Category Archives: British Royals

“Victoria” on PBS in the USA and Unofficial Royalty’s Queen Victoria Resources

Queen Victoria replica by Sir George Hayter, oil on canvas, 1863 (1838), NPG 1250 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The much-anticipated series about Queen Victoria, Victoria, will begin an eight-week run on Masterpiece on PBS stations in the United States on Sunday, January 15, 2017 and continue through March 5, 2017. Check your local PBS station for the dates and time. The series was shown on ITV in the United Kingdom from August 28, 2016 through October 9, 2016. Jenna Coleman, who was in Doctor Who for three years, plays Queen Victoria. ITV has renewed Victoria for a second season, so we can expect to see the second season sometime in the future on PBS.

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Here at Unofficial Royalty, we have a number of Queen Victoria resources. Please check out the links below. Enjoy!

Humphrey, 1st Duke of Gloucester

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, 15th-century drawing; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 3, 1390, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester was the youngest son and the fourth of the six children of King Henry IV of England and his first wife Mary de Bohun, who died before her husband became king. When Humphrey was four-years-old, his mother Mary died at the age of 25 giving birth to her last child.

Humphrey had five siblings:

Humphrey’s father King Henry IV, who usurped the throne from his first cousin King Richard II of England in 1399 and became the first Lancaster king, was the eldest surviving son of John of Gaunt (third surviving son of King Edward III of England) and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster. Nine-year-old Humphrey was knighted just before his father’s coronation and was made a Knight of the Garter the following year. A few months before he turned 13 years old, Humphrey saw his first battle action at the Battle of Shrewsbury where his father King Henry IV defeated a rebel army led by Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy.

Humphrey received an excellent education and it is thought he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford.  He had a great love of learning, was a collector of books and manuscripts, and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When Humphrey died, he donated his collection of 281 manuscripts to the University of Oxford. The university built Duke Humfrey’s Library as a second story to the Divinity School to house his collection in 1450-80. Duke Humfrey’s Library still exists and it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.

Duke Humfrey’s Library; By Diliff – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38962983

In 1413, Humphrey’s father Henry IV died and his brother succeeded him as King Henry V. Humphrey was appointed Lord Great Chamberlain of England in 1413 and was created Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Pembroke in 1414. During his brother’s campaigns in France, Humphrey proved to be a successful commander. During the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, Humphrey was wounded and was protected by his brother King Henry V who fought off a group of French knights.

In 1422, King Henry V, aged 35, died of dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, leaving a nine-month-old son, King Henry VI, to inherit his throne. The baby king, seated in his mother’s lap, presided over Parliament on September 28, 1423, when the nobles swore loyalty to him. One of Henry V’s surviving brothers, John, Duke of Bedford, was appointed Regent and put in charge of the ongoing war in France. During Bedford’s absence, the government of England was headed by Henry V’s other surviving brother, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who was appointed Protector and Defender of the Realm.

Humphrey had two unsuccessful marriages. In February or March 1423, Humphrey married Jacqueline, Countess of Holland, Zealand, and Hainault.  Jacqueline had been previously married to Jean, Dauphin of France who died in 1417. She then married Jean IV, Duke of Brabant, who mistreated her.  Jacqueline fled to England and said she wanted her marriage annulled. She was an honored guest at the English court and was one of the godparents of the future King Henry VI.  Jacqueline received an annulment of her marriage to Jean IV, Duke of Brabant from Antipope Benedict XIII before she married Humphrey. However, the annulment was not recognized by Pope Martin V who declared Humphrey and Jacqueline’s marriage void in 1428. Even after the death of Jean IV, Humphrey and Jacqueline did not remarry.  Jacqueline returned to her homeland and married Frank II of Borssele.

Jacqueline, Countess of Holland, Zealand, and Hainault; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1428, Humphrey made a second marriage to his mistress Eleanor Cobham who had been a lady-in-waiting to Humphrey’s first wife. Eleanor consulted two astrologers Thomas Southwell and Roger Bolingbroke to predict the future. One of the predictions was that King Henry VI would suffer a life-threatening illness in July or August 1441. The astrologers were arrested for treason and heresy, and when they were interrogated, they named Eleanor as the instigator so she was also arrested and tried. Eleanor denied the charges but did admit to obtaining potions from Margery Jourdemayne, the Witch of Eye Next Westminster, who was convicted and burned as a witch. The two astrologers were also convicted, Southwell died at the Tower of London awaiting execution, and Bolingbroke was hanged, drawn, and quartered. Eleanor was also found guilty. She had to do public penance in London, divorce her husband, and was condemned to life imprisonment.

