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    History

    Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

    Step back into a world of intrigue, passion, and ruthless ambition — welcome to Tudor England. Join historian and bestselling author Claire Ridgway as she uncovers the riveting stories of the Tudor dynasty. From the scandalous love affairs of King Henry VIII to the tragic fall of Anne Boleyn, the fierce reign of Elizabeth I, and the lesser-known secrets of Tudor court life, this podcast brings history to life in vivid detail.

    Hear dramatic tales of betrayal, execution, forbidden love, and political manoeuvring that shaped England forever. Discover daily Tudor history with fascinating “On This Day” episodes — unique insights you won’t find in typical history books. Get behind-the-scenes stories from Claire’s own research trips to historic sites like the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Hever Castle, and more. Enjoy interviews with top historians and experts in Tudor studies, plus lively Q&A sessions tackling listeners’ burning Tudor questions.

    🖋 Who is Claire Ridgway? Claire is the author of the bestselling On This Day in Tudor History series and numerous other Tudor books loved by readers around the world. She founded The Tudor Society, connecting enthusiasts with experts through live online events, and runs the hugely popular history websites The Anne Boleyn Files and www.ClaireRidgway.com.

    Her mission: to uncover the human stories behind the crown — the hopes, fears, and triumphs of not only kings and queens but also the courtiers, rebels, and ordinary people who lived under the Tudor rose.

    What can you expect?

    • Gripping accounts of famous events like the Field of Cloth of Gold, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, or the Babington Plot.

    • Intimate portraits of Tudor figures: Anne Boleyn’s charm and downfall, Thomas Cromwell’s rise and brutal fall, Elizabeth I’s cunning survival.

    • Dark mysteries and unsolved deaths

    • Who really killed Amy Robsart?

    • Was Katherine Howard truly guilty?

    • Special episodes on Tudor fashion, food, medicine, and the day-to-day lives of Tudor men and women.

    Join thousands of Tudor fans worldwide Never miss an episode — subscribe now and become part of a global community that can’t get enough of Tudor drama. Explore more with Claire’s books, free resources, and live historical events at www.ClaireRidgway.com. Ready to travel back 500 years?

    Press play and let the adventure begin.

    Advertise

    Copyright: Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved.

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    Latest Episodes:
    Did Henry VIII Really Sacrifice Jane Seymour? The Truth Behind the Caesarean Myth Nov 01, 2025
    Show notes

    When Queen Jane Seymour gave birth to Prince Edward on 12th October 1537, and sadly died on 24th October. From celebrations to tragedy in just 12 days.
    For centuries, a dark rumour has followed this story: that Henry VIII ordered surgeons to cut Jane open to deliver their son, sacrificing his queen for an heir.
    It’s a tale that fits Henry’s reputation for ruthlessness perfectly… but did it ever happen?
    In this episode, I dive into the real Tudor evidence — from Nicholas Sander’s anti-Henry propaganda to 17th-century historians and historic ballads — to uncover how this myth was born and why it still persists today.
    We’ll look at what the contemporary sources actually say, how the story evolved, and why it just can't be true. If you enjoy uncovering myths, scandals, and true stories from Tudor history, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell, it really helps more people find the channel. And if you missed my podcast, Jane Seymour’s Death – A Deep Dive into the Causes, watch that next for the full medical picture - https://youtu.be/S6pFV6l6Vxg #TudorHistory #JaneSeymour #HenryVIII #TudorEngland #AnneBoleynFiles #HistoryUncovered #TudorMyths #BritishHistory #TrueHistory

    What Halloween Was Really Like in Tudor England Oct 31, 2025
    Show notes

    Forget pumpkins and plastic skeletons, in Tudor England, Halloween was sacred. On 31st October, All Hallows’ Eve marked the start of Hallowtide, a three-day festival blending pagan Samhain customs with Christian devotion:
    - All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) – ringing bells, lighting bonfires, wearing masks to ward off spirits, and “souling” for cakes to pray for the dead.
    - All Saints’ Day (1 November) – honouring every saint and martyr in heaven.
    - All Souls’ Day (2 November) – remembering all the departed, especially those in Purgatory.
    In this episode, I step back into Tudor England to uncover:
    - The origins of apple bobbing and “Nutcrack Night”
    - How souling became the forerunner of trick-or-treating
    - Why Hallowtide was both festive and deeply spiritual, a time to bridge the worlds of the living and the dead
    So if you’ve ever wondered what Halloween meant before horror films and sweets, this is the story of how the Tudors honoured the dead, celebrated life, and kept the darkness at bay.
    #Halloween #TudorHistory #HalloweenHistory #Hallowtide #OnThisDay #AllHallowsEve #AllSaintsDay #AllSoulsDay #AnneBoleynFiles

    Did Elizabeth I Have a Secret Baby? Roger Ascham’s 1566 Letter Examined Oct 30, 2025
    Show notes

