Edward V
Posted April 22nd, 2012 at 01:15 PM by Crystal Rainbow
The Protector
IV
It was clear to Richard that the Woodvilles were clearly despised by the people and Edward V had a nasty shock when he heard the crowd for calling for the Woodvilles blood. All this was hard for a young King to understand as he had lived in Ludlow miles away from his father’s court. His Uncle Anthony Woodville, Earl of Rivers had seen to his education as he considered himself a scholar of his day. It had been quoted that his life in Ludlow had been very sheltered and his daily life would start by Matins and then the mass, virtuous learning. Noble stories of virtue, honour, cunning wisdom and deeds of worship and he was allowed to play before bed and he was watched in his sleep. It came a bit of a shock to find out so abruptly that his Uncle Anthony Woodville was not his protector anymore. His uncle was like a father who had taken great lengths to supervise his education and his well being. He had never met this Uncle on his father’s side and he never knew his father very well and when his Uncle Richard had explained the battles that his father had bravely fought he never heard much about them. He was soon getting confused as those that were around him were talking of matters about his mother’s side of the family and how they stole the crown jewels.
Richard was eager to restore confidence in the government and order in the land. He assembled all the lords spiritual and temporal and the city magistrates. There was a solemn public ceremony the oath of fealty to King Edward the fifth. As the people watch this ceremony seem to look forward to a long and happy reign. The Duke of Buckingham had came up with the suggestion of the Tower of London would be a safer place accommodation for a King, but some councillors had proposed the Hospital of St John as a suitable abode and some others had suggested Westminster. The later suggestion was not given any consideration, as it was to close to Elizabeth Woodville. But after some lengthy discussion orders were sent out to get the new apartments ready for the King. The next thing that had been that had been discussed was the king’s coronation and new date had been settled and it was set for 24th of June.
Dominic Mancini had written about the young King’s nature.
In word and deed he gave so many proofs of his liberal education, of polite nay rather Scholarly, attainments far beyond his age;…his special knowledge of literature.. enabled him to discourse elegantly, to understand fully, and to declaim most excellently from any work whether in verse or prose that came into his hands, unless it were from the more abstruse authors. He had such dignity in his whole person, and in his face such charm, that however much they might gaze, he never wearied the eyes of the beholders.
Richard had made his first address to his first council as the protector and he told the council that he will ignored what was the past, but he did not exclude those who had strongly supported the Woodvilles the most. The Great Seal had been taken from the late Queen in Sanctuary by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was back in the hands of the protector. The late king’s council board had welcomed Richard and he knew that he could trust them. They immediately proclaimed Richard as Protector and Defensor of the Realm, according to the rights of the late King’s will.
A Croyland Chronicler had reported, ‘[Richard] was invested with power to order and forbid in every matter, just like another king. Richard had went to great pains to listen to the lords of the council it was plain to see that the court had become corrupt and he knew he had to have the goodwill of the council. He went to work straight away, he had Rotherham formally chastise for giving that Great Seal to Elizabeth Woodville. John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln was given the post of being the chancellor with everybody’s backing. It had been told that he was ‘a man of equally great learning and piety’. Russell was a man who had served the late King well, he had been known as the late King’s distinguished diplomat and the keeper of the privy seal. They were some other that had served the late king well and Richard wanted them to be rewarded for the good work that they had done. Richard had wanted to make the transition from the old regime as unobtrusive as possible.
Harry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham had never had much of say in anything in his life and that included his marriage to Catherine Woodville. According to Mancini Buckingham had resented his wife and the other Woodvilles as he considered them of lower status. He was descended from Thomas of Woodstock, Edward III youngest son. His father was mortally wounded at the battle of St Albans in 1455 fighting against Richard’s father the Duke of York. Elizabeth Woodville had noticed this Duke had a lot of land, the Bohun estate left by his great-great grandmother Eleanor de Bohun. She had decided to have the young Duke brought up in her household when he was twelve years old. One can only image how he had to down to that family for Buckingham to notch up a lot of resentment during his time in the late Queen’s household. During the last decade of the late kings life he could never had any great say in government. He had spent most of his time gambling, drinking and just idling his time away, some would say he enjoyed the company of men that enjoyed that style of life. Since Edward’s death he was able to have say in what to do in the country. Since the downfall of the Woodvilles he had been given freedom to vent out his resentment as against the Woodvilles. Being stuck in his estate in Brecon in South Wales he did not know the ways of court life in London. He also was on the crude side and was not wise to people’s underhanded ways. Coming from obscurity to being the Second most important person in the country just seemed a bit too much for Buckingham to handle as he had attracted company that had some hidden agendas.
