When I open any history book, the first thing I look at is information about the personal life of a monarch. Some are interested in military action, coups and intrigue. Some are interested in love affairs and palace intrigues with the queen's ladies-in-waiting, or simply the intrigues that lead to something more.
Philippa Gregory is one of the world’s foremost historical novelists. She wrote her first ever novel, Wideacre, when she was completing her PhD in eighteenth-century literature and it sold worldwide, heralding a new era for historical fiction.
I recently came across the historical series The White Queen, which tells the story of the reign of King Edward IV, detailing the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. A dangerous adversary, Margaret Beaufort, mother of the future king and founder of the dynasty, Henry VII Tudor, was capable of anything for the good of her son.
Despite all the hardships Edward had to endure during the civil war, his wife, Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, was by his side for a long time. She was not only an exemplary wife, but also a faithful friend who supported the king in difficult times. The love that reigned between the royal consorts did not prevent the king from having mistresses, the most famous among them being Jane Shore. In the series from the first episodes we see Elizabeth when she has already lost her husband and is raising two children. What was it like before that? How did she live and how did she feel before and after her first marriage?
It is not known exactly when Edward and Elizabeth's wedding took place, although there is a version that it happened on May 1, 1464, at the Woodville family estate. The bride's mother and two maids attended the wedding as witnesses. Elizabeth Woodville was crowned on May 26, 1465. The queen was much talked about and rebuked at court for her first marriage. Everyone knew that Elizabeth's first husband was a Lancaster supporter and that her second husband was of the York party. But Elizabeth paid no attention to the gossip and always walked through life and the royal court with her head held high. After her coronation, the new queen brought her brothers and sisters with her to court. With a tremendous amount of effort, her relatives became related to some of England's most prominent families. Throughout Edward's life, his cousin Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was by his side.
Elizabeth lost several children: George and Margaret died in childhood and Mary died at the age of 14. Elizabeth was alone again, after Edward's sudden death in April 1483. For 63 days she was dowager queen while her son Edward V was king and his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, was Lord Protector. Fearing a power grab by the Woodvilles, the Duke of Gloucester ordered Elizabeth's children from her first marriage to be imprisoned and the young king transported to the Tower. Elizabeth and her remaining children were once again abandoned and forced to seek refuge.
The Duke of Gloucester, who wanted to sit on the throne himself, had his sons and Elizabeth's brother executed. Parliament declared the king and queen's children illegitimate, and their marriage was declared null and void on the grounds that, at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth, Edward had allegedly been engaged to another woman. And at the time, such contracts had enormous legal force and breaking them did not lead to anything good. Through cunning manipulation, the Duke of Gloucester became the next king of England - Richard III. The young king, who was sent to the Tower ostensibly to await coronation, was never seen again, nor was his brother.
In 1485 Henry Tudor invaded England with his army and defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth. After becoming King of England, Henry, as promised, marries Elizabeth of York and grants Elizabeth Woodville the title and honors of Queen Dowager. To some extent, justice was served and Elizabeth achieved her desired result, but it certainly did not bring her sons back. After many wanderings and strokes of fate, Elizabeth became religious and withdrew from the court. She spent her last five years in the Abbey of Bermondsey. She was respected both inside and outside the abbey. It was there that the Dowager Queen of England ended her days - on June 8, 1492. Elizabeth's last will was only one thing: she wanted a modest farewell ceremony, without any pomp. Elizabeth Woodville was buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to her second husband.
Philippa Gregory's book has a great mix of light genre while not being overloaded with historical events and descriptions (including battles and many palace squabbles). I recommend it to anyone who, like me, is partial to historical novels, biographies, and just novels about strong women.
You can purchase this at Amazon.
This article was sponsored by Susan Williams
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