Hi, I'm historian Claire Ridgway
I'm the best-selling author of 15 history books and the founder of the TheAnneBoleynFiles.com, Elizabethfiles.com and The Tudor Society.
I help Tudor history lovers worldwide to gain access to experts and resources to discover the real stories behind myths and fiction, so that they grow in knowledge while connecting with like-minded people and indulging their passion for history.
How I can help you...
My latest youtube video
I received an email from a listener... find out more #tudorhistory #history #tudorials
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A Viewer Told Me to Cover Up - Anne Boleyn Had the PERFECT Response
A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional ...
A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional advice: she found my bare arms, flushed skin and tattoos distracting from my history content, and suggested that I might consider ...wearing a blouse or even a turtleneck when filming.
There was just one rather wonderful irony...
The two visible tattoos she suggested I cover up are both connected to Anne Boleyn - and one of them seemed to provide the perfect response from nearly 500 years ago:
"Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne."
Or, as I like to translate it:
"Let them grumble. That's the way it's going to be."
In this video, I'm exploring the fascinating history behind Anne Boleyn's defiant motto, why she had it embroidered on her servants' livery during Henry VIII's Great Matter, and its possible connection to the court of Margaret of Austria.
I'm also sharing the very personal reason I had those words tattooed on me in 2021, after years of allowing online criticism to affect my confidence.
And the viewer's email raised another interesting question: are women still judged differently from men when it comes to appearance and professionalism? Can bare shoulders or tattoos really distract from someone's expertise? And would we react in the same way to a male historian?
I'd love to know what you think in the comments.
And as for whether I'll be filming my videos in a turtleneck from now on...
Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.
Let them grumble!
#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #Tudors #HenryVIII #History
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Challenging the Myth: Catherine Howard's Examination
I've been researching Catherine for a few years now, and I've seen it ...
Did Catherine Howard REALLY Confess? I Went Back to the Evidence
Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with ...
Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with Thomas Culpeper?
I've seen this claim repeated in books and online, and something about it has been bothering me. ...So, while researching Catherine Howard for my recent event, I decided to go down this particular Tudor rabbit hole and look at the records from 1541 and 1542, and the case made against Catherine, and ask a very simple question: Who actually said what? Because there's an important difference between what Catherine admitted, what was said about her, and what was later presented as fact.
Watch to the end and see whether you think the evidence supports the way Catherine's "confession" is often described.
If you enjoy questioning familiar Tudor stories and going back to the original evidence with me, please subscribe. There are plenty more Tudor rabbit holes to come.
#CatherineHoward #TudorHistory #HenryVIII
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Actually, Henry VIII DID Divorce His Wives...
You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives: ...
You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives:
"Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."
But mention it online, and you tend to get someone saying, "Actually, Henry didn't divorce ...Catherine of Aragon or Anne of Cleves. Their marriages were annulled."
But is that correction actually right?
In this video, I'm looking at what "divorce" meant in the sixteenth century, why Tudor terminology doesn't fit neatly with our modern distinction between divorce and annulment, and what contemporary sources actually say.
We'll look at medieval canon law, Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's relationship ends, and a legal document from 1540 which explicitly describes Anne of Cleves as "divorced" from Henry VIII.
So, was Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled? Yes.
But is it historically inaccurate to say they were divorced?
Not at all.
So "Divorced, beheaded, died..." can definitely stay!
#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneOfCleves #CatherineOfAragon #Tudors
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Anne Boleyn Was Queen for 3 Years - What Did She Actually Do?
We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise ...
We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise and her dramatic fall that we often skip over the bit in between, but what was Anne actually like ...as Queen of England?
Anne was Henry VIII's queen for just three years, but during that short time she acted as an intercessor, supported scholars and universities, promoted religious reform, gave to the poor, patronised artists and used her access to Henry VIII to help people who appealed to her.
In this instalment of my Anne Boleyn documentary series, I'm looking at Anne "the queen in her own right". What was expected of a Tudor queen consort? How much influence could Anne really exercise? How did she use patronage, her household and her position close to the king? And what can surviving objects such as her famous "Most Happy" medal, crowned falcon badge, jewellery and books tell us about the way Anne presented herself as queen?
I'll also look at Anne's religious and charitable activities, her patronage of scholars and reformers, her role as intercessor, her pregnancies and the all-important expectation that she would provide Henry VIII with a male heir.
