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Edward and Elizabeth observed the festivities separately, much to Edward’s dismay. Writing to his sister from the manor of Tittenhanger near St Albans on 18 December [1546], he lamented, ‘Change of place, in fact, did not vex me so much, dearest sister, as your going from me. Nothing can happen more agreeable to me than a letter from you […] I hope to visit you shortly […] as my chamberlain has reported to me. Farewell, dearest sister!’
Many of Elizabeth’s earliest thoughts were of the brother she adored, who had ‘four teeth, three full out and the fourth appearing’ by the summer of 1538.  She liked giving Edward gifts, such as a ‘shirt of cambric of her own working’, which she presented to him at New Year 1539 – an extremely personal gift that not only showcased Elizabeth’s skill with a needle but also displayed her thoughtfulness. 
Young Elizabeth: Elizabeth I and Her Perilous Path to the Crown, Nicola Tallis
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minervacasterly · 21 hours
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JEREMY NORTHAN and JAMES FRAIN as THOMAS MORE and THOMAS CROMWELL
THE TUDORS (2007-2010) | 2x05 "His Majesty's Pleasure"
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minervacasterly · 21 hours
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Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Mary I, Elena and Anna Balbusso
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minervacasterly · 21 hours
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Portrait of Anne of Cleves, Hans Holbein the Younger
1539
Lourve Museum, Paris
Holbein was sent to paint her at Düren in summer 1539, so that Henry could appraise her as a possible wife. Holbein posed Anne square-on and in elaborate finery.  Henry was disappointed with her in the flesh, and he divorced her after a brief, unconsummated marriage. He redesignated Anne as “king’s sister”, and she remained in England, where she died during the reign of Queen Mary
The use of parchment suggests that Holbein painted, or at least began, the portrait in Düren. A miniature version in the Victoria and Albert Museum was probably painted at the same time. Holbein also produced a portrait of Anne’s sister, Amelia, which is now lost. Nicholas Wotton, the head of the English delegation, reported to Henry: “Your Grace’s servant Hanze Albein hathe taken th'effigies of my lady Anne and the lady Amelye and hath expressed theyr images very lyvely”. The tradition that Holbein flattered Anne is not borne out by the evidence: no one except Henry ever described her as repugnant.
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minervacasterly · 3 days
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On the 24th of March 1603, King James VI of Scotland of the Stuart Dynasty succeeded his cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was crowned King of England and Ireland on the 25th of July of that year. He reigned England and Ireland for 22 years. He was succeeded by his second son, the ill-fated Charles I. The picture you see here is the Stuart Family Tree portrait (c.1603), depicting his Tudor and Stuart ancestry, and thus from the former, his claim to the English throne that stemmed from Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII. To honor his Tudor predecessor, he transferred the bodies of Elizabeth and Mary into one tomb and had one big effigy commemorating the former. The only mention that pointed to Mary being buried there was a plaque that hoped that the two would be reunited in the afterlife and in the resurrection.
Sadly, James VI of Scotland and I of England and Ireland didn’t turn out to be a popular King (in the long run). He sponsored the arts, like William Shakespeare (as Elizabeth I had done), but his flamboyance annoyed many people and before you know it, people began looking to the past, feeling nostalgic about the ‘good old days’ when Queen Elizabeth I was their monarch.
Image: James I’s Family Tree portrait (c.1603), emphasizing his Tudor and Stuart lineage.
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minervacasterly · 3 days
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The Death of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland & the End of an era:
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The last Tudor monarch died at Richmond Palace at the age of sixty nine on the 24th of March 1603 after ruling England for forty four years.
She was the longest Tudor reigning monarch, and third longest ruling Queen in English history. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Born on September 7th 1533, she was bastardized three years later following her parents’ annulment and her mother’s execution.
Out of all the monarchs, Elizabeth was unique in the sense that she never married. By refusing any marriage offer –while coyly entertaining every ambassador, making all sorts of promises that she would consider- she abstained herself from such troubles and was able to be her own mistress.
News of the Queen’s death spread like wildfire, also reaching her councilors’ preferred successor, James VI of Scotland. Weeks before on March 9th, Robert Cecil, son of her late and most trusted adviser William Cecil (Lord Burghley), wrote to George Nicholson, the English ambassador in Edinburgh, informing him that the Queen was ailing and that “her mouth and tongue” were “dry and her chest hot” and that she couldn’t sleep anymore. This is somewhat false. Elizabeth was deathly ill but she was far from helpless as Cecil’s report suggests. She was about her business, walking back and forth in her chambers, pondering on the future that awaited her country once she was gone.
Less than a week later, her condition worsened and she was no longer able to move as freely. Then on the 19th of March she gave a last audience to Sir Robert Carey (Mary Boleyn’s youngest grandson). She held Carey’s hand and confessed to him that she was not well. Sir Robert tried to cheer her up but to no avail. Elizabeth, as the rest, knew that her days were numbered and she wouldn’t live for another week.
On Tuesday, the twenty second she was brought to her bed where she stayed until her death. Her councilors visited her, insisting that she dictate her will so she could leave a successor but she refused. Like before, Elizabeth was always hesitant when it came to the issue of an heir. So many had competed for that position and so many were now gone.
Katherine Grey had married without permission and died nearly half mad in 1568, and ten years later her younger sister Mary Grey -who wasn’t allowed to see her husband because Elizabeth feared she could also produce children and rival claimants- and lastly, Mary, Queen of Scots who lost her head in 1587.
The favorite on everyone’s mind was James VI and one simple word from their queen’s mouth would give his claim even more validity but the Queen, probably not caring or in agony, remained adamant in her position. A story later circulated that Elizabeth I had indeed named James by way of her fingers when the council asked her to move her finger a certain way to mean that James was her successor and she did, but this cannot be corroborated and it is likely false.
The death of Elizabeth I marked the end of an era. A bloody, tumultuous era packed with religious and social change. She was not a staunch Protestant but she did push for Protestant reformer on the Church, primarily on the Book of Common prayer, and neither was she a Catholic –though one Pope expressed admiration for her, claiming that if she wasn’t a Protestant, he would support her instead of Philip II of Spain. Elizabeth was a moderate and she took a moderate approach. That is the type of monarch she was. Her laws were just as fierce, if not fiercer in some aspects, than her father’s, grandfather’s and siblings. The way in which she used her image says a lot about her. In one painting she is standing next to the goddess but if one looks closely it is the goddesses who are standing next to her, leading her to her destiny. Elizabeth was in popular eyes not just an anointed sovereign, but the head of all spiritual and earthly matters.
Read more here: https://tudorsandotherhistories.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/the-death-of-queen-elizabeth-i/
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minervacasterly · 3 days
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THE DEATH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I OF ENGLAND The last Tudor monarch died at Richmond Palace on the 24th of March 1603 at the age of sixty-nine, having ruled England for forty-four years. She was the longest Tudor reigning monarch, and third longest ruling Queen in English history. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Born on September 7th 1533, she was bastardized three years later following her parents’ annulment and her mother’s execution. Out of all the monarchs, Elizabeth was unique in the sense that she never married. By refusing any marriage offer –while coyly entertaining every ambassador, making all sorts of promises that she would consider- she abstained herself from such troubles and was able to be her own mistress. News of the Queen’s death spread like wildfire, also reaching her councilors’ preferred successor, James VI of Scotland. Weeks before on March 9th, Robert Cecil, son of her late and most trusted adviser William Cecil (Lord Burghley), wrote to George Nicholson, the English ambassador in Edinburgh, informing him that the Queen was ailing and that “her mouth and tongue” were “dry and her chest hot” and that she couldn’t sleep anymore. This is somewhat false. Elizabeth was deathly ill but she was far from helpless as Cecil’s report suggests. She was about her business, walking back and forth in her chambers, pondering on the future that awaited her country once she was gone. Less than a week later, her condition worsened and she was no longer able to move as freely. Then on the 19th of March she gave a last audience to Sir Robert Carey (Mary Boleyn’s youngest grandson). She held Carey’s hand and confessed to him that she was not well. Sir Robert tried to cheer her up but to no avail. Elizabeth, as the rest, knew that her days were numbered and she wouldn’t live for another week. On Tuesday, the twenty second she was brought to her bed where she stayed until her death. Her councilors visited her, insisting that she dictate her will so she could leave a successor but she refused. Like before, Elizabeth was always hesitant when it came to the issue of an heir. So many had competed for that position and so many were now gone. Katherine Grey had married without permission and died nearly half mad in 1568, and ten years later her younger sister Mary Grey -who wasn’t allowed to see her husband because Elizabeth feared she could also produce children and rival claimants- and lastly, Mary, Queen of Scots who lost her head in 1587. The favorite on everyone’s mind was James VI and one simple word from their queen’s mouth would give his claim even more validity but the Queen, probably not caring or in agony, remained adamant in her position. A story later circulated that Elizabeth I had indeed named James by way of her fingers when the council asked her to move her finger a certain way to mean that James was her successor and she did, but this cannot be corroborated and it is likely false. The death of Elizabeth I marked the end of an era. A bloody, tumultuous era packed with religious and social change. She was not a staunch Protestant but she did push for Protestant reformer on the Church, primarily on the Book of Common prayer, and neither was she a Catholic –though one Pope expressed admiration for her, claiming that if she wasn’t a Protestant, he would support her instead of Philip II of Spain. Elizabeth was a moderate and she took a moderate approach. That is the type of monarch she was. Her laws were just as fierce, if not fiercer in some aspects, than her father’s, grandfather’s and siblings. The way in which she used her image says a lot about her. In one painting she is standing next to the goddess but if one looks closely it is the goddesses who are standing next to her, leading her to her destiny. Elizabeth was in popular eyes not just an anointed sovereign, but the head of all spiritual and earthly matters. Read the rest here: https://tudorsandotherhistories.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/the-death-of-queen-elizabeth-i/
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minervacasterly · 4 days
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On the 24th of March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland died at Richmond Palace. With her, the Tudor Dynasty died, but not its descendants. Its descendants to the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, still rule England. They descend from his eldest daughter, Margaret Tudor’s offspring.
When Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley’s only son, James VI of Scotland became King of England, he decided to honor his predecessor’s memory by building a great monument to her. He also ordered that she and her half-sister, Queen Mary I of England and Ireland, would be re-interred and placed together.
While it was only Elizabeth’s effigy that was built for them, Mary was given a small mention in a plaque where it says the following: “Consorts in realm and tomb, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of resurrection.”
Queen Elizabeth acceded the throne when she was only twenty-five years old. She wasn’t the youngest monarch ever, but she was the youngest female monarch up until Queen Victoria. She was crowned two months after her half-sister died, on January of 1559. Her coronation pageants depicted her as Deborah, the biblical warrior who fought for the Hebrews, and Esther, who was not only a Queen, but also another biblical warrior and a figure that Elizabeth I probably saw herself more as than Deborah.
Elizabeth wasn’t the only one to be likened to these female biblical figures. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, did it too. When she was crowned Queen of England -the first Queen Consort of England to be crowned with the crown of the Confessor, a crown that was used only for Kings- she was compared to all these classical and biblical figures, among them Esther. Anne used her confessor to bring Esther again when he indirectly attacked Cromwell by comparing him to Haman (Esther’s enemy).
As she got older, Elizabeth fashions became more elaborate. They were a mixture of Italian, Spanish, French and English. She used heavier make up to cover up her age. Last year an article talked about Elizabeth’s last years and the writer compared her to the fictional character of Melisandre from Game of Thrones. The first episode of season six ends with this attractive enchantress taking off her ruby necklace. As she is about to do it, she hesitates. Why doesn’t she want to do it? What is she hiding? She is drop-dead-gorgeous. She should be proud she has that figure. But seconds later we find out why. Her drop-dead gorgeous figure is just an illusion. Without it, she feels naked and powerless. The writer of this article points out that for Elizabeth, dressing outrageously and wearing heavy make-up was her way of still looking relevant. * Elizabeth was a woman who understood the power of symbols and like her father and grandfather before her, she wanted to use her public image to change public opinion, and control whatever narrative she was pushing unto them. There were some in her court who cruelly dismissed her tactics as ridiculous and laughed behind her back, but the commons thought differently. When they saw her, they were in awe of her. Several portraits made her appear as larger-than-life, and it is this version that has endured. Regardless of your feelings about this monarch or her dynasty, no one can deny the power of her propaganda, whether it is by what was said about her, her writings, her triumphs over her enemies, her legislature, or her portraits in which she holds her hand over the globe while the Spanish Armada is severely beaten by the English navy, or she is next to a group of Goddesses who see her as their chosen one, or she is next to her father, behind her peace and prosperity while her half-sister and her husband standing on the opposite, are shown bringing calamity. Elizabeth is a figure that remains highly popular, and will likely remain so for years to come.
While she was Queen, she took a pragmatic stance on religion. She agreed with a revision to the book of common prayer and with some Protestant reforms, and she gave her support to Protestant groups in Western Europe, primarily the Huguenots in France and those in the Netherlands. But she didn’t agree with their ideology. Some of her ministers did and tried to protect the more radical Protestant reformers in England. This upset Elizabeth. These radical Protestants thought the Anglican church was too pagan, and Elizabeth not a genuine reformer, and sought to make England into a ‘true’ Protestant country. Elizabeth saw this as an attack against her and the institution of monarch which she held as sacred. In her view, anything else other than monarchy was an abomination. Like her father, Henry VIII, she believed the monarch was above the law and accountable only to God. Nevertheless, Elizabeth I managed to have her way on many issues.
She instituted the Poor Laws, which were a revision of those implemented by Cromwell during his time serving her father. The Poor Laws did a lot to help the commons but they faced harsh criticism in the 1590s with the over-population crisis. Continuing with her half-sister’s reforms to the Navy, Elizabeth sought other places to trade and besides continuing England’s alliance with Russia, she also looked to the Islamic empires in the East. She and Murad III of the Ottoman Empire didn’t have the best of alliances, with Elizabeth I reminding him that while the two were polar opposites, they had the same enemy, and as a result, they had to stand by each other, otherwise, the Catholic powers would crush them. Whenever Murad III didn’t want to comply, Queen Elizabeth would simply write to his mother, a remarkable woman in her own right, Safiye Sultan. Like Elizabeth, Safiye was both pragmatic and ruthless. The English envoys knew that she held considerable influence and would often seek her favor first before the Sultan. A lot of Elizabeth’s exchanges with Safiye still survive. When you get a chance to read both, you can see the admiration each had for one another.
Despite the difficult relationship with France, Elizabeth I spoke highly of Catherine de Medici. The two women approached each other (through their envoys) with caution, knowing that regardless of how they felt for one another, if one had the opportunity to take her country down to benefit hers, she’d take it.
It’s important to note that while James VI of Scotland succeeded her, Queen Elizabeth I never named a successor. A myth was circulated that she did. At the time of her death, the tale went that she could not speak so she was asked to point to the piece of paper that held James’ names or to the other side that held another one. Elizabeth pointed to James so her councilors decided to acknowledge James her successor.
The reason for this is simple. Elizabeth had known about Wyatt’s rebellion, and she had heard about her sister’s uprising against the usurper Jane Grey. In all these instances, she said and did nothing, preferred a wait-and-see approach. If she named a successor, that person, could be just as observant and conniving as Elizabeth I was, and conspire with her enemies or (like she did during Mary I’s reign) know about their plots but not inform the Queen about it. And Elizabeth, in the eyes of many Catholics, was a bastard who didn’t deserve to be Queen (despite her father’s will made it perfectly legal for her) and as such, she approached the issue with extreme caution throughout her reign.
When she died, people mourned for her but also celebrated the coming of their new monarch and his dynasty. As the years went by however, historians have pointed out, how quickly the people became disappointed in James and looked nostalgically to the past. In short time, Elizabeth became a legend.
Images: Elizabeth I’s burial place along with her half-sister’s Mary I, in the Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey in London, England. *Unfortunately I can’t find the article, but when I do, I will post the link here so you guys can see it. In the meantime, here is a good one by Huffington Post (they do some good pieces from time to time) on the Sansa and young Elizabeth’s comparisons. I have gone into a lot of those, but they also point out other good factors such as what I mentioned above: her wait-and-see approach (which is something Bess definitely had) not to mention how everyone underestimated them and took advantage of them until they came to regret it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/game-of-thrones-season-6-_b…
Sources: Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years by John Guy The Private Life of the Tudors by Tracy Borman Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey Tudor by Leanda de Lisle I also recommend you visit Westminster Abbey’s website. The following is their mini-bio on Elizabeth I: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/royals/elizabeth-i
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minervacasterly · 4 days
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7/9 MARCH 1578: The DEATH Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Tudor and Archibald Douglas [Earl of Angus]. She married Matthew Stewart the Earl of Lennox. Out of all the female descendants of Margaret Beaufort, I believe it is this namesake that inherited more if her savvy nature, her wits, and her pragmatism. She wad a great friend of Queen Mary I. Her successor, Queen Elizabeth I, never trusted her and some of her councilors spread false rumors about her. But Margaret never gave up on her resolve to see one of her descendants going down in history. Her eldest son, Henry married Mary Queen of Scots who was also a descendant of Henry VII’S eldest daughter through her first marriage to James IV. They had one son James in 1566. Darnley died under mysterious circumstances. His true killers are still unknown and like the Princes in the Tower, it is a mystery that is likely not to be solved. Margaret initially blamed her daughter in law vut years later she changed her tune and backed her. In February she received the Queen’s favorite, Lord Leicester. She later reported a stomach ache and became deathly ill. She immediately began writing her will and made provisions (donating famous works and giving money) to the right people so she would have a glorious funeral. And she did. She was buried as a Princess.
After her husband died, seven years prior, she had commissioned a beautiful jewel which prophesized and told the world of her ambitions. In it was her darling grandson and jewel, James VI with his head raised up. On top of him were many crowns that symbolized Scotland and England. Like her namesake and ancestress, Margaret Beaufort, she made provisions for all of her family, and worked for James’ benefit, as well as her own.
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minervacasterly · 4 days
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Cecily Neville. Queen by Rights, Duchess of York, Countess of March, My Lady the King’s Mother and Princess of Wales after her husband became the Lancastrian King’s heir. When he lost his wife in 1460, she sent her youngest children abroad and sent back for them when her eldest surviving son, Edward returned to England to claim the throne. The Yorkist matriarch lived through both of her Houses’ destruction. As a member of the prominent Neville family, she was a descendant of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford -through her mother who was their daughter, the imposing Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmorland- making her a Lancastrian. Through her husband, she became a Yorkist and two of their sons became kings.
Henry VII let her keep her states and her rights over the wool industry that contributed to her income. Cecily was a woman who was both strong and proud and it saddens me that she was portrayed so poorly in the White Queen, a series that was supposed to celebrate women in all their glory. It is true that men went to battle and women stayed at home. But the women played great roles during this long dynastic war. Cecily for example was a great friend to Margaret of Anjou and she prayed with her when they went on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, hoping that seeing the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett would finally give her a son.
Cecily and her husband were married when the both of them were very young and Richard always took her to his expeditions and such was their love that when he returned to England in the autumn of 1460, he sent for Cecily to join him right away and awarded her the honors to be dressed in royal regalia as if she was a queen. As the power couple in England after the king and queen; Cecily and Richard hosted the most magnificent parties at their states. There are records that still survive of these feasts.
Later in life she abandoned her luxurious lifestyle for a more plain one. Cecily had always been religious, she was a well known religious matron and wanted to spend the last years of her first son’s reign in peace. It is unclear what role -if any- she played during Richard’s reign. Some historians theorize (and they could be correct) that Cecily as her husband put family name (which was everything back then) above her grandchildren whom she (as many) feared that their Woodville relations would grasp power and reign supreme through the new king, Edward V. Boy-Kings besides were never a good idea. England had a bad record of boy-kings. The last two were perfect examples of this -Richard II and Henry VI.
Regardless of what her actions may have been, she was on good terms with the new king, Henry VII, and left several of her possessions to her royal great-grandchildren, including her bed to Prince Arthur.
As a woman who lost everything, who saw her family tear each apart, and outlived her husband, sons and grandsons, she warrants some sympathy.
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minervacasterly · 8 months
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¡Solo! ¡Estoy solo! Soy un solitario e insignificante punto en un caduco planeta orbitado por un sol frío e indiferente.
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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On the 27th of May 1541, Margaret Pole -Countess of Salisbury (in her own right), devoted mother, friend of the late Queen Katherine of Aragon and governess to her daughter the Princess Mary- was executed.
She had been attainted in 1539 after she and several members of her family were accused of being involved in the “Exeter plot” and after her son Reginald spoke (first) against the King’s treatment of his wife Catherine and daughter Mary and later against his supremacy over the Church. Margaret was one of the last Plantagenet and one of the members with strongest Yorkist links. Her parents were George Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick better known today as “The Kingmaker”. Both her father and brother had also been attainted and executed by Mary’s relatives, the first (her father) by Mary’s great-grandfather, Edward IV and her brother Edward, Earl of Warwick by her grandfather, Henry VII in 1499 after being implicated in a plot with the pretender Perkin Warbeck.
She always remained loyal to her former charge, the Lady Mary and her mother, Queen Katherine. Her death is one of the most tragic events in Henry VIII’s reign. Chapuys largely criticized this and retold the event in his letters.
Some historians believe that there was another dimension to this execution. That it was more than just religiously motivated. Sure, she was a fervent Catholic, but she was a survivor first and foremost. And despite the so called Exeter plot, there is little evidence that there really was a plot or that she was conspiring against Henry VIII. Margaret had never even been fully told of just what evidence had convicted her. But this didn’t matter. She was a religious enemy, and a dangerous threat because of her lineage and one of her sons who spoke against the King’s break from the church and his divorce from Queen Katherine.
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White Rose of York.
“Margaret Pole was at one level just another casualty of the religious wars that dominated the sixteenth century, in which followers of the old faith –Roman Catholicism- and various splinter groups of the new faith –Protestantism- sought to smite one another into submission. These wars took different forms. Occasionally they were fought between kingdoms allied to opposing faiths, but far more often, the religious wars were civil and dynastic conflicts that ripped individual kingdoms asunder. This certainly was the case in England … Yet her death could also be seen as the undignified final act in a long spell of nonreligious aristocratic violence that had begun nearly a century earlier … This conflict, usually assumed to have been closed on the accession of Henry Tudor as Henry VIII and his defense of the crown at the battle of Stoke, in fact continued to haunt the sixteenth century politics long afterward. Certainly it played a role in Margaret Pole’s death…” –Jones
Reginald Pole spoke fervently against Henry VIII, this angered him and made him more paranoid. If the Catholic powers could unite against him, they could look to others to take his place as King of England. These people only needed to find someone who were descendants of Edward III, who had the right credentials and it was done. For us this may have sound far-fetched but it was not so far-fetched back then when there were many nobles who had as much royal blood as Henry, and who some considered were better suited for the job based on that lineage. Margaret and her sons being descendants of Edward III, were the first ones on Henry’s list following the aftermath of the Pilgrimage of Grace and France and Spain forming an alliance two years later. Margaret was the last one from the members in her family imprisoned –with the exception of her younger son Geoffrey Pole, who, to save his skin, signed a confession saying so and so was guilty- to be executed.
“At first, when the sentence of death was made known to her, she found the thing very strange, not knowing of what crime she was accused, nor how she had been sentenced; but at last, perceiving that there was no remedy, and that die she must … walked towards the midst of the space in front of the Tower, where there was no scaffold erected nor anything except a small block. Arrived there, after commending her soul to her Creator, she asked those present to pray for the King, the Queen, the Prince and the princess, to all of whom she wished to be particularly commended, and more especially to the latter, whose godmother she had been. She sent her blessing to her, and begged also for hers … May God in his high Grace pardon her soul.” -Eustace Chapuys, Imperial Ambassador at Henry VIII’s Court
Her execution was gruesome. The usual executioner was nowhere to be seen because he was in the North, distributing justice there and in his place was a young man who had no idea what he was doing.
“When the signal was given to strike” writes Dan Jones in his book ‘The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors’ “he brought the weapon down toward the block. But he botched the job.” Rather than killing her in one stroke, it took him more than one to finish the job. She was literally hacked to pieces, with several blows landing on her head and shoulders.
It was a sad end for the woman who had survived through so much. When she had been moved to the Tower, she expected to be treated according to her station and very few took pity on her. In fact another maligned person, another Queen named Katherine, took it upon herself to send the poor old woman clothes and new shoes so she could be appropriately dressed. Katherine Howard, against popular opinion today, was engaged in doing the usual things that Queen Consorts did and that meant doing charitable work and interceding on prisoners’ behalf to her husband, to ask him for mercy. No doubt, this was the thing that motivated Henry to pay from his own purse for her new garments. Unfortunately it didn’t save her from this gruesome fate. So once again, the white rose of York was stained with blood. Sources:
Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones
Inside the Tudor Court of Henry VIII by Lauren Mackay
Six Wives and the Many Mistresses of Henry VIII by Amy Licence
Katherine Howard: A New History by Conor Byrne
The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser
Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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TUDOR EXTENDED FAMILY: Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
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The Birth of Margaret Pole nee Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury.
Margaret Pole was born at Farleigh Hungerford Castle in Bath on the 14th of August in 1473. Her parents were the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, George Plantagenet and Isabel Neville. She was born at Farley Castle in Bath. She was the only one of their offspring to reach old age. Her brother was executed during Henry VII’s reign after being involved in a plot with Perkin Warbeck in 1499. Her mother died in childbirth and her father not long after, charged with treason and reputedly died in a malmsey of wine.
Margaret and the Spanish Infanta forged a strong friendship that hugely benefited the Poles when Katherine of Aragon became Queen of England. As a reward for her friendship, Margaret was awarded the Earldom of Salisbury, which turned her into a Countess in her own right. In 1538 however, she and several members of her family were implicated in the Exeter plot and three years later she was executed in one of the most gruesome executions in Tudor history. As Lady Mary Tudor’s governess, the Countess influenced her in more ways than one and the former Princess never forgot about her and neither did she. During her execution, Margaret’s last words were about the King, his son (Prince Edward) and of course, her former charge the Lady Mary.
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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They were never strangers to tragedy …
“It is inherently human to show pity to those who are afflicted.” ~The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio 
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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Kitty Howard & Thomas Culpeper’s relationship:
*“It was during the spring of 1541, if not before, that Catherine found herself drawn to a handsome young man in the King’s privy chamber. That March, when Henry visited Dover and left her behind at Greenwich, she sought the company of her distant cousin Thomas Culpeper, reputed to be a very handsome man and still unmarried even though he was probably in his mid-to late twenties. She may initially have solicited his advice about the king, or whiled away the time in conversation and dancing, but the innocent friendship quickly developed into a dangerous romantic attachment. In her loneliness, the queen may have desired the flattering attentions of a male friend; perhaps the pair simply indulged in some harmless flirtation, or maybe she thought she could pursue her own personal pleasure as well as keeping the king satisfied. There is even a chance that Catherine hoped to fall pregnant by the young man, in the light of Henry’s disappointment at her failure to conceive. All these have been suggested as reasons for Catherine embarking on an illicit liaison that would eventually cost her her head. Yet history may have judged the young queen too harshly; no actual evidence survives to prove that she and Culpeper actually committed adultery and treason by sleeping together.”
Thoughts? Conor Byrne in his biography on Katherine Howard also gives a good argument on how she might not have been guilty. In her book “Ladies in Waiting”, Victoria Sylvia Evans points out that while she does believe she was guilty, unlike her cousin, she wasn’t afforded the benefit of the doubt. Her family’s enemies just wanted her out of the way. Period.
Whether or not she was guilty, there is no question that up until the accusations leveled against her, she was doing quite well in her position. She had a few bumps along the road, but she did fulfilled her role to the best of her ability. She pleaded for Margaret Pole, Thomas Wyatt and many others, lives in the same fashion as the first of Henry’s queens had done in the aftermath of the Evil May Day riots, and after she reconciled herself with her eldest stepdaughter, the two spend a lot of time together and she did a lot for her other stepchildren as well, mainly her cousin the lady Elizabeth.
*From “The Six Wives and the Many Mistresses of Henry VIII” by Amy Licence.
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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Margaret Pole was born at Farleigh Castle in Bath on the 14th of August in 1473. Her parents were George Plantagenet -the younger brother of Edward IV- and Isabel Neville -the eldest daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, better known as the “Kingmaker”. As a daughter of York, Margaret Plantagenet was entitled to a life of privilege, however her mother’s sudden death in childbirth and her father’s arrest and execution (after he took the law by his own hands and punished two of his servants after he suspected they had been bribed by his brother’s wife’s family to poison his wife and went on a mad rampage) changed everything. Even before Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond became King; Margaret’s position was very delicate. Her custody, along with that of her brother, was given to Anthony Woodville. After Richard became King, he and her brother were placed under a new protective custody. Although Richard III was the youngest brother, Margaret and Edward, Earl of Warwick were barred from the line of succession since their father died as a traitor.
Nevertheless, Margaret enjoyed a comfortable living. Had Richard not died, it is safe to speculate that he might have married either one to one of his loyal subjects to neutralize possible threats? Perhaps to someone of lower rank whom he knew would not use their spouses’ positions to incite rebellion. With limited data, it is impossible to know for sure. Richard III is after all still a mystery. But Anne Neville being his wife, it is highly possible he showed more affection towards them than to his other nieces and nephews.
