-
Jasper Tudor – Stalwart of the Tudor Dynasty
Before we can talk about Jasper, we have to back up a bit and discuss his parents. His father was Owen Tudor, Owen ap Maredudd ap Tudur in the original Welsh. He was a Welsh courtier who had secured a place at court after the Glyndŵr Rising. All pretty normal. Here is where things get interesting. His mother was Katherine Valois, daughter of the French king and Dowager Queen of England. Wait, what?The Dowager Queen was coming out of an unsuccessful affair with Edmund Beaufort, the Duke of [...]
-
Catherine Woodville
Catherine Woodville was born in around 1458, the youngest child of fourteen born to her parents, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Countess Rivers and Baron Rivers, Richard Woodville. At aged 6, Catherine was married to the young Henry Stafford, later 2nd Duke of Buckingham who was three years older. Some sources claim that Henry wasn’t happy with the match feeling that Catherine was below him in status, however it is also conceivable that a nine year old boy would quite likely be unhappy to marry any girl. Whatever the circumstances, Catherine and Henry went on to have a fairly successful marriage. Following her sister’s coronation in 1465, during which the young Duke…
-
Lady Katherine Gordon- Wife of a Pretender
Highborn, beautiful and rich, Lady Katherine Gordon was an ideal wife for any young man. The daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly. There is some dispute if her mother was Princess Annabella, daughter of King James and Joan Beaufort, or the Earl’s third wife Elizabeth Hay. Either way, she was related to the Scottish royal family. The king called her his “tender cousin”. She was a catch. Whose hand did this luscious plum fall into? The answer is surprising. The end of the 1400s were not an easy time in Great Britain. Henry Tudor defeated Richard III to become Henry VII. Depending on who you asked, his crown…
-
Deaths of Richard Le Scrope and Thomas de Mowbray
Richard Le Scrope, born around 1450, was the third son of his parents, Baron Scrope of Masham and his wife Joan, and from a relatively early age, was destined for the Church. Following a rise up the ecclesiastical ladder, beginning with a small position as rector near Northallerton in 1368, Scrope was given subsequent positions as a warden at Tickhill Castle, deacon to Thomas Arundel, Bishop of Ely before eventually gaining a Papal consecration as Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield in 1386. As Scrope had taken time out to study both Canon and civil law at Cambridge graduating with doctorates in 1383, he was often called upon to attend secular…
-
The death of King Edward IV
During the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV reigned not once, but twice taking the crown for the Yorkists. His military skills and physical prowess earned him his reputation and fame. He was also an imposing figure reputedly standing 6 foot and 3 inches tall – almost a whole foot taller than the average male of the time. Edward was famous also as being something of a womaniser, allegedly having a number of mistresses. He went against convention and married a woman of his own choice, much to the frustrations of his advisers who were looking to make a politically advantageous marriage for him. His choice…