The Woodvilles had presented a problem to the council and they needed the treasure and the crown jewels that were remaining safe back in the tower of London. Money was needed to pay for the late King’s funeral. Richard had declared to the Woodvilles that were staying in sanctuary that they are free to go as along as they return all that they had taken from the state. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset had decided to leave the sanctuary and handed back the state jewels. True to his word Richard had allowed him his freedom. The family had remain in sanctuary as Elizabeth Woodville had stubbornly kept on saying that her and her family would not be safe with Hastings on the streets. Richard had heard that Sir Edward Woodville was anchored in the Downs, near Goodwin sands, on hearing that news he would offer full pardons to all that would desert the ships and he had put a price on Sir Edward. Sir Edward and Robert Ratcliffe announced as enemies of the state and a price had been put on their heads. On the 9th of May Richard had hastily dispatched men to take command of fortifications at the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. Lord Cobham who was a retainer of Lord Howard’s was sent with a small army to Dover and Sandwich to the ports to resist a surprise attack. On 10th of May Richard had ordered Sir Thomas Fulford and one Halwelle ‘to rig them to the sea in all haste and go to the Downs among Sir Edward and his company in that they may’. Four days after, Edward Brampton, John Wellis and Thomas Grey had received writs ‘to go to the sea with ships to take Sir Edward Woodville’. Sir Edward was no friend of the late King and during the time most of the Woodvilles were getting good marriages and titles. There has been little written about him in history but it can be suggested that he was given an opportunity to hand over the crown jewels and surrender and he would have been given a full pardon. As Richard by this time was getting the reputation for being lenient with people that had gone against the throne. Edward Woodville was a cunning man, who thought he could outwit he only had two ships and fled to Brittany with his portion of Edward IV treasure and had joined forces with Henry Tudor in Brittany. It seemed that Sir Edward Woodville felt he would gain better status by backing Henry Tudor, who was calling himself the Earl of Richmond.
On the 11th of May Richard had made renewal of the truce with Burgundy and requested Lord Dynham, Hastings deputy at Calais, to further the negotiations as best he could. Richard had felt it was very important to maintain the old friendships between the both countries. He was soon getting sent messages of friendship to the new government, to which Richard had quickly replied. Richard had sent more ships along the channel, which was commanded by John Davy, a servant of Lord Howard’s, to keep in check that trade could carry on unmolested.
Richard had noticed that Jane Shore the late King’s mistress had not made an appearance since his death and nobody had seemed to know what had happened to her. She was one of the few people that Edward the late King had really trusted. She had been a long term Mistress and the late King had doted on her, She was very popular with the people of London and she was very clever, witty and intelligent. She never looked for honours for herself, but if anybody needed help she would bring the late king’s attention. She had many admirer’s but she was always’ true to the King. It was first thought that Elizabeth Woodville had got her revenge, as the late King preferred Jane rather his wife. It seemed that even though Elizabeth wanted revenge she did not know of her whereabouts. It all seemed a mystery about her whereabouts, as Elizabeth was safe out of harms way in sanctuary. Richard would have welcomed Jane Shore back to court, as she was someone that had given the late King Edward so much comfort in his life.
