Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t a single day, it was a season.And Twelfth Night was its final, glittering crescendo.In this final episode of my Tudor Advent and Christmas series, I explore how Tudor people marked the end of Christmas with feasting, music, disguisings, misrule, and the famous Twelfth Night cake, complete with a hidden bean or pea to crown a King (or Lord of Misrule) for the night.I also explain: When Twelfth Night actually was — the 5th or the 6th of January Why Epiphany mattered both socially and spiritually How Tudor court celebrations turned halls into living theatre And how these traditions still survive today, including here in Spain with the Roscón de Reyes Twelfth Night mattered because it ended Christmas properly, rather than Christmas just fading away.If you’ve missed earlier episodes, do watch “The Real Twelve Days of Christmas”, where I explain how the Tudors celebrated the entire festive season:https://youtu.be/0t61a2jATgsDo you celebrate Epiphany or Twelfth Night today? I’d love to hear your traditions in the comments.

Christmas Eve in Tudor England was a day of preparation, restraint, and anticipation, not feasting. It marked the final day of Advent. In this short Christmas Eve episode, I’m sharing quick reminders of how Tudor people marked this special day, from fasting and firelight to church and tradition, before the celebrations truly began.For a deeper look at how Christmas was celebrated across the whole season, watch my video “The Real Twelve Days of Christmas” - https://youtu.be/0t61a2jATgsBefore I go, I also want to say a heartfelt thank you,  from me and Tim, and from our whole family (including the pets!), for all your support this year. Whether you watch, comment, share, or support the channel in other ways, it genuinely means so much.If you’d like to support the channel further and enjoy exclusive Tudor content, livestreams, zooms, magazines and resources, you’re very welcome to join my YouTube channel membership. Merry Christmas, and thank you for being here.    #TudorChristmas #ChristmasEve #TwelveDaysofChristmas #HistoricalTraditions

Tudor Christmas didn’t just sound like gentle carols, it was bold, noisy, and spectacular.In this episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we step beyond singing and into the vibrant world of Tudor Christmas music, the instruments, entertainers, and soundscape that filled great halls, courtyards, streets, and chambers during the festive season.This isn’t church music.This is feasting, dancing, misrule, and display.You’ll discover:- Why loud instruments like shawms and sackbuts dominated festive evenings - How pipes, tabors, and drums drove dancing and revelry - Which softer instruments — like viols, rebecs, and lutes — were played later in the evening - Who provided the music, from court musicians and household minstrels to the city waits - And why Henry VIII himself was at the heart of Tudor Christmas music-makingIf you’d like to explore Tudor music even further, I recommend my interview with historian, musician, and historical instrument maker Jane Moulder, which I’ve linked here:https://youtu.be/07xLwzchEqsQuestion for you:Which Tudor instrument would you most like to hear played live?#TudorChristmas#TudorMusic#TudorHistory#EarlyMusic#HenryVIII#ChristmasHistory#MusicHistory

Tudor Christmas wasn’t just celebrated at home or in church, it was performed.In this episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we step into the vivid, noisy, emotional world of Christmas mystery plays, public dramas staged in streets, market squares, and churchyards across medieval and early Tudor England. You’ll discover: - What mystery plays really were — and why the word “mystery” meant craft, not confusion - How towns like York, Chester, and Coventry brought Christmas to life with pageant wagons and street drama - Why King Herod was played as a terrifying, shouting tyrant - How shepherds’ humour made the Nativity relatable to Tudor audiences -  And how one of our most haunting carols, Coventry Carol, comes directly from a Christmas mystery playThese plays didn’t just tell people the Christmas story, they made them feel it.This video is part of my Tudor Christmas Advent series.If you’ve enjoyed it, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you don’t miss tomorrow’s episode.Question for you:Would you have watched a Tudor Christmas mystery play, or found it too intense?#TudorChristmas#MysteryPlays#CoventryCarol#TudorHistory#ChristmasHistory#MedievalDrama#BritishHistory#EarlyModernEngland

Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t only about feasting, pageantry, and celebration.It was also a season of obligation, a time when charity and almsgiving were seen as essential acts of faith.In this episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, I explore how medieval and Tudor people understood Christmas charity: not as a sentimental gesture, but as a moral and religious duty rooted in scripture, custom, and community.We’ll explore:- Why charity was preached so strongly at Christmas- How St Thomas’s Day set the tone for a charitable festive season- What great households were expected to give- How royal and parish charity worked before and after the ReformationFor the Tudors, to give at Christmas was to prepare the soul for Christ’s birth, and to refuse was seen as a failure of faith.I hope you enjoy this quieter, more reflective look at a Tudor Christmas tradition that mattered deeply to people living through the hardest time of the year.If you’ve enjoyed the video, please like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the rest of my Tudor Christmas Advent series.   #TudorChristmas#TudorHistory#ChristmasHistory#MedievalChristmas#StThomassDay#BritishHistory#HistoryLovers#TheAnneBoleynFiles#ChristmasAdvent#EarlyModernHistory

