Ursula Pole: The Unsung Tudor Survivor - Renaissance English History Podcast Episode 213

This episode is on the life of Ursula Pole, a lesser-known figure of the Tudor era, whose resilience and adaptability saw her navigate some of the most tumultuous events of the 16th century. From the intricate dance of courtly politics to the brutal fallout of the Exeter Conspiracy, Ursula's story offers a unique perspective on the challenges faced by the nobility during the reigns of the Tudor monarchs.
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#UrsulaPole #TudorHistory #ExeterConspiracy #RenaissanceEngland #TudorDynasty #HistoricalProfiles #PoleLegacy #TudorEraSurvivor #EnglishHistory #RenaissanceRoyalty

[@pattyflowers2947]

Thank you. I’ve often wanted to know these lesser figures.😮

[@annmolloy8600]

Her grandmother was Isabelle Neville, daughter of the Earl of Warwick, the kingmaker. Isabelle was the sister of Anne Neville, wife of Richard III.

[@nancytestani1470]

Henry made sure the white roses were decimated..cousins, aunts, against his own mother who was a White Rose

[@LaPinturaBella]

What a tumultuous time to be a noble. Talk about walking a tightrope. Not that being an ordinary person was easy by any stretch of the imagination. But with the War of the Roses, the powerfull families intermarrying for political power and then all of the religious upheaval, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the court, let alone the throne. Even staying tucked away at home, far from court, quietly minding your own business was no guarantee you'd be safe from court machinations. It's nice to know Ursula and her husband managed to navigate those trecherous times and live out their full lives. This period of history tends to be glamorized in the imagination. But I suspect the reality of surviving all of the political and religious turmoil and Henry's growing tyranny was terrifying at best.

[@kenzieloux]

She’s my 16th great grandmother!!

[@gonefishing167]

Thank you Heather, I’ve always thought them a fascinating family . I’d heard Ursula’s name but you hear most about Margaret don’t you and, of course, Reginald. 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

[@deidrekline2149]

Thanks for this! I married a Stafford and traced his ancestry through her daughter, Dorothy. It so fun for my daughters to have info on who these people were and life during Tudor times.

[@kenzieloux]

I’m related to ursula through her daughter dorothy too!!

[@AndrewRedskin]

Dorothy is my 12th great grandmother. Hi cousins. Oh yeah next time you go to Starbucks and look at that logo, that is your ancestor. Melusine is our ancestor.

[@AndrewRedskin]

You should look up our other ancestor Saint Olga. She's pretty badass.

[@LariLesque]

Enjoyed this a lot. Do carry on with lesser known aristocrats, brothers and sisters of Elizabeth Woodville, for instance.

[@mtngrl5859]

Fascinating couple, it took a great deal of skill to survive the Tudors. They had quite a long marriage-40+ years- for that era as well.

[@anamariecameron7874]

I would love to see a tv series about the pole family

[@angelaerwin1589]

I've said the same thing. Her mother Margaret story has always fascinated me.

[@skontheroad]

In The Spanish Princess, Margaret Pole is a main character. With Ursula often in tow (around the time she gets married). It's worth a watch!

[@v.9964]

I would love this too. Too many fascinating unsung people need their stories told.

[@robertalpy]

Reginald Cardinal Pole was one of the great names of the counter reformation and a breath of fresh air at a time when The Universal Church was under assault from heresies small and great. It is important to remember anyone who stood against The Monster King. The Maryterdom of the pole family stands as an example of faith and sound dogma at a time when even Kings who were once defenders of the faith were willing to abandon mother church for.want of a son and behead wives for the same. The greatest heritage of monastic life in Europe was ravaged by Henry VIII and his successors Elizabeth and Edward. There are so few catholics and platagentes who survived the Tudor storm.

[@hjahansouz]

Thank you! What an interesting woman!

[@Nightbird1914]

So interesting! Thank you.

[@Cartersmum23]

14 kids? A wonderfully large family. I wonder why we never hear about her brood when we hear about “fruitful” Tudor marriages. Usually we just hear about the Woodvilles.

[@julierogers1155]

A "wonderfully large family" .... really? Can you imagine giving birth in the 1500's ONE TIME, let alone (at least!) FOURTEEN times?!

[@Cartersmum23]

@@julierogers1155 you must never have conversed with a person with fertility issues before. Yes, in my opinion that’s a wonderfully large family. I’ve now given birth, naturally might I add. Find something to do rather than scoping through weeks of comments to find something you disagree with.

