Matthew Lewis
@MattLewisAuthor
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Writer of medieval history esp Wars of the Roses & Richard III. Blog . Chair @rsociety_iii . Host Gone Medieval
Shropshire
Joined March 2013
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Pinned Tweet
"The best biography of me I've ever read" said Richard III. Probably.
#RichardIII
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If anyone can beat the monster that is 2016, surely it's
#CarrieFisher
.
#MaytheForcebeWithHer
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8 June 1492 Death of Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV, mother to Elizabeth of York, grandmother to Henry VIII. Elizabeth survived a great deal. She outlived Richard III by 7 years & never publicly accused him of murdering her sons, the Princes in the Tower. I wonder why.
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Here are a few more photos of the tiny gold bible found by metal detectorists. The resemblance to the Middleham Jewel is striking, and the location of the find means it may even be likely they were owned by the same family, if not person.
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Surely…
Four newly discovered portraits by Cranach the Elder:
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Just said goodbye to this legend. Darcy was 11 1/2, pretty good for a St Bernard. She slipped away having fuss & being told I love her. She was stubborn, awkward & clumsy. She was also loyal, loving & gentle. I’ve had 11 years of being the luckiest dog owner in the world.❤️🐾
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I got to visit this legend at Temple Church in London yesterday. And I got to call it work. How did this happen??
#DreamJob
#Templars
#WilliamMarshal
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1 April 1204 Death of Eleanor of Aquitaine at the age of 80 (or 82). The only woman to be Queen of France and England, she lived several incredible medieval lives. This is thought to be Eleanor in her later years.
📖
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9 April 1483 Death of Edward IV, first Yorkist King of England & the tallest recorded monarch of England or the UK at 6'4". Undefeated on the battlefields of the Wars of the Roses, he was reportedly struck down aged 40 by a cold, setting in motion complex & controversial events.
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This is perhaps my favourite photo of Queen Elizabeth II. It says so much without a single word.
A life lived is service, humility and loyalty, with unwavering grace and humour.
God Save The King
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23 November 1499 Hanging of the man history remembers as 'Perkin Warbeck'. He confessed to being an imposter, but did so under duress & torture. Was he really Richard, Duke of York, younger of the Princes in the Tower? I believe he might well have been. If you don't, that's cool.
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2 October 1452 Birth of Richard III. Despite only ruling for 2 years, he attracts huge interest. As Duke of Gloucester, he showed a socially progressive streak I think threatened the powerful in 1483. That's what caused them to rebel, not what might have happened to his nephews.
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22 August 1485 Battle of Bosworth sees Richard III defeated & killed by a coalition of disaffected Yorkists & recalcitrant Lancastrians, led by the virtually unknown Henry Tudor. Richard III is the last King of England to die in battle.
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6 January 1540 Marriage of Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves. It lasted until 12 July. Anne accepted an annulment & took a generous pay off. She kept her head & lived another 17 years. Henry declared her senior to all ladies in England except his wife & daughters. Smart lady.
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BIG NEWS!!!
This Friday’s episode of Gone Medieval won’t be on Friday. It’ll be on Thursday evening, at 8:01pm GMT. That’s when the embargo on the new discoveries about the Princes in the Tower lifts & we’ve got Philippa Langley to tell us all!!
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2 April 1502 Death of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales at Ludlow Castle aged 15. The oldest child of Henry VII & Elizabeth of York, he had been raised to be the second Tudor king. His parents were distraught, & England was left with Henry VIII.
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6 April 1199 Death of Richard I, the Lionheart aged 41 from gangrene caused by a crossbow bolt that hit his shoulder. A gifted military leader & diplomat, his success on the Third Crusade alienated other leaders & saw him taken hostage on his way home in Germany.
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16 July 1546 Anne Askew is burnt at the stake as a heretic after being tortured in the Tower. A Protestant, Anne was also one of the earliest female poets to write in the English language. Only two women have been both tortured & burnt. Both by Henry VIII.
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Is it really necessary to be professionally rude to people simply because they don’t agree with you? This, for me, is the worst side of history. Academic snobbery as a defence mechanism. What a shame. I can respect Linda’s knowledge & position without agreeing with her.
Yay! Some common sense at last, from a highly-respected historian who really knows the period. Not that the gullible will be persuaded. Sad that the team involved didn't really know anything about late 15th century Europe.
