Henry VIII
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This 1527 event, which led to a Charles V inspired papacy ultimately refusing Henry VIII‘s annulment, because Catherine of Aragon was his aunt and Clement VII almost his prisoner, was discussed on “In Our Time” this week. In turn, however, this was inspired by Habsburg mercenaries being unpaid after their victory at the seige of…
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Meet the Brownes
Anne Boleyn, Battle of Northampton, Calais, Edmund de la Pole, Edward IV, elizabeth countess of worcester, Elizabeth Despenser, elizabeth paston, executions, fines, george browne, George Duke of Clarence, Henry VI, Henry VII, Henry VIII, John Neville Marquis of Montagu, kentish rebellion, lucy neville, Merciless Parliament, paranoia, Richard III, Sir Anthony Browne, sir thomas browne, Tewkesbury, Thomas Penn, tong castle, treason, william fitzwilliamSir Thomas Browne (abt. 1402-1460) was a fervid Lancastrian. This is no doubt the reason that after the Battle of Northampton, he was either beheaded or hanged, drawn and quartered. (Sources differ). He was found guilty of High Treason, a bit of a stretch given that Henry VI was still King at the time and…
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“Becoming Elizabeth”
Admiral Thomas Seymour, Alicia von Rittburg, Amy Robsart, Anglo-Scottish Wars, beards, Catherine Parr, Channel Four, David Starkey, Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, Edward VI, Elizabeth I, executions, Henry Grey Duke of Suffolk, Henry VIII, heresy, Jane, John Dudley Duke of Northumberland, Kett Rebellion, Lord Guildford Dudley, Lord Protector of the Realm, Mary I, Mary Stuart, Norwich, Oliver Zetterstrom, Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, ScotlandThis drama series, from Starz but now broadcast on Channel Four, follows the momentous but unheralded reign of Edward VI through the eyes of the future Elizabeth I. It features the literally fratricidal feud between the Seymour brothers as the elder, the Duke of Somerset, becomes Lord Protector but also the King’s governor, powers that…
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I wonder …
“Tudor” rebellions, Anne Boleyn, Charles II, Dukes of Norfolk, Edward I, Edward III, Edward of Buckingham, Edward VI, executions, Henry Earl of Surrey, Henry VIII, James VII/II, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John of Gaunt, Katherine Howard, Lords Howard of Effingham, poetry, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Thomas Wyatt, St. Edward the Confessor, Strutts, succession, Thomas of Brotherton, Thomas of woodstockWe all know that Sir John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, was descended from Thomas of Brotherton, a younger son of Edward I. Several branches of the Howard family have held the title ever since, except for periods under attainder from 1485-1514, 1547-53 and 1572-1660. Were any of them descended from more recent monarchs? Henry…
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Tyrants – Part 3
“Princes”, “Tudors”, Battle of Bosworth, double standards, Edward IV, Edward of Warwick, evidence, executions, extravagance, francis of assissi, Gandhi, Henry IV, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Idi Amin, Luftwaffe, Parliament, Putin, Richard III, Tewkesbury Abbey, Three Estates, Titulus Regius, tyranny, YorkshireIn some ways, it is surprising that Edward IV is not usually denounced by historians as a ‘tyrant‘. He had, after all, a key qualification, as he was neither a Lancastrian nor a Tudor. Edward also summarily executed the Earl of Oxford and his son after a brief ‘trial’ before the Constable. And some of…
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I am heartily sick of certain historians – or ‘historians’ in some cases – who use the ‘tyrant’ word as a badge to stick on the rulers they dislike as a sort of badge of disgrace. These people invariably gloss over the similar – no, let’s be plain, worse, far worse! – deeds of the…
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An Abbey in Dublin Unearthed
Archbishop of Dublin, bigamy, Dissolution of the Monasteries, Dublin, Earls of Ormond, Earls of Ulster, Earls of Wiltshire, Edward Bruce, Edward IV, executions, Henry VIII, Ireland, James Butler, John Earl of Shrewsbury, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Mael Sechnaill mac Maele Ruanaid, pre-contract, Richard Talbot, Robert de Nottingham, St. Mary’s Abbey, Towton, Walter ChampfleurExcavations in Dublin city centre have uncovered the remains of what was once one of Ireland’s most important medieval monasteries. St Mary’s was a House of Benedictines, followed by Savignac monks and then Cistercians, and it was exceedingly wealthy, with the added bonus of being permitted to claim goods from shipwrecks. At times, it was…
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Monarchs whose children died first….
“Tudors”, Albert Victor Duke of Clarence, Anne, Anne Boleyn, Anne Neville, Arthur “Tudor”, Battle of Bosworth, Catherine Howard, Catherine of Aragon, Edward of Middleham, Edward VII, Ferdinand and Isabella, Frederick Prince of Wales, George II, George III, George IV, Henry I, Henry II, Henry the Young King, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Princess Charlotte, Richard III, Richard of Normandy, Victoria, William Adelin, William Duke of Gloucester, William IWell, here’s British Kings And Queens Who Outlived Their Children (grunge.com), a list of English/ British monarchs who outlived their children. Richard’s there, of course, and reasonably well treated. His is a particularly sad story, losing his only legitimate son, then his wife, then his own life at the hands of traitors when defending…
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The general belief is that the dreaded sweating sickness arrived in England along with Henry Tudor and his French army. Maybe it did. Certainly it became rife after Bosworth and he entered London. It was a fearsome disease, worse even than the Black Death, for you could be hale and hearty at breakfast and dead…
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Every so often this absolutely ghastly object comes to the headlines. It’s vile. Grotesque. No question. Like something from a modern horror/fantasy movie, except that it dates back to the 15th century. “….The Horned Helmet of King Henry VIII is a truly enigmatic and iconic artifact that continues to intrigue historians and scholars alike….” Apparently it was…
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