It was far from easy in those few weeks as protector; he had inherited lot problems from resentments against Woodvilles and Hastings feuds. Before the death of the late King, the Woodvilles were running a tight ship as they were greatly feared. Now without their control people in the new council there were some misunderstandings as who was really in the driving seat. The Duke of Buckingham was a new player on the scene not really knowing what was going on, but trying to assert his new found authority. The new council was a mix up of people with hidden agendas it was guaranteed that they had started to be a lot of confusion. The English Church was a powerful and had power over the crown it was clearly shown that they all had agendas of their own. Public servants of the church were John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln, John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells, John Morton, Bishop of Ely and the return of a very controversial Bishop who had fell into disgrace since the downfall of Clarence Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
The man who was right behind Richard to take up the protector and guardianship was Hastings. The might that was behind the late King, when Hastings had come back from Calais in autumn of 1482, five hundred gentlemen in white gowns had met him at Dover to escort him in honour to the King. Hastings was seen to be as the guardian of the House of York and he welded more power now the Woodvilles had fell into disgrace. He did enjoy a close relationship with the late King Edward and he was hoping that he could have a close relationship with his brother Richard. It was becoming increasingly aware to people that Richard was nothing like his brother. Where Edward loved women and the pleasures, Richard was more Liberal and more concerned about social justice and the poor. He was loyal to his wife even that he had a few bastards born their births happen before his marriage to Anne Neville. Richard never wanted to go down London but he had no choice in the matter, as it was his last brother wish that he had to guide his Nephew to Kingship when he would come of age. He was only too happy to stand down and spend the rest of his days in Yorkshire. To know what Hastings thoughts had on the new king is unclear, as there are no record. It had been documented that the young King had resented being taken away from his Uncle Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers. Hastings may have sensed that this resentful twelve-year-old boy growing up in five years time and the Woodvilles back in power again, but only for the moment the king was separated from his maternal family. Hastings was furious with Richard for giving Thomas Grey, the Marquess of Dorset a full pardon.
Another secret that he was hiding was a trophy mistress that had he long hankered for the late King’s mistress, Jane Shore. He was well known for his lewd lecherous practices and there were many stories of women and young ladies hiding hoping that they would not encounter his sickening sexual perversions. Jane had nearly had a close encounter with him when she had just about the time of her marriage to the goldsmith, William Shore. Hastings had his eyes on her, but it seemed that Edward had become interested and he had to put his interests on hold as he hoped that Edward would soon tire of her like he did with so many of his other interests. It seemed that Edward had fell in love and over the years it had seemed that Edward had found a mistress that he truly loved her company. She did not seek any favours for herself and looked after others that came to her when they needed her for their troubles. She possessed a certain charm and wit that had stood out from any mistress that the late King ever had. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset was also had admired her beauty and was waiting for the time for the King to tire from her. He was close to his stepfather Edward and they were regularly seen together at social gatherings and he and he shared time in his leisure with women. It seemed that their no end of admirers that were waiting for the chance to have a chance to marry her as she had her marriage annulled to her husband in 1476. It seemed increasingly worrying that the late Queens eldest son the Marquess of Dorset had taken time to look for Jane Shore.
When Hastings came back to London when Richard had taken guardianship of Edward V, he kept all his offices. He had the governorship of Calais, the sinecure of the master of the mint and the exchange, and the Lord Chamberlain that would give him ready access to the young King’s ear. In the first few weeks during Richard’s guardianship went to Hastings for his opinions on how to deal with Woodvilles and he had brought William Catesby a promising lawyer to his attention. He had become one of Richard’s chief advisors.
Thomas Stanley seemed to have faired well in the Protector’s council as he had retained a prominent position and held the stewardship of the royal Household. He was able to attend on his majesty King Edward V along with his wife, Margaret Beaufort the mother of Henry Tudor. Lord Howard also had done very well out of the Richard’s Proctorship as he was made Seneschal of Duchy of Lancaster south of Trent; and the Earl of Arundel and master of the Game of all the King’s forest, chases and parks south of Trent. Richard had only renewed Northumberland’s appointment as Warden for year only, carefully guaranteeing him the payment of his expenses, and extended his captaincy of Berwick for no longer than five months. It seemed that Richard was less than impressed with the lack of amount of support when he got when he had taken the young King to London.
Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham was the man that had risen so far and so fast since Richard had become protector. Buckingham had enjoyed his raised status as his voice his opinions and ideas in the council chamber. He was on a mission to let everybody know that he was the Protector’s ally, the Protector’s friend the Protector’s man. It like he was filling an empty void that had been left from the Woodvilles. Buckingham was quickly becoming a man who was obsessed with his own importance. The thing was that Buckingham had not been blessed in his personality to charm anyone and tended to be over bearing in his attitude rather than win friends at court. He had to let everybody know that he was after Richard that he was the first peer of the realm, and therefore born to greatness, none of the barons should be offended if Richard had showed him high favour. The Earl Rivers had held the post of ruler of Wales and Marches and Richard had given Buckingham that post as reward for being there for at Stony Stratford. What Richard had come to realise later was how his fickle his nature was when it came to loyalty. On the 15th of May Richard had given Buckingham the power of supervision and array of the entire King’s subjects in Shropshire, Hereford, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire and he was made constable of all the royal castles. He was also was appointed Chief Justice and chamberlain in both North and South Wales. Buckingham had the power to appoint the entire chief officers of the counties and keeper of all the royal forests and chases therein. It had seemed that Buckingham was virtually the ruler of Wales and a large part of the West Country.
