The whole Richard III story starts with King Edward III, r. 1327 - 1377 m. Philippa of Hainault. That English - Germanic connection -- or perhaps at a time when England and France were vying for world leadership and control of the French throne, The Hundred Years War -- 1337 - 1453. Philippa was in charge when her husband was off fighting the French. Philippa was "Flanders" and Edward II felt that an alliance with Flanders might benefit England in competition against France.
[By the way, the "Neville" name goes all the way back to Ralph Neville, Lord Neville, the Battle of Neville's Cross, just outside Durham, England, October, 1346, when Neville defeated an incredibly huge Scottish invasion with huge loss of life for the English forces.]
Hainault looks like it occupies the Eifel, south of Cologne to Mannheim, bordering France on the west and not including Luxembourg. The center might have been Trier. One wonders if there is any connection between Hahn and Hainault?
Edward III's first son died in 1376, so did not become king, but his son Richard II followed King Edward III, his grandfather. King Richard II ruled a long time, 1377 - 1399.
The next in line would have been a younger brother of his father, therefore, his UNCLE John of Gaunt (patriarch of the House of Lancaster) but Uncle John died in 1399 and thus his son, or cousin of Richard II, became King: Henry IV, r. 1399 - 1413.
Things seemed to work out well.
Henry IV's son becomes King Henry V, r. 1413 - 1422, and things still going in order.
Henry V's son becomes King Henry VI, r. 1322 - 1461 and 1470 - 1471 -- things still going in order but obviously something happened in 1461.
It was during the reign of Henry V that Owen Tudor starts milling around. He marries King Henry V's widow, Catherine, daughter of Charles VI of France.
Two Tudor brothers, sons of Owen Tudor.
The younger brother, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond m. Lady Margaret Beaufort and have a son, Henry VII (Tudor ), r. 1485 - 1509.
So, between 1461 and 1470 issues arose.
So, between 1461 and 1470, conflict between houses of Lancaster and York.
The Yorks won the first round -- Richard Plantagenet, House of York, was a grandson of the younger brother of John of Gaunt, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke off York. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville had a son, Edward, House of York, becomes King Edward IV, r. 1461 - 1470, and 1471 - 1483. For that one year, King Henry VI was briefly back on the throne, but then Edward IV reclaimed the throne until 1483.
So, through Henry VI things were in order until House off York (Richard Plantagenet and Cecily Neville came on the scene;
House of York, Plantagent, Cecily Neville, with son Edward becomes King Edward IV.
When King Edward VI dies in 1483, his younger brother, a son of Cecily Neville, becomes king: KING RICHARD III, House of York, r. 1483 - 1485. His two nephews who would have been next in line mysteriously disappeared in The Tower. These two nephews were sons of Richard III's older brother Edward IV -- remember, he died in 1483 when Richard III become king. Clearly, these two sons, sons of King Edward IV had "seniority" to Edward's brother Richard to be king but they were too young to be king, so their uncle Richard III took advantage to become king and get rid off the nephews.
When Richard III -- House of York dies in 1483 -- Henry VIII --- tracing his bloodline to Henry V and back to the far left of the family tree of Edward III -- he becomes King.
So:
- medieval King Edward III
- sons House of Lancaster and House of York
- House of Lancaster, orderly lineage to become king
- House of York, through 3rd Duke of York, Richard Plantagenet and wife Cecily Neville, see opportunity, and House of York son Edward IV becomes king, and then his younger brother Richard III becomes king for two years (House of York) before Henry VIII sees opportunity, tracing his lineage back to Henry V, House of Lancaster.
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Although not quite right,
- Edward name: House of Lancaster
- Richard name: House of York
- Henry: "house of Henry" --- but Lancaster allegiance
- Henry VII: became the exception -- as a Henry, came out of the House of Lancaster, but family name Tudor and thus House of Tudor. Henry II married Elizabeth who was a daughter of Edward IV (name associated with House of Lancaster, so I suppose in a way, Henry VII could have remained in House of Lancaster but his family name was Tudor, so House of Tudor.
- So, in a sense, House of York screwed everything up and only on the scene for a short period of time
- the House of Edward -- John of Gaunt -- House of Lancaster, in the end, won out -- with Henry VII and Henry VIII
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Absolutely incredible book.
Needs to be read alongside Brenda James' The Truth Will Out.
