October is a Momentous Month for the Tudors...

So many things happened to our beloved Tudors in October! Too many for me to pick just one, so I'm gathering a list here!

• October 30, 1485 -- Henry VII is crowned king
• October 2, 1501 -- Catharine of Aragon landed in England, prepared to marry Prince Arthur
• October 2, 1514 -- Princess Mary Tudor, all of 18, sets sail to marry the 52yo French King. Their wedding took place on the 9th.
• October 8, 1515 -- Lady Margaret Douglas was born. She was the daughter of Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and Dowager Queen of Scotland.
• October 25, 1529 -- Sir Thomas More is named Henry VIII's new Lord Chancellor, ousting Cardinal Wolsey who had served his king (and himself) faithfully for years. Sadly More would also see the same fate. Working for Henry was hazardous!
• October 27, 1532 -- Anne Boleyn, Marchioness of Pembroke, makes a dramatic entrance into court at Calais to meet the King of France and Henry, of course. The scene wowed everyone, except Henry's wife who was left behind in England as Henry had decided to thrust her aside in favor of the exotic Anne.
• October 4, 1536 -- Rebels in Lincolnshire started trouble which would become part of the infamous The Pilgrimage of Grace -- the first serious rebellion against Henry VIII's religious changes, you know when he declared himself next to God and thrust the Pope out of England.
• October 19, 1536 -- Henry VIII writes a letter to his right-hand man, Charles Brandon, that basically gives him permission to use any means necessary to put down the Pilgrimage of Grace rebels. That same night, the rebels decided they were going to take Pontefract Castle. But the threat of it seemed to be enough, because the castle conceded to them the following morning.
• October 12, 1537 -- Edward VI is born! Finally a legitimate male heir for Henry VIII
• October 15, 1537 -- The long awaited prince is christened, and his mother, pale and ill, rallied to attend.
• October 24, 1537 -- Queen Jane Seymour, Edward VI's mother, dies
• October, 1539 -- Henry VIII's Bible was published
• October 4, 1539 -- Henry VIII signs a treaty that he'll marry Anne of Cleves, his 4th wife
• October 18, 1541 -- Margaret Tudor, elder sister of Henry VIII, dies
• October 1, 1553 -- Mary I (Bloody Mary, 1st legitimate-born daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon--see what I did there? She's totally legitimate!) is crowned Queen of England
• October 16, 1555 -- Mary I burns two religious leaders at the stake -- Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. They are known as the Oxford Martyrs
• October 10, 1562 -- Queen Elizabeth I takes ill with smallpox! It is a miracle she lived, a testament to her thriving nature.
• October 14, 1586 -- Mary, Queen of Scots trial for treason (accused by her cousin Elizabeth I) began at Fotheringhay Castle in England. She begged to speak to her cousin, but was refused. For her part, Elizabeth did delay the sentencing as long as she could, but on October 25th, she ordered her cousin to be put to death. Most historians do believe this was a very difficult decision for her. But in the end, her throne and the validity of her claim to it won out over any blood ties she might have felt to her rival cousin.
• October 29, 1618 -- Elizabeth I has her beloved Sir Walter Raleigh executed by her heir, James I, who was then king. Ironically, James I, who she named her heir, which united England and Scotland, was the son of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots whom she had executed.

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