A thin, cautious man stepped onto a Welsh beach in August 1485 with fewer soldiers than his enemy, and more to lose than anyone in England. Three weeks later, he had killed a king, married his rival’s niece, and founded a dynasty that still shapes Britain. He was Henry VII - quiet, calculating, and absolutely not boring. In this beginner’s guide, I explore how the first Tudor monarch ended the Wars of the Roses, rebuilt royal authority, and quietly transformed England from chaos to stability. Forget the myth of the miserly king in his counting house, this Henry knew how to wield power, throw a party with dragons and castles on wheels, and plan dynasties like a master strategist. In this podcast: • How Henry won Bosworth and united Lancaster and York • His clever diplomacy, finances, and propaganda • The truth behind his “boring” reputation • The personal losses that reshaped his reign • How his quiet vision laid the groundwork for Henry VIII and Elizabeth I If Henry VIII was fireworks, Henry VII was the fuse, less flashy, but far more important. Recommended reading: Nathen Amin, Son of Prophecy Tell me in the comments: what surprised you most about Henry VII? #HenryVII #TudorHistory #WarsOfTheRoses #TudorDynasty #BritishHistory #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #BeginnerHistory

A jealous husband. A royal favourite. A queen held at gunpoint. On the night of 9 March 1566, David Rizzio, secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, was dragged from her side and stabbed over fifty times in Holyrood Palace, while the pregnant queen was forced to watch. But what really lay behind this shocking act? Was Rizzio Mary’s lover? Or was her husband, Lord Darnley, jealous for a different reason? Or was Rizzio just a scapegoat? Join me as I explore the true story behind the Rizzio Murder, where court gossip, sexual scandal, and ruthless politics collided, setting Mary on the path to her downfall. Listen to uncover: - Why Rizzio rose so quickly in Mary’s service - How Darnley’s ambition and insecurity turned deadly - The truth behind those rumours of a royal love triangle - How one murder changed the fate of Scotland’s most tragic queen History, passion, and power — Tudor and Stuart style. Subscribe for more true historical scandals and royal mysteries. #MaryQueenOfScots #LordDarnley #DavidRizzio #TudorHistory #StuartHistory #RoyalScandal #HistoryYouTube #ClaireRidgwa

• The rise of Hugh Faringdon from monk to abbot of one of England’s greatest monasteries
• How he served Henry VIII faithfully before the Dissolution of the Monasteries
• Why refusing to surrender Reading Abbey made him a target of Thomas Cromwell’s regime
• The brutal execution that shocked Tudor England
• And how, centuries later, he was beatified as Blessed Hugh Faringdon, a martyr of conscience.

On this day in Tudor history, 13 November 1537, England mourned its queen. Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife and the mother of Prince Edward, was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her death twelve days after childbirth plunged court and kingdom into grief. Join me as I retrace Jane’s final journey from Hampton Court Palace, where she gave birth and died, to Windsor, where her body was borne in a grand procession of torches, banners, and black-clad mourners. Discover:

• Details on the procession and service
• Lady Mary’s role as chief mourner
• The city-wide mourning in London, with bells tolling across every parish
• And the poignant detail that Jane’s heart and entrails were buried separately.

Jane Seymour’s funeral marked the end of a brief, brilliant chapter - the queen who gave Henry VIII the son he longed for and, in death, secured her place beside him for eternity. #TudorHistory #JaneSeymour #HenryVIII #SixWives #WindsorCastle #HamptonCourt #ClaireRidgway #TheAnneBoleynFiles

On this day in Tudor history, 12 November 1555, Queen Mary I turned back the religious clock. Parliament passed the Second Statute of Repeal, restoring papal authority and reuniting England with the Catholic Church after more than twenty years of upheaval. I explore how Mary achieved what had once seemed impossible:

• Undoing her father Henry VIII’s break with Rome and her brother Edward VI’s Protestant reforms
• Bringing England spiritually home to the Pope
• Balancing faith and politics by protecting nobles’ monastic lands
• And why, intriguingly, she kept the title “Supreme Head of the Church” even as she restored papal power

For three short years, England was once again Catholic, until Mary’s death in 1558 and Elizabeth I’s sweeping reversal. Was Mary’s vision of unity ever possible in a country so divided by faith? Share your thoughts in the comments below. #TudorHistory #MaryI #CounterReformation #Reformation #QueenMaryI #ClaireRidgway #TheAnneBoleynFiles

• The story of St Martin of Tours and why 11 November became his feast day
• How Tudor households prepared for winter by salting meat and preserving food
• The meaning of old sayings like “His Martinmas will come, as it does to every hog”
• Why salt was treasured as life itself
• And how Spain’s La Matanza still echoes the traditions that fed the Tudors

#TudorHistory #ElizabethI #RobertDevereux #EarlofEssex #TudorCourt #TudorScandal #OnThisDay #AnneBoleynFiles #BritishHistory #ClaireRidgway