Alternative History
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Fotheringhay Castle October 1452. The Duchess of York – aka the Rose of Raby – was not feeling very rose-like. Unsurprising, as she had been pregnant for two whole years. I mean, you know how big some women get after nine months, so after two years she was big. With a capital B. And awkward, and uncomfortable,…
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Fabricating Precontracts: Richard III vs Henry VIII
3rd Duke of Norfolk, adultery, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Annette Carson, Archbishop Cranmer, attainder, bigamy, canon law, Catherine Howard, Claire Ridgway, Crowland, Earl of Northumberland, Edward IV, Edward V, executions, Francis Dereham, Francis of Lorraine, Henry VIII, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lord High Constable, Lord Protector of the Realm, Mary Boleyn, mediaeval canon law, pre-contract, Richard III, Robert Stillington, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Howard, treasonOn 10 and 11 June 1483, Richard duke of Gloucester wrote to his affinity in the North and asked for troops to support him against the Woodvilles who, he claimed, were plotting his destruction. On 22 June Ralph Shaa preached his “bastard slips” sermon, followed by similar speeches by the duke of Buckingham, and on…
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For fans of historical music one of the highlights of the reinterment festivities in Leicester earlier this year was “Concert for a King”, an evening with music from the time of Richard III performed by the a capella group Aitone and guest instrumentalist Susan Burns, with contemporary texts read by Dr. Tony Bentley. It took…
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In 1921, a manuscript dating to the late 15th or early 16th century was donated to the National Library of Wales. It was a “passional”, a book recounting the sufferings of saints and martyrs, and containted 2 texts in medieval French: “La Passion de Nostre Seigneur” (The Passion of Our Lord), an account of the…
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St Valentine’s Day in Leicester was all wind, rain and freezing cold temperatures, but the weather had not deterred the many people who had come to the King Richard III Visitor Centre. They were eager to see the exhibition about the man who had died in battle at nearby Bosworth in 1485, was lost for…
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I am nearly finished writing my first novel (about Richard of course!) and there is a section where the question “What if Richard III had won the battle of Bosworth?” is asked. We know that he nearly reached Henry ‘Tudor’ and so it isn’t too farfetched to imagine the result if he had killed Henry.…
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‘Edward,’ said the Duchess of York, in her sad-but-angry voice, ‘it is high time we had words. This ridiculous marriage you say you have made is simply the last straw. What sort of king marries in secret? And to someone, I may add, of no particular distinction of birth! You should be ashamed of yourself,…
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An old episode of Dr Who (1988) was on television this morning. Called “Silver Nemesis”, it was partly filmed in a beautiful old 15th century house that I did not recognise. So a quick Google revealed it to be St Mary’s House and Gardens at The Street, Bramber, West Sussex. It was built circa 1470…
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Joanna dreams. In mist, she dreams. She dreams of a bright object that then recedes into mist. When she wakes, like many people who dream, she remembers nothing. She is pressed to marry by her brother, King John of Portugal, a son of the English House of Lancaster. She is the Infanta Joanna and many…
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Elsewhere, Arlene Okerlund had posted a very interesting blog post about Elizabeth Woodville. The post emphasises the suffering Elizabeth endured and her many losses. It would be inhuman to deny that suffering, although it must be pointed out that such trials were not unique to this particular woman. Almost anyone from an elite family (and…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 