    On this day in Tudor history, 30th October 1566, Queen Elizabeth I’s former tutor, Roger Ascham, wrote her a long, heartfelt letter of praise and moral guidance.
    Centuries later, this same letter would be twisted into something sensational, supposed proof that Elizabeth secretly married Robert Dudley and bore a child… the future philosopher Francis Bacon.
    But what did Ascham actually write?
    And how did a pious letter about kingship, learning, and virtue become “evidence” for a royal scandal?
    In this episode, I uncover:
    - Who Roger Ascham really was — Elizabeth’s beloved tutor and humanist scholar
    - What his 1566 letter truly says (and doesn’t say)
    - How Victorian writers and Baconian theorists turned scripture into scandal
    - Why the so-called “secret pregnancy” theory falls apart when you read the text
    Ascham’s Divae Elizabethae isn’t confession or gossip, it’s devotion: a dying scholar’s tribute to the queen he’d once taught. So let’s separate Tudor truth from centuries of speculation.
    Listen now to discover why this misunderstood letter reveals more about our obsession with the Virgin Queen’s image than about her real life.
    #TudorHistory #ElizabethI #RogerAscham #RobertDudley #FrancisBacon #TudorMyths #HistoryDebunked #AnneBoleynFiles

    Mary, Queen of Scots: Martyr, Heroine… or Traitor? Oct 29, 2025
    Show notes

    On this day in Tudor history, 29 October 1586, Parliament met to decide the fate of Mary, Queen of Scots, just days after she was found guilty of conspiring to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I.
    Their verdict was clear: the queen’s own cousin and fellow sovereign must die.
    But more than four centuries later, the question still burns: was Mary a martyr, a tragic heroine, or a traitor?
    I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode we’ll revisit the tense weeks between Mary’s trial at Fotheringhay and her execution in February 1587. Elizabeth hesitated, torn between mercy and survival, while her councillors pressed for action.
    Meanwhile, Mary, an anointed queen held captive for nineteen years, insisted she was dying for her faith, not her crimes.
    So who was she really?
    A dangerous conspirator caught by her own hand… or a doomed queen sacrificed to politics, religion, and fear?
    #MaryQueenOfScots #ElizabethI #OnThisDay #TudorHistory #Tudors #QueenOfScots #TrueHistory #BritishHistory #TheAnneBoleynFiles

    The Man Who Survived Them All: Sir John Gage and the Tudor Thrones Oct 28, 2025
    Show notes

    On this day in Tudor history, 28 October 1479, a man was born who would rise to the highest offices of state, and somehow survive the reigns of four Tudor monarchs.
    I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’m talking about Sir John Gage: soldier, administrator, and courtier to Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I.
    Gage’s life was a masterclass in cautious loyalty.
    He held the keys to the Tower of London, helped dissolve the monasteries, investigated conspiracies, and stood at the heart of Tudor power through decades of religious and political upheaval.
    But what was he really: a man of faith and duty, or a shrewd survivor in a dangerous age?
    Join me as we explore the extraordinary life of Sir John Gage, the Tudor who managed to keep his head while those around him lost theirs.
    Tell me in the comments:
    Was Gage’s careful loyalty wisdom… or opportunism?
    #OnThisDay #TudorHistory #SirJohnGage #TowerofLondon #HenryVIII #MaryI #EdwardVI #HenryVII #Tudors #TudorCourt#TheAnneBoleynFiles

    The Bonfire That Helped Spread the English Bible Oct 27, 2025
    Show notes

    Imagine trying to stop a book so hard… you end up funding its next edition.
    On this day, 27 October 1526, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall ordered copies of William Tyndale’s English New Testament to be burned at St Paul’s Cathedral. The goal: to stop heresy and control what the people could read.
    But Tunstall’s crackdown had an unexpected twist. To destroy the books, he had to buy them first, money that reportedly paid for Tyndale’s next, improved edition.
    I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s On This Day in Tudor History, we’ll explore how one bishop’s bonfire turned into the best publicity Tyndale could have asked for, and how, just a decade later, English Bibles would appear in every church by royal order.
    Was Tunstall defending the faith, or did he help spread the very thing he feared?
    #TudorHistory #Tyndale #Reformation #OnThisDay #PrintingPress #HenryVIII #History #EnglishBible

    Did Henry VIII Cover Up a Violent Crime for Thomas Culpeper? Oct 26, 2025
    Show notes

    He was handsome, charming, and one of Henry VIII’s most trusted courtiers, until he fell from grace with Queen Catherine Howard.
    But whispers survive of a darker story: an accusation of violence, a royal pardon, and a crime that seemed to vanish from the record.
    Was Thomas Culpeper guilty of a shocking offence, and did Henry VIII himself protect him from justice? Or was this just dangerous Tudor gossip, muddled by the existence of two Thomas Culpepers at court?
    Join me as I investigate one of Tudor England’s most disturbing mysteries — where power, privilege, and silence could decide a man’s fate. Sources: - Letter from Richard Hilles to Heinrich Bullinger, Original letters relative to the English Reformation: written during the reigns of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI and Queen Mary, chiefly from the archives of Zurich, ed. Rev. Hastings Robinson, https://archive.org/details/originallettersr01robiuoft/page/226/mode/2up? - New Insight on the Accusation Against Thomas Culpeper, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, Jonathan McGovern, Notes and Queries, gjaf112, https://doi.org/10.1093/notesj/gjaf112Published: 17 October 2025. - "Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen" by Josephine Wilkinson
    - "Young and Damned and Fair" by Gareth Russell
    - “Catherine Howard: The Queen whose adulteries made a fool of Henry VIII” by Lacey Baldwin Smith

