On this day in 1540, Henry VIII was 49 years old, struggling with a leg wound that he'd sustained in a jousting incident in 1536, and growing ever more obese as he became less and less active. He was, by all accounts, not very desirable husband material at this point in his life - a far cry from the golden Adonis that he is described to have been in his youth (during the early years of his first marriage, especially). Long gone were his prime years and good looks, but far be it from anyone to insinuate any such thing in the king's presence. This day in history proves with Henry VIII was oblivious to how little he had to offer (physically) to a woman by this point in his life. Already having been married four times, having sired three living royal children (though only one was still deemed legitimate), Henry walked down the aisle for the fifth time on 28 July 1540... with none other than a seventeen-year-old beauty by the name of Catherine Howard.

Let's have a quick refresher on the fates of his previous four marriages: 

• Catherine of Aragon (married from 1509-1533, ended in annulment and banishment)
• Anne Boleyn (married from 1533-1536, ended in her beheading)
• Jane Seymour (married from 1536-1537, ended in her death following childbirth)
• Anne of Cleves (married for six months in 1540, ended because Henry was not attracted to her)

​It was not the most successful track record of marriages, to say the least, but Henry VIII was evidently dead-set on being married and producing more heirs for England. He had only one son - at this time not even three years old - and that just wasn't the most stable succession situation, especially as Henry aged and became increasingly unhealthy. Who could know how long the king had to live? If possible, he needed to provide at least one more son to act as a spare to young Prince Edward. The security of the English throne depended on it.
And so, he turned his eye to the young, vivacious, and beautiful Catherine Howard. The young woman had been placed in the household of Henry's fourth wife, the German-born Anne of Cleves, upon her arrival in England seven months prior. Catherine's uncle, the notoriously powerful and ambitious third Duke of Norfolk, was no stranger to propping his nieces up in front of the king (he had assisted heavily in his elder niece, Anne Boleyn's rise several years prior). While it may not have been his immediate intention to situate Catherine to be Henry's next wife (after all, Anne of Cleves had just arrived and no one could have predicted that the king would send her away again by mid-summer), it might be more likely that the duke intended for Catherine to become the king's mistress. Such a position would still have been a powerful and advantageous one for the Howard family, and certainly more likely than the idea of marriage. 
But Henry's head was turned from the earliest days of Catherine's arrival at court. Upon meeting his new bride, he was instantly repulsed and infamously had zero interest in consummating the union. It's no surprise then that he noticed the teenaged Catherine, who likely looked even more dazzling and enticing next to his unattractive new wife. 

Within just a few months of knowing Catherine, the king was bestowing gifts of clothes, jewels, and even lands upon her. She was, by contemporary accounts, well-liked and admired, being described by the French ambassador as 'delightful'. She was also evidently beautiful - with auburn hair and fair skin. Henry was enchanted by her, and as Thomas Cromwell continued to fail in ​finding a new wife for him with whom to replace Anne, Henry's mind was being made up. He wanted Catherine, describing her as 'the very jewel of womanhood', and perhaps desiring her more than any woman before her. By the end of June 1540, Anne was commanded to leave court, being informed of Henry's decision of an annulment. She didn't complain, and soon after consented to the end of the marriage. Their union was formally dissolved on 9 July, paving the way for Henry to take his new bride less than three weeks later. As Anne settled into her new home away from court, Catherine Howard prepared for her royal wedding. 
On this day, the two were married at Oatlands Palace by Bishop Edmund Bonner. This was the very same day that Henry's former right-hand man and facilitator of his previous marriage, Thomas Cromwell, was executed on Tower Hill. Upon the wedding ceremony, Catherine adopted her royal motto (as all queens did), and chose the phrase 'No other will but his' - an ironic one, given her infidelity and treason within the next two years. The marriage would not be formally made public until 8 August, and so the newlyweds were afforded some private time to enjoy a quiet honeymoon of sorts - and we can only imagine that this was more pleasing to Henry than it was to Catherine. 
I won't dive into the logistics of the marriage from this point forward, as there are other blog posts on this website devoted to such topics. On this day, anyway, members of the court could have been led to believe that the marriage between Henry and Catherine would be a successful and happy one. A seventeen-year-old would surely prove fertile and amorous enough to provide England with more heirs, and her youth and beauty would keep the ageing, increasingly-ill-tempered king a bit happier. Little could everyone have known that Catherine would betray Henry within the next year, consigning herself to the same fate as her cousin, Anne Boleyn. 

