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PODCAST

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

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All Episodes

5:39

Henry VIII’s Boyhood Companion Who Became His Enforcer

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/14

On this day in Tudor history, 15 October 1542, William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Southampton, died on campaign at Newcastle, serving Henry VIII one last time. He’d been by the king’s side since childhood; a boyhood companion who became a soldier, sailor, ambassador, and royal enforcer. From the naval battles of 1512, to the splendour of the Field of Cloth of Gold, and even the downfall of Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, and Cromwell, Fitzwilliam’s career ran through the heart of Tudor power. I’m historian and

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4:50

Arthur Grey: The Elizabethan Soldier Who Went Too Far?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/13

On this day in Tudor history, 14th October 1593, Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey of Wilton, died at his Buckinghamshire home. He’d served Elizabeth I as a soldier, statesman, and staunch Protestant, but his career left a stain that history has never quite erased. In this episode,I explore the life of the man behind one of the most brutal episodes of Elizabeth’s rule, the Smerwick massacre, and ask how such a devout reformer became known for such ruthless acts. From the battlefields of France and

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8:00

"I'll do it my way!"

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/12

On 13 October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, the man who had ruled England as Lord Protector for young Edward VI, lost it all.By the next day, he was in the Tower. How did the most powerful man in Tudor England fall so fast? In this episode, I uncover the character flaws, bad decisions, and political missteps that doomed Somerset’s rule. He was a soldier, reformer, and visionary, but also proud, volatile, and deaf to counsel. Discover: - The letter that warned Somerset he was heading for

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8:03

Did Edward VI Really Kill His Falcon

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/11

Did England’s boy-king really tear his pet falcon to pieces? In 1551, a foreign ambassador claimed that thirteen-year-old Edward VI, Henry VIII’s only son, plucked and ripped apart his own falcon, saying he was that bird “whom everyone plucked.” Some at court swore it happened. Others called it lies. Was this a violent outburst, a misunderstood symbol of royal power, or pure Tudor gossip? Join me, historian Claire Ridgway, as I unpack the evidence, the politics behind it, and what this strange

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6:41

The Power, Peril, and Legacy of Lady Jane Grey’s...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/09

On this day in Tudor history, 10 October 1530, Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, died. Soldier, jouster, courtier, and grandfather of Lady Jane Grey, he lived a life that perfectly captured the dangers and rewards of Tudor ambition. Born into royalty - grandson of Elizabeth Woodville and Katherine Neville, sister of the Kingmaker - Thomas grew up in the shadow of shifting alliances and rebellion. He was imprisoned by Henry VII, restored under Henry VIII, and rose again through charm, courage,

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4:51

Henry VIII’s Bloody Response to Rebellion: The...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/08

On this day in Tudor history, 9 October 1536, anger in Lincolnshire burst into open revolt. At Horncastle, a crowd raised their hands in agreement: “We like them very well!”, and sent a blunt list of grievances to King Henry VIII. That petition marked the birth of the Pilgrimage of Grace, the largest uprising of his reign. But how did it start? In the first week of October 1536, fear and fury spread through Lincolnshire: Louth’s vicar warned that the Church was in danger. Cromwell’s

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4:28

The Fall of the Lord Protector

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/07

How Edward Seymour Went from Power to the Scaffold On this day in Tudor history, 8 October 1549, England’s most powerful man became its newest traitor. Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and uncle to the boy-king Edward VI, had ruled England as Lord Protector since 1547. He pushed bold reforms (the Act of Uniformity and the Book of Common Prayer) but rebellion, rivalry, and ambition brought him down. When unrest broke out in 1549 - the Prayer Book Rebellion and Kett’s Rebellion - Somerset’s

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4:30

The Quiet Power Behind England’s Rise at Sea

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/06

On this day in Tudor history, 7 October 1589, the bells of Deptford tolled for William Hawkins: merchant, sea captain, three-time mayor of Plymouth, and the steadier, quieter elder of the famous Hawkins brothers. Buried at St Nicholas’s, his monument is lost, but his impact isn’t. In this episode, I trace how Hawkins turned Plymouth into a launchpad for Elizabethan sea power: From Brazil voyages with his father to a Plymouth shipowner and civic powerhouse Privateering in the Channel during the

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4:20

John Capon: Tudor Bishop and Political Weathervane

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/05

On 6 October 1557, John Capon, also known as John Salcot, died, probably of influenza. His career charts the shifting winds of Tudor religion: Benedictine monk, abbot, court preacher, reformer under Henry VIII and Edward VI, and Catholic persecutor under Mary I. Was he a survivor, an opportunist, or both? In today’s “On This Day” we explore how one bishop’s career became a case study in Tudor adaptability. What do you think: principled conformer or clerical chameleon? Share your thoughts

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6:57

The Brutal Murder of George Saunders: Tudor True Crime

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/04

A spring morning in 1573. A respected London merchant leaves a friend’s house near Woolwich… and ends up dead by Shooter’s Hill.The killer, Captain George Brown, is caught within days. But the real shock wasn’t the killer's identity, it was the letter that told him exactly where to strike… and who wanted George Saunders gone. I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author. In this Tudor true-crime deep dive, we follow the manhunt, the Privy Council’s rapid crackdown, and the chain of clues later

