In the summer of 1513, the muddy plains near Guinegate, in the borderlands of Artois, became the stage for one of the more unusual English victories of the early Tudor period. Known as the Battle of the Spurs—a name coined in sly mockery of…
Read MoreOn May 15, 1536, Anne Boleyn—Queen of England, second wife of Henry VIII, and mother of the future Elizabeth I—stood trial at the Tower of London. The charges were staggering: adultery, incest, and high treason. The outcome was foreordained. Condemned by a hand-picked jury…
Read MoreOn August 31, 1538, Pope Paul III issued the papal bull Eius qui immobilis, formally excommunicating King Henry VIII of England. This act marked a critical juncture in the escalating conflict between the English monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church, signifying the profound and…
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