December 1472
Ercole d'Este weds Beatrice of Naples, the sister of Queen Elanor. The bride is nervous, considering herself the inferior copy of her sister Elanor but the Queen of England writes that she will do fine. At the very least Beatrice is given away by her father, unlike Elanor who was married off so far away.
Also attending the wedding are the Duke and Duchess of Milan, Beatrice's brother Alfonso and his wife Ippolita Sforza, and the Duke and Duchess of Milan. Young Marie, recently returned to public life but still quietly mourning her daughter, is comforted by Ippolita, who prays together with her after the ceremony for the soul of little Violetta, a kindness that does the young Duchess a great deal of good. Ipollita then scolds her brother for his coldness towards Marie. The Duke fumes and stomps about and in his ravings mentions how "it would all be so much better if I had you as my wife." Ippolita makes her exit. Her brother follows after he groveling apologies. She tells him that he must pray to God for forgiveness and be kinder to his wife. He agrees. Ippolita returns to her husband badly shaken and refuses to discuss what transpired.
True to Elanor's words the Duke of Ferrara is pleased by his new bride, even though he had desired Elanor and felt cheated when she wed the King of England.
Marie of Burgundy delights in the opulent and cheerful English court. She loves her husband and her stepchildren but his court in Normandy is dreadfully dull and militaristic. Marie pleads with her husband to resign his post in Normandy and return to England, arguing that it won't just be for her sake, their children will do better amongst family. The Duke, enjoying himself amidst the good cheer of his family and friends agrees to consider it. Marie rewards her husband with a kiss which causes a rush of feelings in his young son Richard that the boy does not know how to surprise. Breaking etiquette he storms away from the table. The Duke reflects on the perils of having a wife so much closer in age to his son than him. It would be better to give Richard a girl more appropriate to target his affections towards before things get out of hand.
Margret of Anjou was good to him when he lost his beloved first wife and he would have the alliance between their families continued. Richard Duke of York is betrothed to young Elizabeth Neville.
King James of Scotland celebrates Christmas day by breaking his betrothal with Joan of York to wed Margret of Denmark. For a dowery, he receives the Orkneys and the satisfaction of sticking it to the English. King Edward is furious and wants to invade but is talked out of it by Edmund, who points out how vulnerable the English position in Normandy is. Joan of York is inconsolable. Already traumatized by the death of the twin sister she shared so much with she falls into a deep depression. Her mother is there to comfort her, as is God. She asks her brother for permission to become a nun. Edward says that if they can’t find her a husband by the time she turns twenty she can take the veil.
Anne Neville saves her best Christmas present for last. It is a little pomegranate in a box. The Duke of Guelders is befuddled for a moment. Then a bright smile crosses his face.
Edward receives a letter from Jaquetta Woodville. She is on her deathbed and her last request is to plead with the King to remember the interests of his children with Elizabeth and Elanor Woodville. She apologizes for her role in leading the King into sin and declares that “all I have left is tears for my poor poor girls.” Mary Woodville also writes a letter for Elanor’s children. It is a simple recollection of how close they were as sisters and how much she had loved them. The King is moved and decides that in the future he will allow Elizabeth and Elanor’s daughters to spend a limited amount of time with their female relations. George though is to be kept free of Woodville influence. He starts to think about finding good husbands for Elizabeth Fitzroy and Mary Woodville.
January 1473
On New Year's day, it is announced that the King's eldest natural son Arthur Fitzroy, is to wed Anne Holland.
This draws ire from Burgundy, where Duchess Anne of York is appalled at the idea of her eldest daughter wedding a bastard, not to mention one from the woman who made her sister-in-law's life hell, while proud Charles resents his stepdaughter being wed to anyone without his consultation.
The participants themselves think little of the arrangement. Arthur tells his tutor that he would much rather have a crossbow than a wife and young Anne Holland declares that though she will of course do her duty and marry, her true love shall always be Plato.
The King has of course not forgotten his legitimate children and formally invests his youngest son Richard with the title Duke of Gloucester.
In France, the marriage alliance between Navarre and Castile marks the end of Anjou ambitions and they know it. The regents turn their attention towards Italy. To that end, they prepair to cancel the Portuguese betrothal, and start sending out feelers for other alliances.
February 1473
Marie of Orleans Duchess of Milan is pregnant again. Her husband buys her many presents but she only accepts those for her child, telling him to donate the money for everything else to the poor and the Chuch. She prays daily for a healthy child. It's all too much for Gian Galezzo who, his duties as a husband fulfilled, returns to his many other women, as well as men. The Duchess conducts herself in her public role paying no mind to her husband’s lapses. She conducts a correspondence with her sister-in-law Ippolita whose words give her strength. But her heart soars when she is told that her mother will be journeying to Milan and will stay with her until her child is born. Marie is starting to feel something approaching happiness, a feeling she thought died with her firstborn.
Isabelle Neville is no longer pregnant. That much is clear. Gossips whisper that she miscarried when she learned Henry Tudor had wed while others claim she destroyed the child herself, either out of caution or spite. The King and the Earl of Warwick deal ruthlessly with anyone caught spreading these tales. A grieving Isabel holds her three children close. Her sister Anne writes to her expressing her condolences about the loss. She alone seems to have faith in her sister.
Continuing his policy of providing for his illegitimate children, the King asks to bethrothe George Duke of Bedford to Margret of Clarence, George’s eldest daughter. The Duke of Cambridge grants his blessing, in exchange for Edward dropping his protestations about his relationship with his Irish lover.
After an arduous labor that seemed certain to kill her, Charlotte Queen of Cyprus gives birth to twins, a boy named James and a girl named Anne. Young James does not survive his first two weeks of life while his sister pulls through. The grieving Queen is told that she can bear no more children. So her heir is little Sybilele of Savoy.
At long last, the Albanian hero Skanderbeg passes away from old age. His last few years of life have been vital to strengthening the fragile Albanian state. As the old warrior finally leaves this mortal coil, he can only pray he has done enough.
With aid from Cyprus and Naples and the Kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, the Turks have been held at a stalemate, allowing Venice to capture the Morea. Philip of Savoy agrees to wed Catherine of Coriano in exchange for being given control of the northern half of the Peninsula. Any objections he had to the union were blown away when he beheld her beauty. By February she is showing signs of pregnancy.
Edward frets over Queen Elanor as her time draws close. He spends far more time with her than he did with any of his previous women during their pregnancies. Elanor notices that her unborn child is kicking much more than her daughter, the Princess Elanor, had. The King declares that means the baby is to be a prince and a strong one at that. Elanor smiles and adds that he is destined to cause them both as much trouble as he has caused her these past seven months.
In Savoy the regent Jaques plots to free his state from what he views as French domination. To that end he reaches out to Loraine and Burgundy, offering marriage alliances. Of course, the most pressing alliance at present is the alliance with the Sforza, represented by a heavily pregnant Elizabeth of Savoy. Jaques considers her something of a good luck charm. She conceived quickly, around the time of their wedding night, and the money and soldiers her brother sent have been vital to subduing the always restless nobility.
Mathias Corvinus and his wife welcome a healthy daughter named Elizabeth after the King’s mother.
Births
James of Savoy
Anne of Savoy
Elizabeth Corvinus
Bethrothals
George Duke of Bedford to Margret of Clarence
Arthur Fitzroy to Anne Holland
Richard of York to Elizabeth Neville
Pregnancies
Eleanor, Queen of England, still due in April 1473
Elizabeth Sforza due April 1473
Marie of Orleans, due in August 1473
Anne Neville due July 1473
Catherine of Corinao due November 1473
Deaths
James of Savoy
Skandebeg of Albania
