Hi, I'm historian Claire Ridgway
I'm the best-selling author of 15 history books and the founder of the TheAnneBoleynFiles.com, Elizabethfiles.com and The Tudor Society.
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...
My latest youtube video
Tudor Quiz - do you know your Tudors? #tudorhistory #history #tudorials
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How Well Do You REALLY Know Tudor History? - Our 80K Subscriber Challenge!
Tim takes on my Tudor History Challenge to celebrate The Anne Boleyn ...
Tim takes on my Tudor History Challenge to celebrate The Anne Boleyn Files reaching 80,000 subscribers - and you can play along! Five rounds of Tudor trivia: keep score and ...tell us your result out of 45. Did you beat Tim? Thank you for exploring Tudor history with me. Subscribe for more Tudor history.
QUESTIONS
Round 1: Tudor Fact or Fiction?
1. Henry VIII banned football.
2. Henry VIII nearly drowned after falling headfirst into a ditch.
3. Elizabeth I restricted meat on Wednesdays because she thought it was unhealthy.
4. Elizabeth I sentenced a man to death for writing about her marriage prospects.
5. Mary I was England's first crowned queen.
Round 2: Who Am I?
1. Imprisoned under Elizabeth I; secretly married Lady Katherine Grey, sister of Lady Jane Grey.
2. Witnessed the 1572 St Bartholomew's Day Massacre; Elizabeth's ambassador to France; organised her intelligence network.
3. A learned Cooke sister, famed for Greek and her library; married William Cecil, Lord Burghley.
4. Claimed to be a Prince in the Tower; supported by foreign rulers; rebelled against Henry VII and was executed in 1499.
5. Powerful under Edward VI; tried to prevent Mary succeeding; executed in August 1553.
Round 3: What Happened Next?
1. Anne Askew refused to implicate Catherine Parr's circle. What did her interrogators do?
2. As Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was about to be beheaded, what did a man in the crowd demand?
3. What was found beneath Mary, Queen of Scots' clothing after her execution?
4. At the Field of Cloth of Gold, Henry VIII and Francis I wrestled. What happened?
5. What happened when Henry VIII's army met French cavalry near Thérouanne in 1513?
Round 4: Who Said That?
1. "I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."
2. "Some be too stiff in their old mumpsimus, others be too busy and curious in their new sumpsimus."
3. "I am alreadie maried to this common weale, & the faythful membres of the same."
4. Who described a clergyman as "Sometimes the beautiful temple of God, but now the stinking and filthy kennel of Satan"?
5. Who reportedly told his executioner, "Pluck up thy spirits, man, and be not afraid to do thine office; my neck is very short"?
Round 5: The 80K Challenge
1. Which of Henry VIII's wives was married to him for the shortest time?
2. Who crowned Edward VI?
3. Which pretender impersonated the Earl of Warwick and challenged Henry VII?
4. Which niece of Henry VIII was imprisoned in 1536 after secretly becoming betrothed?
5. Which Archbishop of Canterbury died on the same day as Mary I?
ANSWERS
Round 1: 1 Fact. His government restricted football to encourage archery; Henry was a keen sportsman and owned football boots. (1541 Act.) 2 Fact. In 1525 near Hitchin, his pole broke as he tried to vault a ditch; footman Edmund Moody rescued him. 3 Fiction. Wednesday fish days supported fishing and the navy, not health. (1563 Navy Act.) 4 Fiction. John Stubbs opposed her proposed Anjou marriage. He lost his right hand, not his life, and reportedly cried, "God save the Queen!" 5 Fact. Mary was crowned on 1 October 1553; Matilda and Jane Grey were never crowned.
Round 2: 1 Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. His secret marriage to Katherine Grey (a claimant) led to both being imprisoned; it was declared invalid. 2 Sir Francis Walsingham, ambassador during the massacre and principal secretary from 1573. 3 Mildred Cooke Cecil, Lady Burghley, Greek scholar and book collector. 4 Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be Richard, Duke of York; executed in 1499. 5 John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, backed Jane Grey and was executed in 1553.
Round 3: 1 She was racked, badly injured and carried to her 1546 execution for heresy. 2 He wanted Suffolk to repay money he was owed. 3 A little dog, which refused to leave Mary and had to be carried away and washed. (Robert Wynkfield's account.) 4 Francis I threw Henry to the ground. (Robert de La Marck, Seigneur de Fleuranges.) 5 The French fled; the encounter became the Battle of the Spurs. (Edward Hall.)
Round 4: 1 Elizabeth I, at Tilbury in 1588. 2 Henry VIII, criticising religious divisions in Parliament in 1545. 3 Mary I, at Guildhall in 1554, showing her coronation ring as a symbol of marriage to England. 4 Lady Jane Grey, writing of her former chaplain Thomas Harding after he returned to Catholicism. 5 Sir Thomas More, reportedly joking about his short neck. (William Roper, Life of Sir Thomas More.)
