Thwarted Queen (54 page)

HENRY PERCY, 3rd EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND
, (1421-1461), son of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Alainor de Neville, nephew to Cecylee. An important commander for the Lancastrian side during the Wars of the Roses, he was killed at the Battle of Towton, in March 1461.

HUMPHREY STAFFORD, 1st DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
(1402-1460), best known as a military commander during the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses, he was married to Cecylee’s sister Anne. He was killed at the Battle of Northampton, in 1460.

HENRY STAFFORD, 2nd DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
(1455-1483), son of Humphrey Stafford Earl Stafford, grandson of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Cecylee’s sister Anne. He was married to the Queen’s younger sister Catherine Woodville in April 1465, when he was around ten years old and she was seven. He was executed for treason by Cecylee’s son Richard III on November 2, 1483, because he supported Henry Tudor’s early bid for the throne.

RICHARD NEVILLE, 16th EARL OF WARWICK “WARWICK THE KINGMAKER”
, (1428-1471), son and heir of Richard Neville 5th Earl of Salisbury, and one of Cecylee’s nephews. He was married to Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick in around 1449, becoming the 16th Earl in right of his wife. After turning against his cousin Edward IV, he was killed at the Battle of Barnet in April, 1471.

GEORGE NEVILLE (born circa 1432, died 1476) ARCHBISHOP OF YORK from 1465, CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND
from 1460, was a younger brother to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known as “Warwick the Kingmaker”. He was one of Cecylee’s nephews.

ISABEL NEVILLE, DUCHESS OF CLARENCE, COUNTESS OF WARWICK and COUNTESS OF SALISBURY “BELLA”
(1451-1476), elder daughter and heiress of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and Anne Beauchamp. She married George, Duke of Clarence. in 1469, and died from the effects of childbirth in 1476. Cecylee was her mother-in-law.

ANNE NEVILLE, PRINCESS OF WALES and DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER “NANETTE”
(1456-1485), younger daughter and co-heiress of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and Anne Beauchamp. Married (a) Edouard, Prince of Wales and (b) Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III. Cecylee was her mother-in-law. She died in March 1485, probably from tuberculosis, though there were rumors at the time that she’d been poisoned by Richard III, because he wanted to marry his niece Elizabeth of York “Lady Bessy” and sire more children.

THE BEAUFORTS

CATRINE DE ROET
(1350-1404), also known as Lady Katherine Swynford. Cecylee’s grandmother, and Countess Joan’s mother. She married (a) Sir Hugh Swynford, and (b) John of Gaunt, third son of King Edward III.

HENRY, CARDINAL BEAUFORT
(born circa 1381, died 1447), youngest son of John of Gaunt and Catrine de Roet. Head of the Court Party until his death. He was one of Cecylee’s uncles.

JOAN DE BEAUFORT, COUNTESS OF WESTMORLAND
(born circa 1379, died 1440). Cecylee’s mother, and daughter of John of Gaunt and his third wife Catrine de Roet. Married (a) Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler of Wem (died circa 1395), and (b) Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland.

LADY MARY DE FERRERS
(born 1394). Cecylee’s half-sister, younger daughter of Joan de Beaufort and Robert Ferrers, married to her stepbrother Sir Ralph Neville The Older, a younger son of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and Margaret Stafford.

LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT
(1443-1509) daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp of Bletsoe. She was married to: (a) John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk in 1450, when she was seven years old; (the marriage was dissolved in 1453), (b) Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond in 1455, when she was twelve years old; (c) Sir Henry Stafford, younger son of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Anne Neville in 1462, when she was nineteen years old; (d) Thomas, Earl Stanley in 1472, when she was twenty-nine. Her only child was Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond (born when she was thirteen years old). He became King Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth. Lady Margaret was Cecylee’s first cousin once removed. She seems not to have had children after the birth of her son, and died only two months after his death, in June 1509.

EDMUND BEAUFORT, 2nd DUKE OF SOMERSET
(1406-1455), fourth son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. In 1436, he married in secret Lady Eleanor de Ros, née Beauchamp, daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his first wife Elizabeth de Berkeley. This unlicensed marriage was pardoned in 1438, and Edmund and Eleanor had ten children, including Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset. Edmund Beaufort succeeded Suffolk as head of the Court Party. He was possibly Queen Marguerite’s lover, and father of her son Édouard. Killed at the first Battle of St. Albans.

