Claire Ridgway
Author, historian, Tudor history lover, owner of The Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society, loves talking Tudor and transporting people to the past. Also dog lover, cat lover, fitness fanatic and veggie.
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- Anne Boleyn wasn’t meant to be queen. She was meant to be a solution. A political marriage. An Irish alliance. A quiet life, far from court. Until the plan collapsed. The rest is history. Full video on YouTube. #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #HiddenHistory #WomenInHistory
- It’s Candlemas, the feast that once marked the true end of Christmas. Blessed candles, weather prophecies, guild pageants… and why the Tudors kept their decorations up until now… bit.ly/4aoYMbY
- They used what to heal people?! Somehistorical cures sound bizarre, but others were centuries ahead of their time. Wine. Honey. Maggots. Even MRSA-killing remedies. History might surprise you. New video out now on YouTube. #TudorHistory #MedicalHistory #HistoryFacts #Tudors #WeirdHistory
- Hot mouse skin for chilblains. Leeches for fevers. Pigeons for plague sores. Tudor medicine sounds mad to us… but what if it actually made sense in its own world? A Beginner’s Guide to Tudor Medicine is now live on my# YouTube channel, The Anne Boleyn Files. #tudorhistory #tudormedicine #tudorcures
- “Anne Boleyn was corrupted in France.” It’s repeated as fact, but the evidence doesn’t hold. What we actually have is gossip, politics, and a chain of someone said that someone said… Whispers turned into “history”. Full video on The Anne Boleyn Files on YouTube. #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory
- Anne Boleyn wasn’t a naïve girl dazzled by a king. She arrived at Henry VIII’s court already shaped by Europe’s most dazzling Renaissance courts. Episode 2 of my series on YouTube reveals the years that made Anne. #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #WomenInHistory #Renaissance #HenryVIII
- She’s remembered as “Bloody Mary.” But in the summer of 1553, Mary Tudor showed something else entirely. Hunted, outnumbered, and declared illegitimate, she claimed her crown with resolve, leadership, and unshakable belief in her right to rule. Watch the full video now on my YouTube channel. #Maryi
- Were Tudor “villains” truly evil… or simply on the losing side of history? My new live event, Tudor Villains, explores the figures we love to hate, and why their reputations stuck. Early bird: $89 until 13 Feb. claireridgway.com/events/tudor...
- Anne wasn’t a common girl who “rose above her station”. She was born into privilege, lineage, and political expectation, shaped by the Boleyns, Butlers and Howards. Watch “The Making of Anne Boleyn” now on the Anne Boleyn Files YouTube channel. #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #HenryVIII
- Think Christmas ends on December 25th? Not in Tudor England… Twelfth Night was the grand finale - feasting, music, misrule, and a cake that could make you “king” for the night. Watch the full video on my Anne Boleyn Files YouTube channel! #TudorHistory #TwelfthNight #TudorChristmas #RoscóndeReyes
- Anne Boleyn’s story deserves more than soundbites — it deserves depth, context, and humanity. In 2026 I’m moving from daily uploads to weekly, documentary-style deep dives — richer research, fuller storytelling, and companion shorts + resources. Join me on YouTube! #TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn
- Tudor Christmas wasn’t just carols. It was shawms, bagpipes, dancing, and noise from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night. Watch the full Tudor Christmas episode on YouTube. #TudorHistory #TudorChristmas #ChristmasHistory #BritishHistory #MedievalMusic
- Tudor Christmas = street theatre. Mystery plays. Loud Herods. And the haunting Coventry Carol. Watch the full story on YouTube. #TudorHistory #TudorChristmas #CoventryCarol #MedievalChristmas #HiddenHistory #BritishHistory #TheAnneBoleynFiles #ClaireRidgway
- On 21 December, the poor went a-Thomasing, asking for alms. And refusing to give? That was a moral failure. Because Christmas meant remembering a poor-born Christ, and helping people survive winter. Full Tudor Christmas Advent episode now on YouTube. #TudorHistory #ChristmasHistory #TudorChristmas
- Think you know Tudor Christmas? I put Tim to the test in this festive Tudor Christmas quiz… but the real challenge is for you! - Head over to the Anne Boleyn Files on YouTube to play along. - Tell us how you did in the comments. #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #HistoryQuiz #ChristmasTrivia
- I shared today’s video early, so here’s yesterday’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode. Tudor Christmas wasn’t just feasting — it was supernatural. Three real Christmas Eve superstitions from medieval & Tudor sources. See the full video on YouTube.
