Princes in the Tower

Lady Katherine Gordon, “Duchess of York”

Sharon Bennett Connolly2 Comments
The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais

I don’t usually start my articles with a disclaimer, but with this one, I think I will. The Princes in the Tower is always a hot topic, after all. So, I will warn you. Here, I am going to look into the life of Lady Katherine Gordon, rather than the veracity of the claim of her husband, Perkin Warbeck/Prince Richard, to being the younger of the two lost Princes. I am giving you the information and evidence that Katherine would have been presented with at the time, and not making any actual judgements. I will leave that to others who have spent much more time on the study of the Princes than I.

Lady Katherine Gordon was, by all accounts, a beautiful woman, with connections, though distant, to the Scottish royal family. She was the daughter of George Gordon, second Earl of Huntly, and his third wife, Elizabeth Hay. George Gordon had previously been married to Annabella Stewart, a great-aunt of James IV, meaning that Katherine was distantly related to the king by marriage.

Katherine first came to prominence in 1496, when she was given as a bride to Richard, Duke of York, the younger son of Edward IV and one of the Princes in the Tower. ‘Richard’ had recently emerged from hiding to claim the English throne, and after having spent some years on the Continent had been welcomed at the Scottish court in the autumn of 1495, probably simply to antagonise the English king, Henry VII, rather than in a genuine belief in his claim to be one of the lost princes. It would later be revealed that Richard was actually an impostor named Perkin Warbeck, from the Flemish city of Tournai. But that was by no means clear when he was residing at the Scottish court and several Continental royals, including the lost prince’s aunt Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, had supported his claim to be Richard, Duke of York.

King James IV was probably hedging his bets as to Richard’s real identity when he offered Katherine Gordon in marriage. Katherine had just enough royal credentials to be a suitable bride for an English prince but was not too royal that King James would be embarrassed should Richard prove to be an impostor. And if Richard was successful in overthrowing Henry VII and claiming the English throne, James would have a friend as his neighbour in England. For James, it was worth the gamble and for Richard, it meant that he could count on Scottish support. The Scots king welcomed Richard to court with all honours due to an English prince. He treated Richard like an honoured royal guest, dressed him like a king, gave him a pension and took him on a progress through the kingdom. There is a letter purportedly written by Prince Richard to Lady Katherine in December 1495, just weeks before their wedding, which suggests he is highly enthusiastic about the match:

King Edward V and the Duke of York in the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche.

Most noble lady, it is not without reason that all turn their eyes to you; that all admire, love, and obey you. For they see your two-fold virtues by which you are so much distinguished above all other morals. Whilst, on the one hand, they admire your riches and immutable prosperity, which secure to you the nobility of your lineage and the loftiness of your rank, they are, on the other hand, struck by your rather divine than human beauty, and believe that you are not born in our days, but descended from Heaven.

All look at your face, so bright and serene that it gives splendour to the cloudy sky; all look at your eyes as brilliant as stars, which makes all pain to be forgotten, and turn despair into delight; all look at your neck, which outshines pearls; all look at your fine forehead, your purple light of youth, your fair hair; in one word, at the splendid perfection of your person; and looking at, they cannot choose but admire you; admiring, they cannot choose but love you; loving, they cannot choose but obey you.

I shall, perhaps, be the happiest of all your admirers, and the happiest man on earth, since I have reason to hope you will think me worthy of your love. If I represent to my mind all your perfections, I am not only compelled to love, to adore, and to worship you, but love makes me your slave. Whether waking or sleeping, I cannot find rest or happiness except in your affection. All my hopes rest in you, and in you alone.

Most noble lady, my soul, look mercifully down upon me your slave, who has ever been devoted to you from the first hour he saw you. Love is not an earthly thing, it is heaven born. Do not think it below yourself to obey love’s dictates. Not only kings, but also gods and goddesses have bent their necks beneath its yoke.