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21 October 1449 Birth of George, Duke of Clarence in Dublin. Third surviving son of Richard, Duke of York & Cecily Neville, he was executed in 1478 by his brother Edward IV. Perennially dissatisfied with his lot, he tested Edward one too many times. Plonker.
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Phase two of filming today for
@HistoryHit
about
#RichardIII
was York Minster. The Great East Window was completed in the early C15th & is the largest expanse of medieval glass in England - the size of a tennis court. Richard would have seen this very window.
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29 June 1509 Death of Margaret Beaufort, mother to Henry VII, just after seeing her grandson crowned Henry VIII. No one did more to establish & secure the Tudor dynasty.
The Princes in the Tower? I think her part was to tell their mother they were dead to secure her support.
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17 November 2023 Release of The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case by Philippa Langley. The results of the first 5 years of The missing Princes Project, it's set to rewrite history.
Philippa explains the new discoveries here:
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LOOK! You amazing, incredible, heritage heroing people! You did it. 10,000 signatures in 12 days means the government have to respond and tell us why this shouldn’t be revoked.
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18 November 2023 Channel 4 shows The Princes in the Tower: The New Evidence at 8pm in the UK. Philippa Langley and
@RobbieRinder
explore the story of the Princes in the Tower as it is changed by extraordinary new evidence.
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Erm. So. Having tinkered with Tudor portrait to make them smile or look miserable, it turns out there’s an app that does even more. Enjoy Henry VII chanting Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum....
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So this is exciting. I’m at the Tower of London, when it’s closed, to film something about the Princes in the Tower for
@HistoryHit
😬
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8 May 1373 Julian of Norwich is given the last rites as she lies dying, but she experiences visions of Jesus and recovers, becoming an anchoress, living locked in a cell. She wrote about her visions in the earliest surviving work in English by a woman. Julian died around 1416.
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Bumped into this guy next to York Minster today. I’m sure Richard III would forgive it not being white.
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22 August 1485 Battle of Bosworth. Richard III is betrayed by corrupt men seeking to place Henry Tudor on the throne as their puppet. William Stanley played Kingmaker, but lost his head a decade later. 331 year of Plantagenet rule gave way to the Tudor dynasty.
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16 December 1431 Coronation of Henry VI of England as King of France at Notre-Dame de Paris, aged 10. He'd been crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on 6 November 1429, making him the only person in history crowned king of England & France in the respective countries.
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So many incredible late medieval finds coming out of the ground recently! 😮
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19 November 2023 So. The Princes in the Tower. Have you listened to Gone Medieval? Watched the documentary? Managed to read the book yet?
What do you think?
Case solved?
Is there really still doubt?
What's the evidence they were killed in 1483?
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22 August 1485 The Battle of Bosworth takes place. King Richard III would become the last King of England to die in battle. Henry Tudor would become the first king of a new dynasty.
Find out more about The Real Richard III in a two-part documentary on
@HistoryHit
now.
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19 December 1154 Coronation of Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine at
@wabbey
, beginning the Plantagenet dynasty that ruled until 1485. Henry was one of the most gifted & capable rulers in English history & found his match in Eleanor. Here, they argue over who is really in control.
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3 May 1415 Birth of Cecily Neville. Born in the year of Agincourt, she married a royal duke, lived through the end of the 100 Years' War, all the Wars of the Roses, saw two sons become king & a granddaughter queen. She died in 1495 having skilfully navigated an incredible life.
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6 December 1421 Birth of Henry VI, the only person in history crowned King of England & France in both countries. He became King of England at 9 months old, France 2 months later. His long minority was problematic. His failures caused the Wars of the Roses.
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Here you go….
Have a listen, then I’d love to hear what you think.
What really happened to the
#PrincesintheTower
? Today, Philippa Langley - best known for her role in locating the remains of Richard III - talks to
@MattLewisAuthor
about her latest research that may forever change what we know about their fate:
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Sad news.
He was the perfect Theoden.
‘I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company, I shall not now feel ashamed.’
Bernard Hill has passed away at the age of 79 .
The actor who played Theoden in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy won 11 Academy Awards throughout his acting career.
R.I.P.
