Yesterday was a special day here at The Ill-Fated Wives of Henry VIII–not only is it the 532nd anniversary of the birth of the very King who inspired this website, Henry VIII, but it is the one year anniversary of our website's launch! I cannot believe it has already been a year, it has flown by soo fast and I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead for us. I would just like to thank all of my readers for enjoying my content and I hope that you enjoy today's post as well!
History is what brings us here today; it is something we all clearly have a passion for and something that I feel is very important in helping us learn how to improve the world we live in. There is an old saying 'you cannot change the past but you can learn from it' and I feel that this very much applies to the importance of history in our culture; the people of our past and their stories offer us the opportunity to learn and grow from them and see what else we can do to make the world a better place. We can learn from the lives of Kings and Queens, kingdoms and countries, religions or businesses and see how their decisions made the world it is today. We can see how someone from centuries ago might have thought or felt about politics or fashion and what changes they implemented to ensure that future generations did not suffer from missed opportunities like they did.
History is very much a part of us as we are of it and this is something that I discuss with today's guest (and an absolute idol of mine, I will admit I fangirled a little) - Tudor historian and the founder of The Anne Boleyn Files and The Tudor Society; Claire Ridgway!
Claire Ridgway founded The Anne Boleyn Files and The Elizabeth Files in 2009 and these sites have helped thousands research and learn more about the lives of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I (myself included). I first came across her websites when working on my EPQ on the fall of Anne Boleyn around 6 years ago and I cannot recommend her websites enough, you will not find a more in-depth website about Anne Boleyn, I guarantee it! In 2014, Claire launched The Tudor Society which offers plenty of opportunities to learn more about the Tudors including primary sources, interviews with other historians, articles on new discoveries etc. She is also the author of many best-selling novels including The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown; George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier & Diplomat (co-authored by Clare Cherry); and Sweating Sickness: In a Nutshell.
In today's podcast, Claire and I will discuss her history journey and what inspired her to create these wonderful websites that you might have used before in the past. We will also discuss the importance of history in today's society, why the recent discoveries linked to Thomas Cromwell and Catherine of Aragon are so vital to history, as well as offer some writing tips for those who are wanting to publish a history book of their own (both fiction and non-fiction) and what Claire recommends for someone not sure of where to start in their writing journey.
This is surely not an episode to miss so please click on the link above, give it a watch and (if you liked it), like, comment and subscribe!
What topics and guests would you like for us to feature next?
Let us know in the comments below!
Until next time...
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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