As promised, this is a book review.
*insert here some sort of opening sequence that indicates that this is a book review, the sort that would be there if this were a YouTube video*
So, a couple of weeks ago, I read the sequel (of sorts) to the previous two books that I had reviewed; Philippa Gregory's The White Princess. Now, the book is based on the life of Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV and my least favourite Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, who would have been Queen in her own right if it was 2014. But it was really 1485, so Elizabeth became Queen only when she married Henry Tudor.
At the beginning of the story, all of the York clan, with the exception of Cecily, who I love, were quick to accuse Henry of being a usurper, marching into England with a less than concrete claim and taking the throne for himself, previous descendants of Edward III be damned. To them (now dead for over 500 years) I say "Way to throw stones from inside your glass house!"
Because Edward IV (father of the books protagonist Elizabeth of York) was a usurper too. He seized the throne from the Lancastrian rulers, with a claim perhaps a bit less tenuous than the new king Henry's, but still just a claim. And when he was declared King, did he kill the old King honourably, on the battle field? No, he did not. He murdered the poor Henry VI as he slept in the Tower (of London).
As you can tell, I am not a fan of the House of York. My favourites were the Hanoverians. Or maybe the Angevins. I can't choose.
Anyway, despite being narrated from the point of view and with the aim to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth (wife of Henry, not wife of Edward), the story dealt with what might have happened to her two brothers - the notorious mystery of the Princes in the Tower.
The fact, simply, are as follows: When Edward IV died, his twelve year-old son became King Edward V. As the new King marched to London from Wales, he was stopped by his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who took him to the Tower of London, and kept him locked in there "for his safety", along with his younger brother (and first in line to the throne), Richard of Shrewsbury. After a while, it was declared that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville's marriage had been a sham, and that their children were illegitimate, and Richard seized the throne himself, completely ignoring Edward of Warwick in the process (Poor guy. He was overlooked at all the times when he shouldn't have been, and paid attention to when he didn't want it, something that led to his execution. I feel a little bit sorry for him). One fine day, Edward V and his brother Richard disappeared from the Tower, never to be seen again.
And no one knew what happened to them. No one knows to this day.
Every royal historian and random person who just picked up a book on the subject and started to read has their own theory about what happened to the Princes in the Tower (The name is a bit of a misnomer, because they weren't both Princes. One of them was a King, which is the whole reason why anyone was in the Tower in the first place). Were they killed? Did they escape? Did they just die of illness, which would not have been so implausible considering that this was the 15th century and medicine hadn't advanced very much? The most famous theory, Shakespeare's, was conveyed through his play, Richard III, in which it is said that Richard killed his two nephews to cement his status as King. But in The White Princess, not both boys are dead. Not yet.
During the reign of Henry VII, an imposter named Perkin Warbeck claimed to be the younger son of Edward IV. He fought long and hard to defend his claim, but in the end he was executed. It was never known whether Warbeck was truly Richard of Shrewsbury, but Philippa Gregory certainly seems to think so. In The White Queen, she writes about Elizabeth Woodville placing a curse on the man who killed her sons, saying that his son will die young, and his grandson, and ultimately his line will end in women.
That's the Tudors. Henry VII's eldest son Arthur died when he was 15,as did his grandson Edward VI, also dead at 15, and ultimately the Tudor dynasty came to an end with Queen Elizabeth - a woman. While there is no record of such a curse being placed on anyone (and if there was a record, it would probably be complete hokum), the fact that Ms. Gregory writes about it, and tailors it perfectly to match the actual fate of a dynasty, means that she believes that King Henry VII killed the boy(s), to get rid of any rival claimant once and for all.
Even though it is based a trifle on speculation, The White Princess is a lovely read. Old Elizabeth Woodville, by then the Dowager Queen, dies at some point in the middle, much to the relief of both Henry VII and myself, and I found it hilarious to imagine the future Henry VIII as a sulky and vain little boy, stuffing himself as feasts and standing on the table and singing.
Give it a read. But don't give it a read until you have read the previous books in the series about the House of York. I mean, you can, but it's best read in chronological order.
