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There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
- Start date
Take your time and do not worry, RL came first and we know well who inspiration can disappear for a while
Chapter 168, May 1529
Eltham Palace, Kingdom of England, May 1529
The next few weeks would be eventful for Eleanor, she was actually excited about something g a rare occurrence now that she was nearly thirty-one. How could she not be, when this summer she would help Henry secure their legacy as King and Queen of England...
After visiting Eltham, the King and Queen would go on a summer progress, to the north, accompanied by their eldest two children. Their younger children of course would stay at Eltham, Henry’s namesake son was the heir, and Mary was to be Queen of Scotland, there was no need for the others to go. The Duke of York could be introduced to his subjects when he was a bit older, even if he would’ve preferred to go with them. Such words would hopefully go over better with the people of the north than they did with young Edward.
The six-year-old Duke of York wasn’t happy that his older siblings could go while he couldn’t, something which caused the boy to shed many tears. It was only thanks to his older sister that tears no longer filled the boy’s green eyes. Green, just like Phillip of Burgundy’s had been, leaving the servants to hope that was the only way he’d be like his maternal grandfather.
Mary fortunately had managed to calm Edward by showing him her book of hours, and the two sat in the corner of the nursery, reading together. Once he was seven the boy would be given his own suite of rooms at Eltham, just as his older siblings had.
“Do you think perhaps that we have been too soft with Edward? Lady Fitzwilliam was at her wit's end until Mary stepped in.” The Queen observed.
The King tilted his head in thought,“I am not sure. I’ll have to give it some thought. However, I have come to a decision as to who will tutor the boy.”
“You did not consult me!” Eleanor hissed.
“Oh please, I consulted you when I picked the younger William Warham for Henry. Besides, I trust you won’t have objections to Sir Thomas More. He is a man of good faith, one who knows how to pair discipline with kindness.”
Eleanor of Austria sniffed the air,”I suppose that he is a tolerable choice, as our second son Edward needs to be brought up by a different man than Henry.”
Henry’s reply was a simple nod, his reasoning was likely similar to his wife’s.
A silence passed between them, a silence which the Queen ended,“Johanne informed me that you and Wolsey met before we left Windsor. What was it about?”
“Aye, we did. My ambassador told us that the newest daughter of King Joao and Queen Catarina passed hours after her birth. I told him to send our condolences to your sister.”
“A pity. It seems babes born in that time of year are seldom as healthy as our Princes are...” Eleanor returned her gaze to Henry, done with her musing,”Besides that, I was hoping that we might have been able to betroth Edward to Joana.”
“Luckily there are others.” The King replied.
“Who else did you have in mind?”
“The Duke of Cleves has a daughter, Amalia. She’s only a few years older than Edward and comes from a rich family.
“That is true, but I think we should look higher for our Duke of York. I’d rather not Edward marry a bride older than him either.”
Henry nodded his head,“Well, I agree, our second boy could do better than the German’s daughter. What about Denmark? My sister Mary’s younger daughter Catherine could do nicely.”
“She’s perfect, the house of House of Oldenburg is of good stock. You know my sister Isabella was once considered as a bride for King Christian. A half-English girl will have an easier time adjusting to life here.”
“It is decided then. Catherine to our Edward, were there any other betrothals that you wish to discuss today?”
“What of Margaret?” Eleanor asked.
“Well, we have plenty of time to decide, she’s only two after all. Do you have a preference for her?”
Eleanor grinned for a moment as she watched the toddler stack three blocks together before turning back to her husband,”Our nephew Phillip. I know they are cousins twice over, but I’m sure we can obtain a dispensation easily enough.”
“That sounds good to me as well Eleanor. Catherine is happy being married to Charles, so I’m sure Phillip will be a good husband to Margaret. Not to mention this would secure our alliance with your family for another generation. Yes, I agree that Margaret should be betrothed to Phillip, I’ll have our new ambassador, Sir David Cecil propose this to the Emperor.”
“Good, that will be all then. I’ll see you at dinner, Harry wanted me to see him practice his riding after he taught Suzie some new tricks.”
“That boy and his dog.” Henry chuckled.
The man lifted her off her feet for a moment, kissing her on the lips, and Eleanor giggled as his red beard tickled her cheek”I’ll see you later then darling.”
