History

“Divers Children,” The Many Pregnancies of Katharine of Aragon

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Guest article by Lissa Bryan On June 21, 1529 Katharine of Aragon entered a courtroom at Blackfriars. A hearing had been convened by papal agents to rule on the question of the legitimacy of her marriage to King Henry VIII. Henry claimed he had sinned by marrying his brother’s widow and was enduring the curse in Leviticus 20:21:  And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be [More]

Illegitimate Daughter of Charles V: Margaret of Parma (Guest Post)

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Part One by Heather R. Darsie Margaret of Parma was born 5 July 1522 to the twenty-two-year-old holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his paramour, Johanna van der Gheenst. She was born in Oudenaarde, Netherlands.  Margaret was the eldest of all of Charles’ children. Charles met Johanna during a six week-long visit to Charles de Lalaing, Count of Lalaing’s home in late 1521. There, Charles met Johanna, and their daughter Margaret was born the following summer. Margaret was [More]

The Marriages Of Alice Chaucer (Guest Post)

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Guest post by Michéle Schindler Alice Chaucer was a formidable lady. Living to nearly 71 years of age, she was a royal confidante and friend, mother-in-law to a king`s sister, a politican and a reviled widow in her time. Though born a commoner, she moved in royal circles, her approval sought after and her opinion considered even by her king and queen.  Though this rise was in large parts due to Alice herself, and her reportedly witty and charming personality, it was [More]

Book Review: “The Boy King” by Janet Wertman

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The review of this wonderfully written book was written and shared by Heidi Malagisi of Adventures of a Tudor Nerd In 1547, young Prince Edward is having the time of his life studying and hoping to one day take part in a tournament. He has not a care in the world. That is until his beloved father King Henry VIII passes away, and the 9-year-old boy is now Edward VI, King of England. He must navigate family drama between his older half-sister Mary Tudor and his uncles, [More]

“My Selfe Most Tru” (Guest Post)

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Guest article by Pamela A. Marks, PhD "My Selfe Most Tru": Subtext and Survival in Two Early Letters of Elizabeth Tudor When examining the reign of Elizabeth I, and in particular her path to the throne, the student of literature and its history finds ample evidence that Elizabeth nearly lost her chance at the monarchy. In fact, she was in danger of losing her life during the reign of her half-sister Mary, the sad queen who has come down to us through the centuries as [More]

Tudors Dynasty Podcast Poll

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Your help is needed! Please select which of the following you are MOST interested in having your questions answered about. The one with the most votes will be one of the first we do in the new podcast season (starting in September!).

The Other Seymours: Dorothy Seymour Smith Leventhorpe

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Written by Rebecca Larson In my previous post about Sir Henry Seymour, I briefly mentioned another sister called Dorothy. As far as all the living Seymour siblings go it is Henry and Dorothy that we know very little about. When I decided to write an article the lesser known Seymour daughter I hoped that I could come across something that had never been published about her - that I would find some contemporary evidence that would give a glimpse at who she was as a person. [More]

Richard III: Road to Kingship

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Guest article by Matthew Lewis Richard III remains one of England and Britain’s most controversial and divisive monarchs, his profile defying his brief reign of just two years between 1483 and 1485. His accession and rule remain shrouded in uncertainty and occluded by the widest possible interpretations, from a wholly good man forced to become king to an evil schemer who plotted and murdered his way to the throne. The truth, as with most things, probably lies somewhere [More]