November 4 - A cardinal’s actions lead to his family’s undoing

On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1538, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Neville; Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter; Courtenay's wife, Gertrude Blount, and the couple’s son, Edward Courtenay, were all arrested for treason  and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Montagu, Neville and Exeter, along with Montagu's brother, Geoffrey Pole, were accused of plotting with Cardinal Reginald Pole against the king. Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was also arrested, accused of the same.

But how had it come to this, when Henry VIII had sought Cardinal Pole's opinion on his marriage and the papacy?

Find out what Cardinal Pole had done to upset the king, and what happened to his family and friends as a result, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History". You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:

https://youtu.be/N8pZeX74glU

Also on this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's former Lord Chancellor, was arrested at his home of Cawood Castle in Yorkshire. Wolsey was accused of high treason, but why? And what happened when his former servant, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, arrived with orders to arrest him? Find out more about his arrest and how he cheated the axeman, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/vyZgnO32sNE