Soundtrack:
Throw The House Out The Windowe
*exterior* *Piazza del Duomo, Milan* *we see a horse-rider in Sforza livery galloping into the square*
*cut to Castello Sforzesco* *interior* *Galeazzo Maria Sforza is picking at his meal* *his mistress is seated across his lap* *there's music playing in the background as the man in livery reads a letter*
Man: Your Excellency will hear of the king's victory over the Burgundians. The duke is near Amiens and the king not far off awaiting Monsieur de Guienne his brother, who should have joined him by now with three hundred lances and other troops amounting in all to eight thousand combattants. They also expect the Earl of Warwick with fifteen thousand English. But though they say the English have landed in Normandy they must be few, as vigorous fighting is going on that side of the Channel. The Lorrainers are also fighting against the duke, in fact everything seems to be against him at present. [2]
Galeazzo: it must be galling for my brother in Burgundy to have to tolerate such a galling loss after mistaking the birth of his son for a sign of divine favour. Still, Signor Bettini [3] is of the belief that English assistance will
not be required. In fact, per Signor Salvatico [4], the duke of York has successfully landed at Crowsmere [5]. Although, the report from Bettini is that York had been killed in the battle against the Earl of Oxford.
Man: of course, your Excellency.
*exterior* *Westminster Abbey* *a woman and her daughter cross the courtyard where the monks are hanging their laundry [6]* *they stop in front of the door to the Sanctuary*
Woman: Lady Zouche [7] with news for the Duchess of York
Guard: *stands aside*
Zouche: *to her daughter* stay here Meg [8]
Meg: *nods*
*cut to Cheyneygates [9]* *Elizabeth Wydeville, Thomas Millyng [10] and Lady Zouche are all seated around a table* *in fact, the comfort is almost enough to make one forget that this is Elizabeth's prison [11]*
Elizabeth: *as though recovering from a shock* Edward is not dead? *she and Millyng crosses themselves in relief*
Zouche: *with baby Edward in her lap* no, Majesty...he has landed, safe and sound- mostly, anyway, they lost a single ship- at Crowsmere [5]. The locals apparently mistook the Yorkist sun on the banners for the star of the de Veres. Only to realize their mistake too late. Milord Oxenford's brother, George...was killed in the fighting.
Millyng: and the king?
Zouche: he, his brother, Lords Hastings, Rivers and Saye are marching south from Crowsmere. Milord Warwick's son-in-law [12] and Lord Somerset are pressing for them to march to meet them.
Elizabeth: not King Henry?
Zouche: his son has had a great following since he arrived last month [12], and many say that even if the prince should prove successful it would be more for him than for the king [13].
*fade to black*
[1] old proverb, usually implying a bad habit/person you can't seem to shake no matter what you do. Also, how Sforza de Bettini described Edward's embarkation from Flushing OTL ("It is a difficult matter to go out by the door and then want to enter by the windows. They think he will leave his skin there")
[2] based on the letters of Giovanni Filippi de Terrate from Grenoble to the duke of Milan in March 1471
[3] Sforza de Bettini, Milanese ambassador to the French and Burgundian courts at the time
[4] Francesco Salvatico, Milanese ambassador to the English court of Henry VI who relayed Galeazzo's congratulations on the prince of Wales' marriage and the restoration of King Henry
[5] Cromer. Edward IV attempted to land there on the 12th of March 1471 but was beaten back by the locals. This is actually "good" for the Yorkists, since between departing Cromer on the 12th and landing at Ravenspur/Poole on the 14th, they lost about half their company, a whole ship load of horses, due to bad weather. Edward had to send for 6000 fighting men from Holland/Zeeland on April 9 1471 as a result
[6] the original purpose of the courtyard in front of the West Door [i.e. the entrance to the Abbey's sanctuary]
[7] Elizabeth St. John, wife of the 5th Baron Zouche, Edward V's godmother and Margaret Beaufort's half-sister, as well as one of Elizabeth Wydeville's most trusted/loyal ladies-in-waiting. She was the one who brought news to Elizabeth in sanctuary in both 1470 and 1483. She never left Edward V's side until Richard III dismissed her shortly before/after arriving in London with the new king. She also attempted to see Edward V afterwards and according to some accounts, was the one given the responsibility of handing over Richard of Shrewsbury.
[8] Elizabeth's only child by her first husband, Margaret. Meg later became...wait for it...the wife of William Catesby (Richard III's "cat")
[9] contrary to popular belief (looking at you Philippa Gregory and others), Elizabeth's "sanctuary" was not the Abbey's "dank and dark" sanctuary (that was reserved for petty thieves, debtors and bankrupts trying to avoid imprisonment at the Gatehouse Prison) but rather the Abbot's House, Cheyneygates (what is now known as the Deanery). Nor was it some "panicked flight" (as often portrayed) since there is record that "Her brother [Lionel] and her servants broke down the Abbey walls in order to get her furniture, chests and other items through."
[10] Abbot of Westminster who was made Bishop of Hereford in 1474 and who stood godfather to Edward V
[11] in 1486, Elizabeth took out the lease on
"Cheyneygates Mansion" and it was described as a "stately home" and a "luxurious dwelling". And she clearly thought it suitably "regal" enough to take out a 40 year lease on the place
[12] i.e. Edward, Prince of Wales, who is a bit awkward to call "the prince of Wales". For context, according to a letter from Galeazzo Sforza to Marguerite d'Anjou dated to January 11 1471, as well as a response by Sforza de Bettini from 15 February (to a letter from 5 February), Edward of Westminster had been due to leave France
with Signor Salvatico at some point between the 5 and 15 February 1471. Let's assume that Edward
did leave then, since I can't find the reason he didn't
[13] what was reported about Edward of Westminster's charisma in a letter dated 30 March 1471. He wanted to engage the Yorkists shortly after they landed already, but he was overruled.