Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

By Claire Ridgway

Step back into a world of intrigue, passion, and ruthless ambition — welcome to Tudor England.

Join historian and bestselling author Claire Ridgway as she uncovers the riveting stories of the Tudor d... more

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FAQs about Tudor History with Claire Ridgway:

How many episodes does Tudor History with Claire Ridgway have?

The podcast currently has 1,147 episodes available.

Tudor History with Claire Ridgway episodes:

December 05, 2025From St Nicholas to Santa Claus
Welcome to Day 6 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!
Today we’re diving into one of the most enchanting feast days of the Tudor calendar, St Nicholas’s Day, and uncovering how this 4th-century bishop eventually became the Santa Claus we know today.

We’ll explore:
The real St Nicholas of Myra, miracle worker and protector of children
The extraordinary Boy Bishop tradition, where a child led church services from 6–28 December
How Henry VII supported the custom… and why Henry VIII banned it
How Hereford and Salisbury Cathedrals still keep the tradition alive today
Why St Nicholas didn’t bring gifts in Tudor England
The medieval legends, chimneys, stockings, secret gold, that shaped later folklore
How Dutch “Sinta Klaas” became Santa in America
Why Father Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t a gift-giver at all
So no, Tudor children didn’t hang stockings, but the stories surrounding St Nicholas created the foundation for Santa Claus, from night-time gift-giving to flying through the sky.

Join me tomorrow for Tudor Christmas Decorations!
And if you’re enjoying this series, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell.

#StNicholas #BoyBishop #SantaClausHistory #TudorChristmas #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #MedievalTraditions #ChristmasOrigins #Sinterklaas #FatherChristmas #TudorHistory
...more
8min
December 04, 2025The REAL Twelve Days of Christmas
Did you know the Tudors didn’t end Christmas on 25th December… they started it?

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we’re walking through the true Twelve Days of Christmas, a world of church services, feasts, fasting, wine, charity, misrule, and community traditions that modern Christmas barely resembles.

In this video, you’ll learn:
Why Christmas Day was all about worship — not feasting
Why no work (not even spinning!) was allowed throughout the 12 days
How St Stephen’s Day involved charity… AND horse-bleeding and hunting
Why 27 December was the Tudor excuse for endless wine
Why Childermas was the most solemn, and sometimes unsettling, day
Why New Year’s Day gift-giving was the most political moment of the season
How Twelfth Night was celebrated
Why the fun abruptly ended with Plough Monday and St Distaff’s Day
This is the Christmas season the Tudors actually lived — rich, ritual-filled, joyful, sometimes strange, and endlessly fascinating.

If you’re enjoying my Tudor Advent series, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell, there’s more Tudor Christmas magic every day until 24 December!

#TudorChristmas #12DaysOfChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasTraditions #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #MedievalChristmas #TwelfthNight #StStephensDay #Childermas #PloughMonday
...more
7min
December 03, 2025 How the Tudors Had Fun by the Fire: Tudor Christmas Fun
What did Tudor families do at Christmas once the feasting slowed, the music quietened, and the Yule log glowed on the hearth?

They played games, and some of them are still incredibly fun today.

Welcome to Day 4 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series! I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today we’re stepping into the warm, bustling world of Tudor fireside entertainment.

From nobles in great halls to sailors aboard the Mary Rose, people in Tudor England filled the long winter evenings with:

- Dice games like Cent, Raffles, and Passage
- Card games from gentle Noddy to high-stakes Primero — Henry VIII’s favourite
- Board games including backgammon (“tables”), chess, Fox and Geese, and Nine Men’s Morris
- Shove-board and early billiards for the elite
- And simple household fun like pick-up sticks

These games weren’t just entertainment.
They were connection - a way for families and communities to share laughter, competition, mischief, and companionship throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.

If you’re enjoying this festive journey through Tudor history, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell - more Christmas magic is coming tomorrow!

#TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasTraditions #HistoryWithClaire #HenryVIII #MedievalGames #TwelveDaysOfChristmas #AnneBoleynFiles #ChristmasHistory
...more
7min
December 02, 2025 Gifts Fit for a King or Queen: The Secret Politics of Tudor New Year Gifts
Did you know the Tudors didn’t give gifts at Christmas?

For them, New Year’s Day was the most political, strategic, and nerve-wracking day of the entire festive season; a glittering ritual where loyalty was displayed, and favour was won (or lost).