I beseech you, most noble lady, to accept for ever one who in all things will cheerfully do your will as long as his days shall last. Farewell, my soul and my consolation. You, the brightest ornament of Scotland, farewell, farewell.1

James IV, copy by Daniël Mijtens of a lost contemporary portrait

The marriage between the man claiming to be Richard of York and Katherine Gordon was celebrated on 13 January 1496. Richard was given a white damask ‘spousing’ gown for the occasion. Other gifts included a purple damask-covered suit of armour, six servants, two trumpeters and a French armourer. Richard was also awarded an annual pension of £1, 344.2 The ceremony was followed by a series of jousts in which the king of Scots himself participated, though there is no evidence that Prince Richard did; he probably watched the jousts in the company of his bride. Katherine was now referred to as duchess of York. The newlyweds then travelled with the king to the palace at Falkland in Fife to wait out the winter in anticipation of the campaigning season and Richard’s invasion of England to claim the throne.

James, too, was intent on invading England, despite pressure from both the Spanish and French monarchs. James insisted that the English had started the conflict by destroying his ships and cattle. In September 1496, James invaded Northumberland but returned to Scotland after only three days – no one in England had risen in support of Richard, Duke of York. As the year 1496 ended, Richard was no closer to invading England and was spending less time with King James, instead staying with his wife Katherine at Falkland Palace. In the meantime, King Henry VII’s spies had been at work on the Continent, discovering the true identity of Prince Richard.

King James IV’s priorities now changed. He was seeking peace with Henry VII, and a bride. In July 1497, James was negotiating with Henry to marry the English king’s eldest daughter, Margaret, though she was only eight years old at the time. Henry VII made one of the conditions of the peace that James ‘delyvere unto us Perkyn Werbek’.3 Although the Scots king was amenable to the suggestion, Warbeck was not available to be handed over to the English.

On 6 July, he and his wife set sail from Ayr after 19 months in Scotland. He left behind a brown horse, to be used to settle any debts that may still be outstanding. The ship, a French merchant vessel known as the Cukow, carried Warbeck, Katherine and 30 of Warbeck’s followers. Its hold was stocked with provisions including wine, bread, salt beef, mutton, cheese and fish. Although the king had not been present to bid them farewell, he had provided Katherine with some cloth to make a gown suitable for wearing aboard ship. What had spurred Warbeck to leave Scotland at this particular time is unclear. It may have been the burgeoning peace between James IV and Henry VII, or it may have been news of the Cornish uprising, which had erupted after King Henry had implemented a tax to raise funds for war against Scotland. It may be that Warbeck thought to join this rebellion.

Henry VII painted by an unknown artist

Katherine and her pretender-prince sailed first for Ireland, arriving in Cork on 25 July 1497. After spending a month in Ireland trying to raise troops to their cause, they sailed for Cornwall, making landfall at Whitesand Bay on 7 September with a small flotilla with just a hundred or so people on board. Warbeck’s first action after landing was to make his way to the parish of St Buryan, four miles inland, where he left Katherine to await news of his military campaign. He then headed further into Cornwall, recruiting along the way. It is estimated that by the time he reached Bodmin, Warbeck had an army of between three and five thousand men. After failing to take Exeter from the earl of Devon, Warbeck and his forces marched towards Taunton. The earl of Devon then set off in pursuit and cut off his line of retreat back into Cornwall.

Another royal army moved down from Oxfordshire into Somerset, reaching Glastonbury on 19 September, the same day Warbeck had reached Taunton – just twenty miles away. Warbeck was cornered and, losing his nerve, attempted to flee in the dead of night. With only sixty men, Warbeck sought sanctuary at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire on 22 September. Where most religious houses that offered sanctuary could only provide it for a limited period of forty days, Beaulieu was one of those with an exemption, which meant those seeking it could remain in sanctuary there for the remainder of their lives. By early October, Warbeck had been persuaded to surrender and under strong guard was taken to face the king, who was now at Taunton.

