by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. When Henry VIII elevated Anne Boleyn to the position of Lady Marquess of Pembroke on 1 September 1532, he was making Anne the most powerful person in England second only to him. She attained a status that not even Katharine of Aragon had. Not only was it a romantic gesture for Henry to have Anne connected to Pembroke, the … Continue reading The Power of Anne Boleyn
By Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Please enjoy this post in celebration of the release of, If Any Person will Meddle of My Cause: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn, with free shipping to the UK and US from Blackwell’s. Two future Tudor queens wed on 14 November, which is one of the feast days for St. Erkenwald. The women wed their Tudor suitors 31 … Continue reading Saint Erkenwald’s Day: An Inauspicious Tudor Wedding Day
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Katharine of Aragon spent an agonizing seven years in England waiting for her future to find her. Although it was surely a depressing, demoralizing time, going back to Spain might have been more dangerous for Katharine. Things were not safe and secure as the Iberian peninsula, and particularly the Crown of Castile and León, faced crisis after crisis. One … Continue reading Katharine of Aragon and the Castilian Grain Crisis
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Katharine of Aragon left an indelible mark on Tudor England that remains to present time. We are still talking about her. Katharine’s life and the struggle she faced impacted her tremendously, and left a huge impression on her daughter Mary. This very evident when looking at who Mary I, England’s first queen regnant, chose as a husband and the … Continue reading Katharine of Aragon’s Spanish Legacy in England
a guest post by Sylvia Barbara Soberton Robert Dudley is remembered mostly as Elizabeth I’s master of the horse and possible lover. The two knew each other since childhood and when Elizabeth became queen they became inseparable. Robert was a married man at the time and his involvement with the Queen – their private meetings, hunting escapades and intimacy – added to the scandal. When … Continue reading “Mine Utter Overthrow”: Robert Dudley’s Secret Remarriage
by Heather R. Darsie, JD Please note that this was originally published at On the Tudor Trail. After decades of being on display at the renowned Louvre Museum in Paris, the dark, shadowy portrait of Anna of Cleves has been restored. The portrait was executed by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1539. An eager Henry VIII of England sent the German master to the United … Continue reading Restoration of Anna of Cleves Portrait
by Heather R. Darsie, J.D. For decades, if not centuries, it has been assumed that Henry VIII of England and Anna of Cleves never consummated their marriage. The Secret Council that met to devise a way for Henry to have an annulment of his marriage to Anna, rather than a divorce, knew that they had to create air-tight documents to support the idea that Henry … Continue reading The Consummation of Anna of Cleves’ and Henry VIII’s Marriage
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Anna of Cleves died in July 1557, having reached her forty-second birthday weeks before. Curiously, in 1558, a woman who possessed Anna’s signet ring showed up at the court of Anna’s nephew, John Frederick the Middle. She had an interesting story for the young man, Who was this woman? Was she an illegitimate half-sister of Anna’s, or a cousin? … Continue reading The False Anna of Cleves
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Anna of Cleves’ life in England improved substantially after her stepson Edward VI died in 1553. Anna and Mary I of England were very friendly with each other. Anna resumed coming to court, and even tried to help her friend Mary find a suitable husband. Mary wound up desiring a Spanish match, of which some in England unfortunately did … Continue reading Anna of Cleves and the Wyatt Rebellion
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Happy New Year! As we bid farewell to 2022 and greet 2023, I thought we could peer back through the mists of time to 500 years ago. Below are some important events in the Tudor world! Henry VIII was thirteen years into his reign, which began in January 1509. He was thirty-one years old, married to Katharine of Aragon, … Continue reading 1522: A Tudor Year in Review
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 