(Cover Image - © The Neville Book of Hours)
One thing that is most certain is that there are so many fascinating figures throughout history that we often forget or dismiss the importance of many, especially women. There is a great saying that 'behind every strong man is an even stronger woman' and quite frankly, I believe this saying holds a lot of truth in terms of the Kings of old.
We have seen it many times in history where the Kings that we remember so fondly are only made famous because of the women they were associated with or, in the case of some, caused the downfall of. The famous tyrant Tudor King, Henry VIII, who only became King because of the tragic death of his older brother is arguably more remembered for his time as King not because of his tyrannical ways but because of the six wives that he had during his 55 years of life. Their names have marked him in history forevermore; Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Kleve, Katheryn Howard and Catherine Parr.
Henry VII, his father, is remembered in history for becoming King of England after the sacrifices that his mother, Margaret Beaufort, made for him to achieve that goal. Without her, he might never have become King and might be as forgotten to history as a nobody.
Even other men, though not Kings, that are famous to history are because of the women they affected. Peter III of Russia is known to history because of the fact that he was dethroned by his own wife Catherine the Great who practically humiliated him by doing so, Prasutagus, King of the Iceni, is only known because his wife, the famous Boudica, stood up against the forces of the Roman Empire after they attacked her lands and brutally raped/enslaved her daughters and other members of her family. The list goes on to even a century ago where men were made famous for taking credit of the achievements of women.
Women in history are either overlooked or brutally scruntized for their actions that, if a man had done them, would have been a strategic move on their part. Women of the past's achievements and strengths have become muted by the dominance of men.
The same can be said for the subject of today's post; Cecily Neville, the Duchess of York, the mother to two Kings (Edward IV and Richard III) whose importance to history is often overlooked and dismissed in favor of more noted figures. Known as the forgotten Plantagenet, today signifies the birth of Cecily Neville, a strong and outspoken woman who had a large part to play in British history and so we shall explore her life from birth to Edward IV and subsequently Richard III assuming the throne of England right up to when her son is defeated on the battlefield and the first Tudor King is crowned.
This is the first of two posts focusing on the life and death of Cecily Neville, make sure to subscribe if you would like to read part two!
So, without further ado, let us explore just who this amazing woman was.
Cecily Neville - Born with Royal roots
Cecily Neville was born, on 3rd May 1415 at the Neville stronghold of Raby Castle in Durham, into a very prestigious and high-standing Lancastrian family that had established royal roots that increased the chances of any future male offspring Cecily bore becoming King. Cecily, known as 'Rose of the Raby', was the youngest of fourteen (yes, can you believe that) children belonging to her parents; Ralph Neville, the Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort (who is the great grandmother of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII). It is important to note that Joan Beaufort was the legitimate daughter of John of Gaunt and his 'scandalous duchess' Katherine Swynford which meant that Cecily's maternal great-grandfather was King Edward III as John of Gaunt was his third surviving son. That meant that she had royal links on her mother's side but through her father's side of the family, she would become the aunt to the notorious figure known as the Kingmaker; Richard, Earl of Warwick.
Cecily had been born into a great family and rest assured, her father would waste no time in ensuring that she made her future offspring have a place in British history, whether or not Cecily was willing.
Not much is known about Cecily's life or education but it can be assumed that, due to her father's plans for her to marry a man of high-standing and intend for her to rise to the rank of royalty, she would have received at least a basic education in learning how to run a household, speak foreign languages, have a basic understanding of political matters etc. It is most certain that she was able to read and write efficiently from a young age as proven by surviving letters to her children and her being noted to have a strict supervision over the education of her children.
Between the ages of eight and ten, Cecily's father betrothed her to his thirteen-year-old long-standing ward; Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York. Richard had become her father's ward after becoming orphaned by the death of his traitor parents because he was the heir to a rather large fortune and a potential claim to the throne of England. Cecily's father hoped that by betrothing his youngest daughter to a potential future King, his family's fortunes and status would only continue to grow. The Nevilles at this time were a very powerful and dangerous family, mind you. Once she reached maturity at the age of fourteen, Cecily married Richard Plantagenet in 1429 and they were said to be a very happy couple and 'very deeply in love with one another'.