16th-century copy by Jacques Le Boucq of the only known contemporary portrait of Warbeck, Library of Arras

The king and his prisoner then proceeded to Exeter where Perkin Warbeck was reunited with his wife. Katherine had been retrieved from St Buryan’s by a force sent by King Henry. When she was found, she was dressed in robes of mourning, which may suggest that she had already been apprised of her husband’s failure, or that she had recently lost a child. We do not know. As the young woman was presented to Henry VII, she was ‘ashamed and tearful’.4 The chronicler Polydore Vergil described the meeting: ‘When the king saw the woman’s beauty he promptly judged her worthy to be among the captive hostages of a general rather than a common soldier.’5 The king perceived Katherine’s nobility and resolved to afford her a more honourable status than he had previously planned. This meant, inevitably, that she would be separated from Warbeck.

Warbeck had been promised his life, but in the same interview the king insisted that Perkin Warbeck publicly admit, in front of his wife, the extent of his deception; that he was not, in fact, the duke of York, and that he was an impostor from Tournai. It may well be that Katherine was not wholly surprised by the confession. She must have heard the stories and accusations, but to hear the confession from her husband’s lips must have been hard to take. She was not duchess of York, she was Mrs Perkin Warbeck. The revelation put their very marriage in doubt. He had married her under a false identity, as Richard, Duke of York. Katherine put herself into the hands of the king.

Henry VII treated Katherine kindly, though he would not send her back home to Scotland. Instead, she was sent to London to serve in the household of Queen Elizabeth. The king purchased horses and saddles for her journey and presented Katherine with new clothes, including a satin gown and a black velvet bonnet. Katherine arrived at Sheen on 21 October and was presented to the queen, the woman she had believed to be her sister-in-law until Warbeck had made his confession. Katherine was given a position in the queen’s household and a pension, not as the wife of the pretender, but in her own right as a high-ranking Scottish noblewoman. When the king returned to London, bringing Warbeck with him, the two lived separately within the royal household. They were well treated but not permitted to sleep together. Katherine also resumed her maiden name.

Tower of London

In June 1498, in spite of the lenient treatment he had received from the king, Perkin Warbeck chose to abscond from Westminster Palace. He was recaptured within a couple of days, having only reached the Carthusian priory at Sheen, just seven miles from Westminster. Although he still escaped the executioner’s axe, the king was no longer minded to be so lenient and sent Warbeck, after a spell in the stocks, to close confinement within the Tower of London.

Katherine’s own situation does not appear to have been threatened by Warbeck’s recklessness and in June 1499 she accompanied the king and queen to Calais for a meeting with Archduke Philip and his wife Juana of Castile, the sister of their future daughter-in-law Catherine of Aragon. Later in the same year Perkin Warbeck, having tried to escape with fellow prisoner Edward, Earl of Warwick, was accused of conspiring against the king. And this time he was not going to get away with it. As it had been established that he was not noble, Warbeck was executed by hanging, not beheading, at Tyburn on 23 November 1499. Warwick was beheaded on Tower Hill five days later.

Katherine’s marital status had been ambiguous since the discovery of Warbeck’s deception, but she was now definitively free to remarry. We know not whether she was saddened or relieved at the execution of Warbeck. She may have felt nostalgic for the short time they had been together, or grateful that the man who betrayed her was no longer able to cast a shadow over her life and future; or both. We will never know. Katherine remained at court and as one of the queen’s ladies was present at the betrothal ceremony of James IV and Margaret Tudor, held at Richmond in January 1502. When the queen, Elizabeth of York, died in February 1503 Katherine was one of the chief mourners at her funeral, accompanying the procession from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey behind the queen’s sisters. And at the Abbey, she laid her pall on the coffin, again, after the queen’s sisters. After the queen’s death, Katherine remained at court, keeping the king company: she played cards with him, acquired medicines for him when he was ill and painted cloths and religious scenes to be held before him as he lay dying.