[@julierogers1155]

@@Cartersmum23 1. Your comment was the TOP/first comment, so no "scoping" performed. 2. The death rate for women giving birth in the 1500's was about 1 in 20. My empathy is with the population of women (here in the 1500's) giving birth (and in Ursula's case so MANY times) and risking death that many times. 3. Perhaps look beyond YOUR fertility issues,? Imagine what 14 pregnancies (& labor and deliveries) in the 1500's meant for Ursula Pole. 4. YOU assume incorrectly about my experience with infertility issues ... conversing and otherwise.

[@Cartersmum23]

@@julierogers1155 lol you took the time out of your day to negatively comment on my *positive* comment. And continue to do so. Maybe just enjoy the content made by the creator? That’s what I came to do 😂

[@julierogers1155]

@@Cartersmum23 "lol"? High maternal death rates are funny to you?

[@sheilabloom6735]

Didn’t the Poles have a legitimate claim to the throne. Henry VII went after the de la Poles.

[@nancytestani1470]

Yes

[@skontheroad]

Thanks for this! I enjoyed it. And subscribed!

[@OWOT-re5jf]

Thank you!!! This was so interesting!!!

[@martinham1409]

Henry Stafford was descended from Edward II.

[@3minutesingle]

Well done, love deep dives on lesser known persons of the age. The Staffords were also direct descendants of Edward III via his youngest son Thomas. Must've drove H8 into a froth, all those Plantagenet remnants. Genealogy was all important,especially a usurping dynasty. Cecily Bonville, married to Thomas Grey, was another great lady lord of the time. Hint hint. :D

[@Dwinn10055]

Thanks , I love learning about Tudor era people ❤

[@jamellfoster6029]

Plus Henry VIII's Mom and Ursula Pole's Moms were 1st cousins (Lady Pole was approximately 7 years younger than Henry's Mom, Elizabeth of York)...

[@tomalebine2778]

I am a descendant of this woman through her son Walter, he lived in Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire, and my family have stayed in Northamptonshire ever since. Until I moved to London

[@cathywork2156]

These are my ancestors, the De La Pole

[@myfanwyalexander1218]

Do you know anything about the ancestry of Ursula's father Richard Pole? My own researches lead me to believe that rather than being an 'obsure Welsh gentlemen' as is often stated. John was the heir to the royal title of Powys and in this sense, he outranked the Tudurs of Penmynydd. But, like them, his Welsh ancestry was often belittled. I believe his ancestral estates included Castell Coch near Welshpool, now known as Powis Castle and that Welshpool, then know as Pola or Pool, was the origin of the name, takeing over from the patronymics. A study of two noble Welsh families who married into the Plantagenets could be very interesting Harri ab Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur did well for himself by marrying Elizabeth of York but Rhisiant ap Sifre ap Dafydd ap Madoc didn't exactly slum it either, though I would argue the marriage of Margaret Plantaganet to the Price of Powys was perhaps the more equal union of the two...

[@mediocremaiden8883]

He was a Tudor Knight and swore fealty. He received 2 small Manors as a dowry to hide the Plantegenet Princess Margaret of Clarence into the landed gentry so no more nobles could back her claim or claim of her children. However, that did not stop them from doing so. Her brother,Teddy, was imprisoned in the Tower of London so no one could back his higher claim either The Tudors were brutal. Yes *Henry VII* loved Elizabeth of York and stopped the Cousins War/Wars of the Roses but because he obliterated what was left of the Plantegenets, and his spoiled rotten son (who wasn't suppose to be King at all nor raised to be, his brother Arthur was but died of plague) took out the rest of the Plantegenets. But their love came from.Elizabeth of York who was the True Heir not at all getting involved in politics. She would have been one of the Greatest Queen Regnants who had ever lived. But what was unthinkable (Elizabeth claiming the throne) by the time of her granddaughters it had changed. Owain was Catherine of Valois' dress keeper, because she was denied a proper Regency of her son the Baby King of England and France. Their was no relation between Elizabeth of York and Catherine of Valois. The person below explained this all perfectly lol but It Is super super easy to get confused about it. It's like, if Henry V had lived and everybody thought he was invincible he did take an arrow right below his eye and had 'medieval surgery' and lived people thought God had a special protection of these 'Divine Kings' and that he would live united France and England into the Mightiest of...Mighty..um..Mights of an Empire. You ARE however super right in the sense that King Henry 8th could have betrothed his daughter Mary to Margeret's son Reginold Pole, or any numner of her sons (she had 3, maybe 4?) a Plantegenet and let it be done. Instead of breaking the world to have sons he thought he was rightfully due (thanks Wolsey) Henry VIII had quite a few options before te-doing EVERYTHING they had ever known as a Kingdom and getting rid of their Religion whom fed,educated,and did a great deal in the communities and villages.

