Grandson of Mary Boleyn. Cousin to Elizabeth I. Patron to Shakespeare’s company. On 8 September 1603, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, died, leaving a legacy that runs from court politics to the playhouse. Some even whispered he was Henry VIII’s grandson. Rumour or not, Carey stood right behind the stage that gave us Hamlet, Henry V and more.

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway. In today’s “On This Day,” meet the steady court insider who helped shape the English Renaissance, from border forts and the Isle of Wight to the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

What you’ll learn:

• Carey’s Boleyn roots & royal connections

• Missions to Scotland and a knighthood at Berwick (1570)

• Roles that kept him close to Elizabeth I (Marshal of the Household, JP, Constable of Bamburgh, Captain ...