Summer of 1512
Edmund knelt down on his knees in prayer, alongside his sister Mary and his mother Queen Elizabeth. All three of them were praying for the rapid recovery of their king Henry VII, the man who won at Bosworth Field and who inaugurated the Tudor dynasty. But even though they tried to deny it, they all knew that the end was near for him. Their mother feared losing her husband while Mary and Edmund were afraid of losing their father, even though they all knew that death was a natural part of life and nobody was supposed to live forever. Why did God not grant father long life like Methuselah?
Mary’s and Edmund’s older brother, Henry, the Prince of Wales, was at the moment at Greenwich Palace with his betrothed, while both Mary and Edmund remained at Eltham Palace. Edmund was still twelve years old despite being a prince and senior peer of the realm, so Eltham Palace would be his home until he reached his majority. As for Mary, their father was busy trying to find matches for her since she was marriageable, but the process had stalled since his health took a permanent turn for the worse after Christmastide. As such, Henry had to take on more duties in their father’s place while their mother did their best to keep the court lively.
“Are you all right, Ned?” Elizabeth asked her youngest son with concern. “You have been whispering to yourself too quickly.”
Edmund looked at his mother with apprehension. “I… I…”
“It is all right, Ned. You can tell me,” Elizabeth reassured her son.
“I am scared, mother,” Edmund admitted.
“Because your father will die?” Elizabeth knew already.
“I do not want him to die.” Even though he was not close to his father and even Henry personally, Edmund would never wish harm on them both.
“I know.” Elizabeth patted her son’s head. “But if it is his time, then we must accept it. We cannot defy what God has already decided for us.”
“But why do we pray then, if that is true?” Mary asked.
“If God will not make our king better, then we must pray for his soul once he departs to heaven, just as we did for Lady Margaret.”
Edmund was honestly frightened of his grandmother, the woman who played a role in the Tudors’ rise to power. Even though she was warm to him, there was something about her that made him feel distant. It was only one year since her death and everyone suspected that her dying was what drove the king to melancholy.
“And once he dies, Ned, do you know your duty?” Elizabeth asked her youngest son.
Edmund knew that his brother and his betrothed were soon to be doing their duty, as their marriage was to take place soon and hopefully to be followed by many sons. As Edmund was currently second-in-line to the English throne, he would have to marry and produce heirs of his own. Most importantly, he would have to support his older brother who would become the next king, just like he did when Arthur died.
“I do, mother,” Edmund nodded solemnly.
“Very good.” Elizabeth kissed the top of his head. “And you, Mary, do you also know your duty?”
“I do, mother,” Mary also affirmed.
After they finished their prayers, Elizabeth took her two youngest children on a walk through the gardens of Eltham Palace in an effort to divert their attention from the gloominess that was soon to overcome them all.
Edmund remembered when Lady Margaret died and there was a grand funeral procession in London, and he remembered being overwhelmed by the whole set of circumstances, especially when the courtiers referred to him through a variety of addresses such as “Your Grace,” “Lord Somerset,” or “Your Highness.” Already, some families like the Cliffords, the Greys, and his Courtenay cousins were trying to approach him in an effort to marry him to one of their daughters, but his mother thankfully told them all to leave him alone as they were in mourning and he was too young to make such a decision. Henry also told them to get away from his brother, which surprised Edmund since they were not close. Still, I have him to thank for getting those lords away from approaching me with their daughters.
However, their walk through the gardens was cut short when they were approached by Thomas Ruthall, Secretary of State and Bishop of Durham, along with members of the royal yeomanry. “Your Graces,” Thomas Ruthall bowed his head to the three members of the king’s family.
“Your Eminence,” Queen Elizabeth answered.
“I have come here to bring you all to Richmond Palace, on behalf of the king and the Prince of Wales.”
Elizabeth stiffened. “It is time, is it not?”
“I am afraid it is, my queen.”
Both Mary and Edmund knew what they were talking about. Preparing themselves, they and their mother gathered their servants and other members of their household before they rode to Richmond Palace. Edmund could only await what was to come after their father’s death, for it would be a new world with him gone, for better and worse.
