Coat of Arms, Badge and Signature of the Six Tudor Queens
Katherine of Aragon Anne Boleyn Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves Katheryn Howard Kateryn [More]
Royal Houses
Understanding the Man: Henry VIII (Part One)
As many of you may already know, King Henry VIII is my favorite monarch of the Tudor dynasty. If it wasn't for his reign I do not believe the Tudors would be as popular as they are today. With the creation of Showtime's THE TUDORS, many of us were aware of the name Henry VIII but really didn't know much about him. In the show we were able to see that there was more to the man than the execution of two of his six wives. While I understand that THE TUDORS tv program had a [More]
The King’s Delight: Marriage of Mary Tudor to Louis XII
Mary Tudor, Queen of France was the title she earned when she married Louis XII of France. The marriage was one that was arranged by her brother, King Henry VIII of England and not a love match. On 9 October 1514, at the age of 18, Mary Tudor married 52-year-old King Louis XII of France. The below letter was written by the King of France to his brother-in-law, Henry VIII. In the letter he describes his delight with his new wife only a few months after their [More]
Queen Mary: Her Last Sickness
Queen Mary's Sickness: 17 November 1558: This is taken from "Annals of Queen Elizabeth" by Sir John Hayward (1564-27 June 1627), found via public domain through National Archives. The last sickness of Queen Mary was long and hard, her body was tired, "and almost wasted, with the violence of her disease; her mind anguished with thoughts, no less strange for variety, then strong for the great importance they drew, whereof some (doubtless) were secret and singular." While [More]
Lady Anne Russell: For Her Husband
For Her Husband Lady Anne Russell is best-known as Countess Bedford and wife of the Lord Privy Seal. She was married several times with her most notable husband being her last, Sir John Russell. Sir John was named Lord Privy Seal by Henry VIII after the execution of Thomas Cromwell who held the title prior to his death. As any woman, Anne's station was raised alongside her husband's increased rank. Through her marriage to Sir John she gained the title of Countess of Bedford [More]
Elizabeth Scrope: Denial of Wolsey’s Request
Cardinal Wolsey was arguably the most powerful man during the early years of Henry VIII's reign. To deny him was close to denying your king. The fact that Elizabeth Scrope did just that and stood up for herself was remarkable. Elizabeth Scrope Elizabeth Scrope was the daughter of Sir Richard Scrope of Boulton and Eleanor Washbourne.¹ Elizabeth was married twice. Her first husband was William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont. Beaumont suffered from mental illness an [More]
Elizabeth Fitzgerald: The Fair Geraldine
Elizabeth Fitzgerald was born in 1527, in Ireland to Gerald Fitzgerald, 9th Earl of Kildare and his wife Elizabeth Grey. Elizabeth Grey was the daughter of Thomas Grey, 1st Marquis of Dorset. Dorset was the son of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen to King Edward IV, by her first husband, John Grey. In 1533, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, her mother and one of her sisters moved to London when her father was accused of treason or corruption charges and put in the Tower of London [More]
Surviving Letters of the Countess of Salisbury
Countess of Salisbury We all know the tragic end of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. If you are new to Tudor history I'd highly recommend reading the guest article by Alan Freer called, "The Last Plantagenet" to get yourself better acquainted with her life, and grizzly execution. Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence. George was the brother of both King Edward IV and Richard III. This letter is written by Margaret Pole, Countess of [More]
Margaret Douglas: Forbidden Love
Margaret Douglas, the daughter of Henry VIII's sister Margaret, dowager queen of Scotland and Archibald Douglas, had been appointed as a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. It is while serving Anne that she met Lord Thomas Howard. He was the younger son of Anne Boleyn's great-uncle, Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Near the end of 1535, Margaret and Thomas had fallen in love and became secretly engaged. Forbidden Love It was in July, after the downfall of Anne Boleyn, tha [More]
Singled Out: Potential Wives of Henry VIII
It is well-known that Henry VIII loved women. Especially ones that could potentially give him a male heir. After the execution of wife number five, Katheryn Howard, Henry was once again on the hunt for a new wife. As King of England he would surely have been a great catch to any woman. He was all-powerful as King of England, Ireland and France, as well as being the head of the Church of England. Becoming his wife would mean you nearly had the world at your disposal. The [More]