The Queen is Dead!: Katherine of Aragon dies in 1518
- Thread starter FalconHonour
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Actually, the immediate fallout from all of this surrounds Kathy Stafford, but yes, I will cover Anne and Harry too!
Section LXI - March 1521
“What are we going to do about the Staffords?” Henry sighed, glancing up at Marie, who sat next to him, sewing. It was a peacefully domestic moment, one of the kind they rarely got to share, and he was loath to ruin it by talking about the Staffords, but he knew he had to. It was her they’d tried to poison, her sister they had poisoned. She had every right to help him decide on their punishment.
She looked up at him, her usually soft eyes as cold as a January frost.
“Buckingham has to die. For what he tried to do to me; for what he managed to do to my sister. How can you even ask me that?”
“I know, I know,” Henry hastened to reassure her, placating her unusual fit of temper before it could even get off the ground. Pushing back his chair, he opened his arms to invite her on to his lap, seeing her settled there before he continued, “It wasn’t Buckingham I was thinking of. He’ll die for his crimes, I promise you. He’ll die the day we have this boy christened.” He placed a hand on Marie’s bulging stomach, smiling, before he went on, “I was thinking of his daughter. Lady Katherine.”
“Kathy?” Marie’s voice was non-committal, “Why were you thinking about her?”
“She told us of her father’s crimes. I promised her she’d not be hurt. We can’t allow her to go down with her father, the way the rest of her siblings will.”
For a moment, Henry felt Marie remain stiff in his arms, as she mulled over what he’d said. Then she suddenly slumped against him.
“You’re right. Of course you’re right, Henry. Kathy shouldn’t pay for her father’s crimes. I just don’t know what to do with her.
“Neither do I,” Henry confessed. The two of them sat in silence for a while, staring into the fire.
Marie was the one to break it.
“What about marrying her to my brother?”
“George?” Henry couldn’t help but be surprised. Nor could he hide his surprise, “Surely you want better for him than a traitor’s daughter?”
“I want to know this boy will be safe. Lady Katherine is a Stafford just as much as her father is. Anyone who marries her, marries her bloodline.”
Marie’s voice may have calmed a little, but it was still harsher than normal. Henry didn’t want to upset her, not when she was with child, so he began to give the idea brief consideration...only to find that he actually quite liked it after all. George was a good lad. And he’d be an Earl one day. If young Katherine married him, no one could say the royals hadn’t been more than generous to her, given her father’s actions. And Marie was right. Bad blood would out. Katherine might be innocent and loyal now, but who’s to say she’d be like that in ten years, unless they curbed her now? And the Boleyns would do that. George and Thomas between them would do it. They’d never move against the throne, not even if Lady Katherine wanted them to. Not when it meant moving against their daughter. Their sister.
“It’s not a bad idea,” he murmured, and Marie looked at him, her eyes suddenly alight for the first time since her sister had been taken ill.
“Does that mean you’ll agree? Agree to them marrying?”
Faced with her blazing smile, Henry could do nothing more than nod.
“And we’ll give Dr Linacre a knighthood for saving your sister’s life, shall we?” he suggested.
Marie gasped, “Henry!”
He chuckled, “I take it the idea pleases you, sweetheart?”
At her eager nod – a nod that reminded him how young she still was – he laughed out loud and pulled her in for a fervent kiss.
She looked up at him, her usually soft eyes as cold as a January frost.
“Buckingham has to die. For what he tried to do to me; for what he managed to do to my sister. How can you even ask me that?”
“I know, I know,” Henry hastened to reassure her, placating her unusual fit of temper before it could even get off the ground. Pushing back his chair, he opened his arms to invite her on to his lap, seeing her settled there before he continued, “It wasn’t Buckingham I was thinking of. He’ll die for his crimes, I promise you. He’ll die the day we have this boy christened.” He placed a hand on Marie’s bulging stomach, smiling, before he went on, “I was thinking of his daughter. Lady Katherine.”
“Kathy?” Marie’s voice was non-committal, “Why were you thinking about her?”
“She told us of her father’s crimes. I promised her she’d not be hurt. We can’t allow her to go down with her father, the way the rest of her siblings will.”
For a moment, Henry felt Marie remain stiff in his arms, as she mulled over what he’d said. Then she suddenly slumped against him.
“You’re right. Of course you’re right, Henry. Kathy shouldn’t pay for her father’s crimes. I just don’t know what to do with her.
“Neither do I,” Henry confessed. The two of them sat in silence for a while, staring into the fire.
Marie was the one to break it.
“What about marrying her to my brother?”
“George?” Henry couldn’t help but be surprised. Nor could he hide his surprise, “Surely you want better for him than a traitor’s daughter?”
“I want to know this boy will be safe. Lady Katherine is a Stafford just as much as her father is. Anyone who marries her, marries her bloodline.”
