Going back in history to April 9th

I have a special story to share of a 99-year-old British veteran who has managed to raise a staggering eighteen million pounds or twenty-two million dollars for the National Health Service. The link is below.
Here is one of my Today in History posts. April 9th was a busy day in medieval history, so here is a belated post, for it was too interesting a day to ignore. It was, of course, the date in 1483 that Edward IV died, just a few weeks shy of his 41st birthday. We sometimes play the What If game here. Well, Edward’s death offers a gigantic What if. Had he not died prematurely, had he lived another fifteen years, the consequences of that would be mind-boggling. His son would have been grown at the time of his eventual death and most likely would have succeeded to the throne. It is impossible to say what would have happened then. We can only be sure of the obvious. No King Richard III. No Shakespeare play. No Sunne in Splendour. No Tudors! Would England have remained Catholic? Or would it have heeded Martin Luther’s siren song? Who knows? But it is fascinating to speculate about it.
April 9th was also the death date of Eleanor’s father, William, the 10th Duke of Aquitaine. He was only thirty-eight. And on this date in 1413, Henry V was crowned as King of England.
April 9th is often given as the death date for Richard III and Anne Neville’s son, Edward of Middleham. I’ve always been skeptical of this; it sounded like Tudor propaganda, for if Richard’s son had died on the same day as his brother, it would seem as if it was the punishment of God for his sin in claiming the throne and supposedly putting his nephews to death. The Croyland Chronicler was no friend to Richard, but this is what he wrote:
“However, in a short time after, it was fully seen how vain are the thoughts of a man who desires to establish his interests without the aid of God. For, in the following month of April, on a day not very far distant from the anniversary of king Edward, this only son of his, in whom all the hopes of the royal succession, fortified with so many oaths, were centred, was seized with an illness of but short duration, and died at Middleham Castle, in the year of our Lord, 1484, being the first of the reign of the said king Richard. On hearing the news of this, at Nottingham, where they were then residing, you might have seen his father and mother in a state almost bordering on madness, by reason of their sudden grief.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/99...
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Published on April 17, 2020 12:54
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message 1: by Leila (new)

Leila Sharon, as I only live a few miles from Middleham Castle, or what is left of it. I was so interested in your revelations about The Croyland Chronicler. I gather that it is well known that these chroniclers reported the facts as directed by their Kings rather than the possible truth. I have always been a strong supporter of those who do not accept the claims that Richard III murdered the two princes in the Tower. The evidence seems so suspect and unproven. Shakespeare's play Richard III has never helped to get to the possible truth either.. I have a book written by Josephine Tey which is a fascinating read re all the available evidence for his innocence. I'm sure you will be aware of the book I mean. Speculation is always a fascinating activity. Thank you so much for your continuing reports which so often I find reveal lots of facts many of us did not know. Stay safe!


message 2: by Sharon (new)

Sharon Leila, I envy you living so close to Middleham....and not too far from York, which has always been my favorite English city.
The book by Josephine Tey is Daughter of Time and it did Richard III a world of good by reaching a general audience. Over the years when I've done book tours and people came up to speak to me afterward, the two books that were most often mentioned were Daughter of Time and Anya Seton's Katherine.
Please stay safe, too, in these scary times.


message 3: by Elaine (new)

Elaine Kraimer Both Daughter of Time and Katherine are excellent books,
as are Sharon Kay Penman's. Also suggest Alison Weir and Margaret George.


message 4: by Sharon (new)

Sharon Thanks, Elaine. I am a big fan, too, of Margaret George's books. She puts so much heart and time and energy into researching and the result is always well worth waiting for.


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