Think you know Tudor Christmas?In this festive quiz episode, I’m challenging Tim, my long-suffering cameraman (and husband!), with questions drawn from my Tudor Christmas Advent series. From royal feasts and festive games to superstition, lost palaces, and winter weather, this is a chance to test your Tudor knowledge and play along at home.Grab a pen, keep your score, and let us know how you did!   #TudorChristmas#TudorHistory#HistoryQuiz#ChristmasTrivia#BritishHistory#HistoryLovers#AnneBoleyn#TheAnneBoleynFiles#ChristmasAdvent#LearnHistory

Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t just about people, prayers, and pageantry, it was also shaped by animals.In today’s episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we step into the world of Tudor Christmas animals: the creatures that filled festive tables, shaped religious symbolism, inspired superstition, and even featured in royal gift-giving and court entertainments.Drawing on medieval sermons, Tudor household records, chronicles, cookery books, and royal accounts, this episode explores the very real animals that defined a Tudor Yuletide, from the triumphal boar’s head to the ox and ass of the Nativity, from winter hunts and gifts of venison to cats watched for weather omens by the hearth.   If you enjoy historically accurate Tudor Christmas traditions, do give the video a like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the rest of the Advent series.And tell me in the comments: how do animals feature in your Christmas today?#TudorChristmas#TudorHistory#MedievalChristmas#TudorLife#ChristmasTraditions#HistoryAtChristmas

Step with me into a palace that no longer stands, yet once witnessed some of the most important Christmases of the Tudor age.In this episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we journey to Richmond Palace, once known as Shene: a beloved winter residence of the Tudor monarchs, rebuilt by Henry VII after a devastating fire and transformed into one of the most elegant palaces of the dynasty.Although Richmond has almost entirely disappeared, surviving sketches, descriptions, and ground plans allow us to reconstruct it in our imagination - its great halls glowing with candlelight, greenery hung for Christmas, music echoing through long galleries, and the Thames mist curling around red-brick towers.This was a palace where: Henry VII celebrated Christmas with ceremony and splendour Henry VIII spent tense, politically charged winters during the Great Matter and Elizabeth I passed her final Christmas, bringing the Tudor dynasty quietly to a close Richmond was not just a festive retreat — it was a stage for power, diplomacy, celebration, and endings.If you enjoy uncovering lost Tudor places, imagining historic Christmases, and exploring the quieter, more atmospheric side of royal history, this episode is for you.If Richmond Palace still stood today, would you want to walk its halls at Christmastime?Let me know in the comments.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the rest of my Tudor Christmas Advent series.#RichmondPalace#TudorChristmas#TudorHistory#LostPalaces#HenryVII#HenryVIII#ElizabethI#TheAnneBoleynFiles#TudorCourt

Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t just a season of feasting, music and Yule logs…it was also a time when the veil between worlds felt unusually thin.In today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode, I’m stepping into the atmospheric world of real medieval and Tudor Yuletide superstitions - beliefs recorded in late medieval sermons, Tudor writings, and 16th-century accounts.These weren’t cosy Victorian myths or later folklore.They were ideas that shaped how people in the 1400s and 1500s experienced Christmas Eve itself, a night of wonder, fear, and expectation.In this video, I’ll share three of the strongest and most authentic Christmas superstitions from the period… and trust me, they’re haunting, surprising, and very revealing about Tudor beliefs.- Why did people avoid stables at midnight?- What did some fear they might see in a church porch?- And which spectral figure did Shakespeare expect his audience to recognise?Join me for a wonderfully eerie festive journey into Tudor England’s winter imagination.If you enjoy this darker corner of Tudor Christmas, please like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the rest of my Advent series.And in the comments, tell me:Would YOU have been brave enough to test one of these superstitions at midnight?#TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasHistory #MedievalFolklore #TudorSuperstitions #HistoryYouTube #TheAnneBoleynFiles #16thCentury #HistoryLovers #YuletideTraditions