Sadly, the first nine years of their marriage proved to be a 'long time of barrenness' with the couple struggling to conceive a child. For her marriage to be advantageous for her father, Cecily needed to provide sons and quickly, should her husband wish to assert his claim upon the throne. Thankfully, in 1438, at the age of 23, Cecily gave birth to her first child, Anne. It is said that her husband was delighted with the birth of their first child, despite her not being the son they both probably wished for, as it meant that the couple could have more children, and indeed they did.
Cecily ended up giving birth to a total of twelve children, seven of whom survived infancy and they go as follows:
Anne of York (born on 10th August 1439 - 14th January 1476) who married Henry Holland, the Duke of Exeter and then her second husband was Sir Thomas St. Leger, Henry of York (born/died on 10th February 1441) but sadly died not long after birth, Edward IV of England (born on 28th April 1442 - 9th April 1483) her eldest surviving son who become King of England, Edmund, Earl of Rutland (born on 17th May 1443 - 30th December 1460) who was sadly killed at the Battle of Wakefield, Elizabeth of York or Elizabeth Plantagenet (born on 22nd April 1444 - died circa.1503) who is not to be mistaken as the wife of Henry VII (she is most likely her namesake) and who was the wife of John de la Pole, the Duke of Suffolk, Margaret of York (born on 3rd May 1446 - 23rd November 1503) who married Charles I, the Duke of Burgundy, who become Duchess Consort of Burgundy, William of York (born on 7th July 1447, date of death unknown) and John of York (born on 7th November 1448, date of death unknown) both of whom died young, presumably under the age of five, George Plantagenet, the 1st Duke of Clarence (born on 21st October 1449 - 18th February 1478) who married Isabelle Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville the Kingmaker, and who tried to dethrone his brother (and accused his sister-in-law of witchcraft) which led to him being executed by his brother Edward IV, Thomas of York (born circa.1450/1451) who also died young, Richard III of England (born 2nd October 1452 - 22nd August 1485) who claimed his brother was illegitimate and usurped the crown from his nephews (and is said to have murdered them) who was killed by the future King Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth, and finally Ursula of York (born on 22nd July 1455) who sadly died young with no recorded date of death.
From the large number of children, the belief that Cecily and Richard were happy in their marriage can safely be seen as truthful to some extent as can be seen through his complete trust in his wife to act on his behalf in business or political matters as well as the fact that he lavished affection on her through huge sums being sent on gifts of clothing and jewelry for her.
Now, as mentioned earlier, Cecily's husband, Richard Plantagenet, had a potential claim to the throne that was even stronger than the current King's; Henry VI. It was his claim that made him a leading claimant and important figure in the Wars of the Roses. Richard was a direct male-line descendant of Edmund of Langley, the fourth surviving son of King Edward III, which meant that he had a direct claim to the throne. His mother's heritage also strengthened his claim as his mother, Anne Mortimer, was a descendant of another of Edward III's sons, Lionel of Antwerp, his second surviving son. And when the King Henry VI succumbed to a bout of insanity, Cecily's husband Richard (a kinsman of the King) was appointed Lord Protector of the Realm. It was at this point that things become messy and frightening for Cecily.
Without confusing you with too many details in one small post, at the time of the King's bout of madness, Cecily was with her youngest children; Margaret, George and Richard, and they would see their mother go through some of the most traumatizing and painful years of her life. Whilst her husband made an unsuccessful bid for the throne of England, Cecily was supervising the education of her children, ensuring that they knew how to read and write in case they were ever separated and needed to communicate via secret letters. Unfortunately, Cecily's fears of being separated from her children were realized not long after.
You see, merely two months after her husband was appointed Lord Protector of the Realm, the Queen, the fierce Margaret of Anjou (a woman of whom we shall explore at a later point) had given birth to a son, Edward of Lancaster. This proved dangerous for Cecily's husband's cause as it meant another rival for the throne. Soon after, the Yorkists spread rumors about the legitimacy of Margaret's son that he was not the son of the feeble-minded King but of the Duke of Somerset, essentially accusing her of adultery. Margaret of Anjou, just like Cecily, was a 'strong labored woman' who fiercely defended her newborn son and his right to the throne until her husband, the King, recovered from his bout of madness and when receiving his son, declared him as his yet added further doubt that he was Edward's father by claiming Edward had been 'fathered by the Holy Ghost'. Many believed this to be a symptom of the King's latent madness.
