Chapter 20 - In which betrothals are considered
  • “In the end, James Hamilton Earl of Arran would be regent for little King John II. Additionally, he and his new bride would take custody of the two princesses: Princess Margaret at age five and newborn Princess Isabella. Lady Arran, Margaret Douglas the King’s Aunt, would take the two princesses to the Isle of Arran where they would be raised with her step children.

    Dowager Queen Christina would remain in court where she would have some measure of control of her son’s education.”
    Christina of Denmark by Helen Olsen​


    “Initially, it looks like Arran may have tried to weasel out of granting any betrothals to the English. He would refuse to betrothal King John to Princess Cecily. But after some rather dramatic posturing by both sides, little Princess Margaret was betrothed to Prince Edward.”
    The Tudor Rose Garden by Gerald Wells​


    “Marriage arrangements for the younger two Royals weren’t so quickly resolved. Queen Christina preferred one of the French princesses for her son (though there were complications there [1]) and either an Italian Duke or German Prince for her daughter.

    On the other hand, James Hamilton, Regent of King Jon was reaching out to King Christian III of Denmark (as this was the son of the man who dethroned her father, Queen Christina was rather cross) offering Princess Isabel for his heir Prince Frederick. For King John, Lord James was courting the Swedish who had two princesses, one two years older the other three. (Since King Gustave of Sweden had also benefited from her father’s dethronement, Queen Christina was really cross).”
    The Tudors: A Real Life Soup Opera​


    [1] The only non-problematic princess, Princess Marie Claude, was six years older than King Jon, and her parents weren’t really fond of having to wait that long. The younger two: Princess Diane de Valois de Orléans and Marie de Valois de Angoulême were both merely two years older, but both of their mothers’ were problematic.
     
    Chapter 21 - In which another French prince elopes
  • “Just picture it: the year is fifteen thirty-seven and Francis and Charles have decided that maybe, just maybe they should try and get along. So, offers are sent back and forth and a general plan starts to take form: The Duchy of Savoy will be given to one of Francis’s younger sons [1] who will be betrothed to Charles’s infant niece. [2]

    Now this pleased absolutely no one, which is how you know it was a good deal. See, Francis wanted Savoy to be part of France, not just a friendly neighbor. And Charles didn’t want more land going to any of Francis’s ilk. But there they were.

    At least until Prince Charles, Francis’s youngest son disappeared.”
    Elopements Through History by Jonas Welsingham​

    [1] Initially, Charles suggested Prince Henri but, Francis still wasn’t happy with Henri due to an earlier elopement, so it was just left sort of nebulous.

    [2] Charles didn’t have any legitimate daughters at this point



    “The disappearance of King Francis’s favorite child was something of a damper on the peace talks. France began gearing up for war when news came that Emperor Charles was also missing a child: his widowed bastard daughter Margaret. It was then that Prince Charles’s note [1] was found by his father’s men and the Emperor found the priest that performed the marriage. [2]

    While this served to stall actual fighting, it did ratchet up tension. It would be another year before an official peace was achieved.”
    The Love Matches of the Children of Francis I by Nance Lawrence​

    [1] A simple note that stated he could not bear a betrothal to a child when he loved her elder cousin.

    [2] What exactly was done to the priest isn’t known, but he was never heard from again.



    “But even as posturing and demands resumed [1] the question remained: just where had the lovebirds gone?”
    Elopements Through History by Jonas Welsingham​

    [1] Francis swung from demanding Prince Charles receive Savoy—after all he did marry the Emperor’s daughter—to refusing to acknowledge his youngest son. And Emperor Charles was just feeling contrary—why did his family have to get caught up in the Valois’s elopements?
     
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    Chapter 22 - In which England is the land of romance and love
  • “It is said that you speak of food in Italian, law in French, of God in Spanish, money in German, and romance in English. England is the number one destination for honeymooners. And in the mid to late 16thCentury, the English Court offered asylum to several royal and noble eloping couples.

    But, how did this all get started?”
    England and the Romantic Age by Peter Quentin​


    “Prince Charles de Valois and his new bride Margaret arrived in England half way through 1537. While initially greeted with surprise, the two found sanctuary as Henry VIII welcomed them into his household.”
    16th Century Europe: Everything That Happened by Irene Carter​


    “Henry VIII loved the opportunity to needle both Francis I and Charles V by allowing their children to stay in England. He would send missives assuring the two monarchs of his joy in their new connection and his support of Prince Charles and Princess Margaret. [1]

    Francis I would respond with something along the lines of, “If you like them so much you can keep them.” And Prince Charles and Princess Margaret would remain in England for the next five years. Their two eldest children would be born in England; a gleeful Henry VIII would be godfather to both.

    While Charles V’s response has been lost to time, we do have records of Henry VIII laughing over it and declaring the language ill-fitting of a Christian monarch.”
    The Tudors: A Real Life Soup Opera​

    [1] It appears that Henry VIII was the first to refer to Margaret by her new title of Princess, as even her husband was leery of challenging his father.
     