Imagine rounding a frosty corner and discovering a house that looks as if it’s stepped straight out of a Tudor fairytale or Harry Potter - crooked beams, bowing floors, glittering leaded windows, and a long gallery that seems to float above thin air.In today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode, I take you on a winter wander through Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, one of the most extraordinary, beautifully preserved, and delightfully wonky Tudor houses in England.Built and expanded across the 1500s by the Moreton family, this timber-framed masterpiece has survived centuries of weather, war, and subsidence to offer us a rare glimpse into the world of Tudor gentry life:- A Great Hall where winters were lit by fire and candlelight- Intricate carved panelling and glowing 16th-century glass- A famous Long Gallery perched improbably above the courtyard- A recreated Tudor knot garden sleeping under its winter frost- A private chapel that witnessed every shift of 16th-century religionAnd thanks to musician and historian Jane Moulder, who works at Little Moreton Hall, we’ll enjoy her beautiful winter photographs of the house, capturing its magical atmosphere in the coldest season.If you love Tudor architecture, Christmas ambience, or fairy-tale historic houses, you’re in for a treat.Tell me in the comments:Have you ever visited Little Moreton Hall?If not, which Tudor house would you most love to see at Christmastime?Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the rest of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!   #LittleMoretonHall #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #HistoricHouses #TheAnneBoleynFiles #TudorArchitecture #NationalTrust #WinterHistory #ChristmasAdvent #HistoryYouTube #BritishHistory #FairytaleHouses

Did you know the English Reformation didn’t just reshape churches and doctrine…it quietly transformed Christmas itself?In today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode, I explore how Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I each left their mark on the festive season - sometimes dramatically, sometimes subtly, and sometimes in ways we might not expect.What happened to the old medieval traditions?Why did some customs disappear while others survived untouched?And how did the Tudors balance faith, festivity, and reform at the most important season of the year?This is the story of a Christmas in transition, a holiday caught between devotion, celebration, and religious revolution.Question for you:If you’d lived in Tudor England, would you have kept the old customs, reformed them gently, or stripped them back entirely?Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and click the bell for more Tudor Christmas history every day this Advent!#TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #Reformation #HenryVIII #ElizabethI #EdwardVI #MaryI #HistoryYouTube #AnneBoleynFiles #ChristmasHistory #EarlyModernHistory #12DaysOfChristmas

What did winter really feel like in Tudor England?Spoiler: nothing like the winter we know today.Hello, I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode we’re stepping into a world of bone-deep cold, frozen rivers, and incredible resilience, the world of Tudor winter during the Little Ice Age.Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Europe and North America endured some of the coldest winters in recorded history. And the Tudors? They lived right in the middle of it.In this episode, discover: What Tudor winters were really like — without heating, forecasts, or modern comforts The astonishing times the River Thames froze solid How Henry VIII and Elizabeth I reacted to the deep freeze The extraordinary celebrations that took place on the ice Why London’s legendary frost fairs eventually disappeared At the end, I’d love to hear from you: What’s the coldest winter you remember, and how did you cope?If you enjoy these festive Tudor deep dives, please like, subscribe, and click the bell so you don’t miss the next episode in the Advent series. Keep warm!   #TudorHistory #LittleIceAge #FrostFairs #TudorChristmas #HistoryChannel #ClaireRidgway #TheAnneBoleynFiles #HistoryDocumentary #OnThisDayHistory #WinterHistory #BritishHistory

Step into the winter stillness of Hever Castle with me, the beloved home of the Boleyn family, and a place that witnessed far more than festive cheer.In today’s Tudor Christmas Advent episode, I’m sharing Hever as you may never have seen it: dressed in its glowing Christmas finery and wrapped in the quiet magic of midwinter. But Hever is more than beautiful… it is the backdrop to a moment Dr Owen Emmerson and I believe changed the course of Tudor history.During the Christmas season of 1526 into early 1527, something happened here, something that shifted Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s future, and with it, the future of England.Anne was away from court, surrounded by family, and finally had the space to reflect on Henry’s increasingly urgent pursuit. What unfolded at Hever that Christmas would set the stage for everything that came next.In this episode, I’ll take you through Hever’s festive rooms and frosted gardens, sharing photographs taken this December by Dr Owen Emmerson and some of my own from Christmases past… while we explore how one winter retreat became a turning point in Tudor history.If you visit Hever at Christmastime, I invite you to imagine Anne here in 1526, facing a decision that would shape not only her destiny, but the destiny of a kingdom.Let’s step into Hever Castle at Christmas… And if you’d like to know even more about Anne’s family and their beloved home, do take a look at "The Boleyns of Hever Castle".#HeverCastle #AnneBoleyn #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #HenryVIII #BoleynFamily #HeverAtChristmas #ChristmasHistory #HistoryYouTube #TudorTok #TheAnneBoleynFiles #BritishHistory #CastleHistory #LearnHistory #ChristmasAdventSeries

