Category Archives: British Royals

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.

Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

It was through Elizabeth that the Hanovers inherited the British throne.  The first Hanover monarch, King George I, was her grandson. The eldest daughter and second child of King James I of England and Anne of Denmark, Elizabeth Stuart was born on August 19, 1596. Sources differ on her birthplace, either Dunfermline Palace or Falkland Palace, both in Scotland. At the time of her birth, Elizabeth’s father, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, was King James VI of Scotland. In 1603, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, James succeeded to the English throne as King James I of England. The infant princess was baptized on December 28, 1596, at the Chapel Royal, Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was named after Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Elizabeth had six siblings, but only two survived childhood:

by Charles Turner, published by Samuel Woodburn, after Willem de Passe, mezzotint, published 1814

‘James I and his royal progeny’ by Charles Turner, published by Samuel Woodburn, after Willem de Passe mezzotint, published 1814 NPG D9808 © National Portrait Gallery, London

As was customary for princesses, Elizabeth was not raised by her parents, but by a noble family loyal to the Scottish royal family. Her early years were spent at Linlithgow Palace in the care of Alexander Livingstone, 1st Earl of Linlithgow, 7th Lord Livingstone and his Catholic wife, Eleanor (Helen) Hay, eldest daughter of Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll. A Protestant princess being raised by the Catholic Lady Livingstone was controversial. Lord and Lady Livingstone remained guardians of Elizabeth until the accession of Elizabeth’s father to the English throne in 1603. Elizabeth then accompanied her mother and her brother Henry, Prince of Wales to England.

Elizabeth, aged seven, by Robert Peake the Elder, 1603; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth was placed in the care of John Harington, 1st Baron Harington of Exton and his wife Anne at Coombe Abbey near Coventry, England.  Although being the guardians of Elizabeth was a heavy financial burden, Lord and Lady Harrington diligently took care of Elizabeth and provided her with an excellent education. In 1605, the conspirators of the unsuccessful Gunpowder Plot intended to use the nine-year-old princess as part of the plot. After blowing up Parliament during the State Opening, the plotters had planned to seize Elizabeth and proclaim her Queen of England. Lord Harrington was warned of the plot and brought Elizabeth to a safe place in Coventry. The plot failed when the conspirators were betrayed. Before he could light the bomb intended to blow up Parliament, Guy Fawkes was caught by King James I’s soldiers. In 1612, Elizabeth suffered great sorrow when her elder brother Henry, Prince of Wales died of typhoid fever. She was not allowed to see him during his illness for fear she would be exposed to the disease and her brother’s last words were said to be, “Where is my dear sister?”

As the daughter of a reigning king, Elizabeth’s hand in marriage was sought after by a number of suitors including Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (later King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden); Frederic Ulric, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel; Prince Maurice of Nassau; Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton; Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk; Otto, Hereditary Prince of Hesse and Victor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont (later Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy). However, after careful consideration, Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was chosen. Friedrich and Elizabeth were the same age. Friedrich was a descendant of the kings of Aragon and Sicily, the landgraves of Hesse, the dukes of Brabant and Saxony, and the counts of Nassau and Leuven. He was a senior prince of the Holy Roman Empire and a staunch defender of the Protestant faith. Elizabeth and Friedrich, both 16 years old, were married on February 14, 1613, at the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Whitehall.

The couple had thirteen children:

Friedrich V, Elector Palatine by Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt, 1613; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Stuart by Marcus Gheeraerts, 1612; Credit – Wikipedia

In August 1619, Friedrich was elected King of Bohemia and was crowned in Prague on November 4, 1619. Elizabeth, who was in late pregnancy with her son Rupert, was crowned two days later. The crown of Bohemia had been in Habsburg hands for a long time and the Habsburg heir, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor refused to accept Friedrich as King of Bohemia. Friedrich’s reign ended with his defeat by Ferdinand at the Battle of White Mountain, one of the early battles of the Thirty Years’ War, on November 8, 1620. Friedrich and Elizabeth are called the Winter King and the Winter Queen referring to their short reign as King and Queen of Bohemia.

Friedrich as King of Bohemia by Gerard van Honthorst; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth as Queen of Bohemia by Gerard van Honthorst; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple sought refuge in Berlin but had to leave in January 1621 when Friedrich was forced to give up the Palatinate and was banished from the Holy Roman Empire. Elizabeth, Friedrich, and their family were given refuge in The Hague by Maurits, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland. The last eight of their thirteen children were born in The Hague. In January 1632, their last child was born, and later that same month, Friedrich left The Hague to fight alongside King Gustavus Adolphus II of Sweden in the Thirty Years’ War. Elizabeth never saw him again. Beginning in October 1632, Friedrich suffered from an infection that continually worsened. Doctors determined nothing could be done and Friedrich died on November 29, 1632, at the age of 36.

Elizabeth as a widow by Gerard van Honthorst, 1642; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth was devastated by Friedrich’s death. Her brother King Charles I of England invited her to return to England, but she refused as she felt she had to fight for the rights of her eldest son Karl Ludwig. She raised a small army on his behalf, and finally, in 1648, the Palatinate was restored to him. Between her husband’s death in 1632 and her death in 1662, Elizabeth suffered the death of four of her children and the execution of her brother King Charles I of England in 1649. In 1660, Elizabeth’s nephew King Charles II was restored as King of England and Elizabeth decided to visit England. She arrived in England on May 26, 1661, and by July she was determined to remain there. She first lived in Drury House on Wych Street in London. In January 1662, she moved to Leicester House on the north side of present-day Leicester Square. On February 13, 1662, Elizabeth died of bronchitis at the age of 65 and was buried in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey near her brother Henry, Prince of Wales.

Through her daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover whose son succeeded to the British throne as King George I after the Protestant Stuarts died out, Elizabeth is the ancestor of the British royal family and most other European royal families, including those of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the former royal families of Greece, Romania, Prussia, and Russia.

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. “Elisabeth Stuart.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
“Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
“Frederick V, Elector Palatine.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Margaret Rhodes: One of Queen Elizabeth II’s “Strathmore Cousins”

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Unofficial Royalty: The Strathmore Cousins

In 2006, one of our columnists, The Laird o’Thistle, wrote an article entitled “The Strathmore Cousins” about the first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II from the Bowes-Lyon side of her family. We have revised the article as many people are currently interested in The Queen’s Bowes-Lyon cousins due to the recent death of The Honorable Margaret Rhodes, one of Queen Elizabeth II’s Strathmore Cousins.

Born Margaret Elphinstone in 1925, Margaret Rhodes was the youngest daughter of Sidney Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and his wife Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, sister of The Queen Mother. She was one of Queen Elizabeth II’s bridesmaids and was considered to be the best friend of The Queen.

BBC: Queen’s cousin Margaret Rhodes dies