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12 June 918 Death of Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. Daughter of Alfred the Great, she ruled Mercia after her husband's death, supporting her brother Edward the Elder's efforts against the Vikings. She may have been a model for Empress Matilda's plans to rule.
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2 October 1452 Birth of Richard III at Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire. Youngest son of the Duke of York, his childhood was shattered by the Wars of the Roses, he ruled the north successfully as Duke of Gloucester, but was a controversial, short-lived king.
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This is shocking,
@X
. I can find a violation for you. Are you not looking, or not seeing? Come on. Sort it out. We don't need racists here, and we certainly don't need you condoning their racism.
Hey
@X
, how can I get called the N word and your report says it doesn't breach the violations. How are you man above the actual law?
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18 February 1478 Execution of George, Duke of Clarence, aged 28. He had betrayed his brother, Edward IV, several times. Did he threaten to expose his brother’s bigamy? Did he get his son out of England? His children & grandchildren had sad stories too.
Idiot.
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21 September 1411 Birth of Richard, 3rd Duke of York. I wrote a biography of him because I find him fascinating, and understanding him is critical to understanding the Wars of the Roses.
But I would say that about my historical man crush, wouldn’t I?
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It’s here! After a year’s delay, Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine are here for your reading pleasure. This is the story of how they came together to dominate European politics, and establish a dynasty that ruled England for more than three centuries.
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6 March 1340 Birth of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III, father of Henry IV & the Beaufort family (amongst others). His daughters married into Spanish & Portuguese royal families, making Iberia a home of Lancastrian blood. A towering figure.
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30 December 1460 Death of Richard, 3rd Duke of York at the Battle of Wakefield aged 49, along with his second son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, who was 17. Two of his sons would be kings. Like his youngest son
#RichardIII
, imho York gets a rough press.
📖
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18 Mar 1496 Birth of Mary Tudor, youngest surviving child of Henry VII & Elizabeth of York. Briefly Queen of France as 3rd wife to Louis XII, 30 years her senior, she then married Charles Brandon, best mate of her brother Henry VIII. They are the grandparents of Lady Jane Grey.
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I KNEW John Duke of Bedford was a man ahead of his time.
Here’s an insider 2024 trend tip: this is the hottest haircut of the year.
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Home for this morning! Filming something exciting on
#RichardIII
for
@HistoryHit
at Middleham Castle.
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I went to Micklegate Bar this morning because - well - I’m in York! Stared at it for a while and it mad me sad. History is real - Richard Duke of York’s head was cut off and spiked here, with a paper crown to mock him & his fallen allies.
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26 October 899 Death of Alfred, known as the Great. He was King of the West Saxons (Wessex) from 871-886, then King of the Anglo-Saxons until his death. Alfred was the last of four brothers to become King of Wessex & is credited with halting the Viking advance into England.
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Bumped into this fascinating lady in Winchester yesterday. Licoricia of Winchester was one of the wealthiest people in Henry III’s England in the 13th century.
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14 October 1066 Battle of Hastings sees King Harold II face Duke William of Normandy. Harold had the high ground & began strongly, but when his shield wall broke to chase retreating Normans, it created a weak point William exploited. Anglo-Saxon England was ended with Harold.
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25 December 1066 Coronation of William the Conqueror, victor of Hastings. During the service, as the Anglo-Saxon & Norman nobles present competed to show their support for William, his guards outside mistook the commotion for a fight & set fire to buildings. Great start!
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8 June 1376 Death of Edward, the Black Prince. The oldest son of Edward III, he was a celebrated military figure in his day, his health failed severely as a result of years of campaigning. He died the year before his father, aged 45. His son became Richard II in 1377 aged 10.
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9 May 1386 The Treaty of Windsor between King John I of Portugal & Richard II of England creates a pact of mutual support between the nations that has defined relations ever since. It is the oldest international treaty of alliance still in force today.
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21 April 1509 Death of Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, aged 52. Henry's life was one of danger, obscurity, and an unlikely rise to power. A careful & competent ruler despite his lack of training, his later years were dominated by fear - then there was Henry VIII...
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7 September 1151 Death of Geoffrey of Anjou, 'the Handsome'. Married to Empress Matilda, their oldest son became Henry II. Geoffrey was known as Plantagenet for the sprig of broom plant he wore as a badge, gifting this name to the longest reigning dynasty in English history.