Fyfield Manor, Berkshire, Katherine’s home with her last husband

After Warbeck’s fall, Katherine Gordon had been taken prisoner, but her noble status had allowed her to be accepted at court as one of the queen’s ladies. Katherine never remarried in the lifetime of either Elizabeth of York or Henry VII. She was no longer a prisoner, but still not entirely free. Shortly before Henry VII’s death, Katherine was granted land in Berkshire, on the condition that she would not leave England. Following Henry VII’s death, sometime between 1510 and 1512 Katherine married James Strangeways, a Gentleman Usher of the King’s Chamber, but he died in 1516, leaving all his property to Katherine. The following year, Katherine married Matthew Craddock, a Welsh knight from Glamorganshire, obtaining permission to live with him in Wales; her promise to never leave England making such a request necessary. From 1525 to 1530, Katherine was employed in the household of Henry VIII’s daughter Mary as Chief Lady of the Privy Chamber. Katherine was widowed once again in 1531, with Craddock making her executor of his will and leaving her income from some of his Welsh properties in addition to 500 marks. Sometime before 1536 Katherine married for a fourth and final time. Her husband, Christopher Ashton, was a Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber. Katherine spent the last years of her life on her lands in Berkshire, at Fyfield Manor.

St Nicholas Church, Fyfield, where Katherine was buried

Survived by her last husband, she died on 14 October 1537, forty years almost to the day after Perkin Warbeck had been captured at Beaulieu Abbey. In her will she refers to all of her husbands, save Warbeck. She leaves bequests to Margaret Kyme, the daughter of Elizabeth of York’s sister, Cecily, to her servant, Philippa Hulls and to Alice Smyth, whom Katherine refers to as her sister.6 Perhaps she was a sister of one of Katherine’s husbands. There is no mention of any children and although there has been speculation that Katherine and Warbeck had a child, there is no evidence of this beyond a report by the Venetian ambassador Adrian Trevisano from September 1497,in which he says Warbeck had arrived in Cornwall ‘leaving behind his wife and children’.7 This may well have been a misunderstanding as there is no further mention of children from Trevisano or any other sources. Katherine was buried in the chancel of the church of St Nicholas at Fyfield. A tomb there, missing its brasses, is still referred to as Lady Gordon’s Monument.

Lady Katherine Gordon had survived the fallout from her first husband’s rebellions and conspiracies and made a life for herself at the English court. She appears to have been considered a dupe to Warbeck’s plotting, rather than a co-conspirator. Her position as the daughter of a Scottish earl and a distant relative of the king of Scots afforded her the chance to make a new life for herself as one of the queen of England’s ladies and she grabbed the opportunity in both hands. She went from being a royal captive to a trusted and loved member of the English court. Not all female prisoners would be so fortunate.

Notes:

1. ‘December 1494’ in CSPM pp. 72-79 quoted in Nathen Amin, Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders, p. 219; Nathen Amin, Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders, p. 220; 3. ibid; 4. Bernard André quoted in ibid, p. 269; Polydore Vergil quoted in ibid, p. 269; 6. Susan Abernethy, ‘The Life of Lady Katherine Gordon’; 7. Nathen Amin, Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders, p. 327

Images:

Courtesy of Wikipedia except the Tower of London which is  © 2024 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS

Further Reading:

Nathen Amin, Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders; Susan Abernethy, ‘The Life of Lady Katherine Gordon’; Amy Licence, The Sixteenth Century in 100 Women; Amy Licence, In Bed with the Tudors; Erin Lawless, Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I; David Loades, editor, Chronicles of the Tudor Kings: The Tudor Dynasty from 1485 to 1553: Henry VII, Henry VIII and Edward VI in the Words of their Contemporaries; David Ross, Scotland: History of a Nation; ODNB.com; Tracy Borman, The Private Lives of the Tudors; Sarah Gristwood, The Tudors in Love: The Courtly Code Behind the Last Medieval Dynasty; John Cannon, editor, The Oxford Companion to British History; Arthur D. Innes, A History of England Under the Tudors; J.D. Mackie, The Earlier Tudors 1485-1558.