Just, do what you want.
N
*insert here some sort of opening sequence that indicates that this is a book review, the sort that would be there if this were a YouTube video*
So, a couple of weeks ago, I read the sequel (of sorts) to the previous two books that I had reviewed; Philippa Gregory's The White Princess. Now, the book is based on the life of Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV and my least favourite Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, who would have been Queen in her own right if it was 2014. But it was really 1485, so Elizabeth became Queen only when she married Henry Tudor.
At the beginning of the story, all of the York clan, with the exception of Cecily, who I love, were quick to accuse Henry of being a usurper, marching into England with a less than concrete claim and taking the throne for himself, previous descendants of Edward III be damned. To them (now dead for over 500 years) I say "Way to throw stones from inside your glass house!"
Because Edward IV (father of the books protagonist Elizabeth of York) was a usurper too. He seized the throne from the Lancastrian rulers, with a claim perhaps a bit less tenuous than the new king Henry's, but still just a claim. And when he was declared King, did he kill the old King honourably, on the battle field? No, he did not. He murdered the poor Henry VI as he slept in the Tower (of London).
As you can tell, I am not a fan of the House of York. My favourites were the Hanoverians. Or maybe the Angevins. I can't choose.
Anyway, despite being narrated from the point of view and with the aim to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth (wife of Henry, not wife of Edward), the story dealt with what might have happened to her two brothers - the notorious mystery of the Princes in the Tower.
The fact, simply, are as follows: When Edward IV died, his twelve year-old son became King Edward V. As the new King marched to London from Wales, he was stopped by his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who took him to the Tower of London, and kept him locked in there "for his safety", along with his younger brother (and first in line to the throne), Richard of Shrewsbury. After a while, it was declared that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville's marriage had been a sham, and that their children were illegitimate, and Richard seized the throne himself, completely ignoring Edward of Warwick in the process (Poor guy. He was overlooked at all the times when he shouldn't have been, and paid attention to when he didn't want it, something that led to his execution. I feel a little bit sorry for him). One fine day, Edward V and his brother Richard disappeared from the Tower, never to be seen again.
And no one knew what happened to them. No one knows to this day.
Every royal historian and random person who just picked up a book on the subject and started to read has their own theory about what happened to the Princes in the Tower (The name is a bit of a misnomer, because they weren't both Princes. One of them was a King, which is the whole reason why anyone was in the Tower in the first place). Were they killed? Did they escape? Did they just die of illness, which would not have been so implausible considering that this was the 15th century and medicine hadn't advanced very much? The most famous theory, Shakespeare's, was conveyed through his play, Richard III, in which it is said that Richard killed his two nephews to cement his status as King. But in The White Princess, not both boys are dead. Not yet.
During the reign of Henry VII, an imposter named Perkin Warbeck claimed to be the younger son of Edward IV. He fought long and hard to defend his claim, but in the end he was executed. It was never known whether Warbeck was truly Richard of Shrewsbury, but Philippa Gregory certainly seems to think so. In The White Queen, she writes about Elizabeth Woodville placing a curse on the man who killed her sons, saying that his son will die young, and his grandson, and ultimately his line will end in women.
That's the Tudors. Henry VII's eldest son Arthur died when he was 15,as did his grandson Edward VI, also dead at 15, and ultimately the Tudor dynasty came to an end with Queen Elizabeth - a woman. While there is no record of such a curse being placed on anyone (and if there was a record, it would probably be complete hokum), the fact that Ms. Gregory writes about it, and tailors it perfectly to match the actual fate of a dynasty, means that she believes that King Henry VII killed the boy(s), to get rid of any rival claimant once and for all.
Even though it is based a trifle on speculation, The White Princess is a lovely read. Old Elizabeth Woodville, by then the Dowager Queen, dies at some point in the middle, much to the relief of both Henry VII and myself, and I found it hilarious to imagine the future Henry VIII as a sulky and vain little boy, stuffing himself as feasts and standing on the table and singing.
 |
| Not actually Henry. |
Just, do what you want.
N
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