Marie’s voice may have calmed a little, but it was still harsher than normal. Henry didn’t want to upset her, not when she was with child, so he began to give the idea brief consideration...only to find that he actually quite liked it after all. George was a good lad. And he’d be an Earl one day. If young Katherine married him, no one could say the royals hadn’t been more than generous to her, given her father’s actions. And Marie was right. Bad blood would out. Katherine might be innocent and loyal now, but who’s to say she’d be like that in ten years, unless they curbed her now? And the Boleyns would do that. George and Thomas between them would do it. They’d never move against the throne, not even if Lady Katherine wanted them to. Not when it meant moving against their daughter. Their sister.
“It’s not a bad idea,” he murmured, and Marie looked at him, her eyes suddenly alight for the first time since her sister had been taken ill.
“Does that mean you’ll agree? Agree to them marrying?”
Faced with her blazing smile, Henry could do nothing more than nod.
“And we’ll give Dr Linacre a knighthood for saving your sister’s life, shall we?” he suggested.
Marie gasped, “Henry!”
He chuckled, “I take it the idea pleases you, sweetheart?”
At her eager nod – a nod that reminded him how young she still was – he laughed out loud and pulled her in for a fervent kiss.
I wonder if that will annoy more of the old families. . . although how many are really left with power? The Staffords we're some of the last really strong ones?
I suspect they'll be either a rush to go for her, or nobody as people will be worried the poison has harmed her potential to have kids.
Oh Henry and Marie are worried about the long-term effects of the poison, that's for sure.
As for the Boleyns becoming even more powerful, I suppose they are, but it's more a case of the Staffords destroying themselves and the Boleyns reaping the benefit than anything...
Well, is not the aristocracy can't do much - Henry is the king which retrieved Normandy and brought France to knell, the Staffords effectively played treason, and playing a magnanimous act - marrying the daughter of the attempted murderer of the Queen to the Queen's sister, which is also a way to end immediately a possible feud brewing later - would keep them in line more. The fact the Boleyn male line will become Dukes of Buckingham won't change the status quo.
No, the Boleyn will not inherit the Buckingham title. Katherine had a brother Henry who had married Ursula Pole (and they had many children) and so the title if restored would go to him. In alternative the Buckingham title would go either to Buckingham’s younger brother or to his eldest daughter Elizabeth (who had married the Duke of Norfolk) not to his second daughter Katherine (who here married George Boleyn)
She hasn't actually married him yet. But you're right about the fact that I have no plans to even attempt to make George Duke of Buckingham. An earl in his own right, however? Now that's a different story...
Woo her, seduce her, make her one of us....wait, that's George's job.
Traitor father or not still Kathy is of very good blood (as both the Staffords and the Percys were of ancient nobility), second cousin of the king (through they Woodwille grandmothers) and sister of the wife of his very proud brother-in-law
Oh, I know that. And if Thomas Boleyn was thinking logically, he'd not be too annoyed. But at the moment, all he can see is that George could have married the King's Courtenay cousin, and instead he's having to settle for a traitor's daughter. Plus, Marie's gone over his head and picked her brother's wife herself, which, Queen or not, he's annoyed by. Yes, I know I am playing up to the stereotypes for Thomas Boleyn. I always do. A), it gives me more scope to work with, and B) Nick Dunning did such a fantastic job with Papa Boleyn in the Tudors, that I can't see him as anything but Machiavellian now...
The Howards are still around, in all their multitude, but they're obviously kin to the Queen.
Otherwise, who else is left of the old families? Casting around for those whose earldoms are from pre-Bosworth there's Courtenays of Devon, though they're tied closely to the Tudors (and hitched a ride back to relevance with them after Bosworth); Fitzalans of Arundel; Bourchiers of Essex (went extinct in 1540 IOTL); Talbots of Shrewsbury; de Veres of Oxford (who, like the Courtenays, owe their restoration of the title to the Tudors); Percies of Northumberland (the heir of which is besotted with Anne); and Nevilles of Westmoreland.
I will deal with the Talbots. Not sure I can promise to do anything with the others...
I mean Henry (VII) Tudor marrying Elizabeth of York seems weird to my modern sensibilities, but it at least makes sense dynastically to me.
Here, Mary suggesting that Katherine Stafford marry her brother George seems even weirder to me, but might make sense for a Tudor era mind set of how best to bring to heel the remnants of a royal related but disloyal family, even if I don't get it.
However, I am sadden that if this marriage happens then George (no peach himself) won't have the "joy" of ever marrying the wonderfully viperous Jane Parker.
Here, Mary suggesting that Katherine Stafford marry her brother George seems even weirder to me, but might make sense for a Tudor era mind set of how best to bring to heel the remnants of a royal related but disloyal family, even if I don't get it.
However, I am sadden that if this marriage happens then George (no peach himself) won't have the "joy" of ever marrying the wonderfully viperous Jane Parker.
Look marrying Elizabeth was the only way for Henry to conquer and hold the English Crown.
Without the support of the Yorkist edwardians (aka the ones who do not supported Richard III as King) Henry would never be able to win England