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King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is the story of a truly remarkable lady, the hereditary constable of Lincoln Castle and the first woman in England to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Available from all good bookshops Pen & Sword Books, bookshop.org and Amazon. Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US, and Bookshop.org. 

Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England looks into the relationships of the various noble families of the 13th century, and how they were affected by the Barons’ Wars, Magna Carta and its aftermath; the bonds that were formed and those that were broken. It is now available in paperback and hardback from Pen & Sword,  Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Heroines of the Medieval World tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich. Available now from Amberley Publishing and Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066. Available now from Amazon,  Amberley Publishing, and Bookshop.org.

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Guest Post: Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of Being a King by Trisha Hughes

Sharon Bennett Connolly3 Comments

thToday it is a pleasure to welcome Trisha Hughes to the blog, with a guest post about her latest book, Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of Being a King, which will be released on 28th February, 2017.

When we think of Britain’s monarchs, most of us would agree that early periods of time are clearly muddled. Many are hidden in the mists of time while some have almost completely disappeared. What we do know is that there were kings who ruled for only a few months and there are some who ruled for over fifty years. There are also some who should never have ruled at all. They include, among their number, the vain, the greedy and the downright corrupt as well as adulterers, swindlers and cowards.

Yet this group also shares one thing in common. In their lifetimes, they were the most powerful individuals in the land.

My story, ‘Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of being King’ spans 1500 years and is full of lust, betrayal, heroism, murder, cruelty and mysteries. It’s a journey through time when the Romans began their march through Britain and travels through Saxon times, the Vikings, the Normans, the Plantagents and finally the Tudors.

History is full of savagery and cruelty but there are none more brutal than the Wars of the Roses during the Plantagenet dynasty.

This period of time was basically a terrible family squabble that ended up a bloodbath between royal cousins where each house was eager to snatch the crown and the throne of England for themselves away from other family members. But as with most rebellions, it left both sides vulnerable since it usually meant that battles were fought ‘to the bitter end’, leaving fewer contenders alive after every battle.

It was a dangerous period full of unfathomable brutality, shifting alliances, murders, betrayals, plots and savage elimination. It ended when Henry Tudor usurped the throne from Richard III, the last of the Plantagenets, and a different sort of battle began as he continued on the bloodbath with gusto.

Richard III’s story is not too different from many others in history. It’s a story of ambition gone awry and the damage it leaves in its wake. He was the twelfth of thirteen children of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (a strong claimant to the throne himself) and Cecily Neville (who was also a direct descendant of John of Gaunt, a son of Edward III).

What makes Richard different from most of his ancestors is the crime that’s been associated him. His interest in the throne was plain and his character has proven to be ruthless. We are led to believe that his young nephews were held captive in the Tower, never to be seen again, while he simply stepped in and took the throne from under everyone’s noses. Presumably he had them murdered.

But was it actually Richard who ordered their murder as it’s been assumed throughout history?

th1That the princes were murdered is certain. But the question is, by whom and I have an opinion or two of my own that I’d like to share with you from my book.

“Suspect Number 1. There have been a few names pulled out of the hat and the first one is definitely Richard III. He had the most to gain from their death and he had the personality to do it. He had been implicated in the death of Warwick as well as the suspicious death of his brother Edward IV, which is something we should not forget as Richard gained dramatically because of that.

