Category: 15th Century - Meandering Through Time

Execution of Richard Woodville

12/8/2018

To the surprise of many, and disregarding the acknowledged rules of diplomacy King Edward IV had, in the May of 1464, made his own choice of a bride. The king's new wife was one Elizabeth Grey, the daughter of Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, a family of lowly stock from the County of Northampton.

There was, of course, a little more to the Woodvilles than the fact they were 'social climbers.' Richard Woodville had been in command of an army during the French wars. He had met Jacquetta, the young widow of the Duke of Bedford when he had accompanied her on the voyage home to England from Rouen. In 1433 Woodville married Jacquetta in secret. Their eldest child, the aforementioned Elizabeth, was born four years later.

Garter Stall Plate of Richard Woodville at St George’s Chapel, Windsor

Jacquetta was a member of Margaret of Anjou's court and Richard Woodville, as a loyal servant to Henry VI was eventually rewarded with a barony in 1448.

Edward, as we all know, fell instantly in lust when he came across Elizabeth. Richard Woodville's daughter was a strong-willed widow with two young sons and eight siblings to boot and Edward, as previously mentioned would undertake this marriage without the knowledge of one man who was so instrumental in bringing him to the throne - Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. This event was a turning point for Richard Neville and the first the nail in the coffin of Richard Woodville.

Richard Neville was angered by the fact that the Woodville men were placed in important administrative roles. Other events such as the king’s refusal to sanction the marriage of his daughter to George, Duke of Clarence and the influence of the Herbert family the Earls of Pembroke in the royal court just rubbed salt into his wounds. Richard Neville was about to jump from the Yorkist ship into Lancastrian waters.

Warwick’s rebellion would see off William Herbert and his brother Richard at Northampton on the 26th July in 1469 and on this day, just seventeen days later Richard Woodville and his son John would be beheaded as traitors.

To Richard Neville, revenge may have been sweet - but in the words of Martin Luther King Jr

"The old law of 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind."

Siege of the Tower of London 2nd - 19th July 1460

2/7/2018

Richard Neville, his brother Lord Fauconberg and Edward IV, plus the main force of the Yorkist army were making their way to do battle at Northampton, leaving a smaller force to continue the siege of the Tower of London.

Siege of the Tower of London in 1471.

Thomas, Lord Scales and Robert, Lord Hungerford had been bombarding the city, where it has been said, many of London’s residents were killed. Among others trapped in the Tower were Henry’s Treasurer Thomas Browne, the son of a wealthy city merchant who had made an advantageous marriage to the great great granddaughter of Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel and Surrey, Browne was also a wealthy landowner and a man of note in Kent.

A seventeen-day siege ensued ending with the death of Lord Scales, and the execution on charges of treason of Thomas Browne.

After the Battle of Northampton, Henry VI once again found himself a prisoner and on his way to London, this was followed by the Duke of York’s return to England. Arriving in England on the 9th September he headed for London to make his play for the crown.

Thomas Browne was my 16th Great Grandfather, you can read about his family here:

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/chapter-five-getting-personal.html

First Battle of St Albans

22/5/2018

On this day in 1455, following their exclusion from court, Richard Duke of York, along with Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, assembled their forces in the north and marched south to confront the Lancastrian King Henry VI at St Albans.

The roller coaster ride continued and the tension mounted but eventually it all came to blows at St Albans, considered by some, to be the first battle of the civil war. In a battle that lasted just one hour, a number of notable Lancastrian nobles including, Henry Percy, Thomas Clifford, and Thomas Vaughan’s patron, Edmund Beaufort were killed. After the battle Henry VI was captured, York assured Henry of his loyalty and along with Warwick accompanied the king to London. Just under two months later, at the beginning of July the king opened Parliament and following that Henry, along with Margaret and their son were moved to Hertford Castle. That November saw the Duke of York appointed as Protector for a second time, and just like the first protectorate it was short, it ended in the last week of February 1456, but York remained an important member of the Royal Council. Three very trouble years ensued and the end of which the Duke of York, with Richard Neville as his enforcer, would make his play for the crown of England.

The above is taken from my website, you can read about this battle in context here:

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/chapter-two-the-beaufort-patronage.html

Elizabeth of York - Duchess of Suffolk

22/4/2018

Elizabeth of York, later Duchess of Suffolk was born on the 22nd April in 1444 at Rouen Normandy. She was the second daughter of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville and the sister of both Richard III and Edward IV.

Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk's effigy at Wingfield Church Suffolk.

Elizabeth was born in France at the time when Henry VI was playing yo-yo with her father's career - the time between Henry appointing the Duke of York as Lieutenant of France and the death of John Beaufort the Duke of Somerset in the May of 1444.

Elizabeth marriage to John de la Pole was thought to have been arranged by de la Poles mother Alice, it took place three years after the first Battle of St Albans at a time that is often considered the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.

At the time of John de la Pole becoming Duke of Suffolk his family was one of the least wealthy titled families in the country -, although if his marriage to Margaret Beaufort (John Beaufort's daughter) had not been annulled John's life may have been a different one altogether. The fifteen-hundred pounds that Elizabeth brought to the marriage was not a patch on what Margaret would have brought, made little difference to his finances.

Although this marriage allied de la Pole to the Yorkist party he is noted as having not shown any true support for either side. However, in 1461 he had made his decision, fighting for the Yorkist at the second Battle of St Albans and at Towton.

Elizabeth assumed the title of Duchess of Suffolk in the May of 1450 when John became Duke of Suffolk following the murder of his father William de la Pole. Elizabeth gave birth to eleven children, she would outlive eight of them. The three son who did survive their mother were Edmund, William and Richard, all would suffer due to the Yorkist blood that ran through their veins.

Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk died in 1503/4 and is buried at Wingfield Church in Suffolk, alongside her husband.

Death of Edmund of Rutland

30/12/2017

On the 30th December in 1460 after the Battle of Wakefield, Edmund Earl of Rutland, son of Richard Duke of York was executed in an act of revenge.

The most common story told is that Edmund was captured as he fled the battlefield, but the quality of his armour was noticed by Lancastrian John Clifford who asked him his name. At that point, it seems, Clifford was unaware who Rutland was and was possibly thinking along the lines of a ransom, but a priest going by the name of Aspell shouted: "spare him for he is the Prince's son." And thus Rutland's fate was sealed.

It was then that John Clifford saw an opportunity to avenge his father's death, his father Thomas Clifford died in the first battle of St Albans in 1455. For Clifford, the "sight of any of the House of York was fury to torment his soul."

It is John Leland, the 16th century antiquary, who first mentions that it was Clifford who murdered the seventeen-year-old Edmund, William of Worcester in his Annales Rerum Anglicarum writes "and in the flight after the battle, Lord Clifford killed Edmund Earl of Rutland, son of the Duke of York, on the bridge at Wakefield." but its Shakespeare who puts the following words into Clifford's mouth.

"Thy father slew mine; and so will I do thee and all thy kin."

The violence and family feuds did not end with the death of Edmund.

Interesting, the word feud in English and in Latin means the threat to take revenge and these acts of vengeance were often the result of a long standing feud, and you will get no bigger than the ill feeling between York and Lancaster.

Vengeance, in what ever time period, is one of the worst of human traits, but it is an intriguing one none the less.

There is a little more on the act of revenge in my blog which can be accessed here:
meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/wars-of-the-roses-blog/vengeance-is-mine

Richard of Eastwell

22/12/2017

On the 22nd of December in 1550 the death of Richard of Eastwell

Legend has it that before the Battle of Bosworth in the August of 1485, a young boy visited Richard III in his tent on the battlefield. The king is said to have told this boy, that if victory went his way he would acknowledge him as his son but if it did not that he was to hide his identity.

Following the battle, of which the outcome is well known, the boy fled to London where he lived in the town of Eastwell working for one Sir Thomas Moyle.

He learnt the trade of a bricklayer and kept his secret until the day he died, only Moyle is said to have known after finding him reading Latin. Richard of Eastwell died an old man in 1550, where it is stated in the parish register.

"Rychard Plantagenet was buryed on the 22. daye of December, anno ut supra. Ex registro de Eastwell, sub anno 1550."

It is unlikely that this boy was the son of Richard III, but it is a fascinating myth nonetheless.

The King Maker

19/11/2017

For a number of years, depending on who was on the throne at the time, England had been on good terms with either France or Burgundy, using this to his advantage Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick proposed to the council that a peace treaty be signed with Louis XI of France. Also, some members of the council had agreed with Warwick’s suggestion that it was high time Edward IV was married. Louis thought so too, an English alliance with France was far better for him than a Burgundian alliance, eventually, Warwick succumbed to a bit of flattery and bribery and put it to Edward that Bona of Savoy would be a perfect match.

