Chapter 1 - 28th of June 1461
“Let us walk in a new vineyard and let us make a gay garden in the month of March with this fair white rose and herb the Earl of March” Written by a chronicler in 1461
Chapter 1 - 28th of June 1461
To Elizabeth Lambert new Queen of England was a true beauty. Her face was gravely lovely and as fair as the Virgin herself. The Coronation of Edward IV of England and his consort Eleanor Talbot took place on a sunlit day. The coronation was to be held at Westminster Abbey, and the royal procession left the Tower of London. Edward proved to be a godlike man at the age of 19, extremely tall and with hair like dark gold. Unlike the poorly dressed and vacant looking Henry VI this monarch could be the solution to the strife and troubles that had ravaged England for years. And the Queen was the daughter of the valiant Lord Talbot, The Achilles of England, created Earl of Shrewsbury for his rare success in arms. The terror of the French had been nobly slain at the Battle of Castillion in 53 along with his son, the viscount of Lisle.
Eleanor was clad in a rich attire; a gown of golden silk over a kirtle of embroidered silk. Her hems and collars were lined in royal ermine, with her long hair falling down her shoulders like an image of the Virgin herself. But what drew the eyes of everyone was the gentle swell of Eleanor’s stomach. Their Queen was pregnant. Their young and golden warrior king would have an heir by late autumn. A child with the blood of the victor of the Battle of Towton and the fearsome general Shrewsbury. If Eleanor was carrying a Prince of Wales, then England would have a trueborn heir, as opposed to the young Lancastrian Westminster and his loathed mother.
The coronation of a pregnant Queen with as esteemed ancestry as Eleanor, this was a huge win for the House of York and the King. An opportunity to bind the county together after the strife that had ravaged England badly. For Eleanor many tasks laid ahead, in bearing heirs, but also to restore the spiritual purity of Queenship and the office that had been neglected and diminished by her predecessor, Marguerite of Anjou. Thus, the preparations for her coronation had been made to make it as splendid as possible. 400 pounds had been given to the treasurer of the household for the occasion; for silkwork on the chairs, saddle and pillion, 108 pounds for a gold basin and cup, 208 paid for two cloths of gold. John Howard had been given 20 pounds for the gold and silver plate he had given. The city’s guilds had provided decorations for 200 marks that showed of Eleanor’s impeccable linage and her promised fertility.
The chronicles wrote of her and Edwards coronation as this:
Eleanor was conducted with more celebrations to the Tower, where English queens traditionally spent their penultimate night before the coronations. Next morning, Eleanor, escorted by the newly created knights of Bath was escorted in an open horse litter through the streets to Westminster. She was led into Westminster Hall the following morning by Bishops of Durham and Salisbury, “clothed in mantel of purple and a coronal upon her head” beneath a purple silk canopy carried by four barons of the Cinque Ports. She carried the scepter of St.Edward in her right hand and the scepter of the realm in her right. The dowager duchess of Buckingham bore Eleanor’s train, following the queen were her mother and two of Edward’s sisters, Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk and lady Margaret. Cowering the path from Hall to Abbey was a carpet of ray cloth, upon which the queen walked barefoot, their way being cleared by George, duke of Clarence, Lord High Steward. Having passed into the monastery and through it’s north door, Eleanor knelt at the high altar, then prostrated herself while the archbishop prayed. Rising, she was anointed and crowned, then led to the throne. After the royal procession left the abbey, the queen was led to her chamber, where she was dressed in purple surcoat and brought into the Hall to dine. Each time the queen took a bite, she herself removed her crown, putting it back when she was finished. To cap off the ceremonies, on 27 May, a tournament was held at Westminster. Lord Stanley won and was awarded a ruby ring from queen’s hands."
The Coronation of Edward IV and Eleanor Talbot. The painting is somewhat inaccurate, as Eleanor would have worn her hair loose, and her hand upholding the front of the gown is disguising her pregnant belly what was prominently written about at the time.
Edward and Eleanor were crowned by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was assisted by William Booth, Archbishop of York. Edward was “solemnly graced with the diadem of sovereignty”.
After the coronation Eleanor moved her newly established household to Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Here she had her lying-in at the mighty palace with its strong association to the English nation and its great kings. The fortress also served as protection to her as Edward had remained in London in order to secure his reign and ensue that the Lancastrian resistance would be firmly stamped out, once and for all.
Author's Note: So I decided to make a third tl because why not? I recently got fixated on Eleanor Talbot and this is the result. Credit to @FalconHonour and @pandizzy and @eliamartin65 for helping me brainstorm with this scenario. I have a vague idea of where the heck this will head, so feel free to jump in with ideas.