    The Sound of Elizabethan England: In Conversation with Jane Moulder of PIVA – The Renaissance Collective Oct 25, 2025
    Show notes

    Step back into the sound world of Elizabethan England.
    In this exclusive interview, I talk to Jane Moulder, musician, researcher, instrument maker, and founding member of PIVA: The Renaissance Collective, about their stunning new album, The Faerie Round: Music from the Time of Elizabeth I.
    Together, we explore how Renaissance music was performed, what instruments were used, and how PIVA brings authentic Tudor soundscapes to life for modern audiences.
    In this conversation:

    • The origins of PIVA and their unique approach to early music
    • The vision and research behind The Faerie Round
    • The challenges (and joys!) of performing on Renaissance instruments
    • Why bagpipes, shawms, and curtals deserve a comeback
    • Jane’s work as a researcher, writer, and editor of Chanter
    • What’s next for PIVA, and who Jane would invite to a Tudor dinner party

    If you love Tudor history, music, or the vibrant culture of Elizabethan England, this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.
    Find out more about PIVA and The Faerie Round:
    Piva website - https://piva.org.uk/
    Buy the album - https://pivarenaissance.bandcamp.com/album/the-faerie-round
    #TudorHistory #ElizabethanEngland #RenaissanceMusic #TheFaerieRound #PIVA #TudorMusic #JaneMoulder #TudorCulture #HistoricalMusic

    Jane Seymour’s Death - A Deep Dive into the causes Oct 24, 2025
    Show notes

    When Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII’s long-awaited son, England rejoiced. Bells rang, bonfires blazed, and Henry finally had his male heir.
    But just twelve days later, the joy turned to sorrow, Queen Jane Seymour was dead.
    For centuries, her death has been shrouded in confusion and myth.
    Some say she died after a Caesarean section. Others, childbed fever. Alison Weir believes food poisoning and an embolism were to blame.
    In this episode, I take a closer look at the evidence, exploring eyewitness reports, Tudor medicine, and modern medical insight, to uncover what really killed Henry VIII’s third wife.
    Discover:

    • Why the “food poisoning” theory doesn’t fit the timeline
    • How a thirty-hour labour made infection likely
    • Why the phrase “taking cold” may describe septic shock
    • And how the choice of a royal physician over a midwife may have cost Jane her life

    This is the tragic and very human story behind the death of Henry VIII’s so-called “perfect queen.”
    Sources & Further Reading:
    https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed
    https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/evidence
    https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/more-than-one-pregnancy
    https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/final-stages
    https://elizabethnortonhistorian.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-death-of-queen-jane.html
    The Seymour Family, history and romance by Amy Audrey Locke - https://archive.org/details/seymourfamilyhis00lockuoft/page/18/mode/2up?q=cold
    'Henry VIII: October 1537, 21-25', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 12 Part 2, June-December 1537, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1891), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol12/no2/pp335-345
    Hall’s Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/hallschronicleco00hall/page/824/mode/2up
    Wriothesley’s Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/chronicleofengla01wriouoft/page/68/mode/2up
    24 October 1537 – The Death of Queen Jane Seymour - https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-october-1537-death-queen-jane-seymour/
    How to spot maternal sepsis, NCT - https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/body-pregnancy/how-spot-maternal-sepsis
    Signs of Infection After Birth: Postpartum Infection & Sepsis - https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/labour/signs-of-infection-after-birth
    #JaneSeymour #TudorHistory #HenryVIII #OnThisDay #TudorWomen #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles #MedicalHistory #TudorTragedy #HistoryMystery #TudorEngland #ChildbedFever #Sepsis #TudorMedicine
    The Human Cost of the Dissolution Oct 23, 2025
    Show notes

    On this day in Tudor history, 23 October 1538, a frightened monk put pen to paper as the world he knew collapsed.
    Thomas Goldwell, prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, wrote a desperate letter to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief adviser and the man overseeing the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
    Goldwell begged to keep his “poor lodging” for life, adding the heartbreaking words:
    “I would rather die than live, if it were God’s pleasure.”
    I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’ll take you inside that moment, when monasteries were being dissolved, fortunes seized, and centuries of service, learning, and charity wiped away in a few short years.
    Goldwell’s letter shows us the human side of the Reformation.
    Behind every confiscated abbey and looted shrine was a person left wondering how to live in a changed world.
    If you found this glimpse of Tudor faith, fear, and survival moving, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more daily Tudor stories.
    Watch next:
    The Dissolution of the Monasteries - https://youtu.be/aELw2ss-xM8
    #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #DissolutionOfTheMonasteries #HenryVIII #ThomasCromwell #ChristChurchCanterbury #ReformationHistory #ClaireRidgway #TudorEngland

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