1245 - 1246 AD:
Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall, was the younger brother of King Henry III and the second son of the despised John Lackland. By 1245, Richard had one surviving child from his marriage to Isabel Marshal, a son named Henry. In 1243, he remarried to Sanchia of Provence, sister of Queen Eleanor of Provence. The two had already met when Richard was on his journey to the Holy Land and they had fallen passionately in love.
Richard's brother, Henry III, was, overall, a kind but ineffectual monarch. He had tried several times to reconquer lands held by his father - Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Poitou. And every time he dithered which led to his father-in-law, Hugh de Lusginan, withdrawing his promised support. His marriage to Eleanor of Provence had given him two sons and two daughters. It had also brought several of his wife's relatives from Savoy, one of whom was now the Archbishop of Canterbury. Needless to say, this wasn't popular with the barons. Things took a sudden turn for the worse when their newborn son, Edmund, suddenly died the same year. Worse, the next year, their eldest son Edward, fell terribly ill. There had always been concerns about the prince's health, and despite the best efforts of those around him, the boy's life could not be saved. Henry was devastated and fell into a deep depression.
The succession had been thrown into question. By proximity of blood, Richard was next in line. That was how their father had succeeded Richard the Lionheart. By primogeniture, Henry's daughter Margaret was next in line. But Margaret was just six years old, and no woman had ever ruled England in her own right. And then there was Simon de Montfort. He had married the king's sister, something Richard had vehemently objected to, and she had given him four sons. Should Simon or one of his sons be named heir? Simon certainly thought so. Henry had little say in the matter because before the year was out, he was dead in his bed.
No one knew for certain what killed the king. Richard's enemies, including the former Queen, would accuse him of poisoning her husband and their sons. There were even some who dared to claim the king had committed suicide. Henry was extremely pious and would not have dared place his immortal soul in jeopardy by doing such a thing. In the end, most people accepted that the death of his sons made him lose the will to live, or simply that God had decided his time was up, or that he was just plain ill. Whatever the reason, Richard was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day as King Richard II of England.
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Hello, everyone. I know I haven't finished Angelus Hispaniae yet, but my mind drifted back to this idea and I thought I'd write it down while it was still fresh in my mind. Like Angelus Hispaniae, it probably won't be finished in a week. Long story short, from what I've read about Richard, Earl of Cornwall, it seems like he'd have made a better king than his brother. Unfortunately, this means killing off Edward I, one of my favourite English monarchs.
All thoughts, comments and helpful suggestions are welcome.
Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall, was the younger brother of King Henry III and the second son of the despised John Lackland. By 1245, Richard had one surviving child from his marriage to Isabel Marshal, a son named Henry. In 1243, he remarried to Sanchia of Provence, sister of Queen Eleanor of Provence. The two had already met when Richard was on his journey to the Holy Land and they had fallen passionately in love.
Richard's brother, Henry III, was, overall, a kind but ineffectual monarch. He had tried several times to reconquer lands held by his father - Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Poitou. And every time he dithered which led to his father-in-law, Hugh de Lusginan, withdrawing his promised support. His marriage to Eleanor of Provence had given him two sons and two daughters. It had also brought several of his wife's relatives from Savoy, one of whom was now the Archbishop of Canterbury. Needless to say, this wasn't popular with the barons. Things took a sudden turn for the worse when their newborn son, Edmund, suddenly died the same year. Worse, the next year, their eldest son Edward, fell terribly ill. There had always been concerns about the prince's health, and despite the best efforts of those around him, the boy's life could not be saved. Henry was devastated and fell into a deep depression.
The succession had been thrown into question. By proximity of blood, Richard was next in line. That was how their father had succeeded Richard the Lionheart. By primogeniture, Henry's daughter Margaret was next in line. But Margaret was just six years old, and no woman had ever ruled England in her own right. And then there was Simon de Montfort. He had married the king's sister, something Richard had vehemently objected to, and she had given him four sons. Should Simon or one of his sons be named heir? Simon certainly thought so. Henry had little say in the matter because before the year was out, he was dead in his bed.
No one knew for certain what killed the king. Richard's enemies, including the former Queen, would accuse him of poisoning her husband and their sons. There were even some who dared to claim the king had committed suicide. Henry was extremely pious and would not have dared place his immortal soul in jeopardy by doing such a thing. In the end, most people accepted that the death of his sons made him lose the will to live, or simply that God had decided his time was up, or that he was just plain ill. Whatever the reason, Richard was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day as King Richard II of England.
__________________________________________________
Hello, everyone. I know I haven't finished Angelus Hispaniae yet, but my mind drifted back to this idea and I thought I'd write it down while it was still fresh in my mind. Like Angelus Hispaniae, it probably won't be finished in a week. Long story short, from what I've read about Richard, Earl of Cornwall, it seems like he'd have made a better king than his brother. Unfortunately, this means killing off Edward I, one of my favourite English monarchs.
All thoughts, comments and helpful suggestions are welcome.
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