Suspect Number 2. No man had done more to place Richard on the throne than Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. Yet strangely and suddenly, during the first three months of Richard’s reign, Buckingham suddenly changed his allegiance completely and became Richard’s mortal enemy. Why did he do that? Was it perhaps his dislike at being an accomplice in what was seen as the usurpation of the throne and the murder of two young children? Perhaps he feared for his own safety? Ah, and then we ask … wasn’t he of royal blood as well, being a descendant firstly through John Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, and secondly, through the bloodline of Thomas of Woodstock, Edward III’s fifth son? If anything happened to Richard’s son, Buckingham’s bloodline could be strong enough to claim the throne. Knowing the Yorkists’ relish for using the chopping block, it wouldn’t have made him feel very safe. Not at all.

So very soon after the coronation, Buckingham changed sides dramatically and no one knows why. What we do know is that his job was one of responsibility and he was in charge of the safekeeping of the boys between June and July. Suffocation was probably the method of killing them, especially when you consider their youth and frailty, and it was a tried and true means of getting rid of someone you didn’t want around.

Suspect Number 3. In the background was Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor. No other mother in history seems to have been as dedicated as she was to have her son sit on the throne. But she would not have done it herself. There would have been a third party involved.

In 1472 after the death of her second husband, Margaret did the unthinkable and arranged for her own marriage to a prominent widower, Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby who was in good standing with Edward IV. By all accounts, the marriage was one of pure convenience. This marriage enabled her to return to the court of Edward and Elizabeth Woodville and she was chosen by Elizabeth to be her daughter’s godmother. After Edward’s death and Elizabeth’s rush to sanctuary in Westminster Abbey, Margaret became Anne Neville’s lady-in-waiting carrying the train at Anne’s husband’s coronation. Richard had already stripped Margaret of her titles and estates and had given them all to her husband, Lord Stanley, which was a meaningless gesture as he would already have had the rights to her property as her new husband anyway. During all of this, she was actively plotting with Elizabeth Woodville and had betrothed her beloved son Henry to Elizabeth’s daughter, young Elizabeth of York. She has been called a formidable opponent of Richard III, a habitual conspirator and a dedicated promoter of her son’s cause.

Within a couple of months of Richard’s coronation, Margaret’s nephew Buckingham from her previous marriage, (yes it is complicated), raised a rebellion against Richard in favour of Henry Tudor and you can bet she used every bit of her influence on him to encourage the rebellion. She would have promised him anything for his support.

I guess my question right now is: why did Buckingham raise the rebellion in favour of Henry and not for the princes since nobody apparently knew they were already dead? Did he actually know they were dead and was he the one who gave the orders to kill them? In view of that and the fact that Buckingham had no immediate motive to move against Richard except that he had a very distant claim to the throne himself, what could he hope to gain by attacking the king in such a wild and reckless rebellion after having sworn his loyalty one month previously? My guess is Margaret Beaufort had a hand in it. As a consequence of the failed rebellion and Buckingham’s death, Margaret’s current husband, Lord Stanley, was promoted to the position of High Constable in charge of all prisoners in the Tower. Food for thought.

All Margaret wanted was for her son Henry Tudor to sit on the throne at any cost. At the beginning of Buckingham’s rebellion, she sent word to Henry who was living in abject poverty in France with his uncle Jasper Tudor and told him to gather forces and hurry home. To me, it seems she was pulling the strings and had everything planned and under control.

And here is something else to think about – if Henry Tudor defeated Richard III in battle, Henry would not necessarily become king, as the throne would theoretically be restored to young Edward V who might have been in the tower. However, the princes’ ‘removal’ would leave her son Henry as the prime candidate for the throne. Are bells ringing in your head yet?

Suspect Number 4. Henry Tudor had a great need to be king and he was the plausible alternative … but only if the two princes weren’t around. Henry was a Welshman, whose grandfather, Owen Tudor had been a page in the court of Henry V and as we know, Owen is reported to have secretly married Henry V’s widow, Catherine of Valois. One of their sons was Edmund Tudor, who in turn married Margaret Beaufort at the age of twelve.