Chapter 1 - 28th of June 1461
To Elizabeth Lambert new Queen of England was a true beauty. Her face was gravely lovely and as fair as the Virgin herself. The Coronation of Edward IV of England and his consort Eleanor Talbot took place on a sunlit day. The coronation was to be held at Westminster Abbey, and the royal procession left the Tower of London. Edward proved to be a godlike man at the age of 19, extremely tall and with hair like dark gold. Unlike the poorly dressed and vacant looking Henry VI this monarch could be the solution to the strife and troubles that had ravaged England for years. And the Queen was the daughter of the valiant Lord Talbot, The Achilles of England, created Earl of Shrewsbury for his rare success in arms. The terror of the French had been nobly slain at the Battle of Castillion in 53 along with his son, the viscount of Lisle.
Eleanor was clad in a rich attire; a gown of golden silk over a kirtle of embroidered silk. Her hems and collars were lined in royal ermine, with her long hair falling down her shoulders like an image of the Virgin herself. But what drew the eyes of everyone was the gentle swell of Eleanor’s stomach. Their Queen was pregnant. Their young and golden warrior king would have an heir by late autumn. A child with the blood of the victor of the Battle of Towton and the fearsome general Shrewsbury. If Eleanor was carrying a Prince of Wales, then England would have a trueborn heir, as opposed to the young Lancastrian Westminster and his loathed mother.
The coronation of a pregnant Queen with as esteemed ancestry as Eleanor, this was a huge win for the House of York and the King. An opportunity to bind the county together after the strife that had ravaged England badly. For Eleanor many tasks laid ahead, in bearing heirs, but also to restore the spiritual purity of Queenship and the office that had been neglected and diminished by her predecessor, Marguerite of Anjou. Thus, the preparations for her coronation had been made to make it as splendid as possible. 400 pounds had been given to the treasurer of the household for the occasion; for silkwork on the chairs, saddle and pillion, 108 pounds for a gold basin and cup, 208 paid for two cloths of gold. John Howard had been given 20 pounds for the gold and silver plate he had given. The city’s guilds had provided decorations for 200 marks that showed of Eleanor’s impeccable linage and her promised fertility.
The chronicles wrote of her and Edwards coronation as this:
Eleanor was conducted with more celebrations to the Tower, where English queens traditionally spent their penultimate night before the coronations. Next morning, Eleanor, escorted by the newly created knights of Bath was escorted in an open horse litter through the streets to Westminster. She was led into Westminster Hall the following morning by Bishops of Durham and Salisbury, “clothed in mantel of purple and a coronal upon her head” beneath a purple silk canopy carried by four barons of the Cinque Ports. She carried the scepter of St.Edward in her right hand and the scepter of the realm in her right. The dowager duchess of Buckingham bore Eleanor’s train, following the queen were her mother and two of Edward’s sisters, Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk and lady Margaret. Cowering the path from Hall to Abbey was a carpet of ray cloth, upon which the queen walked barefoot, their way being cleared by George, duke of Clarence, Lord High Steward. Having passed into the monastery and through it’s north door, Eleanor knelt at the high altar, then prostrated herself while the archbishop prayed. Rising, she was anointed and crowned, then led to the throne. After the royal procession left the abbey, the queen was led to her chamber, where she was dressed in purple surcoat and brought into the Hall to dine. Each time the queen took a bite, she herself removed her crown, putting it back when she was finished. To cap off the ceremonies, on 27 May, a tournament was held at Westminster. Lord Stanley won and was awarded a ruby ring from queen’s hands."
The Coronation of Edward IV and Eleanor Talbot. The painting is somewhat inaccurate, as Eleanor would have worn her hair loose, and her hand upholding the front of the gown is disguising her pregnant belly what was prominently written about at the time.
Edward and Eleanor were crowned by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was assisted by William Booth, Archbishop of York. Edward was “solemnly graced with the diadem of sovereignty”.
After the coronation Eleanor moved her newly established household to Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Here she had her lying-in at the mighty palace with its strong association to the English nation and its great kings. The fortress also served as protection to her as Edward had remained in London in order to secure his reign and ensue that the Lancastrian resistance would be firmly stamped out, once and for all.
Author's Note: So I decided to make a third tl because why not? I recently got fixated on Eleanor Talbot and this is the result. Credit to @FalconHonour and @pandizzy and @eliamartin65 for helping me brainstorm with this scenario. I have a vague idea of where the heck this will head, so feel free to jump in with ideas.
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