(Cover Image - © The Neville Book of Hours)
Cecily Neville had lived a life filled with constant danger, uncertain times and a persistence to survive whatever was thrown her way. She is remembered for being a strong, pious and outspoken woman, the mother to two Kings of England and the grandmother to Elizabeth of York, the white rose Princess who sealed the alliance between the roses with her marriage to Henry VII.
But what most people forget is that her story did not end with the death of her sole surviving son, Richard III. What you might not know is that the very thing that we remember Cecily for, her intelligence and strategy, is what kept her alive and secure during the reign of Henry VII.
Whilst the death of her son, Richard, would have been difficult to bear especially with the new Tudor King upon the throne, Cecily would not have had time to sit around weeping over her lost family, no. She would now have to use her wit and intelligence to find a way to continue to prosper like she had done in the past, she had to adapt and she had to do it quickly. Fortunately for her, her daughter-in-law Elizabeth Woodville had supported Margaret Beaufort's campaign to put her son Henry Tudor on the throne rather than the current tyrant and apparent murderer of her sons, Richard III. It was because of Elizabeth and Margaret's alliance that she was able to secure not only her daughter but the remaining members of her family security, Cecily included, as many unmarried family members were married off to Tudors or their allies to symbolize their support for the new King.
Cecily, of course, was much too old for marriage and, in the eyes of Margaret Beaufort, did not need to show her support towards the new dynasty as Cecily got straight to making sure she herself was safe. Cecily soon reinvented her identity from being "mother to the King" to "the queen's grandmother", as she was trying to remove any knowledge of her son(s) from people's memory. As Cecily reinvented her identity, she dove deeper and deeper into her religion and had some influence over her grandchildren's religious activities as well, attending church with some of the female members of her remaining family on a regular basis. In fact, it was because of her piousness and her experience in politics that she was able to work closely with Henry VII during the years of 1485 to 1495 as she advised him on who to trust in court (which allowed her to appoint some of his counselors as executors of her will).
She was even trusted to be able to make decisions in some of her great-grandchildren's lives by the King and Queen as she still had influence over the court and was known for her strict manner when it came to handling the Tudor heirs.
Cecily spent the last years of her life in comfort and still maintained a high status within the King's court when she died at the age of eighty on 31st May 1495. She was buried in her family's tomb at the Church of St Mary and All Saints in Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire alongside her son Richard and their son Edmund. She was beloved and respected by all those who attended her funeral, including the King and Queen.
It is also important to note that all British monarchs to follow her great-grandson Henry VIII are all related to her and so she holds a great importance in history.
May she rest in peace.
Until next time...
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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