There were other people that flocked to get what they could get what they could get from him as they had self interests and ambitions as you would get with anyone who had the power to have the first and last say in any matter. Richard had his oldest friends that he knew that he when he was a young boy in Middleham, he had first met Francis Lovell whom he had just had the title of Viscount after the bravery he had shown at the Scottish Campaign. Richard had appointed him Chief Butler of England an old post that the Earl Rivers. There was unknown Earl of Lincoln, who was the son of Richard’s sister Elizabeth and the Duke of Suffolk, who identified himself with the side of Richard. Richard had promoted Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells who was no friend of the Woodvilles. There were some new faces in the council that Richard had known from his days in Yorkshire such as Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir James Tyrell, Robert Brackenbury and William Catesby who advise he often had admired. It had seemed that Richard was in a dilemma, as the King loved his Uncle and would be apart of his death. As much as Richard wanted to Rivers, Vaughan and Grey to be executed since Richard had vowed that he would get the people whom were responsible for the death of Clarence. He knew he could not go against the wish of the King.
As the Month of May had passed Richard was making preparations for his wife to come to London. He had heard that his son was not well enough to travel and was in the care of Anne’s mother. On 5th of June Anne had arrived in London and Richard had welcomed Anne to Crosby’s Place. Things in London were getting intense as the date of the Kings coronation was looming soon and it had been reported that the King had an abscess on his tooth. Richard had consulted Dr Argentine the king’s doctor on how the young King were. Richard had also written a letter upon his wife Anne’s advice not to forget the men of York.
On the eight of June 1483 Richards and Anne world had been turned upside down as the Kings body had been found by one of his servants, while the Elizabeth Woodville and her family along with the little Duke of York were still in sanctuary.
IV
It was clear to Richard that the Woodvilles were clearly despised by the people and Edward V had a nasty shock when he heard the crowd for calling for the Woodvilles blood. All this was hard for a young King to understand as he had lived in Ludlow miles away from his father’s court. His Uncle Anthony Woodville, Earl of Rivers had seen to his education as he considered himself a scholar of his day. It had been quoted that his life in Ludlow had been very sheltered and his daily life would start by Matins and then the mass, virtuous learning. Noble stories of virtue, honour, cunning wisdom and deeds of worship and he was allowed to play before bed and he was watched in his sleep. It came a bit of a shock to find out so abruptly that his Uncle Anthony Woodville was not his protector anymore. His uncle was like a father who had taken great lengths to supervise his education and his well being. He had never met this Uncle on his father’s side and he never knew his father very well and when his Uncle Richard had explained the battles that his father had bravely fought he never heard much about them. He was soon getting confused as those that were around him were talking of matters about his mother’s side of the family and how they stole the crown jewels.
Richard was eager to restore confidence in the government and order in the land. He assembled all the lords spiritual and temporal and the city magistrates. There was a solemn public ceremony the oath of fealty to King Edward the fifth. As the people watch this ceremony seem to look forward to a long and happy reign. The Duke of Buckingham had came up with the suggestion of the Tower of London would be a safer place accommodation for a King, but some councillors had proposed the Hospital of St John as a suitable abode and some others had suggested Westminster. The later suggestion was not given any consideration, as it was to close to Elizabeth Woodville. But after some lengthy discussion orders were sent out to get the new apartments ready for the King. The next thing that had been that had been discussed was the king’s coronation and new date had been settled and it was set for 24th of June.
Dominic Mancini had written about the young King’s nature.
In word and deed he gave so many proofs of his liberal education, of polite nay rather Scholarly, attainments far beyond his age;…his special knowledge of literature.. enabled him to discourse elegantly, to understand fully, and to declaim most excellently from any work whether in verse or prose that came into his hands, unless it were from the more abstruse authors. He had such dignity in his whole person, and in his face such charm, that however much they might gaze, he never wearied the eyes of the beholders.