Today we’re stepping into one of the most joyful parts of a Tudor Christmas - the music.Whether your festive soundtrack is Michael Bublé or Bing Crosby, Tudor England had its own musical traditions… and many of their carols are far older than you might expect.In this episode, we explore:- How music shaped Tudor Christmas celebrations - Which carols the Tudors actually knew - Why carols were originally dances - songs performed in circles, homes, streets, and seasonal revelshe role of the waits - Music in Tudor homes - Carols in wassailing traditionsThank you for joining me for this musical journey through Tudor Yuletide.If you enjoyed it, please like, subscribe, and click the bell, and tell me in the comments:Do you have a favourite Christmas carol? Or a Christmas soundtrack? See you tomorrow for more Tudor Christmas delights!   #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasCarols #MedievalMusic #RenaissanceMusic#ClaireRidgway #TheAnneBoleynFiles #HistoryYouTube #YuletideHistory#HistoricalMusic #Waits #CoventryCarol #Gaudete #EarlyMusic

Today we’re stepping into one of the most colourful, energetic, and wonderfully noisy traditions of the Tudor festive season, Morris dancing.You might picture modern dancers with bells and handkerchiefs on a village green…but in Tudor England, Morris dancing was bolder, brighter, and far more theatrical.In this video, we’ll explore:- What Morris dancing really looked like in the 15th and 16th centuries - bells, ribbons, masks, mock combat, clashing staves, blackened faces, and vibrant costumesHow it became part of court entertainment - including Henry VII’s Christmas revels and Henry VIII’s masques - Its deep roots in English folk culture - from May Day to Whitsun ales, parish festivals to civic pageantry - The unforgettable stock characters - Maid Marian (played by a man!), jesters, hobby-horses, Robin Hood, even dragons! - Why it mattered at Christmas and Twelfth Night - joy, misrule, community, and celebration at the darkest time of year - And how Morris dancing survives today - a living tradition linking us directly to the Tudor worldIf you’ve ever seen Morris dancing and wondered where it came from, or if you simply love the colour, spectacle, and spirit of Tudor celebrations, this episode is for you.Thank you so much for watching!If you’re enjoying this festive journey through Tudor Christmas, please like, subscribe, and click the bell - there’s more Yuletide history coming your way tomorrow.   #TudorChristmas #MorrisDancing #TudorHistory #ClaireRidgway #ChristmasTraditions #HistoryYouTube #TwelfthNight #TudorCourt #EnglishFolkDance #YuletideHistory #TheAnneBoleynFiles #HistoryChannel #BritishHistory

Yule Logs, Twelfth Night Cakes & the Lord of Misrule. Step into a Tudor Christmas with me! I’m historian Claire Ridgway, and today’s Advent episode looks at the real Yuletide customs of Tudor England, from the dramatic arrival of the Yule log to the playful misrule of Twelfth Night.Why did Tudor households bring home an enormous log on Christmas Eve?What role did a humble bean play in choosing the “king” of the festivities?And how did these rituals blend ancient midwinter beliefs with Christmas celebrations?Discover the symbolism, the revelry, and the wonderful strangeness of a Tudor Yuletide, a world of firelight, games, and meaning woven into every tradition.Join me for a journey into the customs that made Christmas magical for the Tudors.If you’re enjoying this Advent series, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell — more Tudor Christmas delights are on the way! #TudorChristmas#YuleLogTraditions#TwelfthNight#TudorHistory#LordOfMisrule

The Festive Drinks That Kept Henry VIII’s Court Merry   Step into a warm Tudor hall, sit beside the glowing Yule log, and discover the festive drinks that kept Henry VIII’s England merry throughout the cold, dark days of winter.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and for today’s instalment of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we’re exploring the wonderful world of Tudor winter warmers, from hippocras to buttered beer, from wassail bowls to honey-rich mead.Before the feasting and celebrations, everyday Tudor life ran on ale, safer than water, weak enough to drink by the pint, and brewed constantly by the women of the household.But Christmas?Christmas called for something special.In this video, discover:- Hippocras — the spiced Tudor mulled wine Henry VIII adored- Lambswool — the frothy wassail drink of roasted apples and warm ale- Mead, Metheglin & Melomel — honey wines sweetened with herbs or fruit- Christmas Ale — brewed stronger for Yuletide feasts- Posset — a creamy, curdled Tudor comfort drink- Buttered Beer — yes, the real Tudor drink (long before Harry Potter!)- Mulled wine & imported sweet wines enjoyed by the wealthyThese weren’t just beverages — they were hospitality, ritual, community, and the unmistakable flavour of Tudor Christmas.Which Tudor drink would YOU try first?Hippocras? Buttered beer? Lambswool?Let me know in the comments!   Links to my videos on some of these Tudor drinks: Tudor Buttered Beer - https://youtu.be/0HMxpWVzrvcTudor Hippocras - https://youtu.be/yabiVqlV4pwLambswool Wassail - https://youtu.be/9GDrnPesC2YIf you enjoy this cosy dive into Tudor festive life, please like, subscribe, and click the bell to follow along with the rest of my Christmas Advent series.