- One of the most important Tudor palaces no longer exists. This is Richmond Palace, where Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I all celebrated Christmas. It’s gone now… but its story isn’t. #RichmondPalace #TudorChristmas #LostHistory #Elizabethi #TheAnneBoleynFiles
- Imagine turning a corner on a frosty day and finding a wonky Tudor fairy-tale house. That’s Little Moreton Hall - crooked beams, bowing floors, shimmering Tudor glass… and somehow still standing. I’m exploring it in winter in my Tudor Christmas Advent on YouTube. #LittleMoretonHall #TudorHistory
- The Reformation didn’t just change churches…it changed Christmas. Some Tudor traditions were banned. Others survived. And Christmas was reshaped forever. Want the full Tudor story? Watch today’s episode on my YouTube channel. #christmashistory #tudorchristmas #reformation #twelvedaysofchristmas
- The River Thames once froze so solid that London partied on the ice. Carriages crossed it. Children played football. Elizabeth I practised archery. And in 1536, Henry VIII rode across it with Jane Seymour. Watch the full frost fairs story on my YouTube channel. #TudorHistory #FrostFairs
- Did you know one Tudor Christmas may have changed England forever? At Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn faced the biggest decision of her life… and it set Henry VIII — and the whole country — on a new course. Watch today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode on my YouTube channel, The Anne Boleyn Files.
- Tudor Christmas didn’t sound quiet and holy… it was loud, joyful and absolutely packed with music. Some of the carols we still sing today were already favourites in Henry VIII’s time!... #TudorChristmas #ChristmasCarols #EarlyMusic #ChristmasHistory
- Tudor Christmas wasn’t all solemn carols and candlelight… it also had sticks, bells and MOCK BATTLES. Morris dancing in the 1500s meant ribbons, masks or blackened faces, clashing staves and wild energy, from village greens to Henry VII’s court. And it’s STILL danced today!
- Tudor Christmas wasn’t cosy… it was extraordinary. Huge Yule logs, hidden beans that chose a Lord of Misrule, days of dancing, jokes and festive chaos… See the full story on YouTube! #TudorChristmas #YuleLog #TwelfthNight #Misrule #ChristmasHistory #12DaysOfChristmas #MedievalChristmas
- Move over mulled wine, Tudor Christmas drinks were more interesting than that! From hippocras to lambswool to buttered beer, these were the winter warmers that kept Henry VIII’s court merry. #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasDrinks #HistoricalFood #HenryVIII
- Dragons spitting fire. Masked dancers. Morris dancers. Henry VIII turning up in disguise… Twelfth Night at the Tudor court was absolute chaos, and pure magic. Catch the full story on my YouTube channel. #TudorChristmas #TwelfthNight #HenryVIII #TudorHistory #ChristmasHistory #HistoricalFacts
- Forget early Christmas trees, the Tudors decorated only on Christmas Eve, with greenery full of symbolism, myth… and even protection from witches! And leave a single leaf up after Candlemas? Goblins, apparently… #TudorChristmas #ChristmasHistory #MedievalChristmas #ChristmasTraditions
- Santa didn’t start at the North Pole, Meet St Nicholas, the Boy Bishop, and the real roots of Santa Claus. And no, Coca Cola didn’t invent the red and white Santa! #StNicholas #SantaClausHistory #TudorChristmas #MedievalHistory #ChristmasTraditions #BoyBishop #AdventSeries
- When the Yule log crackled, the Tudors grabbed dice, cards and board games! Their Christmas was loud, competitive and full of laughter. #TudorTok #ChristmasHistory #TudorGames #tudorpastimes
- Tudor gifts weren’t festive… they were political. New Year’s Day at Henry VIII’s court was ALL ambition, drama, and very elegant bribery. #TudorHistory #TudorNewYear #HenryVIII #AnneBoleyn #TudorChristmas