Illuminated miniature of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and his second wife Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester from the Liber Benefactorum of St Albans by Thomas Walsingham, 1431; Credit – Wikipedia

Humphrey had two illegitimate children. Their mothers may have been unknown mistresses or it is possible that Eleanor Cobham was the mother of one or both. The descendants of his illegitimate daughter Antigone of Gloucester are the only known descendants of King Henry IV still living after 1471.

After Eleanor’s trial, Humphrey withdrew from public life, but in February 1447, he was summoned to Parliament at Bury St. Edmunds. Humphrey had become the heir presumptive to the throne after the death of his older brother John, Duke of Bedford in 1435 and it was feared that if Henry VI left England, Humphrey could exercise his claim to be regent. Humphrey was hostile to the French while the English powers wanted peace. Humphrey was arrested and it appeared there would be a trial that would result in Humphrey’s disgrace or even a worse fate. However, there was no trial as five days later on February 23, 1447, Humphrey died, aged 57, at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. There is some suspicion that foul play was involved, but most likely Humphrey had a stroke because he was in a coma for three days before he died. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester was buried at the Abbey Church of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England. Before his burial, his body was displayed to dispel rumors that there had been foul play involved in his death.

humphrey_gloucester_grave

Plaque marking the grave of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester; Credit – www.findagrave.com

After Humphrey died in 1447, thirty-two of his followers, including his illegitimate son Arthur of Gloucester, were arrested after being accused of holding a seditious meeting where they had agreed to kill King Henry VI and place Arthur’s father Humphrey on the throne. On July 8, 1447, Arthur and four others were tried and condemned to be hanged, disemboweled, beheaded, and quartered for plotting treason against the king. However, Arthur and the others were pardoned without further punishment. There is no trace of Arthur of Gloucester after the pardon.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • “Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Sept. 2016. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
  • Jones, Dan. The Wars of the Roses. New York: Viking, 2014. Print.
  • Plantagenet ancestry: A study in colonial and medieval families, 2nd edition .. N.p.: Douglas Richardson, n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales; 18th-century engraving; Credit – Wikipedia

Edward of Westminster was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King. The others are:

Edward of Westminster was born on October 13, 1453, at the Palace of Westminster in London. He was the only child of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou. In 1454, Edward was created Prince of Wales.

Shortly before his son was born, Henry VU had some kind of mental breakdown. He was unable to recognize or respond to people for over a year. These attacks may have been hereditary. Henry’s maternal grandfather King Charles VI suffered similar attacks, thinking he was made of glass. Sometimes Henry had hallucinations which makes some modern medical experts think he may have had a form of schizophrenia. Porphyria, which may have afflicted King George III, has also been suggested as a cause. During Henry VI’s incapacity, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the next in line to the throne after Henry V’s son, governed as Lord Protector.

Even before Edward’s birth, factions were forming and the seeds of the Wars of the Roses were being planted. Edward’s mother, Margaret of Anjou, was an intelligent, energetic woman and realized she would have to take on most of her husband’s duties.  She aligned herself with Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset. Margaret believed her husband was threatened with being deposed by Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York who thought he had a better claim to the throne and would be a better king than Henry. After Henry’s recovery in 1455, the Duke of York was dismissed, and Margaret and the Duke of Somerset became all-powerful. Eventually, things came to a head between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists, and war broke out.

At the First Battle of St. Albans on May 22, 1455, the Duke of Somerset was killed. Afterward, there was peace, but hostilities started again four years later. On July 10, 1460, Henry VI was captured at the Battle of Northampton and forced to recognize the Duke of York as his heir instead of his own son. Margaret rallied the Lancastrian forces and was victorious at the Battle of Wakefield on December 29, 1460. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and his second son Edmund, Earl of Rutland were both killed in the battle.