Richard had made his first address to his first council as the protector and he told the council that he will ignored what was the past, but he did not exclude those who had strongly supported the Woodvilles the most. The Great Seal had been taken from the late Queen in Sanctuary by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was back in the hands of the protector. The late king’s council board had welcomed Richard and he knew that he could trust them. They immediately proclaimed Richard as Protector and Defensor of the Realm, according to the rights of the late King’s will.
A Croyland Chronicler had reported, ‘[Richard] was invested with power to order and forbid in every matter, just like another king. Richard had went to great pains to listen to the lords of the council it was plain to see that the court had become corrupt and he knew he had to have the goodwill of the council. He went to work straight away, he had Rotherham formally chastise for giving that Great Seal to Elizabeth Woodville. John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln was given the post of being the chancellor with everybody’s backing. It had been told that he was ‘a man of equally great learning and piety’. Russell was a man who had served the late King well, he had been known as the late King’s distinguished diplomat and the keeper of the privy seal. They were some other that had served the late king well and Richard wanted them to be rewarded for the good work that they had done. Richard had wanted to make the transition from the old regime as unobtrusive as possible.
Harry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham had never had much of say in anything in his life and that included his marriage to Catherine Woodville. According to Mancini Buckingham had resented his wife and the other Woodvilles as he considered them of lower status. He was descended from Thomas of Woodstock, Edward III youngest son. His father was mortally wounded at the battle of St Albans in 1455 fighting against Richard’s father the Duke of York. Elizabeth Woodville had noticed this Duke had a lot of land, the Bohun estate left by his great-great grandmother Eleanor de Bohun. She had decided to have the young Duke brought up in her household when he was twelve years old. One can only image how he had to down to that family for Buckingham to notch up a lot of resentment during his time in the late Queen’s household. During the last decade of the late kings life he could never had any great say in government. He had spent most of his time gambling, drinking and just idling his time away, some would say he enjoyed the company of men that enjoyed that style of life. Since Edward’s death he was able to have say in what to do in the country. Since the downfall of the Woodvilles he had been given freedom to vent out his resentment as against the Woodvilles. Being stuck in his estate in Brecon in South Wales he did not know the ways of court life in London. He also was on the crude side and was not wise to people’s underhanded ways. Coming from obscurity to being the Second most important person in the country just seemed a bit too much for Buckingham to handle as he had attracted company that had some hidden agendas.
The Woodvilles had presented a problem to the council and they needed the treasure and the crown jewels that were remaining safe back in the tower of London. Money was needed to pay for the late King’s funeral. Richard had declared to the Woodvilles that were staying in sanctuary that they are free to go as along as they return all that they had taken from the state. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset had decided to leave the sanctuary and handed back the state jewels. True to his word Richard had allowed him his freedom. The family had remain in sanctuary as Elizabeth Woodville had stubbornly kept on saying that her and her family would not be safe with Hastings on the streets. Richard had heard that Sir Edward Woodville was anchored in the Downs, near Goodwin sands, on hearing that news he would offer full pardons to all that would desert the ships and he had put a price on Sir Edward. Sir Edward and Robert Ratcliffe announced as enemies of the state and a price had been put on their heads. On the 9th of May Richard had hastily dispatched men to take command of fortifications at the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. Lord Cobham who was a retainer of Lord Howard’s was sent with a small army to Dover and Sandwich to the ports to resist a surprise attack. On 10th of May Richard had ordered Sir Thomas Fulford and one Halwelle ‘to rig them to the sea in all haste and go to the Downs among Sir Edward and his company in that they may’. Four days after, Edward Brampton, John Wellis and Thomas Grey had received writs ‘to go to the sea with ships to take Sir Edward Woodville’. Sir Edward was no friend of the late King and during the time most of the Woodvilles were getting good marriages and titles. There has been little written about him in history but it can be suggested that he was given an opportunity to hand over the crown jewels and surrender and he would have been given a full pardon. As Richard by this time was getting the reputation for being lenient with people that had gone against the throne. Edward Woodville was a cunning man, who thought he could outwit he only had two ships and fled to Brittany with his portion of Edward IV treasure and had joined forces with Henry Tudor in Brittany. It seemed that Sir Edward Woodville felt he would gain better status by backing Henry Tudor, who was calling himself the Earl of Richmond.
