John Blanke: the Black musician at the Tudor Court

This is an in-person only event in the Piazza Pavilion  

John Blanke was a Black trumpeter in the Tudor courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Documented between 1495 and 1512, he stands out as the earliest recorded individual of African heritage in England, with both a distinct image and existing records marking his presence. Blanke’s attendance at the Tudor court challenges the narrative that Black people were absent from significant roles in early modern British history.  This also makes him one of the first recorded Black musicians in Britain.  

Dr Misha Ewen is a Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Bristol where she researches colonization and slavery in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English Atlantic world. Before joining Bristol, she was Curator for Inclusive History at Historic Royal Palaces and co-curator of Untold Lives: A Palace at Work. She has published widely in academic journals and her first monograph, The Virginia Venture: American Colonization and English Society, 1580-1660, was published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

Michael I. Ohajuru is a writer and speaks regularly on the black presence in Renaissance Europe. He is the co-convener of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies What’s Happening in Black British History series of workshops and the founder of Image of the Black in London Galleries - a series of gallery tours highlighting the overt and covert black presences to be found in national art collections. Michael is also the Project Director of The John Blanke Project.  

The John Blanke Project is an Art and Archive initiative that re-imagines the life of John Blanke. It is a pioneering attempt to delve into and honour the story of one of earliest documented Black musicians in British history. The project brings together historical investigation with contemporary artistry, aiming to spotlight the pivotal, yet often underrepresented, roles played by Black figures in early modern Britain. 

In association with The John Blanke Project.  
Image: Stephen B. Whatley, Tribute to John Blanke, (2015), Charcoal on paper, A4  

Part of the programme for the British Library exhibition Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music (26 April – 26 August). 

The British Library is a charity. Your support helps us open up a world of knowledge and inspiration for everyone. Donate today. 

@eventsBL