The leader of the Yorkists was now the late Duke of York’s eldest son Edward, Earl of March, the future King Edward IV. During the Second Battle of St. Albans on February 17, 1461, Henry VI’s freedom was secured and it is alleged that he laughed and sang insanely throughout the battle. The Yorkists regained the upper hand at the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461, when Edward, Earl of March defeated the Lancastrian forces in a snowstorm. Henry fled to Scotland, and England had a new king, as Edward, Earl of March became King Edward IV from the House of York.

Henry VI returned from Scotland in 1464 and participated in an ineffective uprising. In 1465, Henry was captured and taken to the Tower of London. His wife Margaret, exiled in France, wanted to restore the throne to her husband. Coincidentally, King Edward IV had a falling out with his major supporters, his brother George, Duke of Clarence and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker. Margaret, Clarence, and Warwick formed an alliance at the urging of King Louis XI of France. Edward IV was forced into exile, and Henry VI was restored to the throne on October 30, 1470.

Margaret of Anjou was suspicious of Warwick and to ease her suspicions, Warwick betrothed his daughter Lady Anne Neville to Edward, Prince of Wales. On December 13, 1470, 17-year-old Edward and 14-year-old Anne were married in Angers Cathedral in France, and Anne became Princess of Wales. It is suspected that the marriage was never consummated.

However, once again, Edward IV got the upper hand. Edward IV returned to England in early 1471 and killed Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. The final decisive Yorkist victory was at the Battle of Tewkesbury on May 4, 1471, where Margaret led the Lancastrian forces and her son Edward, Prince of Wales was killed.  The only Prince of Wales to be killed in battle, he was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey where a plaque on the floor in the center of the sanctuary marks his grave.  The plaque has an inscription in Latin, translated into English says: “Here lies Edward, Prince of Wales, cruelly slain whilst but a youth. Anno Domini 1471, May 4th. Alas, the savagery of men. Thou art the sole light of thy Mother, and the last hope of thy race.”

edward-of-westminster_grave

Plaque marking the grave of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales; Credit – www.susanhigginbotham.com

Henry VI was returned to the Tower of London and died on May 21, 1471, probably murdered on orders from Edward IV.  Edward, Prince of Wales’ widow Anne Neville married Edward IV’s brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who eventually succeeded to the throne as King Richard III in 1483.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Contemporary drawing of Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Edward of Middleham was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King. The others are:

Edward of Middleham was probably born in December of 1473 at Middleham Castle, near York, England. At the time of his birth, his parents were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the future King Richard III and his wife Lady Anne Neville. Edward was a sickly child and spent most of his time at Middleham Castle.

Middleham Castle; By CJW – CJW, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2831364

Two years before Edward’s birth, his paternal uncle King Edward IV had once and for all defeated King Henry VI and the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses. On April 9, 1483, King Edward IV died, several weeks before his 41st birthday, and his 13-year-old son became King Edward V with his uncle (and Edward’s father) Richard, Duke of Gloucester as his Lord Protector. Richard feared that the Woodvilles, the family of Edward IV’s wife, Elizabeth Woodville, would attempt to take control of the young king. Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, the young king’s maternal uncle, and Sir Richard Grey, the young king’s half-brother, were arrested and executed.

The Duke of Gloucester had his nephew brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483, to await his coronation, which never happened. The widowed Elizabeth Woodville and her children sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions. Elizabeth was persuaded to let her second son, Richard, Duke of York, leave sanctuary and join his lonely brother at the Tower of London. Richard joined his brother on June 16, 1483. The two boys, who were Edward’s first cousins, were seen less and less until by the end of the summer of 1483 when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester was then informed that Edward IV’s marriage was invalid because he had previously contracted to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, who was living when the marriage to Elizabeth took place. This made Edward IV and Elizabeth’s children illegitimate and upheld Richard’s claim to the throne. The citizens of London drew up a petition asking Richard to assume the throne, which he agreed to on June 26, 1483. On July 6, 1483, Richard and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey, but their son Edward did not attend, probably due to illness.

