John I and Phillip II of France continue to battle on and off. Arthur, Duke of Brittany and Geoffrey's son, rebels and attempts to take more territory. Eleanor is captured but John's forces set her free and capture Arthur and Hugh IX of...

The young Lady Jane and Lord Guildford are beheaded. Mary attempts to convert Jane to Catholicism before hear death, but Jane refuses. Her deep and outspoken commitment to her protestant faith preserved Jane's legacy as a martyr for...

During the mid-1500s, England was caught in a theological battle between Protestants and Catholics. While Jane and the Greys were dependant on the Catholic Queen Mary to spare their lives, they were simultaneously plotting to preserve...

The possibility of Lady Jane Grey becoming the next Queen of England and Ireland makes many people uneasy. She soon receives a letter from Princess Mary declaring that Mary was the rightful queen and demanding that the Privy Council...

By the time Elizabeth I died in 1603, public opinion of her was mixed. She had quelled religious tensions and defeated the Spanish Armada, however, the brutal and bloody tactics of her military stained her memory and the country was in a...

Elizabeth I of England, daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, is a renown and popular leader of the country who ruled through peace and war. When she was just two years old, her father had her mother beheaded and quickly married...

At the age of 33, Lady Mary fell ill with plague and died, ending the legacy of the Grey family. Lady Mary died young, as her sisters had but, unlike her sisters, she was able to live a life of relative freedom in her later years.

Jane's father, Henry Grey, declares his support for Princess Mary, then informs Jane that her short rule is ending. Jane and her parents hope to cast the blame on only the Duke of Northumberland and his family. This seems increasingly...

Jane condemns Princess Mary's religion, Catholicism, but knows that this alone will not be enough. She sends an army to capture Mary and encourage people to join their cause in towns along the way. They soon find, however, that towns are...

On July 8th, 1533, Jane was crowned as Queen of England at the age of 16. She unexpectedly and dramatically threw herself to the floor and sobbed as her parents and in-laws bent the knee to her. Was this the behaviour of a naive young...

Just before his death, Edward VI made a small but important change to his will that ruled Jane's mother, Frances out of the succession and moved Jane next in line to the thrown. The fact that Jane and her sisters were born in England,...

Katherine Howard became the fifth wife of Henry VIII when she was a teenager and he was in his late 40s. Henry soon grew suspicious of Katherine's friendships with other men, particularly her relationship with Thomas Culpepper. Katherine...

Anne Boleyn was a talented and attractive young lady who became the second wife of King Henry VIII. After a few years of marriage without a son, Henry VIII began looking for a new wife and a way to get rid of Anne. in 1536, she was...

Calming the tension between Protestants and Catholics was important to Elizabeth I of England. She re-instituted the Church of England as the country's chosen church but repealed strict heresy laws and permitted people to practice...

Queen Mary arrives in London. John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland goes on trial. Ironically, most of the people deciding his fate had also originally pledged allegiance to Jane. Though he is spared being drawn and quartered, the Duke of...

After about 8 years of house arrest, Lady Mary was finally granted freedom at the age of 27. She spend the time reconnecting with family and friends and building a comfortable home for herself. Lady Mary also succeeded in winning back...

From gendered criticism to mercury poisoning from cosmetics, there are many theories about why Elizabeth I could be so cruel.

When their brother died in 1553, Elizabeth's sister was crowned Mary I. Mary, a devout Catholic, soon began to distrust her Protestant sister, accusing Elizabeth of involvement in Wyatt's Rebellion of 1554. Despite a lack of evidence,...

Eleanor and her second husband, Henry II combine their territories to become what is known today as the Angevin Empire, stretching from the Carcassonne in the South of France to Northumbria in the North of England. Eleanor has more...

In this video we look into the life of King Henry VIII, the man who broke the Catholic Church in England.

National Archives: This video presents primary sources overseen by Jeffrey Chaucer, author of The Cantebury Tales, during his time working at the customs house, looking at goods coming our of the port of London. Dr Euan Roger introduces...

Æthelstan, Aethelstan, or Athelstan as I think it's pronounced. Quite a lot of political intrigue going on before William, as it turns out. Wish I could've touched on that "Great Heathen Army" I keep hearing about. But seriously, this...

Edward V of England and his brother, Richard Duke of York are thought to have been murdered to legitimize their uncle Richard III as King of England. No one knows exactly how they died and some believe they may have escaped. Whatever...

Queen Elizabeth the first may have been a virgin who can’t drive but what most people don’t know is that she was one of the most brutally cut-throat and significant rulers England has ever had. A badass to some, a merciless imperialist...