Today in 1592 the Rose Theater opened in London. It was the fourth of the public theaters to be opened in London as the popularity of plays grew, and it was the first to be based in Southwark, outside the jurisdiction of the City of London. It was built by Philip Henslowe, and was the first theater to publicly perform any of Shakespeare’s plays.

Today in 1539 Nicholas Carew was tried for his role in the Exeter Conspiracy, and he would be killed later in March.

Today in 1542 Katherine Howard and Jane Rochford were executed at the Tower of London.

Today in 1542 Katherine Howard and Jane Rochford were executed at the Tower of London.

Today in 1554 Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guilford Dudley, were executed at the Tower of London.

Today in 1606, just three years after Elizabeth’s death, three ships left England.They were called the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery, and they were carrying the settlers who would found Jamestown, the first English colony in America.

Today in 1577 Francis Drake left for his voyage around the world. He would go on to successfully circumnavigate the globe, the first English explorer to do so, on a journey that took 1020 days.

Today in 1541 London was reeling from the executions of Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham, that happened yesterday. Dereham had been arrested after Thomas Cranmer let Henry know that his fifth wife, Katherine Howard, was no virginal maid, and in fact had been with Dereham before she was married.

Today is St. Nicholas Day, a day devoted to children in the Tudor period. During the feast of St. Nicholas, a boy from the choir would be chosen as the Boy Bishop, a tradition that dated from the Anglo Saxon period.

Today in 1560, Mary, Queen of Scots, became a widow for the first time when her husband, King Francis II of France, died, age 15. He died of an infection from his ear, and his brother Charles succeeded him as King, and their mother, Catherine de medici, became regent.