Tudor Times is the online repository for all things Tudor and Stewart (1485–1625)

On 2nd September 1522, Antoinette de Bourbon, wife of Claud of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, gave birth to her last child, Renee. Born into one of the most influential families in France, and sister of the Queen of Scots, at the age of twenty Renee was elected Abbess of St Pierre des Dames at Rheims, a position she held for sixty years. During her tenure, the convent became renowned for its intellectual and educational atmosphere. Renee was a strong supporter of the reform movement within the Catholic church. She ensured her convent maintained the highest standards and gave significant support to Francois le Picart, one of the early French evangelicals, whose sermons and influence were credited with keeping Paris Catholic, although, in his youth, he had been considered a radical. Renee’s convent was also a place of education for the young noblewomen of France – her pupils included the Four Marys, the friends of her niece, Mary, Queen of Scots (more on them here)

On 1st September 1532, Anne Boleyn, daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Ormonde, was created Lady Marquess of Pembroke. It was extremely unusual for a woman to be ennobled in her own right – the only previous similar example being the elevation of Margaret, Countess of Norfolk to the rank of Duchess in 1397. Anne Boleyn had been courted by Henry VIII for about six years by this point, and he had finally determined to marry her regardless of the unresolved state of his first marriage, which he claimed was unlawful.

As part of his campaign to win support abroad, Henry planned to meet Francois I of France at Calais. Francois had been moderately sympathetic to his plight, and Henry hoped that a personal meeting would persuade his French counterpart to give him solid support in Rome, as a final attempt to gain the Pope’s consent to an annulment. The plan was for Anne to accompany him. However, it would be quite unsuitable for a woman who was only an unmarried earl’s daughter to meet the great ladies of France as an equal, so she needed a new title. In the event, Francois’s wife and sister refused to meet her, and Anne was humiliated by the offer of a meeting with Francois’ mistress, another Anne, Duchesse d’Etampes

On 31st August 1580, one of the foremost Welsh bards of the Elizabethan era died. William LLyn, aged about 45 on his death, graduated as a bard at the Eisteddfod of Caerwys in 1568. The job of a bard was largely to promote the glories of the families he worked for, writing panegyrics in traditional verse forms such as the cywydd, the awdl and the englyn, all of which have complex patterns of rhyme, alliteration and syllable quantity.

Other activities of William and his fellow bards were the construction of complex pedigrees and coats of arms. The pedigrees were recited over generations, but often took off into flights of fantasy, such as descent from Brutus or the Trojans. The majority of William’s patrons were in North Wales, centred around Llyn and Anglesey. He is buried in Oswestry, where he lived, with his wife and at least one son and one daughter, during the latter part of his life.