Today in 1541 Agnes Tilney was imprisoned in the Tower of London. She was 64 years old, and the reason she was in prison was because of the lax care she provided to her step-granddaughter Catherine Howard, when young Catherine was in her household. She was the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, and it was her household where Catherine Howard was raised, and got into so much trouble with Francis Dereham, and her music teacher Henry Manox. Agnes was interrogated, as were other members of the household, and while Henry wanted to convict her for treason, the council urged leniency. Enough of her family had been killed, and she was eventually released in 1542. She died just a few years later, a broken woman.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested link:
Autumn 2018 Tudor Summit: Claire Ridgway on Katherine Howard
From the shop:
Tudor bracelets collection
Featuring: Katherine Howard Portrait Bracelet
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.