Content note: This video discusses historical allegations of domestic abuse.

Read the letters (primary sources):

Villain or maligned? In this interview, historical novelist Wendy Johnson—a founding member of Philippa Langley’s “Looking for Richard” project—joins me to discuss her debut novel, The Traitor’s Son, which traces Richard III’s formative decade (1461–1471).

Plus: Wendy’s top Ricardian must-visit sites, the scene she’d film first, and one non-fiction pick to read next.

On this day in Tudor history, 19 September 1580, Katherine Willoughby (Katherine Brandon, later Katherine Bertie), Duchess of Suffolk, died after a long illness and was laid to rest at Spilsby, Lincolnshire.

If you enjoy deep dives into remarkable Tudor women, please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts below.

On this day in Tudor history, 18 September 1535, Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, was born at Chartley in Staffordshire. The eldest son of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and Catherine Willoughby, Henry’s life was full of promise, until it was heartbreakingly cut short.

On 16 September 1539, Walter Devereux was born at Chartley in Staffordshire. Nobleman, soldier, coloniser—and father to Robert Devereux, Elizabeth I’s brilliant but doomed favourite—Walter’s life was full of ambition, controversy, and whispers that outlived him.

From his meteoric rise at Elizabeth’s court to his brutal and ill-fated campaign in Ireland, Walter seemed destined for greatness. But at just 37, he died suddenly in Dublin in 1576. Official cause? Dysentery. The rumours? Poison… perhaps even at the hands of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester—who later married Walter’s widow, Lettice Knollys.

In this episode, I trace Walter’s journey from Chartley heir to Irish commander, explore his marriage into the Boleyn-Knollys family, and ask:

Why did his Irish venture turn so grim?

Was his death really natural—or the result of a Tudor plot?

How did his early end shape the fate of his son, the tragic Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex?

Poison or misfortune? You decide in the comments.

If you enjoyed this Tudor true-crime style tale, please like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss tomorrow’s story from Tudor history.

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I can't believe that I've got over 75,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel, and to celebrate it, my lovely husband, Tim, put together a "mastermind" style expert round quiz to test my knowledge on the Tudors and especially the Boleyn family.

We rarely hear about Marten Micron, a young Dutch pastor who came to London as a refugee, and helped organise one of the most radical experiments of Edward VI’s reign: the Stranger Church at Austin Friars.

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s video I’ll be sharing the remarkable story of Marten Micron: his ministry among London’s refugees, his influential writings on church order and catechism, his exile under Mary I, and his enduring legacy in the Reformation.

In this episode:

- Who Marten Micron was and how he came to London.

- Why the Stranger Churches were so significant in Edward VI’s England.

- Micron’s role in shaping worship, discipline, and teaching.

- His exile, death, and why his writings still mattered across Europe.

Join me as we uncover the story of a reformer too often forgotten, yet whose influence rippled far beyond Tudor England.

What do you think—should Marten Micron be remembered alongside figures like Cranmer and Calvin? Tell me in the comments!

Like, subscribe, and tap the bell so you don’t miss more daily deep dives into Tudor and Reformation history.

And if you’d like even more Tudor content—including my monthly digital magazine The Privy Chronicle—consider becoming a channel member and stepping into my Tudor court!

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