HENRY BEAUFORT (1436-1464), 3rd DUKE OF SOMERSET
from 1455, son of Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and Eleanor Beauchamp. He was the principal Lancastrian commander at the Lancastrian victories of the Battle of Wakefield (December 1460), and the Second Battle of St. Albans (February 1461). He was beheaded after the Battle of Hexham in May, 1464. He had no heirs.

THE BEAUCHAMPS

RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, 13th EARL OF WARWICK
(1382-1439), was the son of Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick and Margaret Ferrers. By the terms of Henry V’s will, he was made guardian to the infant King Henry VI. He married Elizabeth de Berkeley, with whom he had three daughters: Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury, Eleanor, Countess of Somerset and Elizabeth, Lady Latimer. By his second wife Isabel le Despencer, he had two children, Henry, who succeeded him as 14th Earl, and Anne, 16th Countess of Warwick who was married to Richard Neville, son and heir of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury.

MARGARET BEAUCHAMP, COUNTESS OF SHREWSBURY
(1404-1468), eldest daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his first wife Elizabeth de Berkeley. In 1425, she was married to John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. They had five children, including Lady Eleanor Talbot, the first wife of Edward IV. In ONE SEED, she is portrayed as Cecylee’s dearest friend and confidante.

ELEANOR BEAUCHAMP, DUCHESS OF SOMERSET
(1407-1467), second daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and Elizabeth de Berkeley. She was the wife of Richard’s nemesis Edmund Beaufort 2nd Duke of Somerset, and seems to have been a great friend to Queen Marguerite.

ELIZABETH BEAUCHAMP, “LISETTE”, LADY LATIMER
(born circa 1421, died 1480), youngest daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and Elizabeth de Berkeley. She was married to Cecylee’s brother George, Lord Latimer. In ONE SEED, she is portrayed as Cecylee’s enemy.

ISABEL LE DESPENCER, COUNTESS OF WORCESTER AND WARWICK
(1400-1439), married (a) Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester and (b) Richard de Beauchamp 13th Earl of Warwick, and cousin to her first husband. She was Lady Lisbet’s mother.

ELIZABETH DE BEAUCHAMP. “LISBET”, LADY OF BERGAVENNY
(born circa 1415), daughter of Isabel le Despencer, Countess of Worcester and Warwick and Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester. The wealthy Worcester heiress called “Lady of Bergavenny” was married to Cecylee’s brother Edward Neville, making him Lord of Bergavenny.

ANNE BEAUCHAMP, (1426-1492), 16th COUNTESS OF WARWICK
from 1448, was the daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his second wife Isabel le Despencer, she was married to Richard Neville, son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury. Following the deaths of her father (the 13th earl), brother (the 14th earl) and niece (the 15th countess), Anne became the 16th Countess of Warwick. Anne and Richard had two daughters, Lady Isabel Neville “Bella” and Lady Anne Neville “Nanette”. When her sons-in-law George, Duke of Clarence and Richard Duke of Gloucester fought over the rich Warwick-Salisbury inheritance, she was declared legally dead and “invited” to live with her younger son-in-law Richard Duke of Gloucester. It is not known what happened to Anne after Richard, Duke of Gloucester became King Richard III and her younger daughter Anne became Queen of England. She died in obscurity in 1492.

LADY ELEANOR TALBOT also known as LADY ELEANOR BUTLER
(born circa 1435, died 1468), youngest daughter to John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Margaret Beauchamp. She married (a) Sir Thomas Butler, (b) Edward IV. She was buried at the Carmelite Priory of Ludlow in June, 1468.

THE WOODVILLES

SIR RICHARD WOODVILLE (1405-1469), EARL RIVERS
from 1448, son of Richard Woodville, a squire from Maidstone, Kent, he was the father of Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England. He was executed in 1469 by the Earl of Warwick, known as “Warwick the Kingmaker.”

JACQUETTA DE ST POL, DUCHESS OF BEDFORD “JACQUETTA OF LUXEMBOURG”
(born circa 1416, died 1472). Married (a) John, Duke of Bedford (1389-1435) brother to King Henry V, (b) Sir Richard Woodville. She was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol and Margherita del Balzo of Andria. Jacquetta had no children with her first husband, but had nine daughters and five sons who survived to adulthood with Sir Richard Woodville, including Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England. During her lifetime, she was widely perceived to be a sorceress, and was accused of practicing the Black Arts to secure Edward IV as a husband for her daughter.

