Today in Tudor history...

31 May 1443 – Birth of Lady Margaret Beaufort,  Countess of Richmond and Derby.She was the mother of King Henry VII and paternal grandmother of King Henry VIII of England. She was a key figure in the Wars of the Roses and an influential matriarch of the House of Tudor. She founded two prominent Cambridge Colleges; Christ's College in 1505, and St John's College in 1511.

1495-Death of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York ,wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and the mother of two Kings:Edward IV and Richard III.

1514-Henry VIII. to Wolsey

"Has spoken to the Duke [of Longueville], who "was as ill afraid, as ever he was in his life, lest no good effect should come to pass" touching the treaty. The King expressed his willingness to come to terms if reasonable offers be made to him. He stipulated that Louis (considering how much of Henry's inheritance he withholds and how much Henry's amity may help "his matter in Italy") should pay 100,000 cr. yearly and that the amity should be made during their lives and one year after; which amity once granted, the alliance of marriage will not be refused."

Princess Mary (sister of Henry VIII)

A minute, in Fox's hand, of an agreement on the part of the King of France to receive jewellery and furniture to the value of 200,000 crowns, as the dowry of the Princess Mary, reserving certain conditions as to their restoration.

1529-The legatine court called by the Pope formally opens in the parliament chamber of Blackfriars.

Clement VIII to Henry VIII

Stephen Gardiner and Francis Bryan will testify his desire to oblige the King. The King cannot doubt of his affection and his gratitude for his services to the See Apostolic, but he cannot proceed as the King desires without grave reproach. Refers him to Campeggio. Rome, 31 May 1529

1533 – Anne Boleyn’s coronation procession through the streets of London, from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey.

"On Thursday, 29 May 1533, 25 Hen. VIII., the lady Anne marchioness of Pembroke was received at Greenwich, and conveyed to the Tower of London, and thence to Westminster, where she was crowned queen of England.

Order was taken by the King and his Council for all the Lords spiritual and temporal to be in the barge before Greenwich at 3 p.m., and give their attendance till the Queen took her barge. The mayor of London, Stephen Pecocke, haberdasher, had 48 barges in attendance richly decked with arras, hung with banners and with pennons of the arms of the crafts in fine gold, and having in them trumpets, shallands, and minstrels ; also every barge decked with ordnance of guns, "the won to heill the other troumfettly as the tyme dyd require." Also there was the bachelor's barge sumptuously decked, and divers foists with great shot of ordnance, which went before all the barges. Order given that when her Grace's barge came "anontes" Wapping mills, knowledge should be given to the Tower to begin to shoot their ordnance. Commandment given to Sir Will. Vinstonne (Kingston), constable of the Tower, and Sir Edw. Wallsyngham, lieutenant of the Tower, to keep a space free for her landing. It was marvellous sight how the barges kept such good order and space between them that every man could see the decking and garnishing of each, "and how the banars and penanntes of armis of their craftes, the which were beaten of fyne gould, yllastring so goodly agaynste the sonne, and allso the standardes, stremares of the conisaunsys and devisis ventylyng with the wynd, allso the trompettes blowyng, shallmes and mistrielles playng, the which war a ryght symtivis and a tryhumfantt syght to se and to heare all the way as they paste upon the water, to her the sayd marvelles swett armone of the sayd ynstermentes, the which soundes to be a thinge of a nother world. This and this order hir Grace pasyng till she came a nontt Rattlyffe."

The Queen was "hallsyd with gones forth of the shippes" on every side, which could not well be numbered, especially at Ratcliffe. When she came over against Wapping mills the Tower "lousyd their ordinaunce" most triumphantly, shooting four guns at once.

At her landing, a long lane was made among the people to the King's bridge at the entrance of the Tower. She was received on coming out of her barge by Sir Edw. Walsingham, lieutenant of the Tower, and Sir Will. Kinston, constable of the Tower. The officers of arms gave their attendance ; viz., Sir Thos. Writhe, Garter king-of-arms, Clarencieux and Norroy kings-of-arms, Carlisle, Richmond, Windsor, Lancaster, York, and Chester heralds ; the old duchess of Norfolk bearing her train ; the lord Borworth (sic), chamberlain to her Grace, supporting it, &c. A little further on she was received by lord Sandes, the King's chamberlain, lord Hause (Hussey), chamberlain with the Princess, the lord Windsor, the lord Nordunt (Mordaunt?), and others ; afterwards by the bishops of Winchester and London, the earl of Oxford, chamberlain of England, lord Will. Haworth, marshal of England, as deputy to his brother Thos. duke of Norfolk, the earl of Essex, &c.

