Today in 1571 the European allied powers defeated the Ottoman turks at the Battle of Lepanto. This was an interesting battle for England because it saw Elizabeth joining the Catholic powers to defeat the Ottomans, who were threatening Europe not only through the Mediterranean, but also through Vienna. Lepanto was the largest naval battle fought in Europe since the antiquity, with over 400 ships involved between both sides.

Today in 1555 Edward Wotten died. He was an English doctor who was born in Oxford, and he is remembered for starting the modern study of zoology. He separated out much of the fanciful and folkloric additions that had been added over time to the body of zoological knowledge.

Today in 1539 England and Cleves signed the marriage treaty between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, had died in childbirth two years earlier, and it took Henry quite a long time finding another wife, negotiating with with several European nations for their Princesses.

Today in 1518 the Tudor Court celebrated the Treaty of London, a treaty of Universal Peace agreed between the leading European nations, and called for non-aggression as well as coming to each others’ aid if they were attacked.

Today in 1452 Richard Plantagenet, the future Richard III, was born. He was the last Plantagenet king, usurping his brother’s throne in 1483 because he claimed that his brother, Edward VI’s children, were illegitimate because of a previous secret marriage precontract before Edward married his wife Elizabeth Woodville.

Today in 1553 Mary Tudor was crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey. At the start of her reign, Mary was very popular - she had the support of the people after having defeated the rebellion to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne over the summer. There was also a lot of sympathy for what she had gone through with her mother, and there was a lot of goodwill towards her.

On today's Tudor Minute Mary Tudor begins her coronation procession through London.

Today in 1501 Katherine of Aragon set sail from Laredo Spain to go to England and marry Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales.

Today in 1580 Francis Drake arrived back in Plymouth on the Golden Hind. He had successfully circumnavigated the globe, the first English explorer to do so, on a journey that took 1020 days. Drake had sailed in the Caribbean a few times on trading missions, and he had learned about how to navigate around the west indies on these trips.

Today in 1525 the explorer Stephen Borough was born in Devon. Devon and Cornwall were were some of the communities of explorers and adventurers were gathering at this time, and he himself became an explorer. In 1553 he was part of the crew on the Edward Bonaventura to try to discover a NorthEast passage to India.