I can hardly believe that I'm typing these words, but here we are. Today marks 10 years of The Tudor Enthusiast​, and I could pinch myself when I think of how far this little website has come in that time! It would be impossible for me not to get a bit sentimental when looking back at where this began, but I want to take a few minutes of reflection to revisit what initially inspired this site's creation, how it's transformed over the years, some of my favorite moments and experiences, and finally (most excitingly) my many plans for the future. 
If you've been with me for all 10 of these years (that's 3,650 days), then thank you. 
If you're new here, then welcome and thank you.
​Let's reminisce... 

This is a little-known-fact (actually, I don't think I've ever talked about it), but The Tudor Enthusiast came into being largely because I ended up with too much time on my hands in the summer of 2011. I was between my freshman and sophomore years of college at George Mason University (studying Psychology), and that June I had ended a year-long relationship. I was home, bored, and in need of an outlet. Roughly four years prior, I had discovered the world of Tudor history, but apart from reading books and watching a handful of Tudor TV shows and movies, I hadn't made that interest a particularly large part of my life. Now as I found myself with too much time on my hands (more time to read about the Tudors, but with sadly few people with whom to discuss the things I was learning), I decided to start a blog. The world of blogging was exploding around this time, so it's not altogether surprising that I turned to this idea as a creative outlet. But I had zero expectations for this little Weebly website that I named 'The Tudor Enthusiast'. I simply wanted a place to write about the people, places, and events that interested me. Specifically, I wanted to discuss the Showtime show, 'The Tudors', and pretend that I had a wide audience of history fans reading what I wrote. Of course, I didn't at the time. 
I created a Facebook page shortly after my first few blog posts were published. In the beginning, it was likely only my mom who was reading my writing (thanks, Mom!), but over time - shockingly, as I was able to keep up the motivation to type out my random thoughts and bits of research - a small following began to grow on Facebook. I don't recall the timeline (I'm guessing it took several months to hit 100 followers), but eventually I knew that I was writing for more people than just my mom! What a wild discovery.

In the Fall of 2012, I was given the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Oxford. I had already declared a History minor at GMU (concentrating on European history), and I had never visited England. Naturally it was my dream to get there in order to explore the real-life sites of the Tudor period, so when I arrived in the UK for that semester, a whole new world opened to me. I blogged my butt off as I studied Henry VIII and his wives, the works of Shakespeare, and the political climate of the sixteenth century. I visited historical sites and my Tudor Enthusiast following grew. I read and reviewed books, and found myself with multiple requests from authors and publishers who wanted to send me their work to review. Now that was a dream! I was being 'paid' for my writing in free books! Writing those book reviews became my favorite thing about running The Tudor Enthusiast, and my 'Book Recommendations' tab grew exponentially over the next few years. 
In 2014, upon graduating from GMU, I jetted off to the UK once again to begin my one-year graduate program at Mansfield College, University of Oxford. I read for an MSt in Modern British and European History under the supervision of Dr. Tracey Sowerby (Keble College). My mentors during this time included Dr. Steve Gunn (Merton College), who has written several highly-acclaimed Tudor books, and served as a great source of inspiration to me. Of course, while there for this year-long program, I continued to read/review and blog in nearly all my free time. 
When I returned home in 2015, my Tudor Enthusiast devotion dwindled, and that's because I met my now-husband, started working full-time, and began the all-consuming process of adulting and starting a family! While I continued posting book and TV show reviews from time-to-time, I simply did not have the same amount of time as I'd had in the past to write several blog posts a week. We married in May 2019, my son was born in April 2020, and within just a few months of his birth I found myself revisiting The Tudor Enthusiast​, wondering if anyone was still reading the things I had blogged about for years. To my amazement, my website still received hundreds of hits a day, and my Facebook following had continued to grow, despite my infrequent posts!

