarence. They called her Margaret, most likely after the Duke's sister's Margaret of Burgundy. Margaret was born during the brutal and bloody time of the Wars of the Rose - a powerful family divided by the House of York and House of Lancaster, and each believed the throne of England belonged to them. Margaret Plantagenet was born in the middle of this English chaos. At the time of [More]

Book Review: Margaret Tudor – The Life of Henry VIII’s Sister

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Margaret Tudor was an English Princess and daughter of the first Tudor monarch, King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York; Margaret was the sister of King Henry VIII and married King James IV of Scotland - did I mention she was also mother of King James V? I was approached by Pens & Sword History to write a review on the book?Margaret Tudor: The Life of Henry VIII's Sister?by author and historian Melanie Clegg, and happily accepted the opportunity to learn more about one of [More]

The Life of Edward VI of England (Part Two)

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This is Part Two in my series on the life of King Edward VI. If you missed Part One, click Here. If you would prefer to listen to this article instead of reading it, you can do so by clicking this image that will bring you to my podcast: King Henry VIII It was at Westminster that King Henry VIII took his last breath. He had reigned in England since his father’s death in April 1509. When he came to the throne he was a young, athletic and by al [More]

The Life of King Edward VI of England (Part One)

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As only the second Tudor king, Henry VIII was troubled through most of his reign by the lack of a male heir. He had sons but they never survived infancy - until the birth of his son Edward, Prince of Wales. It took three marriages and countless pregnancies, miscarriages, stillbirths and deaths before the King got what he so desired. A son. Jane Seymour was the mother of Prince Edward but sadly lost her life after a long and arduous labor. There are debates on whether she [More]

The Life of Elizabeth Stafford, Duchess of Norfolk

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Who was the wife of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk and what do we know about her? Elizabeth Stafford was the daughter of the ill-fated Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Eleanor Percy, eldest daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland. She was born in 1497, so one can assume that she was named for the queen consort, Elizabeth of York. Before we go too deep into the life of Elizabeth, let’s understand her family a bit better. Elizabeth’s father, the 3rd Du [More]