The Insurrection of 10 August 1792 was one of the most pivotal moments of the French Revolution. Irate and antimonarchial Frenchmen, including members of the National Guard of the Paris Commune and the fédérés from Marseille and Brittany, attacked Tuileries Palace and arrested King Louis XVI of France. This scared the bejeezus out of the… Read more The French Revolution and English Culture
One of the many irrational beheadings Henry VIII ordered as an older king was the execution of his loyal and indispensably helpful minister Thomas Cromwell. King Henry’s deteriorating brain function might have been the result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition only recently diagnosed by medical science, but it may have also been due to… Read more The Untimely Death of Thomas Cromwell
Lady Jane Grey, the chosen and legal heir of King Edward VI, officially became queen on 10 July 1553. She was a very Tudor monarch, having a marked resemblance to her grand-uncle Henry VIII’s daughters. One eye-witnesses described her as, “very short and thin, but prettily shaped and graceful. She has small features and a well-made nose,… Read more Jane Grey, Rightful Queen
No one expected King Edward VI to die so young. Although he was re-written retroactively as “frail” and unhealthy, there is no evidence to support that conclusion. A French ambassador described Edward as being “remarkably tall for his age” when the future king was four years old, which indicates reasonably good health. (Murphy, 2011:246). Furthermore,… Read more Edward VI
Joan of the Tower, the youngest daughter of Edward II of England and the wife of King David II of Scotland, is a sterling example of what history does with royal women who are never mothers and never scandalous. Joan was born in the Tower of London on 5 July 1321 and she had one… Read more Happy Birthday Queen Joan of Scotland
Princess Elizabeth Tudor, the 4th child and second daughter of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, was born on 2 July 1492. She seemed healthy enough as a baby, but the little girl died while she was only a toddler in the royal nurseries at Eltham Palace on 14 September 1495. Her parents were,… Read more Elizabeth Tudor, and Medieval Child Mortality
Henry VIII was born 28 June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. As hard as is it to believe, considering the stir he would make in the historical record, the little prince was an extremely second fiddle to his elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales.… Read more The Incredible Life of Henry VIII
On 24 June 1509 Henry VIII and his bride, Katherina of Aragon, were crowned together as King and Queen of England. Henry was still a handsome teenage lad described as “cheerful and gamesome” with an unusually mild temper and an excellent sense of fair play. Katherina was a strawberry-blonde and beautiful princess who had overcome… Read more The Coronation of Henry VIII and Katherina of Aragon
By June of 1553 King Edward VI knew he was dying. The young monarch was in constant pain, but had been using the last few weeks remaining to him to actively try to ensure a Protestant Britain after his death. Although John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, is often – even usually – accused of being King… Read more Why Didn’t Cranmer See Edward VI Alone Before the King’s Death?
Many people know about the Mary Rose, one of Henry VIII’s most famous ships, but fewer are aware of Henry’s other nautical pride and joy – the even bigger and even better Henry Grace à Dieu, AKA the Great Harry. The Great Harry was the first carrack launched from the Woolwich Dockyard (which was created… Read more The Great Harry Launches