To clarify, my love for the Tudors had not waned during this period of time, but it had not been able to be the priority that it had once been. However, seeing how many people still seemed to care about what I'd written, and how I had a full email inbox of inquiries, invitations, and feedback about my site, I suddenly felt a renewed sense of inspiration. By the end of 2020 I was trying to figure out how to make The Tudor Enthusiast fresh and interesting. How could I devote the time to continue blogging, researching, and growing my readership? 
These questions were answered when, in January 2021, I found a message from Pen and Sword Books UK, asking me if I would consider writing a book for them. I was astounded. Of course, I replied immediately, discussing the particulars with the commissioning editor. The decision was a frightening one (how would I have the time, what if I can't do the necessary research, what if it's a failure, etc.), but it was also a no-brainer. Of course I would write this biography of Edward VI. 100% yes, absolutely. Writing books, becoming published (especially in the history space) has been a dream of mine for a decade. 
This revitalized my enthusiasm for this site even more. I began the process of research by the end of January, signed my book contract on 1 February, and the rest has been history. I've taken my responsibility to The Tudor Enthusiast website and social media extremely seriously. I've determined how important it is to me to establish myself as a historian (and hopefully a respected one). I make the time, I prioritize the research, the blogging, the updating, and the book-writing. No, it's not easy, but seeing the way The Tudor Enthusiast has grown SO MUCH over just the past five months has been incredible. I truly believe the sky is the limit for this little website - which began as nothing more than a personal online diary for my nerdy Tudor thoughts, and now has culminated into a community of thousands, as well as a book deal. 

As I reflect back, some of my favorite moments of The Tudor Enthusiast have been the emails I've received from readers (I love your feedback and thoughts), and I hope those continue into the future! As I plan ahead, I hope to add more exciting content to this community. I welcome the opportunity to visit other sites in the form of guest posts and interviews. I dream about being featured on a podcast. I am excited beyond belief at the thought of sharing my first book with you. I think there is SO much ahead for The Tudor Enthusiast, and at the end of the day, it's all due to my fabulous readers. 
Whether you've been with me since day one or you've joined me somewhere in the days since, I can't thank you enough! Because of your enthusiasm, interest, and support, this website and its social media has grown more than I had ever expected or hoped for. There is much more ahead, and I hope you'll be with me for all of it!

4. Anne Boleyn (and her downfall) features heavily in this novel. In your opinion, what led to her execution? Who was behind it? Was she totally innocent?

I think the blame is ultimately down to Henry VIII.  Yes, Cromwell helped it along and did all the work behind the scenes.  He even had a hand in bringing down nobles whom he felt were a threat to his interests.  But as for Anne…that was all Henry.  I believe Anne’s miscarriage cemented in Henry’s mind that he would never have a son by her, and Katherine of Aragon’s death gave him the chance to get out of the marriage without being forced to take back his first wife.  He saw a window of opportunity and seized it.  It didn’t help Anne’s case that she was one of those women I talked about in the last question: opinionated, headstrong, non-conformist.  In many ways, she threatened Henry’s rule just by being herself (in Henry’s opinion at least!).  Anne was absolutely innocent of the charges brought against her.  Her only mistake lay in her inability to guard her tongue.  There is no getting around the fact that she did “imagine the king’s death” in her ill-advised conversation with Henry Norris.  But I don’t for one minute believe she would have been executed for her remark had she already given the king a son; had she been “obedient” in all other ways; had the king not already set his heart upon Jane Seymour.

5. Fast forward to Jane's time with Catherine Howard. What are your thoughts on this portion of her life, and in your opinion, did she make any mistakes as it related to Catherine and Thomas Culpeper?

