Henry VI

Were the Wars of The Roses an Inevitability?

Sep 23, 2020

anniversaries, battles, Book Reviews, genealogy

Battle of Shrewsbury, Black Death, Blore Heath, Chris Given-Wilson, Duchy of Aquitaine, Earl of Warwick, Edmund Mortimer, Elizabeth I, France, Henry II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, John of Gaunt, Lancastrian propaganda, legal fees, Lordship of Brecon, Mary de Bohun, Pastons, Richard Duke of York, Richard II, Richard of Warwick, Thomas of woodstock, Wars of the Roses, Wylie

In my spare time I have been reading Henry IV by Chris Given-Wilson. It’s a massive book, full of information, probably the most complete work on Henry since Wylie’s four-volume effort in the 19th Century. Frankly, I’m finding it hard going. Not because it’s a bad book (it isn’t) or because Given-Wilson is a bad…
An unusual witchcraft case in Ipswich

Sep 9, 2020

anniversaries, law, religion

Ancient House, Buttermarket, Cornhill, Eleanor Cobham, executions, haunting, Henry VI, Ipswich, Lakeland Plastics, Margery Jourdemayne, Mary Lackland, treason, witchcraft

Originally posted on Mid Anglia Group, Richard III Society: Mary Lackland, or Lakeland, was burned on the Cornhill on 9th September 1645 but why? The heresy laws had been repealed in 1558/9 although they were invoked later, up to 1612/3. This execution took place at the peak of the Matthew Hopkins witch mania but those…
Richard III owned religious books, but slept around….?

Sep 4, 2020

archaeology, battles, religion, sources

“Princes”, Carole Cusack, character, Charles Armstrong, Crowland Chronicle, Domenico Mancini, Henry VI, illegitimate children, Leicester dig, military record, popes, Richard III

Yes, we’ve all seen the above illustration before, but for my purposes today it’s ideal. Was Richard a saint? Or a sinner? I’ve happened upon a very interesting paper about Richard, by Carole Cusack, in which she discusses his reputation and why he still has the power to influence us today. Just what is it…
The Royal Progress of Richard III

Aug 29, 2020

anniversaries, battles, buildings, law, religion, sources, travel

“Arrivall of Edward IV”, “Princes”, Annales, Anne Neville, Anne Sutton, Black Death, Brecon, Bristol, Buckingham rebellion, Cambridge, Canterbury Cathedral, Catherine de Medici, Charles IX, Chief Justice, Compton Reeves, Cora Schofield, Coventry, Crowland Chronicle, Earl of Kildare, Edmund of Rutland, Edward II, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward of Middleham, Edward the Black Prince, Eucharist, execution, Fotheringhay, Francis Viscount Lovell, Gainsborough, George Duke of Clarence, George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, Grantham, Great Chronicle, Great Seal, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VI, Henry VII, investiture, Isabel Neville, Jamestown, John Fortescue, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John Kendall, John Morton, John of Gloucester, John Russell, Katherine Hastings, Latin, Leicester, Lincoln, Lionel Woodville, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Louis XI, Ludlow, Margaret d’Anjou, Micklegate Bar, Middleham Castle, Minster Lovell, mystery plays, Nottingham, Oxford, Pamela Tudor-Craig, Peter Hammond, Pilgrims’ Way, Pontefract, Reading, reburials, Rhoda Edwards, Richard Duke of York, Richard Earl Rivers, Richard III, Richard of Salisbury, River Ouse, River Severn, River Witham, Rosemary Horrox, Royal Progress, Sandwich, Sir Baldwin Fulford, Sir John Woodville, St. George, Tadcaster, Tewkesbury, Tewkesbury Abbey, Thomas of woodstock, Thomas Rotherham, Thornbury, Titulus Regius, Wakefield, Wales, Warwick, William I, William Lord Hastings, William Waynflete, Windsor Castle, Woodstock, Worcester, York

Following his coronation, Richard III – like all medieval monarchs – went on his “royal progress” through the realm. Along with an entourage in excess of 200 household men, ecclesiastics, supporters, and administrative officials, he visited towns and cities as far west as the River Severn, as far north as the River Ouse, and as…
Lancastrians unfairly condemn another King Richard (Part II)….