Welcome to Day 3 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today we’re stepping inside the astonishing world of Tudor gift-giving.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why New Year’s Day was the true “gift season”
- How Henry VIII used gifts to reward, punish, and send unmistakable signals
- What Anne Boleyn gave (and what Henry gave her in return!)
- The lavish presents exchanged across the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I
- Why gifts were not sentimental… but political tools

From Holbein-designed silver fountains to early wristwatches, from embroidered coats to gold whistles, Tudor New Year’s gifts tell us everything about power, favour, and desire at court.

If you enjoy this deep dive into Tudor ritual, please like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments:

Which Tudor monarch would YOU choose a gift for, and what would you give them?

#TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #HenryVIII #AnneBoleyn #NewYearsDay #RoyalHistory #HistoryWithClaire #TudorCourt #OnThisDay #HistoricalFacts
...more
7min
December 01, 2025£13.5 Million Christmas? Inside Henry VIII’s Royal Feast
Welcome to Day 2 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!
Today, we’re stepping into the smoky, bustling, gloriously extravagant royal kitchens of Henry VIII to uncover the unforgettable dishes served at a Tudor Christmas feast.

While Advent was a month of fasting and restraint, everything changed the moment Midnight Mass ended on Christmas Day. And nobody feasted with more splendour — or spent more money — than Henry VIII. His very first Christmas as king cost the modern equivalent of £13.5 million!

Join me, historian and author Claire Ridgway, as we explore:
The dazzling meats on the king’s table
The terrifying Tudor showpiece: the “cockatrice”
The ceremonial boar’s head, carried in to trumpets, drums, and song
Sugary marvels like marchpane sculptures, leech, gilded fruits and sugar-plate creations
Tudor Christmas drinks — mulled wine, hippocras, Christmas ale, and lamb’s wool
The original Christmas pie, stuffed with layer upon layer of birds

We’ll also explore what ordinary Tudor families ate, why Christmas food symbolised power, and how feasting became a kind of royal performance.

Thank you for joining me for Day 2 of our journey toward Christmas!
Tomorrow, in Day 3, we’ll dive into Tudor gift-giving — when presents were exchanged and what a king or queen might receive.

If you’re enjoying this Advent series, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you won’t miss the next podcast.

Related videos:
Tudor Quince Marmalade - https://youtu.be/LgVJt7yWH2I
Tudor Hippocras - https://youtu.be/yabiVqlV4pw
Tudor Gingerbread - https://youtu.be/nFRvDxsDAPk
Lambswool Wassail - https://youtu.be/9GDrnPesC2Y

#TudorChristmas #HenryVIII #TudorHistory #ChristmasHistory #MedievalChristmas #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #TwelveDaysOfChristmas #TudorFood #HistoricalCooking #AdventSeries
...more
7min
November 30, 2025 What Advent REALLY Meant in Tudor England
Most of us think Advent means calendars, chocolate, and switching on the Christmas playlist…
But for our medieval and Tudor ancestors, Advent meant something completely different.

Welcome to Day 1 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!
Today we’re stepping into the medieval and Tudor world to explore what Advent really meant, and how it prepared people for the true Christmas feast that didn’t begin until 25 December.

In this episode, I cover:

- Why Advent was more like a mini-Lent — a season of fasting and restraint
- Why Christmas Eve was the strictest fasting day of all
- How the Church shaped December as a time of preparation, not celebration
- The older midwinter traditions behind the season
- Why a Tudor walking into our modern homes would think we’d started Christmas FAR too early
- How Advent set the stage for the Twelve Days of Christmas, with all their feasting, revelry and topsy-turvy fun

For the Tudors, Advent wasn’t about treats, it was about waiting.

Join me every day as we journey through Tudor Advent and Christmas, exploring St Nicholas and the Boy Bishop, Tudor food and drink, wassailing, mumming, the Lord of Misrule and much more.

Do you mark Advent in any special way? Let me know in the comments!

If you’d like to walk through a full Tudor Christmas with me, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for tomorrow’s instalment.

#TudorHistory #TudorChristmas #Advent #HistoryYouTube #ClaireRidgway #MedievalChristmas #TwelveDaysOfChristmas #HistoryNerd #BritishHistory #TudorTok #ChristmasHistory
...more
7min
November 29, 2025 When England Apologised to the Pope
On this day in Tudor history, 30 November 1554, England did something astonishing:
Parliament itself asked to be forgiven for the kingdom’s break from Rome.

This was the crucial first step toward the full reconciliation I covered in my 12 November 1555 video… but today was where it truly began.