Round 5: 1 Anne of Cleves: married 6 January 1540; marriage annulled 9 July. 2 Thomas Cranmer. 3 Lambert Simnel, crowned in Dublin as Edward VI; after his supporters lost at Stoke Field in 1487, Henry VII pardoned him and gave him a job in the royal kitchens. 4 Lady Margaret Douglas, whose betrothal to Thomas Howard alarmed Henry; Howard died in the Tower, but Margaret was released. 5 Cardinal Reginald Pole. Mary and Pole died within hours of each other on 17 November 1558.
#TudorHistory #HistoryQuiz #AnneBoleyn #HenryVIIIShow More
The Worst Legs in History?
This Short looks at a striking comment about Henry VIII: that his leg ...
What REALLY Happened to Henry VIII's Legs?
What was wrong with Henry VIII's legs? Was it a jousting injury, ...
What was wrong with Henry VIII's legs? Was it a jousting injury, chronic ulcers, an infection, or even syphilis? And did that famous jousting accident in 1536 really cause the ...leg problems that plagued the Tudor king for the rest of his life?
I've been digging into the contemporary accounts of Henry VIII's health, and some of the things I've discovered have made me question stories I've read, and even repeated myself, over the years!
In this video, I'm looking at when Henry's leg problems actually began, what Tudor ambassadors reported about his painful sores and leg ulcers, and just how serious his condition became. In 1538, Henry was reportedly dangerously ill when one of the fistulas in his legs stopped draining, and by 1544 his legs were being described as the "worst legs in the world"!
I'll also be investigating the evidence for the 1536 jousting accident, the story of Tudor surgeon Thomas Vicary supposedly curing Henry's sore leg, and the medical explanations that have been suggested, including chronic venous disease, infection and syphilis.
And what about Henry's personality? Could years of chronic pain have contributed to the changes we associate with the king in his later years?
As always, I'll be going back to the original Tudor sources to see what we actually know, what we can reasonably suggest, and where the evidence simply isn't there.
Want to explore the evidence further?
I've also been doing some extra research into Henry VIII's leg problems for my YouTube channel members, including a closer look at Thomas Vicary, the surgeon who supposedly cured Henry's sore leg, and an investigation into syphilis in Tudor England, the treatments available and what George Constantine's recommendation of guaiacum might actually tell us.
Depending on your membership tier, you'll have access to these additional Evidence Room videos and other exclusive Tudor history content. Just click the Join button to explore the different levels and see what's included.
And a huge thank you to everyone who's already supporting my research through channel membership!
I'd love to know what you've always believed about Henry VIII's leg problems. Did you think they were caused by the 1536 jousting accident? Let me know in the comments!
If you enjoy Tudor history, Henry VIII, the six wives of Henry VIII and investigating the stories behind the familiar history, do subscribe to The Anne Boleyn Files for more Tudor history videos.
#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn
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Can You Steal History? Plagiarism, Research and the Tudors
Can you steal someone else's historical research? And does publishing ...
Can you steal someone else's historical research? And does publishing something first mean you own the idea?
I've been researching Anne Boleyn for nearly twenty years, but that doesn't mean I ...own her story, the historical sources I've used or the questions I've asked!
I've seen quite a few accusations recently about people stealing historical ideas, theories and research, and it's got me thinking about where we actually draw the line. I've had my own work plagiarised over the years, so I know how horrible that is, but I also think we need to be careful about accusing people of stealing research simply because they've reached the same conclusion as somebody else.
In this video, I'm talking about plagiarism, independent research, giving other historians credit and why I think we should be able to disagree with each other's interpretations without things getting personal.
I'm also looking at the rather entertaining academic exchanges between Anne Boleyn historians Eric Ives and G. W. Bernard, and why I think being willing to change our minds is an important part of researching history.
And, of course, there may be a few Tudor research rabbit holes along the way!
I'd love to know what you think. Where do you draw the line between independently reaching the same conclusion and using somebody else's work? Have you ever thought you'd made an exciting historical discovery, only to find that somebody wrote about it over a hundred years ago?
Do share your thoughts in the comments.
If you enjoy Tudor history, going back to the original sources and questioning some of the stories we've been told, please do subscribe to The Anne Boleyn Files and join me for more Tudor history.
#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #HistoricalResearch #History #TheAnneBoleynFiles
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I received an email from a listener... find out more #tudorhistory #history #tudorials
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A Viewer Told Me to Cover Up - Anne Boleyn Had the PERFECT Response
A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional ...
A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional advice: she found my bare arms, flushed skin and tattoos distracting from my history content, and suggested that I might consider ...wearing a blouse or even a turtleneck when filming.
There was just one rather wonderful irony...
The two visible tattoos she suggested I cover up are both connected to Anne Boleyn - and one of them seemed to provide the perfect response from nearly 500 years ago:
"Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne."
Or, as I like to translate it:
"Let them grumble. That's the way it's going to be."
In this video, I'm exploring the fascinating history behind Anne Boleyn's defiant motto, why she had it embroidered on her servants' livery during Henry VIII's Great Matter, and its possible connection to the court of Margaret of Austria.
I'm also sharing the very personal reason I had those words tattooed on me in 2021, after years of allowing online criticism to affect my confidence.