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54:27

Queens, “Female Kings,” and Power: Elizabeth Norton...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/03

Historian Elizabeth Norton joins me to talk about her new book Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy—from ancient queens to early modern powerhouses. We cover how she chose her rulers, the thorny language of “queen” vs “female king,” why so many societies accepted women only in crises, and the single pattern she kept seeing across five millennia. We also chat process: research vs writing, routines, and beating writer’s block. What we discuss: Who made the cut (and who nearly

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8:42

What did Mary Boleyn Really Look Like?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/03

Was Mary Boleyn really “the pretty one”, or is that just fiction? I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author, and today I’m pulling apart the myths to ask what we can actually say about Mary’s appearance. In this podcast you’ll learn: Where our assumptions on Mary come from. How a 17th-century portrait type has been re-identified as Mary Boleyn using dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), provenance, and family inscriptions. Why ermine doesn’t disqualify the sitter (and what William Carey’s status

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4:07

Trusted Across Three Reigns: Sir William...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/03

On this day in Tudor history, 3 October 1559, Sir William Fitzwilliam, gentleman of Prince Edward’s privy chamber, MP, court insider, and later deputy chancellor in Ireland under Mary I, died and was honoured with burial in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. He was one of those capable, steady figures who moved quietly through the Henrician, Edwardian, and Marian courts, and kept being trusted. Who was he? Born to a family steeped in royal service. Gray’s Inn training - legal polish for a life

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4:44

From Fotheringhay to Bosworth: Richard III Is Born

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/10/01

On this day in 1452, a boy was born at Fotheringhay Castle who would become England’s last Plantagenet king: Richard III. I’m Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode we trace Richard’s short, stormy road from noble son to fallen king, and the remarkable afterlife of his story, from Bosworth Field to a Leicester car park and DNA confirmation centuries later. In this podcast: Birth & family: the House of York and Cecily Neville, the “Rose of Raby” 1483: the pre-contract claim, Edward V’s

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4:04

The Plantagenet Who Became a Queen's Favourite...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/30

On 1 October 1526, Dorothy Stafford was born, a woman of Plantagenet blood who would spend forty years at the heart of Elizabeth I’s privy chamber. In this episode, I trace Dorothy’s remarkable path: Family webs: Stafford–Pole lineage (Buckingham & Clarence), and marriage to Sir William Stafford, Mary Boleyn’s widower. Exile & faith: Under Mary I she fled to Geneva; in 1556 John Calvin stood godfather to her son (then they famously fell out, and she moved to Basel). Return & rise: With

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4:13

Margaret Tudor’s Flight: The 1515 Escape that Led to...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/29

On 30 September 1515, Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s elder sister and widow of James IV, slipped across the Scottish border into England: heavily pregnant, newly remarried, and out of power. Her dash to Harbottle Castle set up a birth with huge consequences: Lady Margaret Douglas, whose line would help unite the Tudor and Stuart claims. In this episode I set the scene: The glittering 1503 marriage to James IV and the Flodden aftermath How Margaret lost the regency by marrying for love: Archibald

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3:13

Dragon-Slayer & Dinner: How the Tudors Marked Michaelmas

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/28

I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author. On 29 September, the Tudors celebrated Michaelmas, the feast of St Michael the Archangel, heaven’s champion and defender of the Church. Beyond the bells and processions, Michaelmas was one of the four quarter days, the moment the Tudor year turned. In this video: What Michaelmas meant in scripture & worship (Michael vs. the dragon) Quarter day basics: new agricultural year, rents & accounts due, hiring/statute fairs The menu: why Tudors roasted

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4:24

From Exile to Baron: Robert Willoughby, Henry VII's...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/27

Imagine standing shoulder to shoulder with Henry Tudor in exile, then riding back to win a crown at Bosworth. Today we meet Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke: sheriff, soldier, royal fixer and one of Henry VII’s most loyal supporters, who died on 28 September 1502 at Callington, Cornwall. In this episode of On This Day in Tudor History, I, Claire Ridgway (historian & author), trace Willoughby’s journey from West Country administrator to exile in Brittany, his role at Bosworth (22

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53:49

Helene Harrison on The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/26

Who’s the “real” Anne Boleyn—the medal, the portraits, or the version we’ve imagined? In this interview, Helene Harrison joins me to discuss her book The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception—not a biography, but a study of how Anne has been seen across centuries. We explore: What readers should unlearn about Anne’s image Beyond the 1534 medal: which likeness may come closest—and which is most misleading Foreign observers (ambassadors, visitors): who reads Anne well, and who

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4:46

Spies, Sonnets & a Sword

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2025/09/25

The Short, Daring Life of Thomas Watson On this day in Tudor history, 26 September 1592, poet and translator Thomas Watson was buried at St Bartholomew-the-Less. You may not know his name, but in Elizabethan circles he was the rule-bender who wrote 18-line “sonnets”, carried letters for Sir Francis Walsingham, supplied lyrics for William Byrd, and once landed in prison after stepping between Christopher Marlowe and a blade. I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author. In this episode you’ll

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