Category Archives: Henry VIII

Smelling Wives?

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Christine Hartweg

Landgraf Philipp von Hessen (Landgrave Philip of Hesse in English usage) was one of the most important political leaders of the German Reformation and a great supporter of Martin Luther. He was also Germany’s most famous bigamist. In 1524, at … Continue reading →

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Did Henry FitzRoy and Edward VI Die of the Same Illness? Guest article by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Christine Hartweg

Today, I am very happy to host Sylvia Barbara Soberton on her blog tour for her new book, Medical Downfall of the Tudors: Sex, Reproduction & Succession, which I had the pleasure to read beforehand. Sylvia also wrote several books … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward VI, guest posts, Henry VIII | Tagged | 5 Comments

Did Edward VI Tear Apart His Falcon?

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Christine Hartweg

Edward VI was a “cold-hearted prick” according to the eminent Tudor historian G. R. Elton, and often repeated proof of this fact is a story about the 13-year-old king told by Simon Renard, then the emperor’s ambassador in France. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward VI, errors & myths, Henry VIII, sources & historians, strange facts from popular books | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Did Good Queen Bess Kill More People for Religion than Bloody Mary?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Christine Hartweg

Did Mary I kill fewer people because of religion than Elizabeth I? – The short answer is no. I have seen many claims over the last few years on the internet that Mary I executed fewer people on grounds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward VI, Elizabeth I, errors & myths, Henry VIII, religion | Tagged | 7 Comments

How Henry VIII Got Rid Of His Wives

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Christine Hartweg

We left the Ambassador Extraordinary of France, François de Scépeaux, Sieur de Vieilleville, and his companions at the court of Edward VI in early 1547 amazed at how English noblemen behaved towards their sovereign; they even knelt when serving the … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward VI, Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, John Dudley, religion, sources & historians | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

John Dudley’s Youth: In Kent, at Court, in France

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Christine Hartweg

Edmund Dudley’s decapitated body was buried in the precincts of the Blackfriars monastery in the west of the City of London. Fifteen months later, in November 1511, his widow remarried, on the king’s command; the lucky bridegroom was Arthur Plantagenet, … Continue reading →

Posted in family & marriage, friends & foes, Henry VIII, Jane Dudley, John Dudley | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

John Dudley’s Childhood, in London

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Christine Hartweg

John Dudley was born between February 1504 and February 1505,1 probably in London, Candlewick Street. Apparently, he was named after his grandfather, Sir John Dudley of Atherington, himself a younger son of another John, the formidable first Baron of Dudley … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Dudley, Edmund Dudley, family & marriage, Henry VIII, John Dudley, sources & historians | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Sir John Dudley Goes to Spain

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Christine Hartweg

On 12 October 1537 England finally was blessed with the prince the country had yearned for so long. Three days later, among “all estates and gentlemen present at the christening” was listed “Sir John Dudley”.1 He already had played his … Continue reading →

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Robert Dudley’s Childhood

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Christine Hartweg

On 24 June 1532 (or, possibly, 1533) Lady Jane Dudley, the wife of Sir John Dudley, gave birth to her fifth son, Robert. It was a holiday with much street celebration in England, the Feast of St. John the Baptist. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elizabeth I, family & marriage, Henry VIII, Jane Dudley, John Dudley, letters, religion, Robert Dudley | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Royal Blood! So What?

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Christine Hartweg

Ambrose, Robert Dudley’s elder brother, may have been married to secret royal blood, we learn in a new book, Bessie Blount, by Elizabeth Norton. In recent years it has become fashionable to enlarge Henry VIII’s family of illegitimate children, Elizabeth … Continue reading →

Posted in 1553, Ambrose Dudley, Andrew Dudley, Elizabeth I, errors & myths, family & marriage, Guildford Dudley, Henry VIII, John Dudley, Lettice Knollys, Robert Dudley | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments