On This Day in Elizabethan History: The Execution of the 4rth Duke of Norfolk

A portrait of Thomas Howard, the 4rth Duke of Norfolk from 1563. By Hans Eworth. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

On this day in Elizabethan history in 1572, Thomas Howard, the 4rth Duke of Norfolk was executed,, having been convicted of treason. While English law dictated that surviving family members of traitors would lose all of their land and titles in order to make an example of them, Queen Elizabeth I took pity on Norfolk's son, allowing him to retain much of his father's property, though not his title.

To learn about the 4rth Duke of Norfolk's career, and to discover what led to his grisly end, please read our article about him.

On This Day in Elizabethan History: Pikemen Demonstrate for Queen Elizabeth

Happy May Day!



"Dancing Around the May-Pole"-A 1767 illustration from A Little Pretty Pocket Book for children. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

"They rose early to observe the rite of May"

-A Midsummer Night's Dream

On This Day in Elizabethan History, May Day in 1572, a band of London pikemen demonstrated their skill-at-arms for Queen Elizabeth I at Greenwich Palace.


An illustration of an officer of a unit of pikemen from Military Antiquities: Respecting the History of the English Army from Conquest to the Present Time by Francis Grose. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.