Upon their arrival, they saw Henry and his betrothed Eleanor already awaiting them. Henry kissed the cheeks of his mother and his sister while Eleanor embraced her soon-to-be mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Edmund was stunned when Henry pulled him into a hug. “Dear Ned, it is so good to see you,” he said.
Edmund slowly returned the hug. “It is good to see you too, Your Highness.”
Henry sighed heavily. “Please, call me Harry. I am your brother after all.”
“Harry.” Edmund was quick to comply.
Henry saw that his young brother was still hesitant, but he was not going to push him. Eleanor came to Edmund and hugged him also. “Hello, Ned.”
Edmund was confused, as he was also not close to Eleanor despite them being close in age. “Hello… Your Highness.”
Eleanor pinched his cheek. “How many times did I tell you that you can call me Ellie? We are to be family soon.” She still retained her Flemish brogue.
“Please excuse my son,” Elizabeth stepped in. “This is all very overwhelming for him and it must be hard for him.”
Eleanor smiled respectfully. “Of course, Your Grace.”
Henry bobbed his head in understanding. “We have already said our goodbyes. He will want to see you all next, mother.”
“Of course.”
Edmund waited outside as his mother and Mary had their last words with his father. Edmund’s hands were trembling, but he managed to largely control it to the point where no one would be able to notice. Edmund was a prince after all.
“Your Grace.” William Warham, his father’s Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, stepped out of the room along with his mother and Mary. “The king will see you now.”
“Your Eminence,” Edmund addressed him while he hugged his mother and sister again. If only Margaret was here. In the place of his sister and brother-in-law in Scotland, the Scottish ambassador to the English court was also in attendance.
Edmund was led into his father’s bedchamber, where he was attended by his personal physician and other courtiers were there also. He was utterly shocked at how his father looked, as the able king that he grew up knowing was replaced by a sickly old man who was struggling onto the last seconds of his life.
“Come closer, Edmund. My eyesight is failing me.” Henry VII gestured to his youngest son and he turned to look upon him. “Even though I can barely see you, I can sense that you will become a great man.”
“Please, Your Grace. I do not need to be one, for you are a great man already.”
“Spare me that nonsense, boy. Even a blind man can see that I am not long for this world,” the dying king strongly answered. “But enough about me. Tell me about yourself, and your days at Eltham Palace.”
Edmund talked about his days training with weaponry, the art of fighting, being taught many languages, dancing, and other aspects that made up the education of a humanist. “I also spend much time studying with Anthony Browne, Edward North, and John Gates.”
“Your friends, I trust?” the king asked with interest.
“Yes, my king.”
“Please, for God’s sake, call me father. I would rather our last hours be as father and son, not as king and subject.”
“Yes… father.” Edmund had some difficulty saying that. “And yes, they are my friends.”
“Good. You will need friends, those you can trust, when you do your duties to Harry. You will be his strong right arm when the crown of England is placed atop his head.”
“I am aware of what I must do, father.”
“Are you?” the king questioned. “The crown is heavy on the head and while Harry will have to carry the burden by himself, he will need you, now more than ever. I can already sense the vultures just waiting to pick off the remains of our family.”
“Father, how can you say that? England is secure, our family is secure.”
“Not yet,” his father shook his head. “Only after Harry marries Princess Eleanor and has children, and you have your own children, can our family remain secure on the throne. You must prepare yourself, should Harry suffer an early departure from this life.”
“No, no,” Edmund answered quickly. “He is healthy, he is energetic. He will live a long life.”
“Never assume the best of things, Ned,” the king told him. “Arthur was healthy, and he was taken from us. Always be prepared, should you have to take the crown.”
Edmund was afraid to be king, but he could not say no to his father’s wishes. “I shall do as you wish, father.”
“Swear it, boy!” he raised his voice.
Edmund was startled, but he calmed down again. “I swear, father.”
“Good.” The king squeezed Edmund’s hand. “By this time tomorrow, Harry will be king. Do what God has called you to do.”
