BL Royal 19 E V is a medieval manuscript that once belonged to Edward IV. It was compiled for him in Bruges in 1480. The content is the Romuleon, a translation of a history of Rome, and amongst the tales of Emperors and Empresses, it contains the symbols of its royal owner–the Arms of England, an image of the Garter, the motto ‘Honny soit qui mal y pense’ (note the unstandardised medieval spelling!), a lion crest, lots of murrey and blue colouring, the royal arms of Edward’s sons and of his father, the Duke of York, and a Yorkist badge bearing the words ‘Dieu est mon droit.’
The book apparently was inherited by Edward’s grandson Henry VIII, who had it in his library.
One of the miniatures is the text is particularly interesting. It shows Hadrian being adopted by the Emperor Trajan, presented by Trajan’s wife, Plotina. However, it is commonly thought that the figures of Hadrian and Plotina are based on Edward IV and his sister, Margaret of York. It certainly looks like Margaret, and I was struck by how much Edward superficially resembles Richard here.

Leave a reply to tanya-salpe Cancel reply