I help Tudor history lovers worldwide to gain access to experts and resources to discover the real stories behind myths and fiction, so that they grow in knowledge while connecting with like-minded people and indulging their passion for history.
How I can help you...
Events
I'm holding a virtual conference "Anne Boleyn, the Woman who changed England" from 28 February to 6 March 2022 and you can find out all about it here.
Find out why Anne Boleyn was far from the social climber fiction often makes her out to be by delving into her ancestry and family background.
Discover the true Anne Boleyn who arrived at the English court in 1522 and turned the heads of a courtier, poet and king.
Understand why this maid of honour was so very different to her contemporaries, what made her tick and how she was a true Renaissance woman.
By the end of the conference, which features daily talks and live Q&A sessions with prominent historians and authors, you will have met a very new Anne and understand just why King Henry VIII changed the course of English history to be with her, and why they were such a powerful union.
The Tudor Society
Ready to discover the truth about the Tudors?
Start learning from Claire and other Tudor history experts right now - Learn more
The Anne Boleyn Files
Interested in learning the facts behind the myths and fiction surrounding Anne Boleyn?
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I was a contributor for the BBC docudrama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and have been featured in BBC History Extra, USA Today, History of Royals Magazine, the Express, and Refinery 29, as well as on podcasts including Suzannah Lipscomb's Not Just the Tudors, Gareth Russell's Single Malt History, Natalie Grueninger's Talking Tudors, Hever Castle's Inside Hever, James Boulton's Queens of England, and many more.
Praise for Claire's work
"Claire's blog - recently made available in book form - is more rigorous than that of many professional historians." Susan Bordo, author of The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen
"A sumptuously illustrated and impeccably researched history about the domestic life of a family that shaped British history. This is a fascinating window into both the Boleyns' lives at Hever and upper-class life on the eve of the Reformation." - Gareth Russell, Author of Young and Damned and Fair, on The Boleyns of Hever Castle.
"I've been a history buff all my life, both as a reader and as a writer. I thought I knew about Anne and her Boleyn family, Henry VIII and his court, but this book [The Anne Boleyn Collection] fills in so many blanks for me that I will read it more than once...This is a book for the legion of Tudor fiction readers, who want to know the stories behind the myths, the truth behind the legend...Absolutely fascinating read. " - Jeane Westin, Author of His Last Letter
"Claire has produced another must read for Anne Bolyen fans." Leanda de Lisle, author of Tudor: The Family Story, writing about "The Anne Boleyn Collection II.
More about me
I founded the Anne Boleyn Files in 2009, the Tudor Society in 2014 and I have a popular YouTube channel.
I help Tudor history lovers all over the world learn more about history, connect with experts and like-minded people, and uncover the facts behind the fiction, all from the comfort of their own homes.
I'm a former teacher and a recognised expert in Tudor history, and, as the founder of The Tudor Society, I've built a community of history lovers and experts where members can share their passion for history and receive accurate resources and information.
As we get ever closer to 19th May, have you ever wondered about Anne Boleyn and what was happening to her? Here's a quick timeline video showing some of the ...major events that led to Anne Boleyn being executed on 19 May 1536.
You'll discover how shockingly fast it all happened.[+] Show More
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Anne Boleyn's Fall - A Timeline
As we get ever closer to 19th May, have you ever wondered about Anne [...]
As we get ever closer to 19th May, have you ever wondered about Anne Boleyn and what was happening to her? Here's a quick timeline video showing some of the ...major events that led to Anne Boleyn being executed on 19 May 1536.
You'll discover how shockingly fast it all happened.[+] Show More
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Announcement - May Anne Boleyn Event now also on YouTube
Thank you so much for all your comments and feedback the other day. [...]
Thank you so much for all your comments and feedback the other day. I'm so glad you're excited about my forthcoming event.
A few of you mentioned not being on Facebook, ...so I'll be live streaming on YouTube for you too, privately for ticketholders.
The Fall of Anne Boleyn with Claire Ridgway 13-20 May 2022
Join historian Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A [...]
Join historian Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown", for a completely online 8-day event exploring the dramatic events of spring 1536.
This event is completely online ...so you can join in from the comfort of your home. This event is for you if:
- You want to understand exactly what happened in the spring of 1536
- You want to understand how Anne went from being the woman Henry VIII broke with his beloved church to possess to being replaced by her maid of honour
- You want to know who was involved in Anne's fall, who was implicated and why, and how two men escaped with their lives
- You're interested in getting behind the fiction and myths
- You'd like to know what happened afterwards and what Anne Boleyn's legacy was
- You'd like to know if Jane Boleyn really brought down the Boleyns out of hatred and revenge
- You'd like to pay tribute to Anne Boleyn by spending 8 days immersed in her story and connecting with like-minded people![+] Show More
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Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Sarah Morris
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
From Blickling Hall to Paris and the glorious chateaux of the Loire, Natalie and Sarah will describe the buildings she knew, and explore some of the early, cultural forces that we believe shaped Anne Boleyn's later character and tastes. Pack your virtual bags and get ready to time travel![+] Show More
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Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Natalie Grueninger
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
Have you ever wanted to know more about some of the places Anne Boleyn knew intimately during her early years in England, Mechelen and France? Drawing upon the extensive research undertaken for the writing of their No 1 Amazon bestseller, "In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn", join co-authors Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger for a lively adventure as they reimagine Anne’s early years through the places she visited and called home.[+] Show More
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Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn experts where you'll meet a very new Anne Boleyn and understand why she changed the course ...of English history.
