Curated Video
Lady Mary Grey part 1: the Secret Marriage
Lady Mary Grey was the youngest of the Grey sisters and seemed less of a threat to Elizabeth I's power. Lady Mary was even appointed as a Maid of Honor in Elizabeth's court. However, all of that changed when Mary wed Thomas Keyes,...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 14: Queen Mary Intends to Pardon Jane
Due to their family connection and Jane's young age, Queen Mary reiterates her intent to pardon Jane as she goes on trial and is sentenced to be burned at the stake. The Grey family chases all leads to help Jane's cause. Henry Grey even...
Curated Video
Royal Ghosts part 4: Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots lived a dramatic life, met a terrible death, and is said to be living a troubled afterlife. It's believed that Mary was involved in the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley. In the aftermath of his murder, she...
Curated Video
Lady Mary Grey part 4: Thomas Keyes Dies and Lady Mary Demands Freedom
Lady Mary relocates once again, this time to the house of Sir Thomas Gresham. Though Sir Thomas had the finances to provide for Lady Mary in a way her step grandmother had not, both Sir Thomas and his wife made it clear that Lady Mary...
Curated Video
Eleanor of Aquitaine part 7: Eleanor and Her Sons Rebel Against Henry II
As Henry, the eldest son of Eleanor and Henry II reaches his late teen years, he becomes increasingly incensed that his father is not allowing him to rule the lands of his inheritance. When Henry II promises castles in Anjou to his...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 7: Lord Guildford Wants to Be King
Lady Jane and her husband, Lord Guildford have a blazing row after entering the castle. Guildford makes it known that he expects to co-rule as King while Jane does not want to promote him above a Duke. The disagreement causes tension...
Curated Video
Lady Mary Grey part 3: Conditions Worsen for Lady Mary and Thomas Keyes
The birth of Mary Queen of Scots' son, James renewed pressure on Elizabeth I to either marry, or declare Lady Katherine Grey her successor. Meanwhile, Thomas Keyes' condition worsened and Lady Mary was moved house arrest at to her step...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 9: Jane's Supporters Turn Against Her
Support for Queen Jane was low, even among Protestants. Members of her council slipped quietly out of the castle. Her sister's father-in-law, the Early of Pembroke went so far as to seek an anullment for his son's marriage to distance...
Curated Video
Elizabeth I of England part 5: Search for a Husband and the Cult of Virginity
Politics, religion, and bad publicity complicated Elizabeth I's attempts to find a husband. Robert Dudley, the man she fell in love with was married when they met. He later became single but was thought to have murdered his wife, which...
Curated Video
Jennifer and June Gibbons: the Silent Twins
June Gibbons and Jennifer Gibbons were identical twins who grew up in Wales. They became known as "The Silent Twins" since they only communicated with each other. They wrote works of fiction. Both women were admitted to Broadmoor...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 11: Queen Mary Pardons Jane's Supporters
Jane may have only been queen for a few days, but she was about to become a legend amongst the Protestants of England. Jane, her husband, and her mother-in-law languished in prisons around London as they waited for Mary to arrive and...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 3: Marriage and Path to the Thrown
In 1553, Jane was betrothed to Lord Guildford Dudley, the fourth son of the Duke of Northumberland. This match was not great for Jane as fourth sons stood to inherit little from their family's estate, but was a very advantageous...
Curated Video
Lady Mary Grey part 2: Imprisonment and the Fury Elizabeth I
Already feeling threatened by her cousin Mary Queen of Scots' recent marriage, Elizabeth I unleashed the full power of her anger on the Lady Mary and Thomas Keyes. Lady Mary Grey was condemned to the more favorable sentence of house...
Curated Video
Elizabeth I of England part 2: the Thomas Seymour Scandal
After the death of her father, Elizabeth went to live with her stepmother, Katherine Parr and Katherine's new husband, Thomas Seymour. Thomas' attentiveness to teenage Elizabeth soon drew suspicion from Katherine and started rumors....
60 Second Histories
Crime and Punishment in Victorian Times
A description of crime and punishment during Queen Victoria's reign when there was once around two hundred crimes that carried the death penalty and hangings were carried out in public.
Curated Video
Eleanor of Aquitaine part 11: Final Years
John I and Phillip II of France continue to battle on and off. Arthur, Duke of Brittany and Geoffrey's son, rebels and attempts to take more territory. Eleanor is captured but John's forces set her free and capture Arthur and Hugh IX of...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 16: a Protestant Martyr
The young Lady Jane and Lord Guildford are beheaded. Mary attempts to convert Jane to Catholicism before hear death, but Jane refuses. Her deep and outspoken commitment to her protestant faith preserved Jane's legacy as a martyr for...
Curated Video
Christmas Stockings and the Legend of Santa Claus
Victorian Christmas part 7 A story of St. Nicholas tossing balls of gold into stockings combined with details from Clemenct C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (or The Night Before Christmas) to establish the tradition of Santa Claus...
Curated Video
Elizabeth I of England part 7: the Queen's Legacy
By the time Elizabeth I died in 1603, public opinion of her was mixed. She had quelled religious tensions and defeated the Spanish Armada, however, the brutal and bloody tactics of her military stained her memory and the country was in a...
Curated Video
Elizabeth I of England part 1: Early Life at Hatfield House
Elizabeth I of England, daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, is a renown and popular leader of the country who ruled through peace and war. When she was just two years old, her father had her mother beheaded and quickly married...
Curated Video
Lady Mary Grey part 6: the Plague Ends the Grey Family's Royal Line
At the age of 33, Lady Mary fell ill with plague and died, ending the legacy of the Grey family. Lady Mary died young, as her sisters had but, unlike her sisters, she was able to live a life of relative freedom in her later years.
Curated Video
What Did Victorians Eat for Christmas Dinner?
Victorian Christmas part 5 The cuisine of the Victorian era was a mix of dishes and ingredients from Medieval times and modern day food. Turkey, duck, goose, and a variety of jellies were common and some dishes moved from savory to...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 15: Wyatt's Rebellion
During the mid-1500s, England was caught in a theological battle between Protestants and Catholics. While Jane and the Greys were dependant on the Catholic Queen Mary to spare their lives, they were simultaneously plotting to preserve...
Curated Video
Lady Jane Grey part 6: a Challenge from Princess Mary and Stuggle for Public Support
The possibility of Lady Jane Grey becoming the next Queen of England and Ireland makes many people uneasy. She soon receives a letter from Princess Mary declaring that Mary was the rightful queen and demanding that the Privy Council...