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Is this what qualifies as journalism today? Clickbait nonsense, before the embargo lifted on the new information. It is necessarily ill-informed, an outdated argument that speaks to a closed, entrenched mind. Is this what we expect from journalists now?
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25 October 1415 Battle of Agincourt sees a small, bedraggled, sick English army defeat a vast French force. In the narrow, muddy field, cavalry floundered as Englishmen riddled with dysentery cut their hose open & fought on. Gross. The loss caused France great trouble.
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28 April 1442 Birth of Edward IV, the first Yorkist King of England. Born in Rouen, the son of Richard Duke of York & Cecily Neville (yes, I think he was!!), he took the throne after his father's death. Edward was undefeated on the battlefields of the Wars of the Roses.
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At St Magnus the Martyr Church near the current London Bridge is a model of the old London Bridge, as it looked around 1400, packed with buildings, chapels, a drawbridge to defend the city...
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28 Nov 1499 Execution of Edward, 17th Earl of Warwick. The son of George, Duke of Clarence, he was nephew to Edward IV & Richard III & cousin to Elizabeth of York. He'd been sorely treated under Edward IV, cared for under Richard III, imprisoned by Henry VII from 1485. Poor lad.
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24 August 1507 Death of Cecily of York, Viscountess Welles. A daughter of Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville, she was amongst those who never accused her uncle Richard III of killing her brothers, the Princes in the Tower. The silence was deafening.
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I don’t have a history degree. And I’m not even a minor ‘celeb’ (which is frankly rude about David Mitchell). Guess my books won’t be on Lynette’s Christmas wish list! Oh well.
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24 December 1166 Birth of King John, fourth surviving son of Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine. He proved himself an idiot in Ireland, dangerous when his brother Richard I was away, devious once Richard was captured, & abysmal as a king. He even gave England to the Pope.
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30 September 1399 Henry Bolingbroke is declared King of England after causing his cousin, Richard II, to abdicate. Henry was the oldest son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster & became the first king of the House of Lancaster. For most, though, he wasn't the rightful heir.
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25 December 1066 Coronation of William the Conqueror at Westminster Abbey. It was a bit of a disaster. Guards outside mistook competing cries of approval for trouble & set fire to London. Most fled the Abbey as a trembling William insisted the ceremony was completed.
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The
@HistoryHit
Guide to Medieval England from
@HodderBooks
is out today! Grab a copy from your favourite book shop.
Congratulations to
@MattLewisAuthor
on his publication day for his new book History Hit Guide to Medieval Britain. We look forward to welcoming him back to speak at the Autumn Festival again this year after enjoying his fascinating talks in 2023.
@historyhit
@hodderbooks
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30 May 1431 Joan of Arc is burned at the stake in Rouen, Normandy. Having won the French crown for Charles VII, she was abandoned by him, captured by Burgundians, sold to the English, tortured, convicted as a heretic and executed. All by the age of 19.
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1 January 1511 Birth of Henry, Duke of Cornwall & heir apparent. His parents, Henry VIII & Catherine of Aragon organised a huge tournament to celebrate his birth, but the baby only survived 52 days, sadly passing away on 22 February. How different the C16th might have been...
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22 April 1444 Birth of Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk, third daughter and sixth child of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Elizabeth married John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk & lived until 1503. Their sons would trouble the Tudor monarchs for year.
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So,
@GoingMedieval
and I are doing an episode of Gone Medieval to (try to) explain everything you ever wanted to know about medieval churches - the buildings, the people working within, odd terms you might here. If you’ve got any burning questions, here’s your chance!
Ask away…
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*gulp*
The Richard III Society is delighted to announce our new Chairman is Matthew Lewis.We will have more information following the 1st meeting of our new Board in March.Matt said:‘I am looking forward to repaying the faith the Board of the Society & its membership have shown in me’
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11 June 1456 Birth of Anne Neville. The younger daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, she was first married to the Lancastrian heir Edward, then to Richard, Duke of Gloucester. In 1483, she became queen consort & her son heir to the throne, no doubt fulfilling her father's plans.
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28 October 1466 Birth of Erasmus, the great humanist thinker, theologian & philosopher. A Catholic priest, Erasmus wrote at a time of growing religious reform but remained a Catholic, favouring reform of the Church from within. Never seen in the same room as Henry VII...