Somewhat within the Tower she was received by the King, who laid his hands on both her sides, kissing her with great reverence and a joyful countenance, and led her to her chamber, the officers of arms going before. After which every man went to his lodging, except certain noblemen and officers in waiting. The King and Queen went to supper, and "after super ther was sumptuus void."

On Friday, 30 May, all noblemen, &c. repaired to Court, and in a long chamber within the Tower were ordained 18 "baynes," in which were 18 noblemen all that night, who received the order of knighthood on Saturday, Whitsun eve. Also there were 63 knights made with the sword in honor of the coronation. Then all the nobles, knights, squires, and gentlemen were warned to attend on horseback, on the Tower Hill on Saturday next, to accompany her Grace to Westminster, to do service at the coronation."

Charles V. to his Ambassador at Rome.

Informs him of what has been discussed in his Council, in order that the same points may be laid before an assembly of councillors and advocates of the Queen. The best method of executing prompt justice was also to be discussed. Wishes the interdict to be the extreme penalty, as the people of England would not dare to observe it, and most of the people are opposed to the divorce, and should not suffer. Then again his subjects in the Netherlands would be injured, as no commerce is allowed with a people under interdict.

1534-Sir Thomas. More to Margaret Roper.

Prefatory Note by Editor of More's English Works.—Within a while after Sir Thos. More was in prison in the Tower, his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Roper, wrote and sent unto him a letter, wherein she seemed somewhat to labor to persuade him to take the oath (though she nothing so thought), to win thereby credence with Mr. Thomas Cromwell, that she might the rather get liberty to have free resort unto her father (which she only had for the most time of his imprisonment), unto which letter her father wrote an answer, the copy whereof here followeth:—

The terrible things he hears about himself are not so grievous to him as her letter trying to persuade him to the thing-wherein of pure necessity, for respect unto his own soul, he has often given her precise answer before. To the points of her letter can make no answer, having sundry times told her that he will disclose to no one the matters which move his conscience. Desires her to leave off such labor and be content with her former answers. A greater grief than the fear of his own death is that he hears that her husband, herself, his wife, and other children and friends are in danger of harm. Can only commit all to God, whom he prays to incline the King's heart to favor them all, and himself no better than his faithful heart to his Highness deserves. If the King could see his true mind as God knows it, it would soon assuage his high displeasure. Can never show it in this world but that the King may be persuaded to believe the contrary, and must put all in the hands of Him for fear of whose displeasure he suffers this trouble, out of which he prays God to bring him, when His will shall be, into the endless bliss of Heaven, and meanwhile to give him and her grace, in their agonies and troubles, to resort prostrate unto the remembrance of the Saviour's bitter agony.

Margaret Roper to Sir Thomas. More.

Note by Editor.—To this last letter Mrs. Margaret Roper wrote an answer and sent it to Sir Thos. More, her father, the copy whereof here followeth:—

It is no little comfort, since she cannot talk with him by such means as she would, to delight herself in this bitter time of his absence by often writing to him and reading his most fruitful and delectable letter, the faithful messenger of his virtuous and ghostly mind. Doubts not that God holds His holy hand over him, and will preserve him, both body and soul, now when he has abjected all earthly consolations and resigned himself to His holy protection. Their comfort since his departure has been their experience of his past life and godly conversation, wholesome counsel and virtuous example, and a surety of a great increase thereof.

Prays that God will help them to follow what they praise in him. “Your own most loving obedient daughter and bedeswoman, Margaret Roper, which desireth above all worldly things to be in John a Woods's  stead, to do you some service. But we live in hope that we shall shortly receive you again. I pray God heartily we may, if it be His holy will.

Thomas More to all his Friends.

Being in prison, and not knowing what need he may have or what necessity he may be in, begs the*** all that if Margaret Roper, who alone has the King's licence to resort to him, desires anything of them that he may happen to need, they will regard it as if he asked it personally. Begs them to pray for him, and he will pray for them.

1536- Jane Boleyn, widow of Lord Rochford, to Cromwell

Beseeching him to obtain from the King for her the stuff and plate of her husband. The King and her father paid 2,000 marks for her jointure to the earl of Wyltchere, and she is only assured of 100 marks during the Earl's life, "which is very hard for me to shift the world withal." Prays him to inform the King of this. 

1590 – Birth of Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset, daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, and his second wife, Katherine Knyvett.She was an English noblewoman who was the central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I. She was found guilty but spared execution, and was eventually pardoned by the King and released from the Tower of London in early 1622.

 1621-Sir Francis Bacon was imprisoned in the Tower for four days on charges of accepting bribes and impeachment whilst he held political office.

source:http://www.mylifeatthetoweroflondon.com/,http://www.british-history.ac.uk/,wikipedia