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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 political

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All Episodes

13:36

Can You Steal History? Plagiarism, Research and the...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/10/03

Can you steal someone else's historical research? And does publishing something first mean you own the idea?I've been researching Anne Boleyn for nearly twenty years, but that doesn't mean I own her story, the historical sources I've used or the questions I've asked!I've seen quite a few accusations recently about people stealing historical ideas, theories and research, and it's got me thinking about where we actually draw the line. I've had my own work plagiarised over the years, so I know how

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12:23

A Viewer Told Me to Cover Up - Anne Boleyn Had the...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/09/22

A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional advice: she found my bare arms, flushed skin and tattoos distracting from my history content, and suggested that I might consider wearing a blouse or even a turtleneck when filming.There was just one rather wonderful irony...The two visible tattoos she suggested I cover up are both connected to Anne Boleyn - and one of them seemed to provide the perfect response from nearly 500 years ago:"Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne."Or, as I like

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2:45

Did Catherine Howard REALLY Confess? I Went Back to...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/09/17

Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with Thomas Culpeper? I've seen this claim repeated in books and online, and something about it has been bothering me. So, while researching Catherine Howard for my recent event, I decided to go down this particular Tudor rabbit hole and look at the records from 1541 and 1542, and the case made against Catherine, and ask a very simple question: Who actually said what? Because there's an important difference between what Catherine

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4:51

Actually, Henry VIII DID Divorce His Wives...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/09/07

You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives:"Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."But mention it online, and you tend to get someone saying, "Actually, Henry didn't divorce Catherine of Aragon or Anne of Cleves. Their marriages were annulled."But is that correction actually right?In this video, I'm looking at what "divorce" meant in the sixteenth century, why Tudor terminology doesn't fit neatly with our modern distinction between divorce and annulment, and

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34:14

Anne Boleyn Was Queen for 3 Years - What Did She...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/08/24

We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise and her dramatic fall that we often skip over the bit in between, but what was Anne actually like as Queen of England?Anne was Henry VIII's queen for just three years, but during that short time she acted as an intercessor, supported scholars and universities, promoted religious reform, gave to the poor, patronised artists and used her access to Henry VIII to help people who appealed to her.In this instalment of my Anne Boleyn

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18:01

Who Would Marry Henry VIII? The Search for Wife No. 4

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/08/14

Who would agree to become Henry VIII's fourth wife?By late 1537, Henry VIII was back on the marriage market. Catherine of Aragon had been banished, Anne Boleyn had been executed, and Jane Seymour had died shortly after giving Henry the legitimate son he had longed for.Now the 46-year-old king needed another queen.And so began an extraordinary search across Europe.In this video, I'm giving Henry VIII's search for wife number four the Tudor Blind Date treatment as we meet some of the women considered

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9:20

Did Mary of Guise Use Anne Boleyn's Words to Refuse...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/08/06

One of the most famous quotations attributed to Mary of Guise is her alleged reply to Henry VIII's proposal of marriage:"I may be a big woman, but I have a very little neck."It's a wonderful story, cleverly alluding to Anne Boleyn's execution and Henry VIII's reputation. But did Mary of Guise really say those words?In this video, I investigate the evidence by examining contemporary diplomatic correspondence, including the dispatches of the French ambassador Castillon, along with the works of John

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26:20

Was Henry VIII really catfished by Anne of Cleves?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/07/29

It's one of the most famous stories surrounding Henry VIII's fourth marriage. Hans Holbein the Younger was supposedly sent to Cleves to paint Anne's portrait, produced an image that made her look far more attractive than she really was, and Henry agreed to the marriage - only to be bitterly disappointed when he finally met Anne in person.But is that actually what happened?In this podcast, I'm going back to the evidence from 1539 to investigate what Henry VIII really knew about Anne of Cleves before

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10:54

Did Christina of Denmark REALLY Say "If I Had Two...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/07/23

Did Christina of Denmark really tell Henry VIII, "If I had two heads, one would be at His Majesty's disposal"?It's one of the most famous quotations associated with Henry VIII's search for a fourth wife. Christina, the young widowed Duchess of Milan, was considered as a possible bride for the Tudor king in 1538, and the story goes that she responded to Henry's interest with this wonderfully cutting remark.But did she actually say it?This question came up in the comments on my recent video about

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28:06

Why Couldn't Henry VIII "Do It" With Anne of Cleves?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/07/21

Did Henry VIII Have Erectile Dysfunction? The Anne of Cleves Bedroom MysteryDid Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves ever actually "do it"?Henry claimed that his marriage to Anne was never consummated because he found his new wife so unattractive that he simply couldn't bring himself to have sex with her.But what if we've spent nearly 500 years looking at the wrong person?In this video, I take a fresh look at the contemporary evidence surrounding Henry VIII's short-lived marriage to Anne of Cleves. From

