George Clifford: Tales of bravery and piracy!

George Clifford, third Earl of Cumberland, was one of the most flamboyant and extravagant courtiers at the court of Elizabeth I. As Queen’s Champion he organised and jousted in sumptuous tournaments held in her honour, and yet the cost of maintaining his courtly position nearly bankrupted his family. In an attempt to relieve the increasing pressures and costs of courtly life at a time of rampant inflation, George Clifford resorted to piracy and privateering, and in 1597 captured San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. This lecture focuses on the career of George Clifford, the “Privateering Earl” and examines the harsh realities of Tudor politics and courtly life from the viewpoint of one local northern family. 

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