Henry VI
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I find it – interesting, shall we say – that some people are so keen to hate Richard III that they tend to play down the fact that his brother, Edward IV, was at least as ruthless, if not more so. This does no service to Edward, who in some narratives seems to be a…
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The Strange Death of Lancastrian England
“Beauforts”, Azincourt, Bauge, Blanche, Burgundy, Cambridge Plot, Cardinal Beaufort, Catherine de Valois, Charles VI, Charles VII, Congress of Arras, Edward of Lancaster, Eleanor Cobham, France, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Humphrey of Gloucester, John of Bedford, Lancastrians, Margaret of Anjou, Richard Duke of York, Richard II, Rupert of Germany, Sir Hugh Swynford, Thomas of Clarence, Treaty of Troyes, Verneuil, WakefieldWhen Henry IV had his final succession statute passed through Parliament he made no provision for the throne beyond his children and their offspring. Neither the Beauforts, the Yorks, or even the Hollands got so much as a line. This was quite understandable, given that he had four sons and two daughters. No one could…
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Part 2 – “… the corruption of a blemished stock “ (continued) Whatever the truth of bishop Stillington’s revelation, it could be argued that the passage of Titulus Regius through Parliament put the matter beyond doubt. However, that would be an overly simplistic argument as there were and still are legal objections to the disinheritance…
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A new biography about this Lancastrian king. The following is the blurb, not a review, because it isn’t available until 26th May. Available at Amazon, and, I’m sure, a lot of other places too. But here’s a link to the Amazon page. http://tinyurl.com/ka2t4pk Blurb: In this new assessment of Henry VI, David Grummitt synthesizes a…
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The Lonely Death of Duke Humphrey
Azincourt, Cambridge, Charles VII, Duke of Orleans, Edmund, Eleanor Cobham, French wars, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Humphrey of Gloucester, Lord Protector of the Realm, Maine, Margery Jourdemayne, Parliament, Richard Duke of York, Roger Bolingbroke, St. Albans, Thomas Southwell, Treaty of Troyes, William Duke of Suffolk{Humphrey of Gloucester’s quarters marked by a plaque, now near Bury St. Edmunds’ Tesco and opposite the railway station.} Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, was the youngest son of Henry IV (Bolingbroke) and so the youngest brother of Henry V, with whom he fought at Agincourt.After the death of Henry V, he became Protector (in England)…
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Part 3 – Woe to that land that’s governed by a child! “ I can add colours to the chameleon, Change shapes with Proteus for advantages, And set the murderous Machiavel to school. Can I do this, and cannot get a crown? Tut, were it further off, I’ll pluck it down.” (william Shakespeare) “…
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Page 69 of Ashdown-Hill’s Royal Marriage Secrets indicates that an Act of Parliament was passed in 1427, forbidding the re-marriage of a royal widow without the consent of an adult king. It has also been clearly established that Catherine de Valois, the widow of Henry V at whom the legislation was surely aimed, died in…
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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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