Jane made plenty of mistakes during this time period, but it isn’t at all surprising given the experiences that brought her to this point.  I think she found herself in an impossible situation and she was merely trying to do the best she could with what she had.  After Cromwell’s death, she had no one looking out for her interests.  Not that Cromwell did a great job of that, but he did help her when no one else (not even her father) would.  Without him, who could she have gone to?  It was just as dangerous to go to the king with accusations of his wife’s infidelities as it was to help her commit them.  Remember that none of the nobles even wanted to be the one to tell Henry what was going on.  They forced poor Cranmer to do it.  There was no way Jane was tattling to the king.  Beyond that, how was she to turn down Catherine in the first place?  Regardless of whether “she knew better” or not.  If you wanted to keep your place, you did what the queen asked. And who would have believed she would be executed alongside Catherine?  None of Anne’s maids had been executed.   I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what she could have done differently and I’ve failed to come up with much in the way of alternatives.  At the end of the day, Jane was alone, mentally and emotionally traumatized from prior events, and an extremely biddable person.  She did what anyone might have done in her position.    

6. I've heard theories that Jane 'faked' mental illness while imprisoned in the Tower of London, perhaps in the hopes that she would escape execution. What are your thoughts on this? 

If I’m being honest, I pretty much immediately shut down when I hear theories like this.  For anyone who has struggled with mental illness, those sorts of comments feel very dismissive and callous.  Her responses to the interrogation she was subjected to in 1541 leaves no doubt in my mind that she was suffering.  Looking back on her life – knowing this – I can see that there is a possibility she struggled with her mental health even in her early days.  There is certainly a family history of it.  Her grandfather suffered with bouts of madness.  I don’t for one moment believe that any of it was faked.  

Thomas Cranmer's is one of the most recognizable names of the Tudor period, as well as the English Reformation. He was an exceedingly important figure - becoming Archbishop of Canterbury in 1532 after aiding in Henry VIII's annulment from Catherine of Aragon and subsequent break with the Roman Catholic Church. He was a friend of the Boleyn family, thus helping Anne Boleyn rise to queenship in 1533, as well as being supported by them in his appointment as Archbishop. Through this connection and his involvement in the king's own supremacy over religion in England, he secured his place as a staple in Henry VIII's life - and consequently, one of the most powerful and influential men in the country. In honor of his birthday today, let's take a brief look at Cranmer's life...

On this day in 1489, Thomas Cranmer was born to parents Thomas and Agnes in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire. His family was of middling gentry status, and as one of the younger brothers of the family Thomas was destined for a clerical career from the start, as his elder brother John would inherit the family estate. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge following the death of his father, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in eight years. He had a special interest and affinity in the humanists (particularly Erasmus), and soon after earned his Master of Arts degree in 1515, followed by the opportunity for a fellowship with Jesus College. By now, he was fully-invested in his theological studies and well on his way to the priesthood. However, before taking his vows, he married a woman named Joan - which forfeited his chances of becoming a priest, and caused him to withdraw from his fellowship. Instead, he took a position as a reader at another Cambridge college -Buckingham Hall (later known as Magdalene College). Soon after, Joan died in childbirth, he was reinstated as a Fellow of Jesus College, established as a preacher for the university, and earned his Doctorate in Divinity in 1526. It was a whirlwind several years!
We know that his interest in the humanists grew and helped to develop his own religious thought, and Cranmer is thought to have had a deep-seated dislike for Martin Luther at this time, who was already spreading his own religious ideas throughout Europe. Cranmer appears to have been fairly traditional in his doctrine during the 1520s, and was even selected by Cardinal Wolsey - along with a few other Cambridge men - to serve as ambassadors on religious missions across the Continent. 