On the 11th of May Richard had made renewal of the truce with Burgundy and requested Lord Dynham, Hastings deputy at Calais, to further the negotiations as best he could. Richard had felt it was very important to maintain the old friendships between the both countries. He was soon getting sent messages of friendship to the new government, to which Richard had quickly replied. Richard had sent more ships along the channel, which was commanded by John Davy, a servant of Lord Howard’s, to keep in check that trade could carry on unmolested.
Richard had noticed that Jane Shore the late King’s mistress had not made an appearance since his death and nobody had seemed to know what had happened to her. She was one of the few people that Edward the late King had really trusted. She had been a long term Mistress and the late King had doted on her, She was very popular with the people of London and she was very clever, witty and intelligent. She never looked for honours for herself, but if anybody needed help she would bring the late king’s attention. She had many admirer’s but she was always’ true to the King. It was first thought that Elizabeth Woodville had got her revenge, as the late King preferred Jane rather his wife. It seemed that even though Elizabeth wanted revenge she did not know of her whereabouts. It all seemed a mystery about her whereabouts, as Elizabeth was safe out of harms way in sanctuary. Richard would have welcomed Jane Shore back to court, as she was someone that had given the late King Edward so much comfort in his life.
It was far from easy in those few weeks as protector; he had inherited lot problems from resentments against Woodvilles and Hastings feuds. Before the death of the late King, the Woodvilles were running a tight ship as they were greatly feared. Now without their control people in the new council there were some misunderstandings as who was really in the driving seat. The Duke of Buckingham was a new player on the scene not really knowing what was going on, but trying to assert his new found authority. The new council was a mix up of people with hidden agendas it was guaranteed that they had started to be a lot of confusion. The English Church was a powerful and had power over the crown it was clearly shown that they all had agendas of their own. Public servants of the church were John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln, John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells, John Morton, Bishop of Ely and the return of a very controversial Bishop who had fell into disgrace since the downfall of Clarence Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
The man who was right behind Richard to take up the protector and guardianship was Hastings. The might that was behind the late King, when Hastings had come back from Calais in autumn of 1482, five hundred gentlemen in white gowns had met him at Dover to escort him in honour to the King. Hastings was seen to be as the guardian of the House of York and he welded more power now the Woodvilles had fell into disgrace. He did enjoy a close relationship with the late King Edward and he was hoping that he could have a close relationship with his brother Richard. It was becoming increasingly aware to people that Richard was nothing like his brother. Where Edward loved women and the pleasures, Richard was more Liberal and more concerned about social justice and the poor. He was loyal to his wife even that he had a few bastards born their births happen before his marriage to Anne Neville. Richard never wanted to go down London but he had no choice in the matter, as it was his last brother wish that he had to guide his Nephew to Kingship when he would come of age. He was only too happy to stand down and spend the rest of his days in Yorkshire. To know what Hastings thoughts had on the new king is unclear, as there are no record. It had been documented that the young King had resented being taken away from his Uncle Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers. Hastings may have sensed that this resentful twelve-year-old boy growing up in five years time and the Woodvilles back in power again, but only for the moment the king was separated from his maternal family. Hastings was furious with Richard for giving Thomas Grey, the Marquess of Dorset a full pardon.
Another secret that he was hiding was a trophy mistress that had he long hankered for the late King’s mistress, Jane Shore. He was well known for his lewd lecherous practices and there were many stories of women and young ladies hiding hoping that they would not encounter his sickening sexual perversions. Jane had nearly had a close encounter with him when she had just about the time of her marriage to the goldsmith, William Shore. Hastings had his eyes on her, but it seemed that Edward had become interested and he had to put his interests on hold as he hoped that Edward would soon tire of her like he did with so many of his other interests. It seemed that Edward had fell in love and over the years it had seemed that Edward had found a mistress that he truly loved her company. She did not seek any favours for herself and looked after others that came to her when they needed her for their troubles. She possessed a certain charm and wit that had stood out from any mistress that the late King ever had. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset was also had admired her beauty and was waiting for the time for the King to tire from her. He was close to his stepfather Edward and they were regularly seen together at social gatherings and he and he shared time in his leisure with women. It seemed that their no end of admirers that were waiting for the chance to have a chance to marry her as she had her marriage annulled to her husband in 1476. It seemed increasingly worrying that the late Queens eldest son the Marquess of Dorset had taken time to look for Jane Shore.