Jul 19, 2020

buildings, genealogy

Edward II, Edward III, Geoffrey Chaucer, Gloucester Cathedral, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VII, House of Lancaster, Richard II, Richard III, Terry Jones, tyranny, usurpation

This article Lancs Live article is Part Two of a three-part series concerning the history of the House of Lancaster, which we reviewed earlier. Almost at the beginning (well, three short paragraphs in) I found “…. Edward II whose piety could not make up for his lack of leadership….” Piety? Edward II? Well, he…
Joan of Arc or Boudicca? Boudicca every time for me, I fear….

Jul 17, 2020

anniversaries, battles, law, religion

Charles VII, coronations, executions, France, Gilles de Rais, Henry VI, heresy, Iceni, insanity, Jean II Count of Luxembourg, Jeanne d’Arc, John Duke of Bedford, Roman Empire, siege of Rouen, Watling Street

Joan of Arc means a great deal to France, but I’m afraid I have never really cottoned on to her. Perhaps because I’m a little uncomfortable when it comes to people who “hear voices”. Not that I’m saying she deserved her horrible death. Far from it. No one deserves that. But when it comes to…
The O’Donnells, the Four Masters and the Personnel of the Wars of the Roses

Jul 8, 2020

battles, genealogy, sources

“Perkin”, Annals of the Four Masters, Bishop of Annaghtown, Earl of Kildare, Edward IV, Harleian Manuscript 433, Henry O’Neill, Henry VI, Henry VII, horses, Ireland, Isle of Man, James IV, Meath, Niall Garbh O’Donnell, O’Donnells, O’Neills, Peter Hammond, Red Hugh O’Donnell, Richard Duke of York, Rosemary Horrox, Spain, Thomas Lord Stanley

In the context of the current search for the remains of the Red Hugh O’Donnell who died in Spain in 1602, I thought that readers Murrey and Blue might be interested in a few vaguely Wars-of-the-Roses-related snippets from the O’Donnell history of the fifteenth century. In 1434 Red Hugh’s predecessor Niall Garbh O’Donnell was captured…
A Medieval Almshouse–with a Hidden Treasure

Jul 3, 2020

art, buildings, religion

almshouses, Bishop Robert Neville, castles, Henry VI, Humphrey Stafford of Hooke, Julian Inn, Reformation, Sherborne, Sherborne Abbey, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, stained glass, Triptych

Sherborne is a pretty little town with a ruined castle, interesting buildings including, an abbey, and a medieval almshouse. All are well worth a visit but the 15th century almshouse is of particular note as it is still in use in its original function. As the buildings are residential, the Almshouse is not generally open…
Shadow King: the Life and Death of Henry VI

May 23, 2020

anniversaries, battles, Book Reviews, buildings, genealogy

Armagnacs, Beaufort family., biographies, Burgundians, Calder Bridge, Catherine de Roet, Edmund of Langley, Edmund of Rutland, Edward III, Edward IV, France, George Goodwin, Henry V, Henry VI, House of York, John of Gaunt, Lancastrians, Lauren Johnson, Lionel of Antwerp, Margaret of Anjou, Outwood, Pontefract Castle, Readeption, Richard Duke of York, Richard of Salisbury, Sandal Castle, Tim Sutherland, Tower of London, Towton, Wakefield, Wars of the Roses, Winchester Palace

Helen Rae Rants! Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI by Lauren Johnson Head of Zeus Publications, 2020, paperback, 700 pages, £12.00 ISBN 978-1784-979645 <img class=”i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer” style=”max-width: 100%; display: block !important;” role=”presentation” src=”data:;base64,” alt=”” aria-hidden=”true” /> Henry VI has gone down in history as one of England’s worst kings. Not for being cruel…
WADDINGTON HALL – REFUGE FOR HENRY VI

May 15, 2020

anniversaries, battles, buildings

escapes, Henry VI, Hexham, property sales, Tower of London, Waddington Hall

UPDATED POST @ sparkypus.com A Medieval Potpourri https://sparkypus.com/2020/06/20/waddington-hall-refuge-for-henry-vi/ THE GATEWAY HAS A CARVING OF A HAND CARRYING A LANCE AND BATTLE AXE WITH THE INSCRIPTION “I WILL RAISE UP HIS RUINS, I WILL BUILD IT AS IN THE DAYS OF OLD” Waddington Hall, another one time refuge for Henry VI after the battle of Hexham,…