On August 24, 1483, Edward was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.  During the summer of 1483, King Richard III and Queen Anne made a royal progress of their kingdom.  Edward joined them at Pontefract Castle in West Yorkshire, England, and accompanied them to York.  On September 8, 1483, Edward’s ceremonial investiture as Prince of Wales was held at York Minster in York, England

Contemporary illumination of Richard III, his queen Anne Neville, and their son Edward the Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

King Richard III and Queen Anne were on a royal progress and had reached Nottingham when they heard the news that on April 9, 1484, Edward died of unknown causes at the age of ten at his birthplace, Middleham Castle. The Croyland Chronicle reported, “You might have seen his father and mother in a state almost bordering madness, by reason of their sudden grief.”  His burial place is unknown.  For a very long time, it was thought that an effigy on a cenotaph (empty tomb) in St. Helen and Holy Cross Church in Sheriff Hutton, England was Edward, but it is now thought to be an earlier member of the Neville family.

Edward’s mother Anne survived her son by less than a year, dying most likely of tuberculosis, on March 16, 1485, at the Palace of Westminster. Her husband King Richard III survived her by only five months, losing his crown and his life on August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
“Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Oct. 2016. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.
Susan. “Anne Neville, queen of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 19 June 2016. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Christmas 2016: Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas Broadcast

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On each Christmas Day at 3 PM United Kingdom time, Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas Broadcast is viewed by families across the United Kingdom, even by the Royal Family who sit down to their Christmas dinner at Sandringham House at 1:15 PM so they will be ready to watch the broadcast together. This year’s broadcast can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvSsmBDY_fk

Official Website of the British Monarchy: History of the Christmas Broadcast

Queen Elizabeth II misses Christmas service because of a “heavy cold”

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Queen Elizabeth II missed Christmas services for the first time in 28 years because of a heavy cold.  A palace spokesperson said, “Her Majesty the Queen will not attend church at Sandringham this morning. The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery. Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day.”  Zara and Mike Tindall were not seen as the Royal Family made their annual walk to Christmas services.  It was announced yesterday that the Queen’s granddaughter had suffered a miscarriage.  However, her mother Princess Anne, The Princess Royal and her brother Peter Phillips and his family attended the Christmas services. Click on the links for more photos.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte are spending Christmas with the Middleton family in Bucklebury, Berkshire and attended Christmas services there.

December 14 – Queen Victoria’s Dire Day

Prince Albert, The Prince Consort; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

December 14 was the worst day of the year for Queen Victoria. On that day in 1861, her beloved husband Prince Albert had died at the age of 42. Besides the death of Prince Albert, December 14 marked several other events in Queen Victoria’s family.

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Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

The effigy of Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk; Credit – Wikipedia

A granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and the mother of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, Lady Frances Brandon was the second child of the four children and eldest daughter of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Lady Frances Brandon was born on July 16, 1517, at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, England. At the time of her birth, Hatfield House belonged to the Bishop of Ely. Her mother was making a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England when she unexpectedly went into labor, so she stopped at Hatfield House to have her baby.

Frances’ parents Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk; Credit – Wikipedia

Frances had two brothers and one sister, but only her sister survived childhood:

Although Frances and her siblings were only the children of a duke, they had their mother’s royal blood. They were the grandchildren of King Henry VII of England and the nieces and nephews of King Henry VIII of England and therefore had claims to the English throne.  Frances and her siblings along with their older half-sisters Anne and Mary Brandon, grew up under the supervision of their nurse Anne Kynge at Westhrope Hall in Suffolk, England.

Frances’ father tried to arrange a marriage for her with Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, eldest son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. However, the marriage proposal was rejected because Frances’ dowry was not large enough. When Frances was 12-years-old, she was betrothed to Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset. In 1533, with the permission of her uncle King Henry VIII, Frances married Henry Grey at Suffolk Place, her father’s mansion in Southwark, London. Frances’ wedding was the last public appearance of her mother Mary Tudor. Immediately after the wedding, the already seriously ill Mary went back to Westhorpe Hall where she died on June 25, 1533.

Frances and Henry’s home was Bradgate House in Leicestershire, one of the homes of the Grey family. Their first two children, a son and a daughter, both died young. They then had three daughters.

Three months after his wife’s death, Frances’ father Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, married his ward, 14-year-old Catherine Willoughby, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby in her own right. She had been betrothed to his son Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, but he was too young to marry. Suffolk did not wish to risk losing Catherine’s lands, so he married her himself. Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk died in 1545. He had two sons with Catherine Willoughby, Henry, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1535–1551) and Charles, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (c. 1537–1551), who both died of the sweating sickness within an hour of each other.