By 1527, Cranmer was assisting Wolsey with annulment proceedings for Henry VIII and his first queen, Catherine of Aragon. It's unlikely that Cranmer could have ever expected his life would take such a turn - that he would be in service to the King of England! From this point, Cranmer would begin making connections with humanists and religious men across Europe as he discussed Henry VIII's 'Great Matter' and attempted to gain support for the annulment. By the early 1530s, he came in contact with a German reformer named Martin Bucer, from whom Cranmer would learn much and form his own progressive ideology. As he traveled Europe on diplomatic work on behalf of the king, he saw the early days of European reformation, and his eyes were opened. He began to question key elements of the Catholic faith - such as the belief in Purgatory and the veneration of saints, holy images, and relics, though he maintained his belief in the core concept of transubstantiation (Christ's real presence in the bread and wine of holy communion). As he learned and grew in his own religious convictions, the Boleyn family in England was on the rise, and he firmly supported Anne's cause. While in Europe in October 1532, he receive a surprising letter informing him that he had been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury - a promotion that shocked not only him, but religious men throughout England. Cranmer had never held more than minor religious positions, but his placement at the center of Henry VIII's 'Great Matter', and particularly his support by the ever-more-powerful Boleyn family, gave him opportunities he would not otherwise have had. 
Given this honor, the pressure was on. Cranmer devoted himself to pursuing the king's challenging annulment and sought to make a second marriage with Anne Boleyn legal. The following January, Henry and Anne were wed in a secret ceremony (though Cranmer wouldn't learn of the marriage for two weeks), by the end of May he had ruled that Henry's marriage to Catherine was invalid, and on 1 June, he himself crowned the new Queen Anne at Westminster Abbey. Pope Clement VII was enraged, and he excommunicated Henry VIII, along with Cranmer. 

There is much more to Cranmer's story, of course. This was only the beginning of a lengthy career of service to not only Henry VIII, but also to his son, Edward VI. Anne Boleyn would go on to have only one daughter - the future Elizabeth I, while Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, would give birth to the future king in 1537. Cranmer would remain one of Henry's most trusted companions, advisors, and religious officials until 1547, when Henry VIII would breathe his last and leave the throne to his 9-year-old son. At this point, Cranmer's reformation work would really take off - facilitated by the equally (if not more so) progressive Edward Seymour. Cranmer's religious convictions would solidify throughout the 1540s, culminating in a newfound rejection of transubstantiation and the creation of the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 - a book that is still very recognizable to the current edition for the Anglican Church today. Under Edward's reign, Cranmer would publish a number of religious works and articles, detailing the progression of the English Reformation... and consequently becoming a chief enemy of Edward's successor, his very-Catholic sister, Mary I. Upon her rise to the throne in 1553 (following her brother's early death at age fifteen), Cranmer's star would fall dramatically. 
Mary would view him as the man who caused her mother, Catherine of Aragon, to lose her husband, her status, and her very life. After all, because of Cranmer's involvement in Henry VIII's 'Great Matter' during the late 1520s and early 1530s, Mary's life had been forever changed, and her mother's life ruined. For decades, Mary had resented and hated the man, and so upon her accession it would become one of her chieftest goals to bring him down. Indeed, by the end of 1553 he would be arrested and tried for treason and heresy. He would be condemned to death and subsequently transferred from prison to prison for the next few years - given ample opportunity to recant his heretical beliefs, before finally being put to death by burning at the stake in Oxford on 21 March 1556. 

He had signed a recantation prior to his execution, but was reportedly so ashamed on the day of his death that he rescinded it and determined that his traitorous hand should be burnt at the stake first. True to his word, he set his right hand into the heart of the flames before they engulfed the rest of his body. 
Today, Cranmer is remembered as a martyr of the Reformation. Biographers from both Catholic and Protestant perspectives disagree on certain aspects of his character, arguing over his obsession with royal supremacy and pleasing a 'tyrannical' king, vs. his true religious convictions. Nevertheless, he was an integral figure of the period and deeply important to the religious climate in England during the sixteenth century. Though he would be gone by the time Elizabeth I would take the throne in 1558, his ideals, published works, and principles would rise again under her Protestant rule. His words, beliefs, and teachings would have a lasting effect on England, and are present even to this day. 
This was certainly a brief overview of Thomas Cranmer's life. There is so much more to be said - particularly about his work during Edward's reign - but this blog post would end up being far too long! In lieu of writing extensively about every detail of his life, I encourage readers to dive further into his story by exploring some of these books: 

Thanks for reading! What are YOUR thoughts on this fascinating and influential Tudor figure?