[@ronlee2776]

Slight error in that Owain Tudor was married to the widow of Henry V Catherine of Valois not Elizabeth of York who was in fact married to Henry VII and mother to Henry VIII.

[@doriamurriola7188]

@@mediocremaiden8883 Or he could have had Mary marry edward courtenay, a great grandson of Edward iv, any heirs would have been undisputable, but he needed to have his way, and have a son, even when all his kids kept dying and only 3 survived despite his lustful nature

[@1234cheerful]

@@mediocremaiden8883 Prince Arthur died of sweating sickness, not plague. But thanks for providing an interesting piece of history!

[@ileanaacacostaacosta1813]

@@mediocremaiden8883 Blessed Margaret of Salisbury ,she was born her Royal Highness Princess Margaret of Clarence poor dear it brought a lot of grief and tears to her and her children and it brought her a grisly and undeserved death at the hand of the son of her dear first cousin Lizzie. She is now in Heaven she earned it and I hope her family is with her

[@theresalaux5655]

Hokie Smokes! 14 children!😮😢

[@heartofjesusdj]

What are we gonna do, Bullwinkle?!😊

[@kenzieloux]

I’m related through Ursula’s daughter Dorothy :)

[@cornelia9778]

An amazing woman. I have read extensively about this period but not come across her. I was very distressed about the totally unfair execution of her Mother. Of course they were mostly unfair but it seemed from what I read that Margaret Pole was particularly nice and well liked.

[@charliekezza]

First video of yours I've seen and I'm now subbed 🖤🖤🖤🖤 She was lucky Henry didn't take her head

[@hteysko]

Thank you so much. Welcome.

[@lillianmcgrew217]

This is interesting 😮

[@cornelia9778]

Margaret Beaufort had to be another amazing survivor. Constantly finding herself on different sides she seemed to slither up and up the power tree until she became The King’s Mother.

[@thomaslance5428]

I just want to know what happened to JILL Pole! Lmao.

[@johnmcgrath6192]

What about Miler Magrath, Archbishop of Cashel (Protestant) and trusted advisor to Elizabeth? And Riuhard Craig, Archbishop if Armagh (Catholic) who got caught up in the strange relationship between The O'Neil and Elizabeth. Although Walsingham told Elizabeth that Criag was innocent of treason, she insisted Craig be imprisoned in the Tower of London where he died.

[@nancytestani1470]

Elizabeth’s wood ville sisters..what happened to them

[@Nana-vi4rd]

Now there were the Stafford Brothers, the youngest was named Thomas who tried to bring down Henry VII when he first came to the throne. Are they related to the Stafford family that you speak of in this video?

[@hteysko]

Yes indeed. They are related. I made a video about the Staffords here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqqmk2qBbNxjpZY

[@kikidevine694]

Elizabeth Woodville was the MOTHER of Henry's mother.

[@VynylFantasy]

Edward Stanford, 3rd Duke of buckingham was killed possibly for his Woodville ancestry?? Do you know what you’re talking about? How would that make him a threat?

[@SyIe12]

👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@PoonamSharma-nc5no]

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[@CatalinaMontidiOro]

Ursala's brothers were Arthur Pole, Reginald Pole, Geoffery Pole and Henry Pole.

[@susanadler5195]

She single-handedly made it impossible to wipe out the Plantagenets

[@penneycason9269]

Haven’t bothered to google. William Stafford married Mary Boleyn. Where does this Stafford fit into this narrative. Too tired tonight. I will look it up tomorrow. Should you provide an answer I’m thankful 🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@CatalinaMontidiOro]

Ursala actually had four older brothers, not three.

[@laurabrooks7655]

Descended from Ursula Pole.

[@colinlavelle7806]

Pity about the American accent of the narrator.

[@hteysko]

Potato Potahto. I lived in Highgate long enough to do a pretty good fake North London accent, but I'm not a fan of pretending to be something I'm not :) Lucky for you there are loads of English youtubers with the appropriate accent. Go give Sarah from the Tudor Travel Guide a listen - she's amazing!

[@helenorgarycrevonis2022]

Heather, are there a Tudor fans society in US? if so, could you please provide a link. I would like to connect with some of the IS fans of Tudors. Thank you

[@hteysko]

We have the TudorLearningCircle.com where there are a lot of Tudor fans.

[@CalienteDesign]

Yes, the lesser known aristocrats and others are very interesting, we've all heard ad nauseum about the kings and queens. But the peers and courtiers are just as interesting. I would like to hear about Thomas Clinton, III Earl of Lincoln and his involvement with the Puritans. My ancestor came to America with his daughter, Lady Arbella Johnson.

[@lizhood6132]

Extremely interesting, thank you.