And the viewer's email raised another interesting question: are women still judged differently from men when it comes to appearance and professionalism? Can bare shoulders or tattoos really distract from someone's expertise? And would we react in the same way to a male historian?
I'd love to know what you think in the comments.
And as for whether I'll be filming my videos in a turtleneck from now on...
Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.
Let them grumble!
#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #Tudors #HenryVIII #History
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Challenging the Myth: Catherine Howard's Examination
I've been researching Catherine for a few years now, and I've seen it ...
Did Catherine Howard REALLY Confess? I Went Back to the Evidence
Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with ...
Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with Thomas Culpeper?
I've seen this claim repeated in books and online, and something about it has been bothering me. ...So, while researching Catherine Howard for my recent event, I decided to go down this particular Tudor rabbit hole and look at the records from 1541 and 1542, and the case made against Catherine, and ask a very simple question: Who actually said what? Because there's an important difference between what Catherine admitted, what was said about her, and what was later presented as fact.
Watch to the end and see whether you think the evidence supports the way Catherine's "confession" is often described.
If you enjoy questioning familiar Tudor stories and going back to the original evidence with me, please subscribe. There are plenty more Tudor rabbit holes to come.
#CatherineHoward #TudorHistory #HenryVIII
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Actually, Henry VIII DID Divorce His Wives...
You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives: ...
You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives:
"Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."
But mention it online, and you tend to get someone saying, "Actually, Henry didn't divorce ...Catherine of Aragon or Anne of Cleves. Their marriages were annulled."
But is that correction actually right?
In this video, I'm looking at what "divorce" meant in the sixteenth century, why Tudor terminology doesn't fit neatly with our modern distinction between divorce and annulment, and what contemporary sources actually say.
We'll look at medieval canon law, Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's relationship ends, and a legal document from 1540 which explicitly describes Anne of Cleves as "divorced" from Henry VIII.
So, was Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled? Yes.
But is it historically inaccurate to say they were divorced?
Not at all.
So "Divorced, beheaded, died..." can definitely stay!
#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneOfCleves #CatherineOfAragon #Tudors
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Anne Boleyn Was Queen for 3 Years - What Did She Actually Do?
We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise ...
We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise and her dramatic fall that we often skip over the bit in between, but what was Anne actually like ...as Queen of England?
Anne was Henry VIII's queen for just three years, but during that short time she acted as an intercessor, supported scholars and universities, promoted religious reform, gave to the poor, patronised artists and used her access to Henry VIII to help people who appealed to her.
In this instalment of my Anne Boleyn documentary series, I'm looking at Anne "the queen in her own right". What was expected of a Tudor queen consort? How much influence could Anne really exercise? How did she use patronage, her household and her position close to the king? And what can surviving objects such as her famous "Most Happy" medal, crowned falcon badge, jewellery and books tell us about the way Anne presented herself as queen?
I'll also look at Anne's religious and charitable activities, her patronage of scholars and reformers, her role as intercessor, her pregnancies and the all-important expectation that she would provide Henry VIII with a male heir.
Join me as we explore an often overlooked part of Anne Boleyn's story: the years when she wasn't Henry VIII's prospective bride or his condemned wife, but Queen of England.
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This Is What I Love Most About Tudor History
One of the things I've always loved most about my work is connecting ...
One of the things I've always loved most about my work is connecting people who love Tudor history with historians, authors and researchers who love sharing it.
That's why I'm so ...excited to see people joining Back to Tudor School.
Explore Back to Tudor School here:
https://claireridgway.com/history-event-archive/back-to-school/
I've brought together 7 of my complete Tudor history collections, giving you 50 expert talks to explore from the comfort of your own home.
You can have a Tudor history marathon, dip into a talk on a Sunday afternoon, follow a particular Tudor rabbit hole, or return to a favourite months or even years later.
And because you have lifetime access, there's no rush.
Back to Tudor School includes:
* 7 complete Tudor history collections
* 50 expert video talks
* 50 downloadable transcripts
* Recommended reading
* Additional resources
* Lifetime access
All 7 collections are available together for $99 until 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August 2026.
In this video, I also share some lovely comments from people who have attended my online history events over the years, including one description I absolutely love: "like having a personally delivered documentary!"
Thank you so much to everyone who has already joined. I hope you have a wonderful time exploring all that Tudor history.
And I'd love to know: if you could choose just ONE Tudor subject to spend an evening learning about, what would it be?
Join this channel to get access to perks:
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Visit linktr.ee/claireridgway to find resources, events, social media links and more.
You can find my books on Amazon at http://viewauthor.at/claireridgwayShow More
Online Events
I regularly host online Tudor history conferences to connect Tudor history lovers with Tudor historians all from the comfort of their own homes. They comprise talks, live events, live Q&A sessions and resources, and are educational and fun.
Check out the Events tab to find out about my latest event.
The Tudor Society
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The Anne Boleyn Files
Interested in learning the facts behind the myths and fiction surrounding Anne Boleyn?
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As featured in...
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.
Claire Ridgway's Books
