#the royal funerary and burial ceremonies of medieval english kings

[richmond-rex]

After detailing Henry’s penitential activities, [Bishop John] Fisher illustrated the physical suffering of Henry VII on his deathbed, to ‘stir us to have compassion and pity upon this most noble king.’ Sharp pains afflicted the king for over twenty-seven hours, and his soul was tormented by fear of God’s judgment. He, being a good Christian, bore these agonies, but still called his son, Prince Henry to him in order to give his last advice. The death of Henry VII is perhaps the clearest example of that carefully constructed motif: all kings receive a good death. He was a virtuous Christian, he used his kingly traits in order to right his own wrongs and show concern for his kingdom, and he imparted advice to his successor.

Anna M. Duch, The Royal Funerary and Burial Ceremonies of Medieval English Kings 

[richmond-rex]

It is established here that the mourning colour for royalty was blue. This particular custom was certainly in use before the issue of the Household Articles in 1494. Edward IV wore blue at his father’s re-interment at Fotheringhay in 1476. In 1492, after the death of her mother Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York took to wearing blue; Margaret of Anjou did the same when her mother died in 1453.

Anna Duch, The Royal Funerary and Burial Ceremonies of Medieval English Kings, 1216-1509 (2016)

The contemporary scribe merely commented that Queen Elizabeth had taken to her chambers and “I suppose she went in blue [the royal color of mourning] in likewise as Queen Margaret, the wife of King Henry the VI, went in when her mother the Queen of Sicily died. (Arlene Okerlund, Elizabeth of York: Queenship and Power)

[richmond-rex]

The excerpt I reblogged earlier is part of Bishop Fisher's oration at Henry VII's funeral, and I think it goes without saying it works inside a framework of dynastic propaganda (Bishop Fisher had been Margaret Beaufort's, the king's mother, confessor, and had been recently elevated to a bishopric thanks to Henry VII). It's important to understand that it works beyond the confinements of said dynastic propaganda, though: more importantly, it upholds the narrative that all English kings go to Heaven. Fisher's detailed comment on Henry VII's manner of death, focusing on his repentant attitude, worked inside the Catholic mores of his time that dictated that all good Christians should have a good death, keeping in mind Christ's suffering on the cross. As pointed out by Anna Dutch in her PhD dissertation "The Royal Funerary and Burial Ceremonies of Medieval English Kings", it put special importance on the aspect of his kingship:

After detailing Henry’s penitential activities, Fisher illustrated the physical suffering of Henry VII on his deathbed, to “stir us to have compassion and pity upon this most noble king.” Sharp pains afflicted the king for over twenty-seven hours, and his soul was tormented by fear of God’s judgment. He, being a good Christian, bore these agonies, but still called his son, Prince Henry to him in order to give his last advice. The death of Henry VII is perhaps the clearest example of that carefully constructed motif: all kings receive a good death. He was a virtuous Christian, he used his kingly traits in order to right his own wrongs and show concern for his kingdom, and he imparted advice to his successor.

I've seen Fisher's oration used as some proof that Henry VII was consumed by remorse on his deathbed because he recognised he had been 'such a bad king for England' but that's not what Fisher's narrative implies inside the cultural, religious and political context of his time.