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8:46

Did Henry VIII Almost Take Anne of Cleves Back?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/07/15

Why did so many people believe Henry VIII would remarry Anne of Cleves after Catherine Howard's fall?While researching my forthcoming event, The Rise and Fall of Catherine Howard, I noticed something fascinating. Anne of Cleves kept appearing in the primary sources surrounding Catherine Howard's downfall.By the end of 1541, Catherine Howard's marriage to Henry VIII was collapsing, and rumours spread rapidly across England and Europe that Henry would take Anne of Cleves back as his wife.Anne's own

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14:44

Should We Stop Diagnosing Henry VIII?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/07/05

Was Henry VIII a narcissist? A psychopath? A sociopath?These labels are increasingly applied to England's most famous king, but after years of researching Henry VIII and reading contemporary sources, I don't think the evidence allows us to make that kind of diagnosis.In this video, I explain why I believe there's an important difference between judging Henry VIII's actions and trying to retrospectively diagnose his personality using modern psychology. I also explore why I don't believe there were

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29:15

Henry VIII: Not Like Other Kings

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/06/28

Why did Henry VIII marry so differently from other European monarchs?Most Renaissance kings married for diplomacy, alliances and dynastic advantage. Personal attraction might have mattered, but politics usually came first. Henry VIII repeatedly did the opposite. Instead of choosing the most politically advantageous bride, he often pursued the woman he personally wanted to marry, even when it transformed the course of English history. In this video, I explore why Henry approached marriage so

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16:18

Was Anne Boleyn Really the Love of Henry VIII's Life?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/06/22

People often call Anne Boleyn the love of Henry VIII's life, but was she really? In this video, I'm taking a closer look at one of the most romanticised relationships in Tudor history and asking whether we've mistaken obsession, desire and possession for love. Henry VIII pursued Anne Boleyn for years, wrote her passionate letters, and changed the course of English history in order to marry her, yet in 1536, when Anne was arrested, imprisoned in the Tower and accused of adultery, incest and treason,

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28:15

People Were Protesting Immigration in England 500...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/06/15

The history of immigration in England is far older than many people realise. Immigration in Tudor England, medieval England and even Roman Britain helped shape the nation we know today.People often talk about immigration as though it is a modern issue, but England's history tells a very different story. In this video, we explore over a thousand years of migration to England, from the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans to medieval Jewish communities, Flemish weavers, Italian bankers, Tudor

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10:47

Would you survive a Tudor football match?

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/06/05

#TudorHistory #FootballHistory #WorldCupLong before packed stadiums, professional leagues and World Cup tournaments, football in England was a very different game. There were no referees, no standard rules, no fixed number of players and, in some cases, no guarantee that everyone would make it home safely. In this video, historian Claire Ridgway explores the fascinating and often shocking world of Tudor football. Discover how the game was played, why English kings tried to restrict it, how Henry

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25:07

Henry VIII Expected a Prince… But Anne Boleyn Gave...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/05/25

England waited anxiously for the birth of Anne Boleyn’s child in 1533.Henry VIII had broken with Rome, overturned his kingdom, and married Anne believing she would finally give him the son and heir he desperately wanted. Astrologers predicted a prince, celebrations were prepared, a letter announcing the birth of a male heir had even been drafted in advance, but behind the splendour of Greenwich Palace lay the terrifying reality of Tudor childbirth. In this video, I explore Anne Boleyn’s

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8:56

The Gossip, the Murmuring, the Speed: Henry VIII and...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/05/20

On 20th May 1536, just one day after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Henry VIII became formally betrothed to Jane Seymour. Even by Tudor standards, many saw the speed of the relationship as shocking and unseemly.In this off-the-cuff video, I explore the gossip and murmuring at court following Anne’s fall, ask why Henry was in such a desperate hurry, and consider whether fears of pregnancy may have played a role. I also reflect on what the atmosphere at court must have been like after the sudden

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26:10

Who Killed the Princes in the Tower? One of History's...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/05/06

Two young princes vanished inside the Tower of London, and history has never agreed on what happened next.In 1483, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, disappeared from public view after their uncle seized the throne as King Richard III. Were they murdered? If so, who was responsible? For centuries, suspicion has fallen on Richard III, but was the case really that simple? In this video, I explore: • the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower • Richard III and the evidence

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23:34

The Wars of the Roses Explained | The Civil War That...

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway ·

2026/04/29

Kings were overthrown, noble families destroyed, princes vanished, and England descended into decades of civil war.In this Beginner’s Guide to the Wars of the Roses, I explore the dynastic conflict between the rival houses of Lancaster and York, a struggle that would bring down the Plantagenets and pave the way for the Tudor dynasty. From the weak reign of Henry VI and the rise of Richard, Duke of York, to the battles of St Albans, Towton, Barnet, and Tewkesbury, this video untangles the complex

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