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Update
I'm continuing to read the biography of Richard III by Chris Skidmore. I really understand this a lot more -- a lot better.
The reason for my interest in Richard III has to do with adding to my "understanding" of Sir Henry Neville as the "real Shakespeare."
And, wow, behind the throne (and married to the throne) were the Woodville and Neville families.
The Nevilles were near the top of the heap with regard to land and access to the throne. The Woodvilles seemed to have a smaller role as a family until Elizabeth, the sixth child, a younger daughter ended up marrying Elizabeth Woodville.
It seems like it goes from the general to the more specific:
the general: two sides of the Edward III family split into the Yorks and the Lancasterians;
the sibling rivalry among the three brothers: Edward IV, Clarence/George, and Richard III
the specific: the Woodville woman (wife of Edward IV) vs the Neville women (Yorkists)
Meanwhile, serendipity, two interlopers, sons of the first wife of Henry V were in the right place at the right time, with the younger, Edmund Tudor, married Margaret Beaufort (House of Lancaster line) and beget Henry VII -- exact generation of the three brothers -- when the three brothers imploded, Henry VII (House of Tudor, with connection to Henry V) married Elizabeth, the oldest child and sister of the two younger princes of Edward IV who disappeared in The Tower under the watch of Richard III.
From Edward III (r. 1327 - 1377) to Henry VIII (r. ) and James VI (King of Scotland):
- almost 200 years, England from deep medieval period to modern era
- the Nevilles were a big, big deal, especially in the 1400's;
- the Nevilles pretty much came to a political end when Isabela (Clarence/George) and Anne (Richard III) died -- in the late 1400s
- with at least one huge exception: Sir Henry Neville
It appears Sir Henry Neville was the grandson of Edward Neville (d. 1538) a close friend of Henry VIII; feud between Thomas Cromwell and Edward Neville furthered drained the Nevilles;
- Sir Henry Neville's great grandfather was knighted King Edward IV for support at Battle of Tewkesbury;
- Sir Henry Neville was great great grandson of Ralph Neville and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt and Kathryn Swynford;
- which brings us to Edward III's reign
- Ralph Neville married a Despenser
- Ralph Neville's father married into the Percy family; Ralph Neville himself was the son of John Neville:
- John Neville, fought against the Scots at the Battle of Neville's Cross (1346)
- John Neville's father fought at the Battle of Neville's Cross; victorious against King David
- Ranulph Neville, 1st baron, 1262 - 1331 -- head of the powerful Neville family;
The Neville or Nevill family (originally FitzMaldred) is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England and played a central role in the Wars of the Roses along with their rival, the House of Percy.
With that kind of history, and his background, one can understand why Sir Henry Neville, former ambassador to France, and knighted, would have seen an opportunity with the Essex Rebellion.
With his inside knowledge, and family history, perfect position to write the "Shakespeare" plays.
Brenda James would have known all this.
Meanwhile, back to Sir Henry Neville.
Repeating:
From Edward III (r. 1327 - 1377) to Henry VIII (r. ) and James VI (King of Scotland):
- almost 200 years, England from deep medieval period to modern era
- the Nevilles were a big, big deal, especially in the 1400's;
- the Nevilles pretty much came to a political end when Isabela (Clarence/George) and Anne (Richard III) died -- in the late 1400s
- with at least one huge exception: Sir Henry Neville
- as William Shakespeare, Sir Henry Neville did three things:
- wrote his family's history without writing about the Nevilles;
- recorded English history as England moved from deep medieval period to what I would argue was the beginnning of the modern era; and,
- deeply responsible for transforming the English language
I will enjoy introducing all of this to Sophia.
Back to Skidmore's book.
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Part 1: Brothers
Chapter 1: Sons of York
Lancashire <------------------------>York
- Lancashire: John of Gaunt -- third son; third in line once Edward III dies
- York: first Duke of York -- Edmund of Langley, d. 1402 -- patriarch
- son, Richard m. into Mortimer family -- sort of just disappeared (but then showed up again)
- grandson, Richard Plantagenet -- 3rd Duke of York, k. 1460 -- m. Cecily Neville, d. 1493
Let's step back and look at the Nevilles.
Began with Ralph de Neville
John, son -- married into royalty, married daughter / heir to Earl of Kent
Ralph re-married and his second family looked a lot like the family of Edward III.
Ralph de Neville marries Joan of Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt -- this was his second marriage and was huge in British history due to all the children they produced.
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