Join me as we explore an often overlooked part of Anne Boleyn's story: the years when she wasn't Henry VIII's prospective bride or his condemned wife, but Queen of England.
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This Is What I Love Most About Tudor History
One of the things I've always loved most about my work is connecting ...
One of the things I've always loved most about my work is connecting people who love Tudor history with historians, authors and researchers who love sharing it.
That's why I'm so ...excited to see people joining Back to Tudor School.
Explore Back to Tudor School here:
https://claireridgway.com/history-event-archive/back-to-school/
I've brought together 7 of my complete Tudor history collections, giving you 50 expert talks to explore from the comfort of your own home.
You can have a Tudor history marathon, dip into a talk on a Sunday afternoon, follow a particular Tudor rabbit hole, or return to a favourite months or even years later.
And because you have lifetime access, there's no rush.
Back to Tudor School includes:
* 7 complete Tudor history collections
* 50 expert video talks
* 50 downloadable transcripts
* Recommended reading
* Additional resources
* Lifetime access
All 7 collections are available together for $99 until 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August 2026.
In this video, I also share some lovely comments from people who have attended my online history events over the years, including one description I absolutely love: "like having a personally delivered documentary!"
Thank you so much to everyone who has already joined. I hope you have a wonderful time exploring all that Tudor history.
And I'd love to know: if you could choose just ONE Tudor subject to spend an evening learning about, what would it be?
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The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty: 8 Expert Talks #tudorhistory #henryvii #richardiii #warsoftheroses
Explore The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty, just one of seven complete ...
Explore The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty, just one of seven complete collections included in Back to Tudor School.
The complete bundle includes 50 expert talks from 20 historians, downloadable transcripts, ...recommended reading, additional resources and lifetime access.
Get the complete bundle for $99 until 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August:
https://claireridgway.com/history-event-archive/back-to-school/Show More
I Opened My Tudor History Archive
Join Back to Tudor School before 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August: ...
Join Back to Tudor School before 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August: https://claireridgway.com/history-event-archive/back-to-school/
I have opened my Tudor history event archive and brought together seven complete collections featuring 50 expert ...talks from 20 historians, authors and specialists.
Back to Tudor School takes you from the Wars of the Roses and the rise of Henry VII through the wider Tudor family, the men behind the throne, the extraordinary Boleyn family, four executed queens, Tudor villains and the lives of ordinary Tudor women.
THE SEVEN COLLECTIONS
The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty
The Other Tudors
The Men Behind the Throne
The Boleyns: A Family of Two Queens
Executed Queens
Tudor Villains
The Everyday Tudor Woman
The collection features talks from Matthew Lewis, Elizabeth Norton, Nathen Amin, Nicola Tallis, Gareth Russell, Linda Porter, Joanne Paul, Brigitte Webster, Bess Chilver, Claire Ridgway and many more.
YOUR BACK TO TUDOR SCHOOL LIBRARY INCLUDES
50 expert video talks
50 downloadable transcripts
Recommended reading for every collection
Additional learning resources
Contributions from 20 historians, authors and specialists
Lifetime access
There is no schedule and nothing to fall behind with. You can work through the collections chronologically, immerse yourself in one particular subject or simply choose whichever talk catches your attention.
The seven collections will eventually cost $350 when purchased separately. Until 11:59pm UK time on Monday 24 August, you can access the entire Back to Tudor School library for $99.
That works out at less than $2 per expert talk.
Find out more and join here:
https://claireridgway.com/history-event-archive/back-to-school/
#TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn #BritishHistory
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Who Would Marry Henry VIII? The Search for Wife No. 4
Who would agree to become Henry VIII's fourth wife? By late 1537, ...
Who would agree to become Henry VIII's fourth wife?
By late 1537, Henry VIII was back on the marriage market. Catherine of Aragon had been banished, Anne Boleyn had been executed, ...and Jane Seymour had died shortly after giving Henry the legitimate son he had longed for.
Now the 46-year-old king needed another queen.
And so began an extraordinary search across Europe.
In this video, I'm giving Henry VIII's search for wife number four the Tudor Blind Date treatment as we meet some of the women considered by Henry and his government.
There was Christina of Denmark, the young widowed duchess whose portrait by Hans Holbein delighted Henry; Marie de Guise, a tall French widow who had already produced sons; her younger sister Louise; Anna of Lorraine; and, eventually, two sisters from Cleves: Anne and Amalia.