Perhaps at this stage, I should remind you that Henry Tudor’s grandmother Catherine of Valois was the sister of Charles VI of France who had sadly inherited a ‘crazy’ gene and we saw this gene pop its nasty head up during Henry VI’s reign. Although Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne was through his mother and the House of Beaufort as far back as John of Gaunt and Edward III, this gene from his paternal French grandmother should not, perhaps, be forgotten regarding future generations and their actions.

It has been suggested by some historians that Richard had stashed the princes in the Tower of London for safe keeping while he ruled in peace after having declared them illegitimate. It has also been suggested that it was in fact Henry Tudor, when he was King Henry VII, who had the princes executed between June and July of 1486 when his stepfather, Lord Stanley, was High Constable of the Tower two years later. Richard was long gone by then. It was only after this date that orders went out to circulate the story that Richard had killed the princes. This could easily have been to cover up Henry’s own involvement in their murder. It has also been suggested that Elizabeth Woodville knew that this story was false, and so Henry had to have her ‘silenced’ by confining her to a nunnery where she died six years later. All very plausible.

When you think about it, it seems impossible that no one knew what happened to the Princes after they entered the tower. Richard III, Henry VII and Elizabeth Woodville would have had their spies out and all of them would have known the boys’ whereabouts and welfare. If both boys had died, the matter could have been discussed and the culprit would have been blamed openly. But neither Richard III nor Henry VII did so with the reason being that if the princes were alive, the boys’ claim to the throne was better than either of theirs. The princes would simply have had to go in either case. It’s something we will never know and it is history’s best-kept secret.”

‘Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of being King’ is a rambling narrative beginning when the Britons first glimpsed a square sail and a dragon-headed prow on the horizon, churned by oars through the waves as blue water foamed around the hull of a mighty ship one cold, miserable January morning. No one heard the muffled sounds over the water. They were still rubbing sleep out of their eyes after a savage night of arctic air had cut its way through cracks in the walls.

 It’s a story of kings who struggled to hold on to their throne, of horrendous bloody battles, of tiny boys becoming rulers, of ruthless usurpers and of queens who proved to be more powerful than anyone could have ever imagined. It’s a story of invading armies, of rival family members, of spies and conspiracies.

 And I’ve loved every minute of it.

About the author: th2Trisha Hughes started her writing career with her autobiography ‘Daughters of Nazareth’ eighteen years ago. The debut novel was first published by Pan Macmillan Australia and became a bestseller in 1997 beating the current Stephen King book to the top 10 bestsellers at the time.  Since then she has discovered a thirst for writing.  She’s written crime novels but her latest book, the first in her ‘V 2 V’ trilogy, ‘Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of being King’ is her passion and due for release on 28th February 2017. She is currently working on the second in the series ‘Virgin to Victoria – The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.’

 You can connect with Trisha through:

 Trisha’s Website: www.trishahughesauthor.com

Or: www.vikingstovirgin.com

you can find Trisha on Facebook at Trisha Hughes Author and Twitter at @trishahughes_

©2017 Trisha Hughes

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Book Corner: Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance by Amy Licence

Sharon Bennett Connolly8 Comments

51T3oNzwxuL“Traditionally it happened on May Day, early in the morning … two women slipped away from the manor house … They were a mother and daughter … They hurried on foot across the Wydeville land, towards the edge of the estate …. There stood a small priory or hermitage, dedicated to St Mary and St Michael … Waiting inside was a tall, athletic and distinguished young man in rich clothes, a priest and a choir boy and two gentlewomen, to act as witnesses. There, before this tiny group, Elizabeth Wydeville was married without pomp or ceremony to the King of England.”

It is the stuff legends are made of – and fairy tales. The story of how a penniless widow rose to become the Queen of England. After examining the lives of many of the characters of the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor period, author and historian Amy Licence has turned her attention to the greatest love story of Medieval England; Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, a true Cinderella story if ever there was one.

