January 17 - Poet Thomas Wyatt is arrested

On this day in Tudor history, 17th January 1541, courtier, diplomat and poet, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, was arrested and sent to the Tower of London after being accused of corresponding with Cardinal Reginald Pole, and referring to the prospect of Henry VIII’s death.

Wyatt was taken to the Tower and it looked like he'd be executed, but he was saved by Queen Catherine Howard, but at a huge cost.

Find out more about what Wyatt was accused of, how he escaped execution and what he had to agree to, in today's talk from Tudor history author, Claire Ridgway.

You can find Claire at:

[karinkicat]

"So on this day in Tudor history". Those 7 words give me a charge every day!

[geowynleda]

Don't tell anyone your thoughts and burn all communication seemed to be the way to stay alive.

[masonch]

I think Henry had a mean streak, and my estimation of its width has increased with this story. He must have really had it in for Wyatt to require reconciliation with his estranged wife.

[MissWitchiepoo]

Thank you for yet another great story. I would really love to know where you got the dolls from that are on your book shelves?

[aimee]

Never ever cross Henry...Thank you, Claire! xo

[sharoncole]

💖👑👑💖xx am just reading the fall of anne boleyn a countdown and i am so enjoying it. Thank you claire for all the research you have done for this book its amazing xxxx

[theresecatalano]

Wow what a price to pay for his life admit his guilt but then resume your horrible marriage! Then you die anyway! Very sad indeed! Thank you for sharing Claire!

[cherylreed]

A shame for Wyatt to have to go back to an unhappy marriage after 15 years...I wonder if Henry was jealous of the happiness he had with this other lady & plus it included a son...Very harsh 😐..thankyou Claire very enjoyable as always...

[mandibojanowski]

Sir Thomas is one of my Great Grandfathers. Love learning the history of my family.

[joansmith]

What a colossal hypocrite Henry was!! Wyatt had to go back to the wife who cheated on him but Henry's sexual escapades and awful marriages were supposed to be ignored apparently. Henry ticks me off a LOT these days. Thank you Claire.

[MariaReginaAnglia]

Wait! What? Wyatt and Pole???? And treason? Yoikes! 😳. Really enjoy the variety of topics you cover. 💖

[yishislassieswaiting]

How fascinating! I'm a descendent of Sir Thomas, my paternal great grandfather being a Wyatt. My younger brother and I were both born on October 11, the day of his death. Gosh, what could that mean???

[marionarnott]

I love Wyatt's poetry and the sincerity of his grief for Anne Boleyn and the others who suffered with her. He was lucky to have kept his head then.
What was the King's reasoning in forcing him to take his wife back after all those years? Was it one of his bouts of morality? Or his idea of a joke punishment?
At least Thomas was a. gentleman to the end. I loved that he left property to his mistress and his son by her and that she was taken proper care of.

[dorothywillis]

Sir Thomas must have had a lot of charm and an efficient guardian angel to have died a natural death! Henry certainly could be petty. I wonder how the Wyatts proved they had "resumed conjugal relations"!

[chiaroscuroamore]

Second time almost unlucky, for Thomas Wyatt the Elder.
He was lucky that Queen Catherine Howard intervened on his behalf.

I wonder what his wife thought of having to get back together with her husband after 15years. They can’t have been happy about it. Not Thomas’ mistresses. I wonder if the wife had any affairs she had to stop due to being ordered back to her husband?

Thank you for another interesting video and I’ll tune in again tomorrow to see what happened in Tudor History

[patriciasaldanha]

HI Claire ! We didn't hear ( or see ) that kitty... What happened to it ? It's presence in the videos was just ...cute Love 💝 your videos 🐾 🐒🐒 Miaou 🐒🐾

[cathryncampbell]

Thank you for another superb, insightful video, Claire. Just when I think that I have fully absorbed the casual cruelty of Henry VIII, another example is revealed. Did Henry need to punish Wyatt because Wyatt was once in love with Anne Boleyn? Or was his order that Wyatt return to his adulterous wife some sort of obscene joke? Or was Henry jealous of Wyatt's poetry, which was superior to the output of the King? We can never know....

[jayneneewing]

Claire, I love your sweater. It looks like a cozy one.

[TheAuntieBa]

All those astonishing demands from Henry, then he dies anyway! At he had no more unreasonable demands, though, and it must have been a better death than a traitor’s lot. I can’t believe, after the way Henry treated him, that he’d not have gotten the very worst. Any betsHenry was miffed Wyatt ‘got away?’

[neilbuckley]

I wonder if someone who disliked Wyatt [ e.g. Bonner ] was the driving force behind the making him to return to his wife and appealed to Henry's vanity [ Henry had a prudish streak ] to act in a moral manner. Henry could certainly be manipulated.