QUEEN ÉLISABETH WOODVILLE “THE SERPENT”
(born circa 1437, died 1492), eldest daughter of Sir Richard Woodville and Jacquetta de St Pol. Married (a) Sir John Grey of Groby (born circa 1432, died 1461), (b) King Edward IV (1442-1483). She was the mother of the
Little Princes in the Tower
. Cecylee was her mother-in-law.

SIR ANTHONY WOODVILLE, (born circa 1440, died 1483) BARON SCALES, 2nd EARL RIVERS
from 1469, eldest son and heir of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta de St Pol. He was brother to Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England. During his lifetime, Sir Anthony garnered a reputation for being a great jouster, a man of letters, and for piety. He was entrusted with the guardianship of Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward V, the son and heir of Edward IV. In June, 1483, he was executed by Richard of Gloucester.

SIR JOHN WOODVILLE
(1445-1469), brother to Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England, he married Cecylee’s sister Cath in January 1465, when he was nineteen and she was sixty-seven. At the time, this was called the
Diabolical Marriage
. He was executed in 1469 by the Earl of Warwick, known as “Warwick the Kingmaker.”

SIR EDWARD WOODVILLE “NED”
(born circa 1455, died 1488) a younger brother to Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England. Made Admiral of the Fleet by King Edward IV, he never married.

THOMAS GREY, 1st MARQUESS OF DORSET
(born circa 1454, died 1501), elder son of Élisabeth Woodville, Queen of England, by her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby. Deputy Constable of the Tower of London, he was married to (a) Anne Holland, daughter of Cecylee’s daughter Nan and (b) Cecily Bonville, a wealthy heiress and a grand-daughter of Richard Neville 5th Earl of Salisbury. It is possible that this grand-daughter was named after Salisbury’s famous sister Cecylee Neville.

SIR RICHARD GREY
(born circa 1457, died 1483), younger son of Queen Élisabeth Woodville by her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby. He was executed by Richard of Gloucester, on his way to becoming King Richard III.

EDWARD OF WESTMINSTER, PRINCE OF WALES
(1470-1483), uncrowned King Edward V from April 9, 1483. He was the son and heir of Edward IV and Élisabeth Woodville. One of the
Little Princes in the Tower
, he disappeared in the Tower of London in July 1483, and was probably murdered shortly thereafter. He is unlikely to have survived to adulthood since he had a serious ear infection that would have killed him, even if he hadn’t been murdered. He was one of Cecylee’s grandsons.

RICHARD OF SHREWSBURY (1473-1483) 1st DUKE OF YORK
from 1474, second son of Edward IV and Élisabeth Woodville, he was one of Cecylee’s grandsons. In January 1478, when he was about four years old, he married the five-year-old Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk, who had inherited the vast Mowbray estates in 1476. He was the younger of the
Little Princes in the Tower
. Like his elder brother, Edward V, Richard disappeared in July 1483, and was probably murdered shortly thereafter. Alternatively, he could have been smuggled on a boat to Burgundy, and returned to England in July, 1495, bearing the name
Perkin Warbeck.
Perkin Warbeck was executed by Henry VII in 1499.

ELIZABETH OF YORK “LADY BESSY”, QUEEN OF ENGLAND
(1466-1503), eldest daughter of King Edward IV and Élisabeth Woodville, and his heiress on the deaths of her brothers
The Little Princes in the Tower
, she was rumored to have had an unsavory liaison with her uncle Richard III. She married Henry VII in 1486 and founded the Tudor dynasty. One of Cecylee’s grand-daughters, she was the mother of Henry VIII, and died on her birthday, February 11, due to the effects of childbirth.

MISCELLANEOUS

BONA OF SAVOY
(1449-1503), younger sister of Charlotte of Savoy, who was Louis XI’s queen, was also considered as a possible bride for Edward IV. In 1468, she was married to Galeazzo Maria Sforza and became Duchess of Milan.

ISABELLA OF CASTILE
(1451-1504), daughter of John II of Castile, was also considered a possible bride for Edward IV. She married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, unified Spain, and became the mother of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. She was descended from John of Gaunt via his second marriage to Constanza of Castile.

JOHN MORTON, BISHOP OF ELY (1420-1500). ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY from 1486, CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND
from 1487. Originator of “Morton’s Fork” as a full-proof method of collecting fines.

JOHN TALBOT, 1st EARL OF SHREWSBURY
(1390-1453), the husband of Lady Margaret Beauchamp, he is remembered for his dashing bravery in trying to win back the territories around Bordeaux for the English. His murder by the French at Castillon is thought, by some historians, to have precipitated Henry VI’s 16-month bout of madness, which modern doctors think was probably catatonic schizophrenia.