Dragons that spat fire.Masked dancers sweeping through palace halls.Henry VIII himself turning up in disguise…Welcome to Tudor Twelfth Night, the most spectacular, theatrical, and joyfully chaotic night of the entire Christmas season.I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and for Day 8 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we’re stepping into the dazzling world of masques, mumming, disguisings, pageantry and revelry at the Tudor court.You’ll discover:- What Tudor “disguisings” really were -  How mumming evolved into masked processions of luck and mischief- Why the morris dance became a Tudor Christmas favourite- The Italian-style masque Henry VIII introduced - How Edward VI’s court staged elaborate moral allegories, mock battles, and a banquet of 120 dishes- And how Twelfth Night became the grand, magnificent finale of ChristmastideFrom wild pageant carts to torchlit dances… from Robin Hood characters to allegorical triumphs… Twelfth Night was where Tudor magnificence reached its peak.Thank you for joining me for today’s Advent instalment!If you’re enjoying the series, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you don’t miss the next festive deep dive.   #TudorChristmas #TudorHistory #ClaireRidgway #TwelfthNight #Masques #Mumming#HenryVIII #TudorCourt #ChristmasHistory #AdventSeries#HistoricalRevels #MedievalChristmas #HistoryYouTube #TudorTraditions

Forget fairy lights and tinsel, Tudor Christmas decorations were deeply symbolic, richly traditional, and filled with myth and meaning.Hello, I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and welcome to Day 7 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!Today, we’re stepping inside the Tudor home to discover how people really decorated for Christmas.In Tudor England, there were no Christmas trees, no early December decorating…In fact, a Tudor walking into your home right now would think you’d gone completely mad, because they only decorated on Christmas Eve.Instead of baubles and glitter, their homes were filled with:- Holly – symbol of Christ’s sacrifice & protection- Ivy – representing fidelity and strength- Laurel & rosemary – symbols of eternal life- Evergreens everywhere, believed to bring luck and keep away evilYou’ll also discover:- The origin of the kissing bough- How mistletoe gained its romantic reputation — from Druids to Norse myth- Why decorations stayed up until Candlemas Eve… but NEVER beyond (unless you wanted goblins!)- And how London transformed into a city draped entirely in greeneryPlus, we’ll explore the medieval and Tudor tradition of the Christmas crib, from Pope Sixtus III to St Francis of Assisi, and how it lives on beautifully in Spain today.Tudor Christmas décor wasn’t about sparkle…It was about symbolism, faith, magic, and midwinter hope.If you’re enjoying this Advent journey through Tudor traditions, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell — many more festive videos are on the way!   #TudorChristmas #TudorTok #TudorHistory #ClaireRidgway #ChristmasHistory#HistoryYouTube #MedievalChristmas #HollyAndIvy #MistletoeTraditions#HistoryChannel #AdventSeries #BritishHistory #TwelveDaysOfChristmas#ChristmasDecor #HistoricalTraditions

Welcome to Day 6 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!Today we’re diving into one of the most enchanting feast days of the Tudor calendar, St Nicholas’s Day, and uncovering how this 4th-century bishop eventually became the Santa Claus we know today.We’ll explore: The real St Nicholas of Myra, miracle worker and protector of children The extraordinary Boy Bishop tradition, where a child led church services from 6–28 December How Henry VII supported the custom… and why Henry VIII banned it How Hereford and Salisbury Cathedrals still keep the tradition alive today Why St Nicholas didn’t bring gifts in Tudor England The medieval legends, chimneys, stockings, secret gold, that shaped later folklore How Dutch “Sinta Klaas” became Santa in America Why Father Christmas in Tudor England wasn’t a gift-giver at all So no, Tudor children didn’t hang stockings, but the stories surrounding St Nicholas created the foundation for Santa Claus, from night-time gift-giving to flying through the sky.Join me tomorrow for Tudor Christmas Decorations!And if you’re enjoying this series, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell.#StNicholas #BoyBishop #SantaClausHistory #TudorChristmas #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #MedievalTraditions #ChristmasOrigins #Sinterklaas #FatherChristmas #TudorHistory