In the September of 1464 Edward IV made a surprise announcement during a discussion of this subject, and to the amazement of many, Edward indicated that the idea of marriages was indeed a good one, he never batted an eyelid at the suggestion of a French bride, even though he himself favoured Burgundy. After a long silence, he finally relayed the fact that he had already made his choice and in fact, he had already married one Elizabeth Grey, a member of the lowly Woodville family of Northamptonshire.

Edward IV in the Plea Rolls c 1463

Edward had succumbed to lust and not with a weak, mild-mannered virgin either, but with a strong-willed widow with two young sons, and with eight siblings to boot! Edward had undertaken all this without the knowledge of Richard Neville, the one man who was so instrumental in bringing him to the throne.

For Warwick Edward’s news was shattering, he had already pledged Edward in marriage to the sister of the queen of France. Edward's irresponsible behaviour humiliated Warwick and ruined his plans, his prestige both home and abroad was in tatters, and to say that Warwick was enraged would be an understatement, the dagger of betrayal had cut too deep and it was a wound that would never heal. By 1469 he had turned his coat and had gone over to the Lancastrians, by 1470 he had restored Henry VI to the throne.

The Beauchamp bear and ragged staff combined were used by Warwick and used as his families insignia.

Richard Neville was born on the 22nd November in 1428 into a world that shaped him. It was full of powerful characters, in his early life there was his father Ralph Neville and uncle Richard, Duke of York and later there were Charles, the Duke of Burgundy and Louis XI King of France. At some point in his life Warwick had decided to either to outshine or eclipse them all, but in doing so he became overly ambitious, somewhat erratic and most certainly selfish, and yet he was quite remarkable - he was a king maker! Author Micheal Hicks calls him "the very model of medieval nobility" however Paul Kendall calls him a "gigantic failure."

Would I be accused of sitting on the fence if I said he was both? The mind boggles at the thought of what might have been if he had stayed onside in 1469, certainly the Lancastrian cause would have been weaker without him. Richard Neville thought he could rule without a crown, it didn't take him long to come to the conclusion that if he couldn't 'wear' Edward's then he'd wear another. To Richard Neville there was nothing that was beyond his grasp, nothing that could not be overcome yet for someone so brilliant he never considered failure, he never saw himself teetering at the top of a slippery slope that leads to an abyss.

Richard Neville in the 15th century Rous Roll.

Richard Neville should not bare the total weight of responsibility for the events of 1464 to 1469 Edward's behaviour was reprehensible and unforgivable! Yes, Edward IV was a popular king, he was affable, intelligent, an outstanding military leader, but he was a fool, he was also ruthless, vengeful and totally irresponsible. With one swish of the bed sheets, (two as it turns out) Edward undermined everything his father had worked so hard to achieve, not only shortening the life of his brother but that of the Plantagenet dynasty itself.

To end, the words of Philippe de Commynes apply quite nicely here I think.

Now you see the deaths of so many great men in so little time, men who have worked so hard to grow great and to win glory
and have suffered so much from passions and cares and shortened their lives, and perchance their souls will pay for it.

Death of Edmund Tudor

3/11/2017

3rd November 1456

Edmund and his brother Jasper had arrived at the court of their half brother Henry VI in 1446, four years earlier, following the death of their mother, Catherine of Valois, the two boys had been placed under the care of Abbess of Barking Katherine de la Pole, the abbey was paid an allowance of £52 12s for their care. It was Katherine who introduced and encouraged the relationship with Henry VI, this was more to do with lack of money for her to continue their support, rather than noticing that they were a couple of likely candidates for the ‘Wales Got Talent’ contest. Henry accepted them into his court, it may have been for dynastic reasons or personal reasons, no one really knows, although it must have been of some comfort to a quiet and retiring king to have brothers on whom he thought he could rely.

The boy's father Owain ap Marededd ap Tudur’s origins, are somewhat vague, he is said to have arrived at the court of Henry V in 1415, but at some point he was under the command of the Welsh warrior Dafydd Gam, the maternal grandfather of the Vaughan's of Tretower and a staunch opponent of Owain Glyndwr. Tudor’s affair with Catherine of Valois had been conducted away from court and resulted in a number of other children, besides Edmund and Jasper. The twenty or so years that covered the Tudor sons adolescence under the control of the aforementioned Katherine de la Pole, appears to be have been unremarkable and prior to them being formally recognised as the Henry VI’s legitimate uterine brothers in 1452 and their ennoblement as earls of Richmond and Pembroke, their ‘Welshness’ can be called into question, Edmund, it seems, had no connection with the Welsh until after his marriage to the teenage Margaret Beaufort in 1452, and neither did Jasper until he moved into Pembroke Castle and took up Lancaster's cause.

