Today in 1556 we mark the passing of Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial Ambassador to England from 1529 to 1545, who is remembered as a close confidant of Katherine of Aragon, and protector of Princess Mary.
He was born around 1490 in Savoy, and studied in Rome, receiving a doctorate in civil and canon laws. It is thanks to Chapuys that we know so much of the detail of Henry’s divorce proceedings, and the way Katherine fought back, as well as the tumultuous years of his marriage to Anne Boleyn. He was an avid letter writer, and his letters are still available to read in the Spanish Archives in Samancas.
He was a humanist, and among his extensive correspondence are letters to Erasmus, with whom he had a deep admiration. Even after his retirement, Chapuys acted as an advisor to Charles V between 1547 and 1549. According to C.S.L. Davies, “His last known state paper is an acute analysis of the political situation” as Henry VIII was dying in January 1547.
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:
Episode 47: Tudor Times talks about Katherine of Aragon
Episode 69: Chat with James Boulton on Katherine of Aragon
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 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. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. 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.