May 16 - The real ”John Blackthorne” of Shōgun

On this day in history, 16th May 1620, navigator William Adams died in Hirado, Japan.
Adams is thought to be the first Englishman to have reached Japan (arriving there in 1600) and was the inspiration for the character of John Blackthorne in the famous novel Shōgun.

 

How did William Adams end up in Japan and why did he stay there when he had a family in England?

 

Find out more about this interesting Tudor navigator in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.

https://youtu.be/UW9uPMc0YLE

 

Book recommendation: “Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan” by Giles Milton.

 

Also on this day in Tudor history, 16th May 1568, following her escape from prison in Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots, landed on English soil and was taken prisoner once more, but this time by England. Why was Mary taken prisoner? What happened? Find out in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/4yTyXPTu72s 

And on this day in 1536, the condemned Queen Anne Boleyn's spirits seemed to have lifted and she was hoping for mercy. Why? What could have made her so hopeful? - https://youtu.be/qH_3w-MPZjo 

 

You can find Claire at:

https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 

https://www.tudorsociety.com

https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/

https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/

https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 

https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 

https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 

https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/