- It’s December already, and that means Tudor Advent fun begins! Enjoy a new historical treat every day until Christmas Eve on The Anne Boleyn Files (or on YouTube!). Start the countdown here: www.theanneboleynfiles.com/2025-anne-bo... #AdventCalendar #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory
- Treat yourself to a Tudor feast: My Tudor History Bundle includes 17 talks from Tracy Borman, Nathen Amin, Nicola Tallis, Gareth Russell, Matthew Lewis... Instant access. Lifetime replay. 2 full events. All for $50 instead of $100 — until 28 Nov. Perfect for cosy winter evenings. bit.ly/4p9AgRk
- #OTD in 1542: Robert Radcliffe, Earl of Sussex, died at Chelsea. From a father accused of treason to Henry VIII’s trusted Lord Great Chamberlain, he survived the dangers of Tudor politics in remarkable style. www.tudorsociety.com/robert-radcl... #tudors #tudorhistory #henryviii #OnThisDay
- Born #OTD 1467: Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland — border lord, soldier, and key figure at Flodden with his famous cry, “A red bull!” Discover the man behind the legend: www.tudorsociety.com/thomas-dacre...
- On this day in 1558, James Bassett died at just 32. Scholar, exile, diplomat, loyal servant to Mary I & Philip of Spain, yet barely remembered today. His remarkable story says so much about Tudor faith & politics. www.tudorsociety.com/james-basset... #Tudors #TudorHistory #MaryI
- He wrote a Julius Caesar before Shakespeare, preached to Elizabeth I, and was chosen to help create the King James Bible. Meet Richard Edes, who died on this day in 1604... www.tudorsociety.com/richard-edes... #OTD #OnThisDay #TudorHistory #KingJamesBible
- On this day in Tudor history, 13 Nov 1537, Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s beloved third wife & mother of Edward VI, was laid to rest. Her final journey was grand, her resting places… two. www.tudorsociety.com/queen-jane-s... #JaneSeymour #HenryVIII #TudorHistory
- Ever imagined medieval London as a hub of books, printers & ideas? Toni Mount takes us inside the bustling book trade around St Paul’s, and introduces her new Sebastian Foxley mystery, The Colour of Darkness! bit.ly/4hZO2TB #historicalfiction #medievalmystery #tonimount #sebfoxley
- On this day in 1555, Queen Mary I’s Parliament passed the Second Statute of Repeal, restoring papal authority and undoing decades of religious reform. For three brief years, England was Catholic again. Read more www.tudorsociety.com/mary-i-turns... #MaryI #TudorHistory #OnThisDay
- He was the darling of Elizabeth I's twilight years, but he ended up on the scaffold... www.tudorsociety.com/robert-dever...
- Six wives. Two executions. One king. Explore the real Henry VIII and the women who shaped — and suffered — his reign. Henry VIII & His Six Wives - 9 expert talks from 6 historians. Instant access. Bonus: get The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty replays free with it. claireridgway.com/special-than...
- On this day in 1565, Sir Edward Warner — soldier, courtier, and twice Lieutenant of the Tower — died in Norfolk. He guarded rebels, queens, and even let one prisoner, Lady Katherine Grey, get pregnant under his watch! www.tudorsociety.com/sir-edward-w...
- I’m so thankful for this Tudor community 💕 To celebrate, I’m offering both The Rise of the Tudor Dynasty & Henry VIII and His Six Wives replays for $50 total — hours and hours of expert talks you can watch anytime! Ends 28 November. claireridgway.com/special-than...
- #OTD in Tudor history, 4 November 1551, theologian and scholar John Redman died of consumption. He served both Henry VIII and Edward VI, striving to reconcile faith, scholarship and conscience in a divided England. www.tudorsociety.com/john-redman-... #TudorHistory #OnThisDay
