Edmund Duke of Somerset
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The True History of King Richard III (Part 2)
Anne of Exeter, Baynard’s Castle, Berkhamsted, Cecily Duchess of York, Earl of Northumberland, Edmund Duke of Somerset, Edmund of Rutland, Edward IV, Elizabeth of Suffolk, Fotheringhay, George Duke of Clarence, Henry Duke of Somerset, Henry VI, John Duke of Somerset, John Duke of Suffolk, Lord Clifford, Lord Egremont, Ludlow, Margaret Duchess of Burgundy, Margaret of Anjou, Richard Duke of York, Richard III, Richard of Salisbury, Richard of Warwick, Sandal Castle, satire, Sir Richard Croft, St. AlbansThe Battle of St. Albans, 1455. Having been two years in the womb, Richard was naturally a forward child, and in no time at all he was not only walking but wearing a little suit of armour. The Duke of York had this made for him by the village blacksmith, an advanced craftsman who doubled…
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This new book looks at the characters, motivations, events and nomenclature of the Wars of the Roses, as we now know them. It confronts the great cliche that the series of battles began in 1455 and ended in 1485, demonstrating convincingly that it was still in progress decades later. Despite the fame of the Henry…
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This 1988 volume reads very well and is an excellent summary of the life of the second (or first) son of John of Gaunt by his mistress Catherine de Roet. The language is very modern although the plain cover is a little reminiscent of many older books. There is relatively little material about Henry Beaufort’s…
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There was an interesting Facebook post on 2nd May, by Lyndel Grover, drawing attention to a blog about Joan of Acre, who lived in the 13th century. http://historytheinterestingbits.com/2015/04/30/rebel-princess/. It made me think about other mediaeval women who had done what Joan did. By that I mean, marry the man they wanted, not the choice…
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DUKE RICHARD THE 3RD DUKE OF YORK (3): heir to the throne
“Loveday”, Bastard of Fauconberg, Blore Heath, Edmund Duke of Somerset, Edward II, Edward of Lancaster, Henry Holland Duke of Exeter, Henry IV, Henry VI, Jack Cade, Lord Clifford, Margaret of Anjou, Northampton, Richard Duke of York, Richard II, Richard of Salisbury, St. Albans, Succession rights, Thomas Neville, War, Waurin, William Duke of SuffolkThe she-wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France Whose tongue more poisons than an adders tooth How ill beseeming it is in thy sex To triumph like an amazon trull” (Henry VI Part 3) St Albans and its significance The first battle of St Albans represents a landmark in the dispute between York…
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DUKE RICHARD THE 3RD DUKE OF YORK (2): ‘…the king’s true liegeman…?’
Captain of Calais, Cardinal John Kempe, Edmund Duke of Somerset, Edward of Lancaster, Henry VI, Humphrey Duke of Buckingham, Jack Cade, John Beaufort, John Earl of Shrewsbury, John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Protector of the Realm, Margaret of Anjou, Normandy, regent, Richard Duke of York, Sir William Oldhall, St. Albans, Thomas Duke of Exeter, Thomas Young, William Duke of SuffolkHow now? Is Somerset at liberty? Then, York unloose thy long-imprisoned thoughts And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart. Shall I endure the sight of Somerset? (Shakespeare: Henry VI part 2) On his return from service in Normandy, duke Richard was the king’s true liegeman and an obedient servant of the Lancastrian establishment:…
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Catherine de Valois’ first husband was Henry V, who was clearly the grandson of John of Gaunt. Edmund Beaufort, later Duke of Somerset, is traditionally regarded as Gaunt’s grandson as well, although his father may have been a legitimate Swynford. Quite apart from the 1420s legislation banning royal stepmothers such as Catherine from remarrying without…
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As we have observed before, Shakespeare’s plays tend to be historically inaccurate but they make good cultural history for his own lifetime. As an example, we took King Lear (probably written 1605-6), in which Cordelia was executed for political reasons, something that almost never happened to women before 1536, in England or Scotland. Similarly, the…
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I am sure we have all read the story of a bathing servant, Owain Tudor, who then emerged from the water in even fewer clothes than Fitzwilliam Darcy, watched by the widowed and besotted Queen, Catherine de Valois. The story goes on to relate that they married, had two sons and possibly more children. He…
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