Cecily's husband was removed from office once the King returned which deeply upset the married couple as his attempt to claim the throne had made him an enemy to the Queen, who was suspicious of him now that she had regained her control of the government. Richard felt he had no other choice but to gather an army with his brother-in-law Richard Neville, the Earl of Salisbury, and his nephew Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick and the famous Kingmaker. The King also assembled an army with his Yorkist forces and the Queen's favorite (and suspected lover) the Duke of Somerset. The armies met on the 22nd May 1455 at the famous Battle of St. Albans where Cecily's husband triumphed. Not only had he killed the Queen's favorite, the Duke of Somerset, but the King had been wounded by an arrow and therefore captured by Richard's forces. He was then appointed Protector of the Realm.
But how did her son Edward IV become King if he had to fight for it, you may ask. Wouldn't he have inherited it from his father if he became King?
Well, Cecily's husband never becomes King as the fierce and determined Margaret of Anjou never allows it to happen. Not long after, the Queen gathers an army and a battle goes on where Cecily's husband loses all of his estates and fortune. Another battle happens with the help of Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, but it ends again with Cecily's husband proving triumphant. To save a lot of time detailing how many times each side defeats the other, it is easier to say that Margaret of Anjou put up a good fight with defending her husband's and son's claim to the throne. Unfortunately, all of this fighting meant that Cecily was separated from her children numerous times as she sent her two younger sons (George and Richard) to safety in the court of the Duke of Burgundy where their sister was.
Sadly, Cecily's husband Richard was killed in 1460 during the Battle of Wakefield alongside their son Edmund. She was not told of the news until some weeks later and was informed that her husband's dying wish was for her to continue to pursue their family's claim to the throne through their eldest son, Edward who had remained in London with her in what was known as the Yorkist's stronghold.
Determined to do right by her now dead husband, Cecily ensured she protected Edward's own claim to the throne (showing her own ambition that might have stemmed from her family) and it is that decision that meant that in February 1461 at Mortimer's Cross, after fighting and defeating the armies of the Lancastrian forces with his cousin Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, once again coming to his aid, Edward was crowned King Edward IV. With the war seemingly over, Cecily must have felt a deep relief to know that all of her hard work and the tragic deaths of her husband and son were not done in vain. Immediately following her son's victory, her youngest brothers returned from Burgundy to their mother's care where she is said to have wept tears of joy from being reunited with them after so much hardship.
Her eldest son becomes King - Cecily remains strong
With her eldest son now the King of England with the help of his cousin, the Earl of Warwick, who was now being called the Kingmaker, Cecily wanted to make her son and the Earl of Warwick aware of the importance of her son marrying a foreign bride and swiftly. The best way for her son's claim to the throne to be secure is through an arranged marriage with a foreign princess or high-ranking royal that could offer an alliance and support if the King was threatened by other claimants to the throne. The Earl of Warwick understood this and went about swiftly engaging in negotiations with the King of France, England’s long time frenemy if you will (as they were always going between being enemies and allies throughout history), to secure Bona of Savoy’s hand in marriage. Both Cecily and Warwick believed the match would bring about much protection and security for Edward and that if the marriage should go ahead, Edward would have be swift to secure a male heir to the throne as at this point in time, he had already been involved with many young maidens and been open about his lust for women.
And, as the mother to the King, Cecily’s own power and status were at risk therefore it was important that Cecily maintained control over her son and she worked very hard at it. One observer during a council meeting with the King and the King’s mother present stated that Cecily ‘can rule the King as she pleases’ and held a great influence over him, at least until his scandalous marriage.
What Cecily did not expect was to be informed by the Earl of Warwick that Edward revealed he had secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner who was the widow of Lancastrian knight John Grey who had died in 1464. Edward’s secret marriage had ruined everything that Cecily and Warwick had planned for him as the King of France soon heard the news and scoffed at the idea of marrying Bona to a King who shamed her so openly. Cecily was furious with her son for being both deceitful and stupid through his actions. Warwick, on the other hand, was finding it all amusing and assured Cecily that the marriage was invalid because he was both in negotiations with France at the time it was said to have taken place and he had heard rumors of Edward apparently being secretly married to a Elizabeth Lucy after she too, like Elizabeth Woodville, refused to become the King’s mistress and he chose to marry her to claim her maidenhood. Elizabeth Woodville was no maiden, as could be seen through her two sons from her first marriage, and when the King allegedly tried to rape her after she refused his advances, she threatened either to kill herself unless he married or something along those lines.