After Edmund was dismissed from his father’s bedchambers for the last time, he was taken to his rooms in Richmond Palace. He could not sleep, for it was a long night for him. All he could do was pace around his chamber, anxious for what the morning would bring. And he must have lost track of time, for morning came and he was still awake.
The door opened and in came his mother, who was just as sleepless as he was. “Ned, have not been sleeping?”
“I could not, mother.”
She nodded in understanding. “Ned… your father is dead.” Edmund closed his eyes and lowered his head in sadness, but Elizabeth walked to him and knelt down. “Come on. Let me take you to Harry, or His Grace now.”
Joined by Mary, they arrived at the presence chamber, which now had Harry seated. As one, Elizabeth, Mary, and Edmund knelt down. “Your Grace,” they said together.
Henry stood up. “Rise, please.” He kissed his mother’s and sister’s cheek once more and hugged Edmund tightly. “Ned.”
“My king,” Ned expelled thoughts of calling him by his childhood name.
“What will you do now, Ned? Go back to Eltham Palace?” Edmund could not answer right away, which Henry noticed. “It is all right, brother. You can answer by the end of the week.”
Edmund nodded gratefully. “Thank you, my king.”
Henry patted his brother’s head. “We shall speak again soon, Ned. But please, call me Harry when no one else is around.”
Edmund smiled. He thus had to prepare himself for a new world, where he was no longer just the third son of Henry VII of England. He was now Prince Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset and Earl of Ulster and brother of the new king.
After looking over a previous thread in which I covered Edmund Tudor, I revised it accordingly with the following changes:
-Edmund Tudor is now Duke of Somerset and Earl of Ulster
-Elizabeth of York is still alive
-Henry VII lived for three more years, since his wife surviving means that his health and personality did not take a huge negative turn
-Catherine of Aragon went back to Spain after the families (mostly Elizabeth of York) manage to reach an agreement over the dowry, while Elizabeth pays for her former daughter-in-law's household in the meantime. Henry then had his son betrothed to Eleanor of Austria, and they will marry soon
I am planning for this to be multi-chapter thread, but any comments are welcome
Edmund knelt down on his knees in prayer, alongside his sister Mary and his mother Queen Elizabeth. All three of them were praying for the rapid recovery of their king Henry VII, the man who won at Bosworth Field and who inaugurated the Tudor dynasty. But even though they tried to deny it, they all knew that the end was near for him. Their mother feared losing her husband while Mary and Edmund were afraid of losing their father, even though they all knew that death was a natural part of life and nobody was supposed to live forever. Why did God not grant father long life like Methuselah?
Mary’s and Edmund’s older brother, Henry, the Prince of Wales, was at the moment at Greenwich Palace with his betrothed, while both Mary and Edmund remained at Eltham Palace. Edmund was still twelve years old despite being a prince and senior peer of the realm, so Eltham Palace would be his home until he reached his majority. As for Mary, their father was busy trying to find matches for her since she was marriageable, but the process had stalled since his health took a permanent turn for the worse after Christmastide. As such, Henry had to take on more duties in their father’s place while their mother did their best to keep the court lively.
“Are you all right, Ned?” Elizabeth asked her youngest son with concern. “You have been whispering to yourself too quickly.”
Edmund looked at his mother with apprehension. “I… I…”
“It is all right, Ned. You can tell me,” Elizabeth reassured her son.
“I am scared, mother,” Edmund admitted.
“Because your father will die?” Elizabeth knew already.
“I do not want him to die.” Even though he was not close to his father and even Henry personally, Edmund would never wish harm on them both.
“I know.” Elizabeth patted her son’s head. “But if it is his time, then we must accept it. We cannot defy what God has already decided for us.”
“But why do we pray then, if that is true?” Mary asked.
“If God will not make our king better, then we must pray for his soul once he departs to heaven, just as we did for Lady Margaret.”
Edmund was honestly frightened of his grandmother, the woman who played a role in the Tudors’ rise to power. Even though she was warm to him, there was something about her that made him feel distant. It was only one year since her death and everyone suspected that her dying was what drove the king to melancholy.