As the niece of King Henry VIII, Frances was one of the highest-ranking women at court and often took on ceremonial duties. Together with her first cousins who were almost the same age, Princess Mary (Henry VIII’s daughter, later Queen Mary I) and Lady Margaret Douglas (Margaret Tudor’s daughter), she led the funeral procession for her uncle’s third wife Jane Seymour and was among the ladies who welcomed Henry VIII’s fourth wife Anne of Cleves to England. Along with her younger sister Eleanor, her stepmother Catherine Willoughby, and her cousin Margaret Douglas, Frances served as a lady-in-waiting to her uncle’s sixth wife Catherine Parr. This was a great honor and it allowed Frances’ eldest daughter Jane to be introduced into the higher circles at court.

After the death of Frances’ half-brothers Henry and Charles in 1551, the title Duke of Suffolk reverted back to the crown. Since Frances was now the rightful heir to her father, her husband Henry Grey was granted the title Duke of Suffolk “jure uxoris” (by right of his wife). This was a social advancement that improved the family’s financial situation.

Frances was aware of the role her daughters, especially her eldest daughter Jane, could play in England. Jane was very well educated. She studied Greek and Hebrew with John Aylmer, later Bishop of England, and Italian and Latin with Michelangelo Florio, a former Franciscan friar who converted to Protestantism. In 1547, Jane was sent to live in the household of King Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, who married King Henry VIII’s widow, Catherine Parr. Jane lived with the couple until the death of Catherine in childbirth in September 1548 and acted as chief mourner at Catherine’s funeral.

The powerful John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland thought marrying one of his sons to Lady Jane Grey would be a good idea. On May 25, 1553, three weddings were celebrated at Durham Place, the Duke of Northumberland’s London home. Lord Guildford Dudley, the fifth surviving son of the Duke of Northumberland married Lady Jane Grey, Guildford’s sister Lady Katherine Dudley married Henry Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon’s heir, and Jane’s sister Lady Catherine Grey married Henry Herbert, the heir of the Earl of Pembroke.

As King Edward VI lay dying in the early summer of 1553, the succession to the throne according to the Third Succession Act looked like this, and note that number four in the succession was the Duke of Northumberland’s daughter-in-law.

1) Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
2) Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
3) Duchess of Suffolk (Lady Frances Brandon), daughter of Mary Tudor
4) Lady Jane Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
5) Lady Catherine Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
6) Lady Mary Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
7) Lady Margaret Clifford, daughter of Countess of Cumberland (born Lady Eleanor Brandon, daughter of Mary Tudor)

King Edward VI’s death and the succession of his Catholic half-sister Mary would cause trouble for the English Reformation. Many on Edward’s Council feared this, including the Duke of Northumberland. What exact role the Duke of Northumberland had in what followed is still debated, but surely he played a big part in the unfolding of what happened. The king opposed Mary’s succession not only for religious reasons but also because of her illegitimacy and his belief in male succession. Both Edward’s half sisters Mary and Elizabeth were still considered legally illegitimate.

King Edward composed a document “My devise for the succession” in which he passed over his half-sisters and Frances. Edward meant for the throne to go to Frances’ daughters and their male heirs.  Frances and her husband were outraged at her removal from the succession, but after a meeting with the ailing king, Frances renounced her rights in favor of her daughter Jane.  Jane did not have any idea of what was occurring.

After great suffering, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI died on July 6, 1553, most likely from tuberculosis. On July 9, Jane was told she was Queen of England and reluctantly accepted the fact. She was publicly proclaimed Queen with much pomp after Edward’s death was announced on July 10. Queen Jane made a state entry into the Tower of London. Frances carried her train and the rather short Queen Jane wore raised shoes to give her height. Jane showed some spirit when she refused to allow her husband to be proclaimed king.

The Duke of Northumberland had to find Mary and hopefully capture her before she could gather support.  However, as soon as Mary knew her half-brother was dead, she wrote a letter to the Privy Council with orders for her proclamation as Edward’s successor and started to gather support.  By July 12, Mary and her supporters had assembled a military force at Framlingham Castle in Suffolk.  The Duke of Northumberland set out from London with troops on July 14.  The nobility was incensed with Northumberland and the people,  for the most part, wanted Mary as their Queen, not Jane.  In Northumberland’s absence, the Privy Council switched their allegiance from Jane to Mary and proclaimed her Queen on July 19, 1553.  Mary arrived triumphantly in London on August 3, 1553, accompanied by her half-sister Elizabeth and a procession of over 800 nobles and gentlemen.