Warwick’s amusement was swiftly shattered, as was Cecily’s patience, when Edward declared their marriage was indeed valid and consummated and that Elizabeth was to be crowned Queen of England. Furious at the betrayal, Warwick joined forces with Edward’s younger brother; George, the Duke of Clarence, and allied with the Lancastrian forces, what made it even worst was that Warwick and George planned for George to marry Warwick’s eldest daughter, Isabelle, and strengthen their alliance.
Everything was going wrong for Cecily in 1469, as she must have been furious at being betrayed by two of her sons as well as a trusted ally. Although Cecily wished to protect the interests of her eldest son at all times, it is clear through her awareness of her son George’s plans that she was also protecting him too. There was no way that Cecily would argue against her second-born son marrying the most eligible heiress in all of England as it would secure his future as much as Edward’s. I believe that she turned her attention to fixing the relationship between her two sons without overstepping her boundaries. What made it worst is that George and Warwick’s change of alliance came with a price; George claimed that his older brother Edward was indeed illegitimate and that he, George, was the rightful King of England. Cecily had not expected her son to rebel against his brother, especially not so soon after his coronation.
Words could not describe how betrayed Cecily must have felt from her son as he accused his mother of having an affair with an archer called Blaybourne whilst her husband was stationed at Rouen. Whether or not George believed it to be true, it meant war between the brothers and Warwick was pulling the strings by marrying his eldest daughter Isabelle to George as promised and his youngest Anne to the son of Henry VI and the poisonous Margaret of Anjou, Edward, who lived in hiding in France. This meant that Cecily was running out of options as Warwick and George were being serious in their rebellion and another war was certainly not what Cecily wanted. Although she said little on the claim of Edward being illegitimate, she was outspoken in her desire to reconcile her warring sons as she travelled to Sandwich, where George and Warwick were, to resolve the issue.
Before she travelled to Sandwich though, it is important to note that she had played host to many high standing members of the court who were allied with her enemies such as lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of the future Henry VII, to ensure that there would not be another rebellion from within the court. When Warwick and George’s rebellion failed, Cecily’s nerves did not rest as her daughter-in-law Elizabeth Woodville had given birth to a daughter, not the son that they all desperately needed. It didn’t help that when Warwick and George rebelled again in 1470 shortly following the birth of Edward and Elizabeth’s second daughter Cecily, named after his mother, Edward and Elizabeth were separated and forced into hiding. It is even said that this time, Cecily had shown support for George after falling out of favor with Edward for his choice of bride.
Thankfully, in 1471, Edward regained his throne for good and swiftly took his family to join his mother at Baynard’s Castle. Edward’s reign was secured with even more daughters and two sons to claim the throne upon his death.
Though her troubles with keeping the peace between her sons was far from over.
Upon the death of his wife Isabel, George began speaking out against the Queen and accusing her of using witchcraft to kill his wife because his earlier rebellions had caused the death of her father and one of her brothers. Elizabeth, the Queen, of course denied the claims of witchcraft and stated that George should respect her as the Queen. Edward also backed his wife up by stating that George was overcome with grief but as the threats, accusations and once again rumor of Edward’s illegitimacy kept coming, Edward was forced to take action against his ‘deranged’ brother by imprisoning him on the charges of treason.
Cecily must have felt frightened all over again. The only good thing she could count on was the fact that all three of her sons had male heirs to secure their claim to the throne, as Richard had now married the widow Anne Neville in recent years. But having her sons warring once more was something that Cecily could not handle and it became too much for her when Edward declared that George was guilt of treason against the Crown and would be executed without hesitation.
In 1478, George’s execution was coming swiftly and all of the preparations for a very public execution were being made. Determined to save her son from suffering a public and humiliating death, Cecily pleaded with her son, the King, to make George’s death more private and to allow him the choice of how his death was carried out. Out of love and duty to his mother, Edward agreed and it is said that George was drowned in a butt of wine as a snub to his brother.
And when Edward IV died suddenly in 1483, Cecily once again took control of the situation, wanting to ensure that Elizabeth Woodville, now Queen Regent whilst her eldest son was too young to rule by himself, remained an ally and did as she was told. Unfortunately, her only surviving son Richard had other plans.
Richard III vs Henry Tudor – Cecily must survive once again
Soon after removing Elizabeth Woodville and Cecily from the Princes, Richard had them placed in the Tower of London for their ‘protection’ whilst what he was really doing was usurping his nephews’ thrones. Alike George, Richard also repeated the claim of Edward’s illegitimacy and declared that Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth was invalid because he was precontracted in a marriage with Bona of Savoy.
Dealing with false claims was not new to Cecily and with her grandsons safe in the Tower of London, she could deal with her traitorous son in time. What no one expected was for the Princes to go missing and be assumed dead with Richard crowning himself King shortly after, raising suspicion that he had murdered them in a struggle for power. What allies Richard had, he lost quickly as the growing threat of Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian with a claim to the throne, became more and more important with each passing day.
At this point, Cecily had grown angry with Richard and appeared to cut off all communication with him and a letter written by Richard to Cecily seems to prove it although others believe that if there was animosity between them, the following words would make no sense;
“Madam, I heartily beseech you that I may often hear from you to my comfort”
But that did not mean that when Richard was brutally murdered and defeated by Henry Tudor in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, she was not distraught over her last surviving son’s death. Cecily had grown more and more religious during the last few years of her son Edward’s reign and this had only deepened during Richard’s short reign. She also remained on good terms with both of her son’s wives; Elizabeth Woodville and Anne Neville and was said to be deeply hurt when the latter’s death was announced shortly before Richard went to battle.
With Henry Tudor’s ascension upon the throne and little allies left, Cecily had to keep her wits about her and there was one person of whom she could protect in this new and troubling world; her granddaughter Elizabeth of York, the new King’s betrothed. We shall find out how Cecily survives during the reign of Henry VII in part two but before now, let’s just quickly discuss her portrayal by actress Caroline Goodall in The White Queen.
The White Queen – was it a true representation?
(Caroline Goodall as Cecily Neville - © The White Queen)
Cecily Neville has a large part to play in The White Queen miniseries although there are some discrepancies in the accuracy of which her life and character is portrayed. We first meet Cecily in episode one where she meets with the new Queen Elizabeth Woodville and her mother Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Cecily is hostile towards Elizabeth as she denies her as Edward’s wife and refuses to accept her as Queen. Jacquetta, who acts as Elizabeth’s mouthpiece in this situation, hurls the Queen’s apparent ‘secret’ affair in Cecily’s face and tries to make her regret messing with her daughter. Cecily is at a loss for words and seems to submit to the two women, making Elizabeth happy to know that she has the power in this situation and over Edward’s mother. In later episodes, we even see Cecily use the ‘secret affair’ against Elizabeth when George rebels against Edward, saying that she could disown her son in favor of George just to ensure that Elizabeth is not Queen.
The main issue I have with this portrayal, although I love how Caroline embodied her strong and fierce nature in later episodes, is how weak and easily outwitted Cecily is portrayed. Whilst the records show that initially Cecily was appalled by Edward’s choice of queen in Elizabeth and it is plausible to assume that an argument such as this would have occurred in real life, Cecily would have never allowed such an accusation to beat her down. Cecily, known as Proud Cis, would have stood up against Elizabeth and Jacquetta who were of a lower standing than her, especially since she would have brought up how the claim of her son’s illegitimacy would have had an impact on Elizabeth since, if the claims were true, she would have married an illegitimate King who might cast her aside if he was dethroned as a result of her poverty. Furthermore, I believe Cecily would have fought back against the claims if Elizabeth and Jacquetta had used them against her in real life; Cecily was more powerful and strategic than both of them and would have known how to play the system especially since there was no evidence to suggest Edward was illegitimate other than rumors planted by the enemy.
Even more so, with the show portraying Cecily and Elizabeth as enemies throughout its entirety, that is also something I find to be historically inaccurate. It can be seen in the records that Cecily, at one point in Elizabeth’s early days of Queenship, loaned one of her longest serving and most trusted gentlewoman to become a part of the Queen’s household and further down the line, the two can be seen trusting one another when danger arises, especially in terms of securing Elizabeth’s son as King when Edward dies. These events take place within the show and the evidence indicates that if there was any lingering tension between the two women, it is very swiftly resolved as the women are more focused on surviving rather than bickering. The show does not take advantage of this and instead shows a more fictionalized, drama-intense version of history, taking into considering that the show is based off Philippa Gregory’s fictionalized version of history.
What will become of Cecily now that her sons are all dead and that her granddaughter must now marry their enemy?
Find out in Cecily Neville: Part Two.
Until then….
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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