“And once he dies, Ned, do you know your duty?” Elizabeth asked her youngest son.
Edmund knew that his brother and his betrothed were soon to be doing their duty, as their marriage was to take place soon and hopefully to be followed by many sons. As Edmund was currently second-in-line to the English throne, he would have to marry and produce heirs of his own. Most importantly, he would have to support his older brother who would become the next king, just like he did when Arthur died.
“I do, mother,” Edmund nodded solemnly.
“Very good.” Elizabeth kissed the top of his head. “And you, Mary, do you also know your duty?”
“I do, mother,” Mary also affirmed.
After they finished their prayers, Elizabeth took her two youngest children on a walk through the gardens of Eltham Palace in an effort to divert their attention from the gloominess that was soon to overcome them all.
Edmund remembered when Lady Margaret died and there was a grand funeral procession in London, and he remembered being overwhelmed by the whole set of circumstances, especially when the courtiers referred to him through a variety of addresses such as “Your Grace,” “Lord Somerset,” or “Your Highness.” Already, some families like the Cliffords, the Greys, and his Courtenay cousins were trying to approach him in an effort to marry him to one of their daughters, but his mother thankfully told them all to leave him alone as they were in mourning and he was too young to make such a decision. Henry also told them to get away from his brother, which surprised Edmund since they were not close. Still, I have him to thank for getting those lords away from approaching me with their daughters.
However, their walk through the gardens was cut short when they were approached by Thomas Ruthall, Secretary of State and Bishop of Durham, along with members of the royal yeomanry. “Your Graces,” Thomas Ruthall bowed his head to the three members of the king’s family.
“Your Eminence,” Queen Elizabeth answered.
“I have come here to bring you all to Richmond Palace, on behalf of the king and the Prince of Wales.”
Elizabeth stiffened. “It is time, is it not?”
“I am afraid it is, my queen.”
Both Mary and Edmund knew what they were talking about. Preparing themselves, they and their mother gathered their servants and other members of their household before they rode to Richmond Palace. Edmund could only await what was to come after their father’s death, for it would be a new world with him gone, for better and worse.
Upon their arrival, they saw Henry and his betrothed Eleanor already awaiting them. Henry kissed the cheeks of his mother and his sister while Eleanor embraced her soon-to-be mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Edmund was stunned when Henry pulled him into a hug. “Dear Ned, it is so good to see you,” he said.
Edmund slowly returned the hug. “It is good to see you too, Your Highness.”
Henry sighed heavily. “Please, call me Harry. I am your brother after all.”
“Harry.” Edmund was quick to comply.
Henry saw that his young brother was still hesitant, but he was not going to push him. Eleanor came to Edmund and hugged him also. “Hello, Ned.”
Edmund was confused, as he was also not close to Eleanor despite them being close in age. “Hello… Your Highness.”
Eleanor pinched his cheek. “How many times did I tell you that you can call me Ellie? We are to be family soon.” She still retained her Flemish brogue.
“Please excuse my son,” Elizabeth stepped in. “This is all very overwhelming for him and it must be hard for him.”
Eleanor smiled respectfully. “Of course, Your Grace.”
Henry bobbed his head in understanding. “We have already said our goodbyes. He will want to see you all next, mother.”
“Of course.”
Edmund waited outside as his mother and Mary had their last words with his father. Edmund’s hands were trembling, but he managed to largely control it to the point where no one would be able to notice. Edmund was a prince after all.
“Your Grace.” William Warham, his father’s Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, stepped out of the room along with his mother and Mary. “The king will see you now.”
“Your Eminence,” Edmund addressed him while he hugged his mother and sister again. If only Margaret was here. In the place of his sister and brother-in-law in Scotland, the Scottish ambassador to the English court was also in attendance.
Edmund was led into his father’s bedchamber, where he was attended by his personal physician and other courtiers were there also. He was utterly shocked at how his father looked, as the able king that he grew up knowing was replaced by a sickly old man who was struggling onto the last seconds of his life.
“Come closer, Edmund. My eyesight is failing me.” Henry VII gestured to his youngest son and he turned to look upon him. “Even though I can barely see you, I can sense that you will become a great man.”