The Duke of Northumberland was executed on August 22, 1553. Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley were charged with high treason as was Jane’s father Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk. They were all found guilty. Queen Mary appeared as if she was going to be lenient, but the Protestant rebellion of Thomas Wyatt the Younger in January 1554 sealed Jane’s fate, even though she had nothing to do with the rebellion. Wyatt’s Rebellion was a reaction to Queen Mary’s planned marriage to the future King Philip II of Spain. Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley were executed on February 12, 1534. The Duke of Suffolk was executed on February 23, 1554.

Frances’ life was now in ruins. Because her husband was a traitor, all his possessions reverted to the Crown. Frances managed to plead with her cousin Queen Mary I to show mercy. Mary agreed that some of the Duke of Suffolk’s property could remain with the family. Frances married her Master of the Horse Adrian Stokes in March 1555. They had two stillborn children and a daughter who died in infancy. Frances, aged 42, died on November 20, 1559, at her residence Charterhouse in London with her daughters Catherine and Mary at her side. The cost of her funeral was paid by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. With her daughter Catherine acting as chief mourner, Frances was buried at Westminster Abbey. Four years later, her widower Adrian Stokes had a beautiful tomb and effigy placed over her grave with this epitaph in Latin:

Nor grace, nor splendor, nor a royal name,
Nor widespread fame can aught avail;
All, all have vanished here.
True worth alone survives the funeral pyre and silent tomb.

Tomb of Frances Brandon in Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “Frances Brandon.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, Jan. 2008. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
“Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 10 July 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Tudor was born on March 18, 1496, at Richmond Palace, then in Surrey, England. She was the third daughter and the fifth of the seven children of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV of England.

Mary had seven siblings, but only three survived early childhood:

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary was raised with her older siblings Margaret and Henry at Eltham Palace in Greenwich, London, England, and was taught French, Latin, music, dancing, and embroidery. In 1501, Mary’s elder brother Arthur, Prince of Wales married Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Five months later, on April 2, 1502, 15-year-old Arthur was dead, probably of sweating sickness, and his family was devastated. Shortly after Arthur’s death, Mary’s mother Elizabeth became pregnant again and hoped for a son. On February 2, 1503, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503. In June of 1503, just a few months after her mother’s death, Mary’s sister Margaret left England to begin her married life in Scotland with her husband James IV, King of Scots. By the age of eight, Mary had already dealt with much loss.

In December of 1507, 11-year-old Mary was betrothed to four-year Charles, the future Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the eldest son of Philip the Handsome and Queen Joanna I of Castile. A month after her 13th birthday, Mary’s father King Henry VII died and her brother became King Henry VIII. Henry VIII was interested in a more permanent alliance with France. He initially considered marrying his now-widowed sister Margaret to the widowed King Louis XII of France. To his chagrin, Margaret secretly married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Henry VIII broke off Mary’s engagement to Charles. Then he negotiated a peace treaty with France that included the marriage of 18-year-old Mary and the 52-year-old twice-married Louis XII who was eager to have a son to succeed him. Mary was not thrilled at the prospect of marrying a sick old man, especially since she was already in love with Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk who had been brought up with Henry VIII in the court of King Henry VII. Mary made her brother promise that if she should survive Louis XII, she could choose her second husband.

King Louis XII of France by Jehan Perréal, circa 1514; Credit – Wikipedia

There was a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace with Claude d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville standing in for Louis XII. Mary left for France on October 2, 1514. Louis XII met Mary on a rainy day at Abbeville, France near the mouth of the River Somme. They married in person at Abbeville on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, just three months after the wedding. As he had no son, he was succeeded by his son-in-law François d’Angoulême from the House of Valois -Angoulême as King François I of France.

Mary was aware that the new King of France would like her to marry a Frenchman to keep her dowry in France. However, she confided in King François I that she wished to marry Charles Brandon and he agreed to help her. First, Mary had to follow the French royal custom of a widowed queen observing a 40-day mourning period. She spent the mourning period at the Hôtel de Cluny in Paris with darkened windows and candlelight. She was also observed to see if she was pregnant with the future heir to the throne.

