A goddess to fill the royal nursery with Tudor sons

King Henry VIII met Anne von Cleves privately on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester Abbey on her journey from Dover.  The king, accompanied by his few courtiers, arrived at the abbey with the intention to woo his bride with courtly love.  He went to Anne’s rooms disguised, so Anne,...

The 2nd of May 1536: Anne Boleyn is apprehended

The second of May in the year 1536 began for Queen Anne Boleyn as any routine day.  Accompanied by her inner circle, Anne watched a game of tennis at Greenwich Palace.  Then the king’s messenger approached and apprised her of her husband’s order to present herself before the Privy Council....

Coronation of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn emerged from the Tower of London at 5pm on Saturday the 31st of May 1533.  She had spent the previous several days in the queen’s chambers in the Tower.  According to contemporary sources, the last day of spring was sunny, bright, and warm, and the sky was an unbroken...

A fatal love triangle untangled: Execution of Anne Boleyn, the 19th of May 1536

the links to part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour After Anne’s trial and her condemnation, events were happening at a breakneck speed. On the 16th of May 1536, Archbishop Cranmer visited the condemned Anne...

What would have happened if Queen Mary I had a reason to execute her younger sister, Elizabeth?

One of my readers asked me what would of happened if Queen Mary I had a reason to execute her younger sister, Elizabeth? Could Mary send her sister to the block? Would she have named Mary Stuart as her heir? Mary and Elizabeth had a very strained relationship after Mary’s...

The End of the Tudor Dynasty: Death of Queen Elizabeth I

On the 24th March of 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, died at Richmond Palace. She ruled England for almost 45 years. Often called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the second queen regnant in England, one of England’s...