aka The John Dee Chronicles
J.A. Downes 
Our correspondent catches up with the mysterious redhead whose charm masked deadly intentions Renaissance Weekly: Arrabella, you’ve certainly made quite an impression during your time in France. Our readers are dying to know – what’s your secret to being so… memorable? She laughs, a tinkling sound that doesn’t quite reach her green eyes. Her fingers … Read more
Elizabeth I maintained a passionate correspondence with Thomas Seymour in 1547-1548 when she was just 14, leading to a scandal that nearly destroyed her claim to the throne when Seymour was executed for treason in 1549.
From Resurrection: The Heresy of a Jesuit: “They plunged across the stream, man and horse in perfect harmony, galloping for their lives. His tattered and mud-splattered cape streamed behind him, and his breeches bore the scratches and rips that headlong flight through dense woodland had inflicted. And yet, his mind sang with exhilaration that approached … Read more
From Divination: A Conspiracy of Blood: “The bruised Cambridge sky threatened to ruin the day of any students unlucky enough to venture outdoors. I’ll be glad when spring finally arrives, thought John Dee, as he hurried across Trinity College courtyard, his scholar’s gown billowing behind him like a sail. He was late, again, and this … Read more
Norwich maintained its position as England’s second largest city throughout most of the Tudor period, with over 12,000 residents by 1579, largely due to an influx of Dutch and Flemish Protestant refugees who established ‘New Draperies’ – innovative lightweight fabric production that revolutionised English textile manufacturing.
In 1485, Coventry was England’s fourth largest city with over 6,000 inhabitants, but by 1563 its population had crashed to just 3,474 people – a devastating decline of nearly 50% that reflected the broader economic crisis hitting many Tudor towns as traditional cloth trade routes shifted.
Tudor Plymouth boomed from a modest fishing village of roughly 1,500 souls in 1500 to a bustling town of around 7,000 by 1600, becoming a major English port rivalling Bristol and others after London, fuelled by the burgeoning Atlantic trade. The Barbican’s quays saw increased merchant activity, with significant harbour improvements noted around 1580.
When Henry VIII dissolved Glastonbury Abbey in 1539, the town’s economy suffered a significant blow, likely leading to a population decline. While the abbey’s closure impacted local employment and pilgrimage trade, the precise extent of the population decrease is difficult to ascertain, though it undoubtedly marked a period of hardship for Glastonbury.
Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire received a massive Renaissance makeover from Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in the 1570s including England’s largest castle garden with intricate knot gardens, a 20-foot-high fountain, and an aviary – all designed to impress Elizabeth I during her 19-day visit in July 1575.
Mary I remained unmarried until age 37 when she wed Philip II of Spain in 1554, making her the oldest Tudor monarch to marry for the first time, driven by desperate hope to produce a Catholic heir.