Margaret was the only one of her siblings to live to old age. During Henry VII’s reign she was married to Sir Richard Pole. The marriage was a happy one, and the couple had many children. Her brother was not so lucky. Being one of the Plantagenet males, Henry was fearful that he could be used against him as he  was used against Richard III, so he placed him in the Tower of London. He remained there until his execution in 1499, after he was implicated in a pllot with the pretender Perkin Warbeck.
There is no record of what Margaret felt or if she was present for his execution. Probably not, but given all that she had been through, it is likely that she felt very bad about his death but could say very little for fear of upsetting the new regime. Oddly enough, his death was also the result of the King of Aragon’s insistence. His youngest daughter, Katherine, was betrothed to the Prince of Wales and Henry needed that marriage to secure his dynasty but Ferdinand felt that the Tudor dynasty would never be secure as long as one of the Yorkists lived.
Regardless of this, Margaret became a good friend of the Spanish Princess since her arrival until her death. As a reward for her friendship, she was awarded the Earldom of Salisbury, becoming Countess in her own right. In 1538 however she and several members of her family were implicated in the Exeter plot and three years she was executed in one of the most gruesome scenes in Tudor history. As Lady Mary Tudor’s governess, the Countess influenced her in more ways than one and the former Princess never forgot about her and neither did she. During her execution, Margaret’s last words were about the King, his son and of course, her former charge the Lady Mary.
Sources:
Blood Sisters by Sarah Gristwood
Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones
Tudor by Leanda de Lisle
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minervacasterly · 10 months
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 "At seven o'clock in the morning on Friday 27 May 1541, within the precincts of the tower of London, an old woman walked out into the light of a spring day. Her name was Margaret Pole. By birth, blood and lineage she was one of the noblest women in England. Her father, George duke of Clarence, had been the brother to a king and her mother, Isabel Neville, had in her time been co-heir to one of the greatest earldoms in the land. Both parents were now long gone, memories from another age and another century …Like many inhabitants of the tower of London, Margaret Pole was a prisoner. Two years previously she had been stripped of her lands and titles by an act of parliament which accused her of having ‘committed and perpetrated diverse and sundry other detestable and abominable treason’ against her cousin, king Henry VIII …Her two principal crimes were her close relation to the king and her suspicion of his adoption of the new forms and doctrines of Christian belief that had swept through Europe during the past two decades … For this she had lived within London’s stout, supposedly impervious riverside fortress, which bristled with cannon from its whitewashed central tower, for the past eighteen months … In the tower Margaret was able to write letters to her relatives and was provided with servants and good, expensive good. Her nobility was not demeaned. Earlier in the year Queen Catherine (Howard) tailor had been appointed to make her a set of new clothes, and just a few weeks previously more garments had turned up, ordered and paid for directly by the king. Henry had also sent his cousin a nightgown lined with fur and another with Cypriot satin, petticoats, bonnets and hose, four pairs of shoes and a new pair of slippers … As she walked out into the cool morning air, Margaret Pole could therefore have reflected that, although she was due to be beheaded that morning, she would at least die wearing new shoes. Her execution had been arranged in a hurry. She had been informed only hours previously that the king had ordered her death: a shockingly short time for an old lady to prepare her spirit and body for the end … A thin crowd had gathered to bear witness. They stood by a pathetically small chopping block, erected so hastily that it was simply set on the ground and not, as was customary, raised up on a scaffold. She commended her soul to her creator and asked those present to pray for king Henry and queen Catherine, the king’s two year old son and the twenty five year old princess Mary, her god daughter. But as the old woman stood talking … a feeling of restlessness went around. She was told to hurry up and place her little neck on the little piece of wood. The tower’s axe had been entrusted to a deputy: a man of tender years and little experience.  When the signal was given to strike, he brought the weapon down towards the block. But he botched the job. Rather than cutting cleanly through Margaret’s neck in one stroke, he slammed the axe’s blade into the old woman’s shoulders and head… According to a report that reached Eustace Chapuys, the exceptionally well informed Imperial ambassador to England, the countess ‘found the thing very strange’, since she had no idea 'of what crime she was accused, nor how she had been sentenced’. Few, in truth, would ever quite understand what threat this feeble old lady could have posed to a king as powerful and self-important as Henry VIII.“
Source:  The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones.
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