In 1455 as mentioned he had married the twelve years old Margaret Beaufort and wasted little time getting her pregnant, the poor child gave birth to the future Henry VII a year later.

However, Tudor was not destined to see his only child, he was dead of the plague by the end of this day in 1456.

September 1464: Edward IV Makes a Surprise Announcement.

14/9/2017

For a number of years, depending on who was on the throne at the time, England had been on good terms with either France or Burgundy, using this to his advantage Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick proposed to the September council that a peace treaty be signed with Louis XI of France. Also some members of the council had agreed with Warwick’s suggestion that it was high time Edward IV was married. Louis thought so too, an English alliance with France was far better for him than a Burgundian alliance, eventually Warwick succumbed to a bit of flattery and bribery and put it to Edward that Bona of Savoy would be a perfect match.

In the September of 1464, during a discussion of this subject, and to the surprise of many, Edward indicated that the idea of marriages was indeed a good one, he never batted an eyelid at the suggestion of a French bride, even though he himself favoured Burgundy. After a long silence, he finally relayed the fact that he had already made his choice and in fact he had already married one Elizabeth Grey, a member of the lowly Woodville family of Northamptonshire.

15th century miniature of the marrige of Edward and Elizabeth from the Ancient Chronicles of England by Jean de Wavrin,

Edward, as Paul Murray Kendall quite rightly points out, had succumbed to lust and not with a weak, mild mannered virgin either, but with a strong willed widow with two young sons, and with eight siblings to boot! Edward had undertaken all this without the knowledge of one man who was so instrumental in bringing him to the throne - Richard ‘the Kingmaker’ Neville.

Edward’s news was shattering, Warwick had pledged Edward in marriage to the sister of the queen of France. Edwards irresponsible behaviour humiliated Warwick and ruined his plans, his prestige both home and abroad was in tatters, and to say that Warwick was enraged would be an understatement, the dagger of betrayal had cut too deep and it was a wound that would never heal.

Warwick (James Frain) mulls over Edward's (Max Irons) bombshell from the TV series The White Queen.

Readeption of Henry VI

10/9/2017

9th - 13th September 1470

The names of Richard, Earl of Warwick and George, Duke of Clarence's were never officially mentioned as being part of the 1469/70 uprisings against Edward IV but it is plain to see that Warwick was the puppeteer. Letters, incriminating Warwick, were found in a chest that belonged to the man who lead the uprising in Lincolnshire in the March of 1470. Robert Welles letter goes someway back up this fact as does his confession, Wells writes:

"I have welle understand my many meagges, as welle from my Lord of Warwicke, and they entended to make grete risinges,
as forthorthy as ever I couth understand , to th’entent to make the duc of Clarence king…..Also, I say that had beene the said duc and erls provokings that we at this tyme would no durst have made eny commocion or sturing, but upon there comforts
we did what we did”......Also, I say that I and my dadier had often times letters of credence from my said lordes.”

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick from the Rouse Roll

George, Duke of Clarance by Geoffrey Wheeler http://www.richardiii.net/2_2_0_riii_family.php#

It is not hard to imagine what the state of the country was in during these years, anarchy would possible be a good word to describe it. Following the aforementioned Lincolnshire revolt - the Battle of Empingham or Losecoate Field as it is commonly known, Warwick and Clarence fled the country. They were refused entry into Calais but eventually arrived in the court of Louis XI of France. While under the protection of the French king Warwick organised the restoration of Henry VI to the throne of England and the marriage of his daughter Anne to Henry's son Edward. An invasion force was soon bound for England's shores and Warwick and Clarence landed in the West Country between the 9th and 13th of September 1470. Warwick found that his brother John, the Marquess of Montage had abandoned the Yorkist cause and he also soon learned that the king had left England.

While most were troubled by the events of 1469 and 1470 the triumphant Richard Neville was in his element as he later placed the crown of England, once again, on the head of Henry VI. Released from the Tower of London, the poor man’s physical health was weak and his mental health clearly unstable. As these two men stood together it was obvious to everybody who was in charge. Real power was now in the gauntleted hand of Richard, Earl of Warwick, the King’s Lieutenant of the Realm.