The Secret Cipher: How John Dee Protected Elizabeth I’s Secrets
In the shadowy world of Elizabethan espionage, one man stood at the intersection of mathematics, magic, and monarchy…
J.A. Downes
POWER AND PIETY: An Interview with Cardinal Reginald Pole
We sit down with England’s most controversial exile to talk about family, faith, and his dreams of return RENAISSANCE WEEKLY: Your Eminence, you’ve been living in exile from England for over a decade now. How do you find life in Rome? CARDINAL POLE: [adjusting his red zucchetto with obvious irritation] Rome is… instructive. One learns … Read more
Tudor educational information website
When I’m researching the history, characters, and locations that I use in the Predestination series of cosy Tudor mysteries, I build up a lot of material that never makes it into the books – it would be just too dry to drop it into the middle of the fiction. However, it is fascinating stuff! To … Read more
Our intrepid reporter tracks down the rusticated Lady Mary FitzRoy
RENAISSANCE WEEKLY: Lady Mary, you’ve been absent from court for some months now. How are you finding country life? MARY: [laughs, but there’s bitterness beneath the sound] Peaceful. Wonderfully, tediously peaceful. [gestures around the modest room] No whispered conspiracies, no coded messages, no need to calculate which smile might advance one’s position. Just sheep, tenant … Read more
Updated Tudor Word Search Puzzles
Due to popular demand, I have now greatly expanded the number and variety of Tudor word search puzzles. There are now over seventy unique word lists to be found, (that’s right, > 70 !!) and of course the word placement in the grid is random, so these should keep you busy on wet afternoons. The words … Read more
WARRIOR-STATESMAN: An Interview with Sir William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke
We speak with the powerful Welsh lord who has served four Tudor monarchs with distinction. RENAISSANCE WEEKLY: My Lord Earl, you’ve had an extraordinary career spanning the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and now Elizabeth. How have you managed to maintain your position through such turbulent times? WH: [straightens in his chair, hand … Read more
Roche Abbey & 3D Model
Beautiful summer day Roche abbey is a lovely little ruin in a shallow valley near Rotherham, in South Yorkshire. It is managed by English Heritage. The ruins No surprise for Tudor history-lovers, the abbey is a ruin. There are impressive north and south transept walls and an interesting ground plan of foundations can be seen. A … Read more
10 interesting facts about Henry VIII
When you think of Henry VIII, you probably picture a rotund monarch with a bad temper and a rather unfortunate track record with wives. But there’s so much more to this Tudor king than meets the eye! Let’s dive into some fascinating facts about one of England’s most infamous rulers. 1. He Was Never Supposed … Read more
10 Surprisingly out-of-character decisions by Tudor monarchs
The Tudors weren’t exactly known for restraint. They executed wives, burned heretics, and grabbed power with both hands. But sometimes, just sometimes, they did things that left their contemporaries stunned. Here are ten decisions that broke the mould of what everyone expected from Tudor monarchs. 1. Henry VII Gives His Would-Be Usurper a Job in … Read more
MATHEMATICAL MARVEL: An Interview with Dottore Gerolamo Cardano
We sit down with the brilliant physician-mathematician from Padua whose Ars Magna has revolutionized algebra. RENAISSANCE WEEKLY: Dottore Cardano, you’ve achieved fame across Europe for both medicine and mathematics. How do you balance these seemingly different pursuits? Ah, but they are not so different, my friend! Both require careful observation, logical reasoning, and the ability … Read more