The Tudor Fair Blog
7 September 1533… Happy Birthday Princess Elizabeth
On 7 September 1533 a little girl came screaming into the world less than two weeks after her mother began her confinement period. She was a big surprise, though. Her father had risked excommunication, and separation from Christendom in order to have a son with her mother. She would not…
The Tudor Whatsit?
Here’s a joke waiting to be told: a Tudor historian, a blogger, and a podcaster all walk into a bar and … … can’t pay the bill because all they have with them are groats? … spend five hours trying to redecorate the place, but in the end decide they…
Old Music Tuesday: The Baldwin Partbooks
John Baldwin was a singer in St George’s Chapel Windsor in the late 16th century. He also sang in the Chapel Royal. A man of many talents, Baldwin was also a composer, and copied manuscripts. He is the source of many of the manuscripts we have of music from this…
Tudor Dogs: A Post in honor of National Dog Day
There are plenty of blogs and books about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s best human friends. The soap opera of the Tudor Court never fails to entertain. Who is Charles Brandon sleeping with this week? Who’s in favor? Who’s out? Which wife is Henry on? But what about the other…
Women Getting It Done: The Ladies Peace
I love finding stories of women stepping outside of the normal expectations of their gender. Most people assume women spent their time making babies, feeding babies, and giving birth to more babies. But there was a lot more to the lives of women at this time period. Sarah Gristwood, in…
Three Contemporary Accounts of Bosworth Field
I recently posted a podcast episode about the Tudor Chroniclers, and how the art of writing history was changing during the 16th century. As most of you know, today is a very special day. It’s the day of my first date with my husband in 2005! It’s my grandma’s birthday!…
Let’s Move To: Shropshire and live in Castle Lodge
You know those Let’s Move to the Country shows? I want to start one called Let’s Move To an Old Castle. This week: Castle Lodge in Ludlow, Shropshire. The Daily Mail is reporting that you can now buy a 13th century home in Shropshire, that formed a part of both…
Episode 083: Mary Sidney
Episode 083 of the Renaissance English History Podcast is about Mary Sidney Herbert. There’s not a lot of information easily available about her life, but Melita Thomas from Tudor Times shares with us what she’s found. One interesting tidbit is that she took a younger … erm … companion when…
Got £70,000? Own a piece of Elizabeth I’s Jewelry
An auction house in London, Timeline Auctions, is selling some of Elizabeth I’s jewelry. The site now lists a ring owned by Elizabeth I and given to a naval officer after England defeated the Spanish Armada. Want to own it? It goes on sale on September 5, for £50,000 –…
These historic astronomical events rocked England – the solar eclipse, and supernova
If your social media feeds are like mine, you’re seeing a lot about the upcoming solar eclipse. Incidentally, I’m not likely not going to be able to see it in Spain, so I’m hoping for lots of pictures. Throughout history people have been fascinated by the movement of the stars.…
Four Great Getaways to visit Tudor England
What if you could drive a couple of hours, or take a train, and end up in the 16th century. One of my favorite things about living in England was the ability to hop on a train in King’s Cross, spend an hour or two reading a book, and hop…
Old Music Thursday: Like as the Hart – a soundtrack for reading
Everything goes better with music. This applies to dinners and road trips, but also to movies, and video games. The classical charts are filled with video game soundtracks, and many classical music purists are wringing their hands about it. But I like it. I haven’t played Skyrim regularly in the…