    Chapter 23 - In which no one handles being sick well
  • “In the winter of 1541 various members of the French Royal family would contract measles. Two prominent family members would die, and King Francis I would never see again.”
    16th Century Europe: Everything That Happened by Irene Carter​


    “Francis III of Brittany, Dauphin of France, would pass away the second of January in 1542. His death would rock the Valois family: King Francis I was despondent (it was during his refusal to leave his son’s body that he would contract measles); the Dauphine was probably also despondent but due to the histrionics of the King was unable to take the time to grieve; and Prince Henry would take the opportunity to return to court.

    Prince Henry would regret this for the rest of his days.”
    Frances of France by Mariah Oliver​



    “While Prince Henry had survived the measles in his youth and was now immune, his wife and children were not. Upon their arrival at the French court, Princess Diane and their two children would fall victim to measles. Princess Diane’s health hadn’t been the best since the birth of their daughter three years earlier; she would pass away sometime late in February. Jean de Valois de Orleans, Henry and Diane’s eldest, would recover but suffer brain damage.”
    Frances of France by Mariah Oliver​



    “…. Dowager Dauphine of France, her husband was dead, her father-in-law and brother-in-law seemed to be competing for who could grieve the most excessively, her mother-in-law was mostly ignoring her, and she was pregnant. (Thankfully Frances had contracted measles as a child and so was safe.)

    With the King ill and the Dauphin dead, many worried and other saw opportunity for advancement. Frances would often appear in public with her son Charles and nephew Jean (Jean’s brain damage was yet unknown) reminding the public of the clear line of inheritance.

    Additionally, Frances would summon Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly back to court to tend to the King.”
    Frances of France by Mariah Oliver​


    “With the responsibilities she would shoulder, Frances’s grief had to be private thing. And while she would grieve quietly, she would grieve for the rest of her life.”
    Veronica Wells translation of François et Françoise de France​
     
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    Chapter 24 - In which everyone listens to Frances
  • “One of the great French history debates is when the La Période Francienne truly started. For while Dowager Duchess Frances would reign as regent for her young son for ten years from fifteen forty-seven to fifteen fifty-seven, the extreme influence she wielded did not begin there.

    It is the works intention to assert that Dowager Duchess Frances’s influence began in fifteen forty-two, and that by the end of the year the Dowager Duchess had assumed almost complete control of the French Court. After all there wasn’t anyone to challenge her: King Francis was newly blind and particularly dependent on his mistress, her close friend, Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly; Prince Henri was deeply mourning the death of his wife; Prince Charles was still in England; and Queen Eleanor never had any power to begin with.”
    Queen In All But Name by Beatrice Vance​



    “One of the Frances Brandon’s first acts during the Nebulous Years [1] was sending for Prince Charles and Princess Margaret. As soon as they had returned she sent them to Emperor Charles to wrap up the negotiations that had stalled at their elopement. France would have to yield Savoy but there would be no war.”
    Veronica Wells translation of François et Françoise de France​

    [1] The years between King Francis’s blinding and his death



    “If the Holy Roman Emperor expected to find Savoy an ally in the coming years he was disappointed. After all Emanuel Philibert had seen how willing his erstwhile ally was to give away his inheritance. And then further complicating any alliance between Savoy and the Holy Roman Empire, Emanuel Philibert would fall head over heels for Princess Margaret de Valois.

    This would be the one elopement that King Francis would celebrate.”
    The Love Matches of the Children of Francis I by Nance Lawrence​
     
    Chapter 25 - In which some people can't handle having a powerful wife
  • “Early in 1543, Prince Henry of Wales and Prince Edward of York were sent to their respective domains, accompanied by companions, teachers, and various relations. Princess Elizabeth would also leave the Hatfield, moving to Court where she would learn from her mother how to be a Queen.

    Prince Henry would be accompanied by his uncle George Boleyn and a whole slew of companions. Prince Edward would be joined in York by his half-sister, the Lady Mary.”
    The Tudor Rose Garden by Gerald Wells​


    “It is in York that we see the marriage of Lady Mary and Henry Howard begin to crack. It appears that Howard viewed the appointment as his appointment. This view was shattered when upon arrival, Howard discovered all had been ordered by Henry VIII to obey the Lady Mary.

    Initially, Howard appears to have attempted to gain some level of influence in the Prince’s household but was then rebuked by Henry VIII.”
    York and the Lady Mary by Martin Boyd​


    “It was shortly after the birth of Mathias Howard, that his father Henry Howard would depart Prince Edward’s lands in York. Mary and Henry would never again live as husband and wife.”
    16th Century Europe: Everything That Happened by Irene Carter​


    “We have no records of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey attempting to gain custody of his two children with the Lady Mary. Perhaps he did and those records were just lost to time, but more likely he knew that King Henry would side with his daughter and so simply never tried.

    So, the Lady Mary would have total custody of her two children: Mary and Mathias.”
    The Tudors: A Real Life Soup Opera​
     
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    Temporary Hiatus
  • So, due to a collection of family, work, and community events I have been unable for to post for the last few weeks. Additionally, I sort have lost the thread on this timeline. So, I’ll be taking a break; hopefully only a couple of months but if I get distracted it might be longer.
     
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