Amy Licence’s latest book, Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance, is remarkable in that it is not a fairy tale, it’s not a historical fiction novel. It is the true story of how Edward IV came to be married to a mere ‘commoner’. In a wonderfully lively retelling of the lives of Edward IV and his queen, Ms Licence leaves no stone unturned. She tells the story from the beginning in a fascinating and engaging narrative of the lives of her main characters, and the lives of those around them.

255px-Edward_IV_Plantagenet“Edward has become the ghost of a king, a historical filler before Richard III assumed the throne, a bit-player in Shakespeare’s trilogy about Henry VI, the father of the Princes in the Tower, the husband of the White Queen. Edward has become one of our many ‘missing kings’.”

Amy Licence goes into great detail about Edward’s love life and relationships, examining all the accusations ever levelled against him. Her love of her subjects shines through. The book provides a thorough analysis, whilst being lively and enthralling.

“A True Romance” is a marvelous piece of research presented in such a manner that will have the novice and the expert glued to every page. The controversies surrounding the couple are discussed in detail: their secret marriage, Edward’s reputation, Elizabeth’s social status.

This romance is presented in the context of the period in which it happened. The author gives a comprehensive overview of the Wars of the Roses, and the characters involved, detailing the lives of the individuals close to Edward and Elizabeth, and the separate lives of the couple themselves before they come together. Their relationship is not only presented as a love story, but also in the context of the period in which they were living, demonstrating how big an upset it caused on the international stage.

330px-ElizabethWoodville“… Elizabeth Wydeville, an unlikely queen, whom he had chosen in spite of tradition, in spite of advice, perhaps even in spite of himself. Her beauty was legendary but on almost every other level, she was an unacceptable choice for an English queen.”

In this book Ms Licence demonstrates not only her extensive knowledge of the events of the era, but of all aspects of the period; from May Day traditions to the Sumptuary Laws, to the people themselves.

Amy Licence’s writing style is so easy to read and free-flowing, it is as if she is in the room talking to you. She brings the past to life in a vivid and entertaining way. Crammed full of facts and information taken from primary sources, the book tells the story not only of Edward and Elizabeth, but also of their wider family and affinity, demonstrating how the lives of their friends and family are interlinked and how it influences the couple, their decisions and the world around them.

The book discusses all aspects of the evidence available. This is presented in an objective and fair way; from the chronicles of the time, to literary representations and even rumours and archaeological evidence. The reliability and veracity of the evidence is explained and thoroughly analysed in detail, leaving the reader nodding in agreement at the author’s conclusions; her arguments are thorough and persuasive.

A major strength in Ms Licence’s work is that she shows respect when discussing the theories of fellow historians; whether she agrees with them or not.

EdwardIVThis biography of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville leaves no stone unturned. Amy Licence discusses every legend related to the couple, explores the development of their relationship and its effects on the lives of the couple, their families and the nation at large. Every aspect of their lives is discussed, leaving no situation unexamined and no rumour ignored.

Amy Licence presents a marriage and relationship that is as human and complex as any celebrity marriage of today. This is a wonderful study of one of the most famous love affairs in history in a book which is at once sympathetic, vivid and lively.

In short, this book is a fabulous biography of a romance that changed English history a forever. Thoroughly researched and stunningly presented, it is a must-read for all lovers of history, romance and the Wars of the Roses, themselves.

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51T3oNzwxuL._AA160_Amy Licence has been a teacher for over a decade. She has an MA in Medieval and Tudor Studies and has published several scholarly articles on the Tudors. She is an author and historian of women’s lives in the medieval and Tudor period.

Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance is available on Amazon in the UK from Monday 15th February and in the US soon.

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My book, Heroines of the Medieval World,  is now available in hardback in the UK from both Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK and worldwide from Book Depository. It is also available on Kindle in both the UK and USA and will be available in Hardback from Amazon US from 1 May 2018.

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©2016 Sharon Bennett Connolly