Yvonne Morley

#WarsoftheRoses OTD in 1484 - a watershed moment occurred. Elizabeth Woodville left sanctuary with her daughters & formally reconciled with #RichardIII. Would she have taken this step if she truly believed Richard had ordered the murder of her two young sons the #PrincesintheTower mere months before? It’s worth remembering that Elizabeth had been living in safety & considerable comfort in the sanctuary Cheneygates mansion since 1 May 1483. Yes, Richard had been attempting for sometime by March 1484 to persuade Elizabeth & her daughters to leave sanctuary & join his court, but there was no suggestion even from his enemies that he was considering removing them by force. Elizabeth could therefore have continued residing at Cheneygates (& acting as a thorn in Richard’s side in the heart of Westminster) for as long as she wished. Therefore it would be difficult to argue that Elizabeth was acting under duress. So why did she do it? It is often argued that Elizabeth’s primary motivation at this time was concern for her daughters’ futures. The argument runs that Richard’s promise to find them good husbands was sufficient to persuade their mother to entrust their safety to him (even if he had recently caused the deaths of their brothers.) As you can tell it’s the bit in parenthesis, which I find wholly unconvincing. We should bear in mind that the exiled claimant Henry Tudor had made a public pledge to marry the eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, three months earlier on Christmas Day 1483. Elizabeth of York was also only 18 years old at this point & her sisters were all younger. Time remained on their side as regards the marriage market. They & their mother could have afforded to play a waiting game if they had wanted. And if you truly thought someone responsible for the murders of your sons & brothers, you’d want to do exactly that wouldn’t you in order to cause him maximum harm & inconvenience & to preserve your own safety? There is an alternative explanation. Elizabeth Woodville knew her sons remained alive & that she was considering their future as well as that of her daughters when she came to terms with Richard on 1 March 1484. The tomb of John Evans, with all its unusual #EdwardV iconography is located in Coldridge (right image.) The potential for Coldridge being the secret new home of the elder prince is strengthened by Richard granting the manor to his trusted retainer Robert Markenfield on 3 March 1484 & ordering him to reside there. This decree is dated only two days after Richard’s reconciliation with Elizabeth Woodville. Philippa Langley has suggested Markenfield’s mission may well have been to guard Edward V under the assumed name of John Evans. In this scenario Edward’s mother’s emergence from sanctuary & reconciliation with Richard III makes much more sense.

It's true! Once January's over EVERYTHING gets better. For the whole of February @TheKingsMother is just 99p on Kindle. Perfect for reading in bed when it's dark outside and the weather's awful! #Cecily #WarsoftheRoses #MargaretofAnou #ElizabethWoodvile #MargaretBeaufort