A few years ago, back in 2019, I wrote a post about the Breton Crisis. This is an often over-looked period of Tudor foreign policy, with many people much preferring to spend their time reading and understanding more dramatic events, such as the Spanish Armada or Henry VIII’s invasions of France. After all, Henry VII […]
During her reign Elizabeth faced a range of challenges from different groups of puritans who desired reform of the Elizabethan Settlement. This answer will assess three different challenges, from the Vestment Controversy of the 1560s, parliamentary pressure in the 1580s, and the threat of separatists in the 1580s-1590s. The position of this answer is that […]
Financial policies were incredibly important to Henry VII during his reign, particularly in raising revenue. However, this answer argues that the problems caused by his financial policies means that other factors were more important in establishing his authority, particularly his use of foreign policies. It is clear that Henry was in need of improving the […]
My new book – Sir Walter Raleigh: A New History – is coming out later this spring. Having spent a good portion of two years researching and writing it, I’m really looking forward to seeing it in print and in my hand. As with any book writing process, there was so much that I simply […]
Whilst reading something related to the Tudors I came across an intriguing name: Julius Caesar. But this isn’t, as the blog post title states, not the Julius Caesar that you would immediately think of. Rather than the man from the Roman era who brought about the fall of the Republic, this other Julius Caesar was […]
I spent a couple of spare hours putting together my very own Tudor family tree, in which I attempted to outline everybody connected to Henry VII. I popped down a rough draft on some A3 sheets, which I’m planning on putting together in a clearer form on a massive A1 sheet that will printed out […]
I’ve recently covered the reign of Mary I (1553-1558) with students. We focused on key aspects of her reign, including how she came to power (through the Devise for the Succession of 1553 which attempted to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne), her political changes, as well as her foreign policy entanglements (which led […]
Last month I had an interesting experience as a guest on the John Acres radio show on BBC Radio Devon. From Monday to Friday, I was involved in a quiz which focused on celebrity birthdays, in which I pitted my wits against the host in attempting to guess the age of various celebrities. Unfortunately, my […]
In A-level History earlier today, we were covering the Catholic threat to Queen Elizabeth I (as part of the module 1C. The Tudors), and having outlined the Pope’s excommunication of Elizabeth in 1570, we somehow got onto the question of who was the actual head of the Catholic Church at that time. Well, my standard […]
I’ve recently marked a batch of mock exams for my A-level History group on the Tudors module that we cover. On the whole, I’m happy with their progress, and am optimistic about their chances in the final exams in May and June later this year. One of the questions focused on the problems of succession […]
The following article was written for a revived online version of The Cornish Banner back in 2019. I was drawn to the life of Cuthbert Mayne due to his connection to Cornwall during the Tudor period. His end was brutal and the methods employed by the Tudor state raise many questions regarding the morality of […]
The Elizabethan era of the late 16th century was filled with problems between England and Spain. When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 the two kingdoms had enjoyed a few years of alliance due to the ‘Spanish Match’ between Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain. Although the marriage does not appear to […]
Earlier this week in an A-level History revision session, I covered the breakdown of society during the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509). This involves an overview of the feudalist structure, with further focus on the hierarchy and influence of the Catholic Church. I haven’t seen any questions relating to this on previous exam papers (the […]