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3 April 1043 Coronation of Edward the Confessor as King of England, restoring the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex following a period of rule by the Danish royal family. Edward's death in 1066 would see control of the kingdom slip from Anglo-Saxon hands once again.
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23 May 1430 Joan of Arc is captured during the Siege of Compiègne by Burgundian forces. She would be sold to their English allies, tortured, tried as a heretic & burned at the stake aged 19. Her story is incredible.
Here's a Gone Medieval episode on Joan:
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5 January 1066 Death of Edward the Confessor, King (and later patron saint) of England. Edward was in his early 60s and had been king for 24 years. He was buried in his newly consecrated Westminster Abbey. His death kicked of one heck of a year!
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8 July 975 Death of Edgar the Peaceable, Anglo-Saxon King of England, and the creator of twerking.
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5 June 1341 Birth of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York. Fourth son of Edward III, he was the patriarch of the House of York that would take the throne in 1460, though through a female line. He is a fascinating figure.
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27 October 939 Death of Æthelstan, the first person to use the title King of the English. He was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924-927, then King of the English. He cemented his overlordship of England, Scotland & Wales, winning a huge victory at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.
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28 January 1457 Birth of Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, son of Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was 13 years old at the difficult birth in Pembroke Castle. Henry’s father, Edmund Tudor, had died almost 3 months earlier. After spending 14 years in exile, Henry won the crown in 1485.
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14 April 1471 Battle of Barnet sees a returning Edward IV, supported by his 18-year-old brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, defeat & kill his cousins Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick - the Kingmaker & John Neville, Marquis Montagu, effectively ending the Readeption of Henry VI.
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26 October 899 Death of Alfred the Great, the man credited with halting the Viking incursions into England & ultimately sparking the unification of the English people. He was well educated & interested in the law. This is the Alfred Jewel, inscribed 'Alfred ordered me made'.
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31 May 1443 Birth of Lady Margaret Beaufort, heir to the Duke of Somerset, who died before she was one. Married 3 times (or 4, but she preferred 3), Margaret's life was one of pain and trial as the Wars of the Roses gripped. Her only son, Henry Tudor, would become Henry VII.
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1 September 1532 Anne Boleyn is created Marquess of Pembroke by Henry VIII. It makes her the highest ranking female peer in the kingdom. A fitting position for a future queen.
Run, Anne. Run...
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Can you guess where I’ve been filming with
@HistoryHit
today? I bet you can. I made sure they deleted the footage of me having a major fanboy moment at this guy’s tomb.
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26 June 1483 Richard, Duke of Gloucester accepts the offer of the throne of England in place of his nephew Edward V, who has been declared illegitimate, and becomes King Richard III.
What was going on beneath the surface remains hotly debated today.
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Dan Snow has been nothing but supportive of me & many others. I owe him a huge amount. He has a first class History degree from Oxford, so he worked to get where he is. I know how hard he continues to work. I have no history degree, but he gives me a platform to do what I love.
So, I got the call from History Hit. I've decided to tweet my refusal in the hope of encouraging others to boycott it for the same reasons I have.
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17 March 1337 Edward, the Black Prince is created Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy created and granted in England, and still held by the heir to the throne today.
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13 November 1440 Death of Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland. Youngest child of John of Gaunt & Katherine Swynford, her grandchildren included Edward IV, Richard III, Warwick the Kingmaker, Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland. Henry, 2nd Duke of Buckingham was her g-g-son.
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Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday Gone Medieval,
Can’t believe you are 2!
🎉🎂🎉
What’s been your favourite episode?
@HistoryHit
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14 September 1435 Death of John, Duke of Bedford. Third son of Henry IV, he was the oldest surviving brother of Henry V on the king's death in 1422. He was regent in France for his nephew Henry VI until his death. A hugely impressive figure - the best king England never had?
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10 September 1167 Death of Empress Matilda, aged 65. Her tomb recalls her as daughter of Henry (I of England), wife of Henry (V, HRE - there's Geoffrey too!) & mother of Henry (II of England). She was far from defined by the men in her life.
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21 October 1449 Birth of George, Duke of Clarence, 4th son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York & Cecily Neville. George was born in Dublin, helping cement Irish affection for the House of York in the Wars of the Roses. He would be executed in 1478 by his brother Edward IV for treason.
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