In 2012 the skeleton of Richard III was found under a parking lot in Leicester. The event started an interest in me to know more about him and the discovery. I read two books connected to Richard III;
The Search for Richard III - The King's Grave by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones and
Richard III and the Princes in the Tower by A.J. Pollard. It also generated a visit to Leicester and
Richard III's tomb, as well as a reading of Shakespeare's
Richard III. There was something missing though.
One question was never answered; why was there not more written about Richard III's claim that he was the legitimate heir, since Edward IV was already married to Eleanore Talbot, when he entered into matrimony with Elizabeth Woodville. There were parliamentary documents which showed that this was the case. But how are they to be interpreted?
As always it is a complicated political matter. Richard III's ascent to the throne was surrounded by chock and a lot of resistant from various parts. The disappearance of the Princes in the Tower was another question, more urgent, as well as the fact that he only ruled for two years, before he died at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, defeated by Henry Tudor. Tudor, who married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York, in order to legitimatise his own power, was not interested in hearing that she was illegitimate.
While visiting the beautiful Richard III museum in Leicester, I found a book about Eleanor Talbot.
Eleanor, The Secret Queen. The Woman who put Richard III on the Throne by John Ashdown-Hill. There is not very much known about Eleanor, but Ashdown-Hill has done his research well. It is a very interesting story, especially with all the complications that such a marriage implied, not only for Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, but also for Richard III and Henry VII.
"Eleanor had been born under the sign of Pisces, and either by fate or by chance, she was to grow up with many of the characteristics traditionally ascribed to that star sign, for she was gentle, sensitive, idealistic and perhaps even somewhat passive. A girl who needed her own space, she would also ultimately develop a bent towards contemplation and mysticism."
Since there is not much information on Eleanor herself, Ashdown-Hill has concentrated on her family and how life was lived at the time. Sometimes it reads a little bit too academic, and not always relevant to the story. However, if you are interested in history, it is an interesting analyses of the days. It also shows how little women had to say about their own lives. Ashdown-Hill argues, and shows documents to prove his point, that Eleanor was married to Edward IV.
Like for Richard III (until recently) nobody knows where Eleanor is buried. Ashdown-Hill's detective work has taken him to a possible burial point, but it cannot, today, be determined that the remains found belonged to Eleanor or not. It you, like me, are interested in historical mysteries, it is a fascinating book to read and conclusions well documented where possible. Usually, royal weddings are a public affair. But in the case of Edward the IV, it seems he married on his own accord, not only once, but twice. Without consulting the proper authorities. It is fascinating to consider the consequences, as Ashdown-Hill puts it:
"Why then has Eleanor been so completely neglected? She is, in her own way, a key figure of English history, a veritable 'Cleopatra's nose'. If her marriage to Edward IV had been acknowledged in her lifetime, if she had actually been enthroned and crowned as England's queen-consort, all subsequent history must have been different. The house of York might still have been reigning today, in a separate kingdom, never united to Scotland. The despotic, paranoid Tudors would have remained unheard of outside their native Wales. Enormous consequences would flow from all this. The English Reformation, which sprang from Henry VIII's dynastic and financial crises, and was neither generally desired nor supported by the English populace, have preserved to the present day their unrivalled cultural heritage. No Tudors would mean no Stuarts; no Civil War; no Oliver Cromwell. The story goes on and on. It all turns on Eleanor."
It is a staggering thought of what might, or might not have been. Historians do not agree on whether Eleanor and Edward were actually married or not. How should the text of the document be interpreted? If they were married, why did not her family, or herself, come forward when he married Elizabeth Woodville? We will probably never know the true details, but it is yet another interesting and fascinating historical mystery.
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