1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that takes really seriously 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: the adage you learn something new every day. UM. I 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: know that a lot of places around the world right 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: now are going back to business, whether they're diving right 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: into the deep end or they're easing back into it. 8 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: And a lot of people have already been working and 9 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,479 Speaker 1: doing business as usual, and there are some people whose 10 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: lives are still turned upside down by all the stuff 11 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: that COVID nineteen is causing. And I just wanted to 12 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: say that I hope you all are doing well no 13 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: matter what phase of this very new and very intense 14 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: situation you're in, and that you continue to stay safe 15 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: and healthy. I am still at home, but I am 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: doing well, and I can only hope that you are 17 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: maintaining and thriving in these times. But that said, on 18 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: with the show. Today is May nine. The day was 19 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: May nine, six seventy one. Thomas Blood attempted to steal 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: the Crown Jewels of England. The Crown Jewels are a 21 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: collection of crowns, scepters, and other ceremonial objects associated with 22 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: English kings and queens dating back hundreds of years. Thomas 23 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: Blood's father was a wealthy blacksmith, and his grandfather was 24 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: a member of the Irish Parliament. He spent some of 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: his early life in England, but when he was around 26 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: twenty years old, he got married and moved to Ireland, 27 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: where he was born, But he soon went back to England, 28 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: where he joined Oliver Cromwell's army in the fight against 29 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: King Charles the First during the English Civil War. When 30 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland 31 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: and Ireland, he was granted land for his service in 32 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: the war. By sixteen fifty, Blood had begun calling himself 33 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: a colonel, though there's no evidence that he actually earned 34 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: that rank. Throughout the sixteen sixties, Blood was involved in 35 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: a number of subversive activities. He and other conspirators plotted 36 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: to seize Dublin Castle and kidnapped James Butler, the first 37 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: Duke of Ormond and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, for ransom. 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: That plot failed, but Blood was able to evade authorities, 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: and in sixteen seventy he made another attempt to kidnap 40 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: the Duke of Ormond and failed. But the conspiracy Blood 41 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: is best remembered for is his attempt at stealing the 42 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: Crown Jewels in sixteen seventy one. The Crown Jewels were 43 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: stored at the Tower of London, and the keeper of 44 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: the jewels was a man named Talbot Edwards. One day 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: in sixteen seventy one, Blood visited the tower disguise as 46 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: a parson. He continued to visit the Edwards family, who 47 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: lived at the tower, and he soon became friendly with them. 48 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: Blood promised to arrange a marriage between his imaginary nephew 49 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: and edwards daughter. On May nine, Blood arrived at the 50 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: tower with his supposed nephew and two of his friends. 51 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: They convinced Edwards to show them the Crown jewels, and 52 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: once they entered the jewel house, they knocked him unconscious. 53 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: The London Gazette gave the following account of the crime. 54 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: According to the villainous design they, it seems, came upon 55 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: immediately they clapped a gag of a strange form into 56 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: the old man's mouth, who making what noise and resistance 57 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: he could, they stabbed him a deep wound in the 58 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: belly with a stiletto, adding several other dangerous wounds on 59 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: the head. With the small beetle they had with them, 60 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: as is believed to beat together and flatten the crown 61 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: to make it the more easily portable, the thieves took 62 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: the sovereign scepter with cross St. Edward's crown and the 63 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: Sovereign's orb. Edwards regained consciousness and tried to stop the men, 64 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: crying treason and murder. As the thieves fled to their 65 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: horses waiting at St. Catherine's Gate, they dropped the scepter. 66 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: Guards went after them, and before Blood could reach the 67 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: Iron gate, he was captured. The crown and orbit were recovered, 68 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: though several gemstones were missing. King Charles and other members 69 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: of the royal family questioned Blood. It's unclear what Blood 70 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: and the king discussed, but in the end Blood was 71 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: pardoned and even granted land in Ireland. There have been 72 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: many theories about why Blood received this treatment, including one 73 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 1: that the King was just amused by Blood's audacity, and 74 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: another that the king was in on the plot from 75 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: the beginning. Regardless, Blood became a familiar figure in London. 76 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: After he died in sixteen eighty, his body was exhumed 77 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,679 Speaker 1: because people suspected he might have faked his own death 78 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: so he didn't have to pay a debt to the 79 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: Duke of Buckingham. Today, the crown jewels of the United 80 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: Kingdom remain on display at the Tower of London as 81 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: symbols of the British monarchy. I'm each Deacote and hopefully 82 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,279 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 83 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: did yesterday. And if you want to send us me comments, 84 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: our suggestions, you can send us an email at this 85 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: day at I heeart media dot com. You can also 86 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: follow us on social media at t d I h 87 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: C podcast. Thanks again for listening to the show and 88 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, 89 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 90 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.