Anne Boleyn's story is one of the most famous of the Tudor Age, but that of her father, Thomas Boleyn, is less known. Far from the myth of a grasping courtier who sacrificed his daughters to the royal bedchamber, Thomas Boleyn enjoyed a successful career as one of the Tudor period's most highly skilled ambassadors and courtiers, serving as one of Cardinal Wolsey’s right-hand men and cultivating impressive personal connections with European monarchs and the nobility.
The relationship between father and daughter is reflected in the sophisticated education he secured for Anne in the courts of Europe, as well as the connections he helped her create at the English court. Lauren Mackay delves into this underappreciated element of Anne’s life, to discover just how instrumental Thomas was in shaping the extraordinary woman we have come to know.[+] Show More
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Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Kate McCaffrey
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn experts where you'll meet a very new Anne Boleyn and understand why she changed the course ...of English history.
In many aspects of her life, Anne was the opposite of passive, the opposite of the expected. In her style, her language, her religious beliefs, her boldness, her airs and graces, Anne was unexpected. She did not follow the grain. She stood out.
Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Owen Emmerson
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn experts where you'll meet a very new Anne Boleyn and understand why she changed the course ...of English history.
One of Anne Boleyn’s most defining characteristics, one that marked her out as different from the traditional model of English court ladies and captured the eye of the king of England, was her agency.
In many aspects of her life, Anne was the opposite of passive, the opposite of the expected. In her style, her language, her religious beliefs, her boldness, her airs and graces, Anne was unexpected. She did not follow the grain. She stood out. Equally, however, she knew the importance of using the established gender roles to her advantage, of presenting herself as the ‘lovynge and kynde’ wife-in-waiting. This talk will examine the ways in which Anne consciously created and curated her own image working both within, and outside of, expected gender norms.
Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Estelle Paranque
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn experts where you'll meet a very new Anne Boleyn and understand why she changed the course ...of English history.
Anne Boleyn spent her formative years in France, first serving Mary Tudor, Queen of France and wife of Louis XII, and then his daughter, Queen Claude of France, wife of Francis I.
These seven years in France had a huge influence on Anne, the woman she became and the queen consort she was, and in this talk, Dr Estelle Paranque discusses how Anne Boleyn’s upbringing in France changed the course of her life.
Anne Boleyn: The Woman Who Changed England - Gareth Russell
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn [...]
10 days of daily talks and live Q&A sessions with THE best Anne Boleyn experts where you'll meet a very new Anne Boleyn and understand why she changed the course ...of English history.
Day 1: 28 February - Anne Boleyn's Irish Ancestry - "Mine ancestors were called to honour" - Gareth Russell
For too long, Anne Boleyn's aristocratic Irish ancestry has been downplayed, ignored, or overlooked. Gareth Russell looks at how the shadow of Kilkenny Castle, the ancestral home of her Irish family, loomed over every major decision in her early life.
Not only that, but the Boleyns played a major role in the development of the so-called 'Irish constitutional revolution' of the sixteenth century. It was Irish Margaret Butler, not English Geoffrey Boleyn, who was the ancestor that mattered more to Anne's family and this talk explores the fascinating, magnificent story of Anne's Butler family tree.
Join eight Boleyn experts in an exclusive online event
You have until 25th February to grab your ticket and join 8 Boleyn [...]
You have until 25th February to grab your ticket and join 8 Boleyn experts and fellow history lovers in a unique and exclusive, completely online 7+ day-long event!
I’m so very ...excited about this event and I know Gareth, Lauren, Natalie, Sarah, Estelle, Owen and Kate are too!
“Anne Boleyn, the Woman who Changed England” is your chance to learn from the very best Anne Boleyn experts from the comfort of your own home. It’s completely online.
Not only will there be talks from each expert, but there will also be live Q&A sessions with them so that you can have the chance to ask your burning questions and get them answered in real-time.
- Never before has Anne Boleyn’s early life been explored in such a detailed way.
- We’ll bring the real Anne Boleyn to life for you and explain just how her background, upbringing and education, and time on the Continent made Anne a young woman who was so very different to her contemporaries at the English court.
- You’ll understand just how a courtier, poet and king fell in love with her and why King Henry VIII changed the course of English history to possess her.
I’ve just added a bonus interview with authors Natalia Richards and Rebecca Monet to the schedule too! We had such a lovely time discussing their research into Anne Boleyn’s early life for their books.