In this episode, I explore:

✦ Why England couldn’t simply “return” to Rome — it had to be done legally and ceremonially
✦ The role of Cardinal Reginald Pole, papal legate and later the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury
✦ The humble petition presented by Lords and Commons to Mary I and Philip of Spain
✦ The dramatic moment Pole, with full papal authority, absolved the realm
✦ Why the day was ordered to be commemorated annually with processions, masses, and sermons
✦ How the reconciliation was swiftly undone after Elizabeth I’s accession

Before the public ceremonies of 1555, before the statues and processions, England first had to bow its head, and on this day, it did.

If you enjoy travelling through Tudor history with me, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more daily videos.

12 November 1554 video - When Mary I Turned Back the Clock - https://youtu.be/7Xs5kjM_09A

#MaryI #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #EnglishReformation #ReginaldPole #MaryTudor #ReformationHistory #Tudors #HistoryYouTube #ClaireRidgway #BritishHistory #HistoryNerd #CatholicHistory
...more
5min
November 28, 2025 A Beginner’s Guide to Edward VI: The Boy-king Who Tried to Save the Reformation
Who was Edward VI?
To many, he’s the pale, serious boy in a fur-trimmed coat, a footnote between Henry VIII and Mary I.
But in reality, Edward’s short reign reshaped England dramatically.

In A Beginner’s Guide to Edward VI, I explore:

- His sheltered childhood and intense education
- The power struggle between Edward Seymour and John Dudley
- The sweeping Protestant reforms that changed England’s religious identity
- The rebellions that shook the kingdom
- Edward’s final illness, and his disastrous “Devise for the Succession”
- How his decisions paved the way for the Lady Jane Grey crisis

Edward VI ruled for just six years… yet his policies, beliefs, and fears set England on a path that would shape three Tudor reigns after him.

If you enjoy this guide, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for daily Tudor history!

#EdwardVI #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #Tudors #HenryVIII #LadyJaneGrey #EnglishReformation #HistoryNerd #BritishHistory #HistoryDocumentary
...more
9min
November 27, 2025 The Tudor Princess Who Changed Britain
On this day in Tudor history, 28 November 1489, a princess was born at Westminster Palace whose life would be shaped by diplomacy, danger, and dynastic destiny.

Her name was Margaret Tudor: daughter of Henry VII, sister of Henry VIII, Queen of Scots… and the woman whose descendants would one day unite the crowns of England and Scotland.

Sent to Scotland at just thirteen, Margaret became queen consort to James IV, then a young widow after Flodden, and even regent for her infant son, the future James V. Her life, however, was anything but stable. Politics, broken alliances, unhappy marriages, exile, divided loyalties - Margaret endured all of it.

But her legacy changed the course of British history.

In today’s video, I explore the remarkable, emotional, and often overlooked story of this Tudor princess whose bloodline still sits on the throne.

Thank you for watching, and don’t forget to subscribe for your regular dose of Tudor history.

Links to more videos:
Margaret Tudor's Flight - https://youtu.be/XOQH9WlmhOU
Margaret Tudor's Secret Marriage - https://youtu.be/CEE88HDbM4M
Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland - https://youtu.be/4MyX4SfN5IE
The birth of King James V - https://youtu.be/CiXTTLBhjus

#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #MargaretTudor #HenryVII #HenryVIII #MaryQueenOfScots #Scotland #HistoryYouTube #ClaireRidgway #BritishHistory
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6min
November 26, 2025 Father of Jane Boleyn… and Henry VIII’s Scholar Courtier
On this day in Tudor history, 27 November 1556, Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley, died quietly at his estate in Essex.
He was a nobleman, diplomat, scholar… and the father of the famous (and infamous) Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford.

Morley’s life spanned the rise of the Tudor dynasty, and he moved through it with skill:
from a childhood in Lady Margaret Beaufort’s household, to service under Henry VIII, to presenting beautifully translated books to the Tudor monarchs themselves.

He mixed with the powerful, gifted Machiavelli to Cromwell, survived dangerous political tides, and watched tragedy unfold within his own family, yet his legacy today rests largely in his writings.

Join me to explore the story of a man who stood close to some of the most dramatic events and figures of the age, but slipped into the shadows of history.

If you enjoy discovering lesser-known Tudors with remarkable stories, do subscribe and ring the bell.

#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #HenryVIII #AnneBoleyn #JaneBoleyn #MaryI #HistoryYouTube #TudorCourt #HiddenHistory #ClaireRidgway
...more
5min

FAQs about Tudor History with Claire Ridgway:

How many episodes does Tudor History with Claire Ridgway have?

The podcast currently has 1,147 episodes available.

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