elizabethandrichard-blog

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But my dreams at night are more painful, far more painful than this, for then I dream that I am in his arms and he is waking me with a kiss. I dream that we are walking in a garden, planning our future. I dream that I am pregnant with his child, my rounded belly under his warm hand, and he is smiling, delighted, and I am promising him that we will have a son, the son that he needs, a son for York, a son for England, a son for the two of us. “We’ll call him Arthur,” he says. “We’ll call him Arthur, like Arthur of Camelot, we’ll call him Arthur for England.” The pain, when I wake to find that I have been dreaming again, seems to get worse every day. I wish to God I could stop dreaming.

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Elizbaeth of York mourning Richard III

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Did You Know?

Elizabeth of York was given two books by her uncle, Richard III-Tristan and Iseult  and Boethius Consolatio Philosophiae.

In the first book, Elizabeth wrote her motto-"Without Changing” under Richard’s signature. In the second book, she curiously wrote Richard’s motto “Loyalte me Lie” and then signed her name. As anyone studying the Wars of the Roses knows, Richard declared Elizabeth and her siblings illegitimate and took the throne from her brother Edward V and declared himself king. He killed her materal uncle, Anthony Woodville and her half brother Richard Grey. Below is why I Becky,  personally find it odd that Richard gave Elizabeth this particular book. 

                         However it seems uncle and niece were on good terms while she was at court, good enough that he sent her a gift of two books. Both books had belonged to Richard when he was Duke of Gloucester. To give her two of his own books as gifts shows that he must have held her in some esteem. One of the books, Boethius’s Consolatio Philosophiae, bears Richard’s motto “Loyalte me lye”, likely written by Elizabeth and bearing her signature underneath. The other contains the inscription, not necessarily in Richard’s hand, “Iste liber constat Ricardo Duci Gloucestre”. On the same page Elizabeth wrote the motto she had chosen for herself, “sans removyr (without changing), Elyzabeth”. 5

It is certain that she inscribed the books before she became Queen, her signature later read Elysabeth ye Queene and her personal motto “Humble and Reverent“. It is curious that she chose to inscribe the books with his motto. Perhaps Elizabeth was envisioning a future as Richard III’s Queen. Or perhaps it was just another show of solidarity.

http://nerdalicious.com.au/history/elizabeth-of-york-and-her-kings-richard-iii/

Here is why I find this interesting. Tristan is forced to kill Iseult's maternal uncle in a power struggle the uncle started but in which they both see themselves as justified. The parallel here is clear. This is before Tristan meets Iseult - EoY comes from sanctuary.After meeting Iseult Tristan is treated for an illness by her - Richard comforted by EoY after EoM's death. They fall in love over their shared love of music - Richard and EoY both liked music. Circumstances (her mother's rage) force them apart but eventually the mother comes to terms with Tristan and recognizes he did what he had to Again, parallels are obvious. However, Tristan has to marry Iseult to someone else, they have no choice, but tell each other their love lasts. For bonus points, Iseult"s mother is claimed to be a sorceress by some. Tristan marries someone else but he loves only Iseult and his marriage is chaste - Richard is married to Anne but their marriage seemed to flounder by that time

Does anyone else see the irony? I find this tragic and beautiful myself. Later she was forced to marry Henry VII, who would never forgive her for this betrayal with Richard and kept her lacking in power and wealth throughout her reign as queen, trusting only to his mother, the formidable Margaret Beaufort.

[elizabethandrichard-blog]

When the midst and last of February was past, the Lady Elizabeth, being more impatient and jealous of the success than anyone knew or conceived, writes a letter to the Duke of Norfolk, intimating first that he was the man in whom she affied , in respect of that love her father had ever bore him, etc. Then she congratulates his many courtesies and friendly offices, in continuance of which she desires him, as before, to be a mediator for her to the King in the behalf of the marriage propounded between them; who, as she wrote, was her only joy and maker in the world; and that she was his in heart and thought,  withal insinuating that the better part of February was past, and that she feared the Queen would never die.

The Buck letter-written by Elizabeth of York about marrying her lover, Richard III

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“Once, when you were small,” Richard whispered, “you said you would like to marry me.” He began to turn away 

“I had a dream last night.” Elizabeth said tremulously. “I dreamed the King came and wrapped me in his cloak, and told me that he loved me…” She closed her eyes. 

Then she felt his cloak around her, warm as love, and the steady beating of his heart close against her own…

[elizabethandrichard-blog]

in heart and in thoughts, in body and in all;