Curated category
16th-century English nobility
- Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of NorfolkElizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, spent the last five years of her separation ruling herself, as she put it, in a house in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, on a…
- Mary Percy, Countess of NorthumberlandMary Percy, Countess of Northumberland, died on the 16th of April 1572 holding a secret that had once shaken the court of Henry VIII.
- Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of ExeterGertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter, once wore a disguise to visit a imprisoned foreign diplomat and warn him that the king was considering executing…
- Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of WiltshireElizabeth Boleyn entered the world around 1480 within the wealthy Howard family. Her father was Sir Thomas Howard, who later became the 2nd Duke of Norfolk.
- Henry VIIIHenry VIII once dressed all in yellow, with a white feather in his bonnet, the day after he learned that Catherine of Aragon had died.
- John Dudley, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandJohn Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, died on the 22nd of August 1553 with a curious phrase on his lips: "I have deserved a thousand deaths." He had just…
- Mary BoleynMary Boleyn spent most of her life in the shadow of her famous sister, yet her own story cuts just as deep. Born around 1499, most likely at Blickling Hall…
- Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, rose from a minor English noble family to become the effective ruler of England for two years, all because his sister…
- William Cecil, 1st Baron BurghleyWilliam Cecil arrived in the world on the 13th of September 1520 within the quiet village of Bourne, Lincolnshire. His father Sir Richard Cecil owned the…
- Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, was buried with a letter. Queen Elizabeth I had received it six days before his death on the 4th of September 1588, and…
- Lady Jane GreyJane Grey sat in the presence of her father or mother, speaking, keeping silence, sitting, standing, going, eating, drinking, merrily or sadly.
- Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux entered the world on the 10th of November 1565 at Netherwood in Herefordshire. He was the eldest son of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex…
- Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of SalisburyRobert Cecil stood barely five feet tall with a spine curved by scoliosis. Queen Elizabeth I called him my pygmy while King James I nicknamed him my little…
- Henry Carey, 1st Baron HunsdonHenry Carey entered the world on the 4th of March 1526 as the second child of William Carey and Mary Boleyn. His mother was the sister of Anne Boleyn, who…
- Edward VIEdward VI was born on the 12th of October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace, and the entire realm erupted in celebration. Bonfires blazed across England.
- Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was born on the 10th of March 1473 and died on the 25th of August 1554, outliving four of the six wives of King Henry…
- William Paulet, 1st Marquess of WinchesterWilliam Paulet emerged from the manor of Paulet near Bridgwater in Somerset around 1483 or 1485. His father Sir John Paulet held command against Cornish…
- Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell was a blacksmith's son from Putney who died on Tower Hill with his head set on a spike above London Bridge.
- Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, was born on the 6th of October 1573 at Cowdray House in Sussex, and before he turned eight his father was dead…
- Arthur, Prince of WalesArthur, Prince of Wales was born on the night of the 19th-the 20th of September 1486 at about one in the morning, and he was dead before he turned sixteen.
- Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of SuffolkCharles Brandon entered the world in 1484, born into a family defined by loyalty and blood. His father, Sir William Brandon, served as Henry Tudor's…
- Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of OxfordEdward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was born on the 12th of April 1550 at Hedingham Castle in Essex, heir to the second-oldest earldom in England.