Eleanor of Austria moved to leave the room and go outside where her son and most of her ladies were, having taken stock of what her other children were up to.
Joan meanwhile wasn’t doing anything particularly interesting, suckling at a wetnurse’s breast. The Queen wasn’t quite sure what to think of her younger daughter, especially as the baby seemed unlikely to grow out of her resemblance to her namesake grandmother. Eleanor gave the infant a quick stroke on the head before she made to leave, the door slowly swinging behind her as she exited the room.
…
The brown pony snorted as its hooves came to a steady stop at the behest of his rider. Henry, now tall enough to dismount himself, did so, carefully sliding off the pony after he removed his feet from the stirrups.
The Prince of Wales stroked the pony’s snout“Good boy Dash.”
As one of the grooms led Dash back to the stable, he sneezed, which prompted laughs from Eleanor and her son. The Queen ambled forward, slightly behind the Duke of Suffolk, Henry’s mentor in matters of war and sport.
Once Charles Brandon stood beside the boy, his mother called out,“Good riding Henry, keep this up and you’ll be just as excellent as your father.”
“You did well indeed, Your Grace.” The pat on the back implied a familiarity that his words did not.
Though he smiled, Eleanor could tell that the man was pained. His young wife, Elizabeth, Lady Lile had died of childbed fever the month before, leaving their five children motherless, though the youngest, Muriel, was at least healthy after her mother’s sacrifice.
The Queen chimed in, hoping to cheer the Duke,“He is lucky to have such an able teacher.”
Charles Brandon mustered up a weak smile,”You are too kind, Your Majesty.”
“No, I mean it. You truly are a good teacher when it comes to these matters. I can think of no man in England, besides The King, who I could trust to prepare my son to defend his crown.”
It was the truth, and besides that, Eleanor did not like seeing Charles mope about so. Yes, it was sad that his wife died, perhaps he even loved her, but she did not need him doubting himself, not when her son and the welfare of England depended on it. So, when Charles Brandon smiled back at her, she was quite pleased, better for him to think of what he was good at than feel sorry for himself.
Walking beside her eldest son, Eleanor placed a hand on his shoulder,”Come now Harry, let’s tell your father all about your skills as a rider…”
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They're definitely better than IOTL but as time well tell they may have their own issues in the future... Thank you very much for your praise, the past few days I spent quite a bit of time on the chapter and I'm glad it came out great!
Well hopefully Edward doesn’t grow to be anything like his maternal grandfather. Also no offense to Eleanor but the daughter of a Portuguese king is just way too high to be Duchess of york - I even think Catherine of Oldenburg is pushing it. I get it though, she has her pride 
Indeed, let's hope not, though he might have some signs right now of being similar he'll at least have a better upbringing. And oh yeah, Eleanor has plenty of pride to go around, and yes Catherine of Denmark is probably the highest Edward will get, though it helps that she's his cousin...Well hopefully Edward doesn’t grow to be anything like his maternal grandfather. Also no offense to Eleanor but the daughter of a Portuguese king is just way too high to be Duchess of york - I even think Catherine of Oldenburg is pushing it. I get it though, she has her pride
Considering that Henry VIII is his father and his great grandfather was Edward IV? I’d say good luck with that one. We’ll have to be really lucky if Henry VII’s faithfulness shines through
And so the gene pool becomes ever thinner
A second son is a very poor match to someone whose brothers will become king of Denmark-Norway and Sweden. Especially considering that Denmark at least will enter one of its most prosperous periods soon if it goes somewhat like otl. Isn’t there a rich English heiress? Perhaps Anne Bouchier, even though she’s 6 years his senior?
Oh yeah, I think at least one of Henry and Eleanor's sons will be a bit unfaithful to his wife, though the question is which one it will; be...
That it does lol, I guess at least the parents of both aren't closely related, but this may have some unintended consequences.
Usually, he would be yes, but there are a couple of things that help Edward's chances. The first, that I forgot to mention in the chapter, is that Catherine is Christian and Mary's youngest daughter, not just a younger one, so her older sisters have gotten priority when it comes to good matches. There's also the fact that through his mother the Duke of York has very illustrious ancestry, but yeah it's a bit of a stretch, though I imagine Mary would be pleased to see her daughter marry into her family.