When Hastings came back to London when Richard had taken guardianship of Edward V, he kept all his offices. He had the governorship of Calais, the sinecure of the master of the mint and the exchange, and the Lord Chamberlain that would give him ready access to the young King’s ear. In the first few weeks during Richard’s guardianship went to Hastings for his opinions on how to deal with Woodvilles and he had brought William Catesby a promising lawyer to his attention. He had become one of Richard’s chief advisors.
Thomas Stanley seemed to have faired well in the Protector’s council as he had retained a prominent position and held the stewardship of the royal Household. He was able to attend on his majesty King Edward V along with his wife, Margaret Beaufort the mother of Henry Tudor. Lord Howard also had done very well out of the Richard’s Proctorship as he was made Seneschal of Duchy of Lancaster south of Trent; and the Earl of Arundel and master of the Game of all the King’s forest, chases and parks south of Trent. Richard had only renewed Northumberland’s appointment as Warden for year only, carefully guaranteeing him the payment of his expenses, and extended his captaincy of Berwick for no longer than five months. It seemed that Richard was less than impressed with the lack of amount of support when he got when he had taken the young King to London.
Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham was the man that had risen so far and so fast since Richard had become protector. Buckingham had enjoyed his raised status as his voice his opinions and ideas in the council chamber. He was on a mission to let everybody know that he was the Protector’s ally, the Protector’s friend the Protector’s man. It like he was filling an empty void that had been left from the Woodvilles. Buckingham was quickly becoming a man who was obsessed with his own importance. The thing was that Buckingham had not been blessed in his personality to charm anyone and tended to be over bearing in his attitude rather than win friends at court. He had to let everybody know that he was after Richard that he was the first peer of the realm, and therefore born to greatness, none of the barons should be offended if Richard had showed him high favour. The Earl Rivers had held the post of ruler of Wales and Marches and Richard had given Buckingham that post as reward for being there for at Stony Stratford. What Richard had come to realise later was how his fickle his nature was when it came to loyalty. On the 15th of May Richard had given Buckingham the power of supervision and array of the entire King’s subjects in Shropshire, Hereford, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire and he was made constable of all the royal castles. He was also was appointed Chief Justice and chamberlain in both North and South Wales. Buckingham had the power to appoint the entire chief officers of the counties and keeper of all the royal forests and chases therein. It had seemed that Buckingham was virtually the ruler of Wales and a large part of the West Country.
There were other people that flocked to get what they could get what they could get from him as they had self interests and ambitions as you would get with anyone who had the power to have the first and last say in any matter. Richard had his oldest friends that he knew that he when he was a young boy in Middleham, he had first met Francis Lovell whom he had just had the title of Viscount after the bravery he had shown at the Scottish Campaign. Richard had appointed him Chief Butler of England an old post that the Earl Rivers. There was unknown Earl of Lincoln, who was the son of Richard’s sister Elizabeth and the Duke of Suffolk, who identified himself with the side of Richard. Richard had promoted Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells who was no friend of the Woodvilles. There were some new faces in the council that Richard had known from his days in Yorkshire such as Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir James Tyrell, Robert Brackenbury and William Catesby who advise he often had admired. It had seemed that Richard was in a dilemma, as the King loved his Uncle and would be apart of his death. As much as Richard wanted to Rivers, Vaughan and Grey to be executed since Richard had vowed that he would get the people whom were responsible for the death of Clarence. He knew he could not go against the wish of the King.
As the Month of May had passed Richard was making preparations for his wife to come to London. He had heard that his son was not well enough to travel and was in the care of Anne’s mother. On 5th of June Anne had arrived in London and Richard had welcomed Anne to Crosby’s Place. Things in London were getting intense as the date of the Kings coronation was looming soon and it had been reported that the King had an abscess on his tooth. Richard had consulted Dr Argentine the king’s doctor on how the young King were. Richard had also written a letter upon his wife Anne’s advice not to forget the men of York.
On the eight of June 1483 Richards and Anne world had been turned upside down as the Kings body had been found by one of his servants, while the Elizabeth Woodville and her family along with the little Duke of York were still in sanctuary.
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