Well, of course! It would become boring if he died the same way each time I fantasize about him dying
The Sunne in Splendour: A War of the Roses Timeline
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
Poor Maisie! I know Margurite will have something to say about the lost child! She may even try to get her son married to someone else, like one of the daughters of Charles duke of burgundy. Especially when she hears that Madeline is pregnant ONCE AGAIN with her what seventh, eighth child, while House Lancaster just has one female heir.
I wanna fight George how dare he treat isabel and their daughter so dismissively
Also very interested to see how the French situation develops
Also very interested to see how the French situation develops
October 1473.
October 1473. Château d'Amboise, France.
Margaret entered her husband’s chambers with her head held high, hands placed in front of her body. Louis was seated before the fire, weakened by a stroke he had earlier that year and she approached him cautiously, mindful of surprising him. His hearing had seen better days.
“His Grace wanted to see me?” she asked when she felt close enough, still staring at the back of her husband’s head. He shifted slightly, turning his head just enough to see and acknowledge her.
“Come closer, Margaret,” he said, waving her in. Margaret nodded and walked to him, picking up her skirts to avoid the rumbles in the carpets on the floor. She stopped when she was before him, staring down at her old and sickly husband, observing his face which sometimes still drew fear from her heart. “I need to hear your thoughts on something.”
She tried not to show her surprise. It was very rare for her husband to ask for her opinion on anything. When he did, for most of the time, it was about the children, about whether she thought the maid who left Louis in his crib alone while she went to the privy needed a sacking or if he should call for an Italian physician to care for little Jeanne’s issues.
Margaret looked at the game of chess that stood between them, the black pieces turned to her and sat down in a chair of her own. For some reason, she didn’t think he wanted to talk about the royal heirs. If he did, he might have come to a visit in Blois, rather than summon her here.
“Tell me what is it, Sire,” she started, careful, “And I will help you to the best of my capabilities.”
Louis nodded and raised his arm, fingers bent at an awkward position because of his stroke, showing her a knight carved in a white material. He placed it in the middle of the board, facing her directly. “Charles the Bold,” he said, “Has petitioned the Pope to recognize his lands as a new kingdom. Old Lotharingia come again.”
“The Pope would never go against your will in such a way,” said Margaret. “Especially not with a gift of cash to convince his decision to be in our favour.”
“Perhaps not,” Louis responded, smacking his lips as he tried to talk. “Your brother, however, has thwarted our attempts to sway the Pope. He sent his own men to Rome to assist the Burgundians and I hear that he is working to have Emperor Frederick join their enterprise, with his two eldest daughters marrying the Count of Charolais and Archduke Maximilian when they come of age.”
“Edward is used to getting what he wants,” replied Margaret, “But so are you. I don’t think you will be deterred by this minor setback.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “We need allies,” he said. “France has remained without foreign threats for most of my reign, but this allowed us to ignore the need for friends. Now, the reminder is sore and unkind.”
“His Grace has four daughters,” Margaret murmured carefully. “Marry them to our neighbours and we will find the strength to put an end to Charles’ ambitions.”
“Which neighbours?” he asked. “The Castilians are in bed with the Aragonese and our shared English nieces have flooded the market.” He shook his head. “When I married Madeleine to the York King, I hoped she’d have a son or two, not so many daughters that my own lack prospective grooms.”
Margaret twisted her lips and her eyes moved to the table pushed close to the wall, where Louis hours before had supped. No servant had come to take the fish carcass away, probably because he wished to be left alone until her arrival, and an idea came to her head.
“What of Portugal, Sire?”
Louis frowned. “What of it?” he asked.
Margaret licked her lips as she prepared to speak, picking up the Queen piece from his side and the knight from hers, placing them beside each other. “João, the Prince of Portugal is in need of a wife, now that the Infanta Leonor perished from the plague. I heard the Castilian King wishes to marry his daughter to him, but the Portuguese are wary due to her rumoured illegitimacy and her mother’s infidelity with the nephew of a bishop. He is seven years older than His Grace’s eldest daughter, but clever and pious and they call him O Príncipe Perfeito in Lisbon, or the Perfect Prince. Any man would be pleased to call him ‘Son’”
Louis nodded. “The Portuguese are very rich and powerful,” he said. “I hear they have quite the large influence in Rome.”
“Not only that, but they have the largest and most powerful navy in Europe,” Margaret replied. “We could convince them to join us in a war against the Duke of Burgundy, or at least, placing their navy in the Channel to prevent the Flemish merchants from their trade.”
“And Jeanne?” he asked. “Marie? They need husbands as well.” Margaret tried not to smile. He would never agree with her wholeheartedly, but she knew she had convinced him of the match for her stepdaughter.
“Jeanne is more suited for a life as a Bride of Christ,” said Margaret. “I’d suggest Marie for my nephew, were they not first cousins.” She twisted her lips, thinking. “Perhaps Naples? They have strong ties to the Papacy.”
“Maybe,” said Louis. “Our Margot is too young to be betrothed in my opinion and new alliances can be made necessary in the future.” She nodded. “What of our sons? Who can they marry?”
“I’d say we ought to marry Charles and Louis to rich heiresses of military-important lands,” said Margaret. “Had the Duchess of Brittany produced any children, I’d say to one of her daughters, but she hasn’t conceived yet.” She twisted her lips. “Milan, perhaps. The Duke had only two children with his second wife and none with his first. A son, Gian Galeazzo who is sickly and likely to die before his father and a daughter, Bianca Maria, who is beautiful and rich, as well as hale by all accounts.”
“I will publicly arrange a betrothal of Charles to Blanche of Lancaster, since with the loss of her younger brother, she continues to be heir to the Lancastrian claim,” he murmured. Margaret waited for him to keep speaking before she voiced her disagreement with his idea. “This will allow me to retake the Norman cities and Calais from the English hands. When Edward of Westminster is eventually defeated, I can soften your brother’s heart with a gift of cash and break the marriage agreement in the name of peace.”
“And who will the Dauphin marry in truth?” she asked.
“Galeazzo Maria Sforza will receive a secret offer for Bianca to come to France, where you will house and educate her along with a number of other aristocratic girls,” he continued. “When we can break the betrothal to Blanche, our son will be promised to Bianca. She will give us Milan and with any luck, inherit her mother’s claim to Naples.”
Margaret nodded. “And our little Louis?”
“He is not even one year old,” her husband replied, waving a hand as if the matter was not important. “If an heiress to Brittany comes, we shall marry her to him. This will help us avoid giving out a piece of the royal demesne to him.”
She nodded and stood up, holding her skirts to avoid tripping. “With His Grace’s leave, I’d like to rest for the night,” she said. “It was a hard journey from Blois here.” Louis nodded and she pressed a kiss to his wrinkly cheek before giving him another curtsy. “Good night, Your Grace.”
“Good night,” he replied before she left.
Ooh, Louis and Margaret are quite the clever couple, though I fear that she might want to warn Edward about Louis's designs on Normandy. The match with Bianca Maria is a truly worthy one, and Portugal I trust will prove to be quite useful too. Lovely chapter!
Honestly, it's my fault. I'm just constantly changing my mind on what to do with him, which means some things that happened in the first part had to be changed in later chapters.
But Louis said the marriage isn't gonna happen, so she isn't worried about that. She just needs to keep a poker face.