On March 3, 1515, Mary secretly married Charles Brandon at the Hôtel de Cluny in the presence of ten people including King François I. Mary and Brandon returned to England to face the wrath of her brother. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey managed to calm Henry VIII although some members of the Privy Council wanted Brandon imprisoned or executed. Mary and Brandon had to pay a £24,000 fine, approximately £7,200,000 today. Henry VIII later reduced the fine. The couple was married again in the presence of Henry VIII at the Grey Friar’s Church in Greenwich on May 13, 1515.

Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon by Jan Gossaert, circa 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary and Brandon had four children:

Mary and Brandon spent most of their time at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk, England. Brandon’s daughters from his marriage to Anne Browne, Lady Anne Brandon, and Lady Mary Brandon, also lived there at Mary’s insistence. Mary got along well with her brother Henry VIII. However, in the late 1520s, their relationship became strained because Mary opposed Henry’s attempt to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Mary had known Catherine for many years and had a great fondness for her, but had developed a strong dislike for Anne Boleyn when she served as one of her maids of honor in France.

Mary’s health began to suffer around the time Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn married. There were rumors that the coronation of Anne Boleyn on June 1, 1533, broke Mary’s heart. Mary died at Westhorpe Hall on June 25, 1533, at the age of 37, and was originally buried in the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds.  In 1538, when the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds was dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Mary’s coffin was brought to St. Mary’s Church in Bury St. Edmunds where it still rests in the crypt. The original grave slab survives and is in the sanctuary near the altar. There is also a later inscription and insignia on the wall and a marble curb given by King Edward VII which can be seen in the photo below.  In the Lady Chapel, there is a stained glass window given by Queen Victoria that depicts Mary’s life.

Original grave slab of Mary Tudor; Credit – www.britainexpress.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “Mary Tudor (Frankreich).” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
De Lisle, Leanda. Tudor. Philadelphia: Perseus Books Group, 2013. Print.
“Mary Tudor, Queen of France.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “Margaret Tudor. Queen of Scots.” English Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 29 Nov. 2016. Web.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer  by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

by Daniel Mytens; Credit – Wikipedia

The highborn and noble princess Lady Margaret, known better as Margaret Tudor, was born at the Palace of Westminster in London, England on November 28, 1489. She was the eldest daughter and the second of the eight children of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch, and Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV of England. When the Tudor line died out with the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603, Margaret’s great-grandson James VI, King of Scots succeeded to the English throne as King James I. Margaret is the ancestor of many European royal families, past and present.

Margaret was christened the day after her birth at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster. Her godparents were:

Margaret had six siblings. Unlike her older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, who lived in his own household, Margaret spent most of her childhood with her siblings.

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 24, 1502, England and Scotland concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, agreeing to end the warfare between England and Scotland that occurred over the previous two hundred years. As part of the treaty, a marriage was arranged between 28-year-old James IV, King of Scots and twelve-year-old Margaret Tudor. A proxy marriage was held on January 25, 1503, at Richmond Palace with Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell standing in for James IV. Margaret was exactly the same age as her paternal grandmother Margaret Beaufort had been when she married Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. Margaret Beaufort was determined that her granddaughter not consummate her marriage at such an early age and insisted that Margaret must remain in England until she was older. After the proxy marriage, Margaret was officially Queen of Scotland and received the precedence and honor due to a Queen.

In 1501, Margaret’s elder brother Arthur, Prince of Wales married Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Five months later, on April 2, 1502, 15-year-old Arthur was dead, probably of sweating sickness, and his family was devastated. Shortly after Arthur’s death, Margaret’s mother Elizabeth became pregnant again and hoped for a son. Elizabeth spent that year preparing her daughter Margaret for her role as Queen of Scots. In early 1503, Elizabeth spent her confinement at the Tower of London. On February 2, 1503, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503.

James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor; Credit – Wikipedia

In June 1503, just a few months after her mother’s death, Margaret left London with her father to begin her journey to Scotland. Her formal court farewell was held at her paternal grandmother’s home Collyweston Palace near Stamford, Northamptonshire, England. After two weeks of celebrations, Margaret rode out to her new life with only one relative, Sir David Owen, the illegitimate son of her great-grandfather Owen Tudor. On August 3, 1503, at Dalkeith Castle in Midlothian, Scotland, Margaret first met King James IV. The couple was married in person on August 8, 1503, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Margaret and James had four sons and two stillborn daughters. Only one of their children survived infancy.

James IV, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1509, Margaret’s father King Henry VII of England died and was succeeded by his son as King Henry VIII. Despite the great hopes of peace between England and Scotland as symbolized by the marriage of Margaret and James IV, Margaret’s brother Henry VIII did not have his father’s diplomatic patience and was heading toward a war with France. James IV was committed to his alliance with France and invaded England. Henry VIII was away on campaign in France and Flanders in 1513 and he had made his wife Catherine of Aragon regent in his absence. It was up to Catherine to supervise England’s defense when Scotland invaded. Ultimately, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Flodden near Branxton, Northumberland, England on September 9, 1513, and 30-year-old King James IV was killed in the battle. Catherine sent Henry VIII the blood-stained coat of his defeated and dead brother-in-law.

Margaret and James IV’s only surviving child  James V, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret’s seventeen-month-old son succeeded his father as James V, King of Scots. Under the terms of James IV’s will, Margaret was the regent for her son as long as she did not remarry. On April 30, 1514, Margaret gave birth to a son Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross who died on December 18, 1515. While the Scottish Parliament had confirmed Margaret as regent, many were unhappy with an English female regent and wanted Margaret replaced with John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, grandson of James II, King of Scots, the closest male relative of the infant king, and the heir presumptive to the throne after the death of young son Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross.

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus; Credit – Wikipedia

Margaret sought an ally with the pro-English House of Douglas. On August 6, 1514, Margaret secretly married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. The marriage stirred up the Scottish nobles and opposition to the faction supporting French influence in Scotland. Civil war broke out, and Margaret lost the regency to John Stewart, Duke of Albany. Margaret and Douglas escaped to England where she gave birth to their only child at Harbottle Castle in Northumberland, England. While in the north of England, Margaret learned of the death of her son Alexander, Duke of Ross.

Daughter of Margaret and Archibald Douglas:

Lady Margaret Douglas, Margaret Tudor’s daughter; Credit – Wikipedia

Sometime after the birth of her daughter, Margaret and her husband went to London where they were well treated by her brother Henry VIII and lived in Scotland Yard, the traditional residence of the Scottish diplomats and Scottish kings when they visited English royalty. Margaret returned to Scotland in 1517, hoping to regain her dower, a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support if she should survive her husband, and also to regain access to her son James V, but she was unsuccessful in both pursuits. After returning to Scotland, it soon became clear that Margaret’s marriage with Archibald Douglas was on the rocks. He lived openly with his mistresses, gave them gifts paid for with Margaret’s money, and separated Margaret from her daughter. On March 11, 1527, Pope Clement VII granted Margaret a divorce from Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus.

On March 3, 1528, Margaret married Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven to the consternation of her brother King Henry VIII who insisted that marriage was “divinely ordained” and protested against the “shameless sentence sent from Rome.” Ironically, a few years later Henry VIII would seek to end his marriages with Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Margaret and Stewart had one daughter who died young. Stewart proved to be even worse than Margaret’s second husband in his desire for other women and Margaret’s money. Margaret tried to divorce Stewart, but her son James V blocked the proceedings and Margaret felt that Stewart had bribed her son. Margaret often wrote to her brother Henry VIII about her plight, but he never helped her. In 1537, Margaret tried to escape to England but was brought back to Methven Castle where she lived until her death.

Methven Castle; By Arthur Bruce, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=482685

After suffering a stroke, Margaret died at Methven Castle on October 18, 1541, at the age of 51. On her deathbed, Margaret asked her second husband Archibald Douglas to forgive her for having divorced him, telling him that he was her lawful husband and that their marriage was valid. It is not clear whether her motivation was regret or an attempt to ensure the legitimacy of her daughter Margaret Douglas to preserve her position in the line of succession to the English throne. Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots was buried at the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth, Scotland. Her tomb was destroyed and her remains were burned on May 11, 1559, when a mob of Calvinists attacked and destroyed the Charterhouse.

Monument marking the site of the Perth Charterhouse; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “Margaret Tudor.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 2006. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
De Lisle, Leanda. Tudor. Philadelphia: Perseus Books Group, 2013. Print.
“James IV of Scotland.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
“Margaret Tudor.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.