You'll find out in time but he'll likely be better than his father...
It sure took awhile, but they're finally at a point where they are mostly fine with one another, even if there are a couple of little disputes.
No incidents for young Henry, I promise!!!!
Chapter 169, June 1529
York, Kingdom of England, June 1529
Though ostensibly to help the people, a royal progress truly benefited the Monarch. It helped solidify their control over a region, by reminding the people of two things. It reminded the people of a ruler’s wealth and of their power. The wealth, they would display through lavishing attention on regional projects. Power, meanwhile, was shown through the ruler’s men and their enforcement of the law. In short, it gave the message that the Monarch should be both loved and feared. It was a needed one on occasion, even if Henry was as popular as ever, it never hurt to show the people their betters. Their triumphal entry into York on horseback had been as welcomed as one could expect, the people, even the poorest, dressed in their best, those who could wore green, the color of the Tudors. While it didn’t quite impress Eleanor as much as it used to, she was pleased to see that her children seemed excited, with wide smiles on their faces as they waved at the throngs of people. It had been quite the moment for the two, and the Queen of England noted with pride that the children were capable riders. So, the morning had proceeded just fine as far as Eleanor of Austria was concerned.
Now it was early afternoon, they were just outside the cathedral, York Minster, after having heard mass. Eleanor was not religious, but she went through the motions, the windows were rather pretty at least. Wolsey had explained that they depicted St. Cuthbert or some other man, but again, Eleanor had not really paid much attention, only doing the minimum to give the appearance that she was a dutiful Christian.
Now with that, over, the more interesting part of the visit to York was to begin. According to the itinerary her husband drafted, Harry and Mary were to give a short speech to the people of York.
Her son was uneasy, that much she could tell and her husband, talking with Wolsey did not seem to notice, so she asked,”What troubles you Henry? You looked so happy riding into the city.”
The boy looked up at her, fear in his eyes, as he stood by one of the building’s pillars,”I’m just a Prince, I haven’t done anything of note yet, what if they don’t think I’m a worthy heir… Mother I’m so nervous!”
“Don’t be. Just remember that the people aren’t concerned about what you’re doing right now, they want to hear what you will do. All you need is to throw in some platitudes about protecting them, that is all they really want to hear from you as their future King.”
“That’s all?” Her son asked.
Eleanor stroked her son’s cheek,”Yes that is all. Just remember that and I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Thank you, mother.”
“Of course, now let’s go, your sister is waiting for you.”
The boy nodded his head, a green hat sitting atop his red hair, and so Eleanor, Henry, and their eldest two children walked out of the front door to the cathedral. Just outside the entrance, a makeshift dais was constructed, one which looked surprisingly good for the speed with which it was built, albeit there were no chairs. Luckily there was no need for them to be seated, it would be a quick speech, and then move to their lodgings at the Archbishop's Palace. Perhaps Eleanor would do some shopping in the city afterward too, but now was not the time to think of that. The Prince and Princess kept going after they had stopped, halting a few paces ahead of them.
The crowd before them rather quickly quieted themselves, and everyone, from the oldest grandmother to the youngest toddler had a smile on their face.
Henry began, and cleared his throat,” On the day, God forbid, that I am called to rule England, I will remember you and do all I can to support you. I swear to protect you, the people of the north to my last day on this Earth!”
The crowd all applauded, for how could they not admire such youthful enthusiasm, and again, quieted themselves, prepared to listen to another short speech.
The Princess smiled, naturally easier with crowds than her brother,”And I swear to protect you as well. My marriage will bring peace with the Scots, and trade with them as well. Together, Prince Henry and I will see the north peaceful and prosperous!”
The people all clapped again, the pair had done splendidly, a true credit to Lady Pole’s tutelage. Eleanor and Henry too, looked on in pride, with luck the future King of England and Queen of Scotland would bring peace between both nations one day…
For all her troubled relationship with her mother, Eleanor seems to share Juana’s apathy towards religion.
She sure does, that's a very correct observation! Eleanor may not realize it, but she's more similar to her mother in some ways than she'd think!