Six Roses, Red and White: A Tudor TL
- Thread starter HortenseMancini
- Start date
My feeling was that this is probably elizabeth's second or third time seeing mary. and she's only a year and a half old in that scene so yeah, a lot of things are still baffling lol
and in this moment you are smarter than henry (and catalina tbh)
Jonathan1997
Banned
Henry VIII wasn't a bad king but he was not a good king towards the end of his life due to his brain injury and deteriorated health. As for the young Henry I'll say he was know Edward I or Henry ii or V of England but with that stated he was just okay. If it wasn't for the reformation and divorcing his wives he most likely would have been forgotten like king Henry iii of England.
Oh Henry and Catalina, you two might be incredibly smart, but Ferdinand of Aragon has been playing this game decades before you were even born... Hopefully Henry dosen't blame Catalina too much.. Mary and Elizabeth are adorable too! Excellent chapter all round!
V: March-April 1512
Linlithgow Palace, March 1512
The baby wasn’t breathing. Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots listened desperately for the sound of her son’s first cry after he was born but only silence greeted her ears. From her birthing chair she watched helplessly as her midwife, a woman named Ellen, and her two assistants tried frantically to stimulate the little prince. The boy who should’ve been Duke of Rothesay and, God willing, his father’s heir as King of Scotland.
“Please,” Margaret murmured, “Please God let my son live. Preserve him. Let him grow old and happy.”
Ellen and her assistants continued their efforts, no one else in the chamber daring to do much as blink until the prince finally took his first breath. But some ten minutes passed, and not a sound had emerged from the infant’s still, blue form.
At last Ellen gestured for a swaddling blanket. With a solemn expression, she draped the blanket around Margaret’s son. A lump formed in Margaret’s throat as she watched. She had lost three children now - two sons and a daughter - and this fourth time was no easier than any of the previous three. Still the unbearable feelings of grief and the reminder that she had failed once more to give her husband a legitimate son and heir.
“I am so sorry, Your Grace,” Ellen said softly, placing Margaret’s bundled son in her arms, “He is gone.”
Tears filled Margaret’s eyes as she slowly moved the soft linen blanket to get a look at her son. His features were so perfectly formed...how was it that he had not lived? She gently stroked the soft pink hair on his head, showing perhaps that he would’ve been a redhead like Margaret herself. Margaret choked back a sob and pressed a kiss to his temple. Her boy. And he would never even know how much she loved him.
Greenwich Palace, April 1512
Henry studied the contents of the paper in front of him - England’s latest declaration of war against France - and nodded approvingly, “It is well. Make sure it is sent out tomorrow.”
“Of course, sire,” Thomas Wolsey, his father’s former chaplain and now Henry’s almoner, said, giving a stiff bow and turning to leave. Henry had been unsure about Wolsey at first, as the man had initially seemed to be against any English expansion in France, but now it looked as though he was coming around to Henry’s plans and making himself indispensable in the process.
“The Lord Marquess of Dorset,” Henry’s herald announced then, and into Henry’s audience chamber stepped Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, a tall and fair haired man who was a distant cousin of Henry’s.
Henry couldn’t help but smile in greeting, “My lord Dorset.”
“Your Majesty,” Dorset said, bowing, “I must thank you for summoning me - it has been too long.”
“Indeed it has,” Henry mused, “And I would very much like the pleasure of your company in the tillyard later. But for now I have a request for you. As you have no doubt heard, this past autumn our kingdom signed an alliance with King Ferdinand of Aragon. Now we have joined him in declaring war on the French, as His Holiness himself has requested. I am planning an expedition to retake Gascony, the territory of my ancestors, and I would like for you to command it.”
Dorset’s eyes widened, “I would be honored to do so, Your Majesty. I am most grateful for the opportunity and I shall not disappoint you in this endeavor.”
“Good,” Henry replied with a nod, “You may speak with Master Wolsey regarding the procurement of troops and provisions, but I have already sent out calls for men and will be in touch with you about further details.” Perhaps it was his imagination but Henry could’ve sworn that a look of distaste passed over Dorset’s face at the mention of Wolsey.
“I will, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty,” Dorset said, giving another bow and then turning to leave.
Henry couldn’t help but feel a bit of elation as Dorset left. He had a very good feeling about this expedition in Gascony. Perhaps he would soon have his place in history alongside his many times great-grandsire Edward III, or the great Lancastrian King Henry V. Perhaps he would even dwarf them both…
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Ooh this is going to shape up to be quite interesting if James IV should die without legitimate issue here (and poor Margaret too 😭). Hopefully the war with France goes well enough as well. Excellent chapter!
If James died without issues (or without sons) Albany would inherit the crown meaning who he would need to remarry after Anne’s death (if she died and they were childless as OTL)
You are mixing people… Alexander was the name of James IV’s OTL posthumous son and that of the first Duke of Albany who is long dead at this point as the actual Duke of Albany is his son John (who live in France and is married to his maternal first cousin Anne de la Tour d’Auvergne, a French heiress)
iotl margaret had two further pregnancies by james iv after giving birth to the future james v in april 1512. so even if james dies on schedule, there's plenty of time for him and margaret to have at least one kid who survives.
yeah henry may not be a big fan of the scots but he's even less of a fan of the french and so john stewart, duke of albany is not a man he wants to see on the scottish throne...
Jonathan1997
Banned
I don't believe the French will be expecting and attack on Gascony it's going to cost him a fortune to garrison and hold Gascony. We must remember Gascony is small in comparison to the Duchy of Aquitaine in it's entirety.
The biggest problem the English had in conqueror in France was not having the troops our funding to be successful. Look at the failures of the principality of Aquitaine and the poor decisions made by king Edward iii of England. Henry V was the most successful by having a capable Army and funding his campaign through loans. Henry V in his lifetime was called the conqueror but his legacy turn to ashes after John Duke of Bedford death and the collapse of the burgundian alliance.
The biggest problem the English had in conqueror in France was not having the troops our funding to be successful. Look at the failures of the principality of Aquitaine and the poor decisions made by king Edward iii of England. Henry V was the most successful by having a capable Army and funding his campaign through loans. Henry V in his lifetime was called the conqueror but his legacy turn to ashes after John Duke of Bedford death and the collapse of the burgundian alliance.
you're right, i think if anything they expect the english to try and expand their lands around calais. and you're also right in that henry has a long, difficult way to go to reclaiming the english possessions in the south of france.
Yeah the stewarts are in a bad way right now...but thankfully james and margaret are young and healthy enough that they can reasonably expect further pregnancies so who knows...
you'll see how it turns out soon but let's just say that henry's got an uphill battle and ambitions that are definitely too lofty for his means
Thank you!