Along the way, ambassadors were dispatched, portraits were commissioned, diplomatic negotiations unfolded and Hans Holbein found himself travelling around Europe painting prospective queens.
But finding Henry VIII a suitable wife wasn't simply a matter of finding a woman he liked. Marriage was foreign policy, and every prospective bride came with dynastic connections, diplomatic advantages and complications of her own.
So who would win Tudor Blind Date and become Henry VIII's fourth wife?
We already know the answer.
But the story of how Henry ended up with Anne of Cleves is far more interesting than you might think.
#HenryVIII #AnneOfCleves #TudorHistory #HansHolbein #TheTudors
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Did Mary of Guise Use Anne Boleyn's Words to Refuse Henry VIII's Proposal?
One of the most famous quotations attributed to Mary of Guise is her ...
One of the most famous quotations attributed to Mary of Guise is her alleged reply to Henry VIII's proposal of marriage:
"I may be a big woman, but I have a ...very little neck."
It's a wonderful story, cleverly alluding to Anne Boleyn's execution and Henry VIII's reputation. But did Mary of Guise really say those words?
In this video, I investigate the evidence by examining contemporary diplomatic correspondence, including the dispatches of the French ambassador, Castillon, along with the works of John Knox, John Lesley, George Buchanan, Agnes Strickland, Antonia Fraser, John Guy and other historians.
Can this famous quotation be traced to a contemporary source, or has it become accepted simply through repetition?
Join me as I follow the evidence and explore one of Tudor history's most intriguing quotation mysteries.
If you enjoy evidence-based Tudor history, please like, subscribe and let me know your thoughts in the comments. And if you've come across a contemporary source for the quotation, I'd genuinely love to hear about it.
#TudorHistory #HenryVIII #MaryOfGuise #AnneBoleyn #MaryQueenOfScots #TudorEngland #Tudors #BritishHistory #HistoryMystery #HistoryFacts #MedievalHistory #historylovers
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Henry VIII Catfished?!?
Did Holbein catfish Henry VIII with his portrait of Anne of Cleves?
Did Holbein catfish Henry VIII with his portrait of Anne of Cleves?
Online Events
I regularly host online Tudor history conferences to connect Tudor history lovers with Tudor historians all from the comfort of their own homes. They comprise talks, live events, live Q&A sessions and resources, and are educational and fun.
Check out the Events tab to find out about my latest event.
The Tudor Society
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The Anne Boleyn Files
Interested in learning the facts behind the myths and fiction surrounding Anne Boleyn?
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As featured in...
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I was a contributor for the BBC docudrama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and have been featured in BBC History Extra, USA Today, History of Royals Magazine, the Express, and Refinery 29, as well as on podcasts including Suzannah Lipscomb's Not Just the Tudors, Gareth Russell's Single Malt History, Natalie Grueninger's Talking Tudors, Hever Castle's Inside Hever, James Boulton's Queens of England, and many more.
Praise for Claire's work
"Claire's blog - recently made available in book form - is more rigorous than that of many professional historians." Susan Bordo, author of The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen
"A sumptuously illustrated and impeccably researched history about the domestic life of a family that shaped British history. This is a fascinating window into both the Boleyns' lives at Hever and upper-class life on the eve of the Reformation." - Gareth Russell, Author of Young and Damned and Fair, on The Boleyns of Hever Castle.
"I've been a history buff all my life, both as a reader and as a writer. I thought I knew about Anne and her Boleyn family, Henry VIII and his court, but this book [The Anne Boleyn Collection] fills in so many blanks for me that I will read it more than once...This is a book for the legion of Tudor fiction readers, who want to know the stories behind the myths, the truth behind the legend...Absolutely fascinating read. " - Jeane Westin, Author of His Last Letter
"Claire has produced another must read for Anne Bolyen fans." Leanda de Lisle, author of Tudor: The Family Story, writing about "The Anne Boleyn Collection II.
More about me
I founded the Anne Boleyn Files in 2009, the Tudor Society in 2014 and I have a popular YouTube channel.
I help Tudor history lovers all over the world learn more about history, connect with experts and like-minded people, and uncover the facts behind the fiction, all from the comfort of their own homes.
I'm a former teacher and a recognised expert in Tudor history, and, as the founder of The Tudor Society, I've built a community of history lovers and experts where members can share their passion for history and receive accurate resources and information.
Claire Ridgway's Books