“Please, Your Grace. I do not need to be one, for you are a great man already.”
“Spare me that nonsense, boy. Even a blind man can see that I am not long for this world,” the dying king strongly answered. “But enough about me. Tell me about yourself, and your days at Eltham Palace.”
Edmund talked about his days training with weaponry, the art of fighting, being taught many languages, dancing, and other aspects that made up the education of a humanist. “I also spend much time studying with Anthony Browne, Edward North, and John Gates.”
“Your friends, I trust?” the king asked with interest.
“Yes, my king.”
“Please, for God’s sake, call me father. I would rather our last hours be as father and son, not as king and subject.”
“Yes… father.” Edmund had some difficulty saying that. “And yes, they are my friends.”
“Good. You will need friends, those you can trust, when you do your duties to Harry. You will be his strong right arm when the crown of England is placed atop his head.”
“I am aware of what I must do, father.”
“Are you?” the king questioned. “The crown is heavy on the head and while Harry will have to carry the burden by himself, he will need you, now more than ever. I can already sense the vultures just waiting to pick off the remains of our family.”
“Father, how can you say that? England is secure, our family is secure.”
“Not yet,” his father shook his head. “Only after Harry marries Princess Eleanor and has children, and you have your own children, can our family remain secure on the throne. You must prepare yourself, should Harry suffer an early departure from this life.”
“No, no,” Edmund answered quickly. “He is healthy, he is energetic. He will live a long life.”
“Never assume the best of things, Ned,” the king told him. “Arthur was healthy, and he was taken from us. Always be prepared, should you have to take the crown.”
Edmund was afraid to be king, but he could not say no to his father’s wishes. “I shall do as you wish, father.”
“Swear it, boy!” he raised his voice.
Edmund was startled, but he calmed down again. “I swear, father.”
“Good.” The king squeezed Edmund’s hand. “By this time tomorrow, Harry will be king. Do what God has called you to do.”
After Edmund was dismissed from his father’s bedchambers for the last time, he was taken to his rooms in Richmond Palace. He could not sleep, for it was a long night for him. All he could do was pace around his chamber, anxious for what the morning would bring. And he must have lost track of time, for morning came and he was still awake.
The door opened and in came his mother, who was just as sleepless as he was. “Ned, have not been sleeping?”
“I could not, mother.”
She nodded in understanding. “Ned… your father is dead.” Edmund closed his eyes and lowered his head in sadness, but Elizabeth walked to him and knelt down. “Come on. Let me take you to Harry, or His Grace now.”
Joined by Mary, they arrived at the presence chamber, which now had Harry seated. As one, Elizabeth, Mary, and Edmund knelt down. “Your Grace,” they said together.
Henry stood up. “Rise, please.” He kissed his mother’s and sister’s cheek once more and hugged Edmund tightly. “Ned.”
“My king,” Ned expelled thoughts of calling him by his childhood name.
“What will you do now, Ned? Go back to Eltham Palace?” Edmund could not answer right away, which Henry noticed. “It is all right, brother. You can answer by the end of the week.”
Edmund nodded gratefully. “Thank you, my king.”
Henry patted his brother’s head. “We shall speak again soon, Ned. But please, call me Harry when no one else is around.”
Edmund smiled. He thus had to prepare himself for a new world, where he was no longer just the third son of Henry VII of England. He was now Prince Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset and Earl of Ulster and brother of the new king.
After looking over a previous thread in which I covered Edmund Tudor, I revised it accordingly with the following changes:
-Edmund Tudor is now Duke of Somerset and Earl of Ulster
-Elizabeth of York is still alive
-Henry VII lived for three more years, since his wife surviving means that his health and personality did not take a huge negative turn
-Catherine of Aragon went back to Spain after the families (mostly Elizabeth of York) manage to reach an agreement over the dowry, while Elizabeth pays for her former daughter-in-law's household in the meantime. Henry then had his son betrothed to Eleanor of Austria, and they will marry soon
I am planning for this to be multi-chapter thread, but any comments are welcome
Last edited: