Bosworth: The Birth of the Tudors (63 page)

Edward IV’s reign is best covered in C. Ross,
Edward IV
(London, 1974), H. Kleineke,
Edward IV
(2009) and C. Scofield,
The Life and Reign of Edward the Fourth
(2 vols., London, 1923). Many of the principal sources from Edward IV’s reign can be found in
Edward IV: A Sourcebook
, ed. K. Dockray (Stroud, 1999). For the most recent account of the battle of Towton and its context, see G. Goodwin,
Fatal Colours: The Battle of Towton 1461
(London, 2011). The Lancastrian alliance with Louis XI is covered in Scofield I, pp. 261–5, 315–18, while payments by the French king to Jasper Tudor are to be found in Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) Fonds Français 6970 fo. 501v, Fonds Français 20,496 fo. 91, with a later pension from October 1469 to September 1470 recorded in Archives nationales (AN) KK 62 fo. 51v and BnF Fonds Français 20,685 pp. 383, 461, 475, 493 and 499 for later years. Thomas’s thesis, pp. 209–14, describes Jasper Tudor’s raiding in Wales, with his escape documented in National Library of Wales Mostyn MS fo.323v.

Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville and the later breakdown between Edward IV and Warwick is covered in Ross,
Edward IV
,
chapters 5
–
7
. For Clarence and the re-adeption, M. Hicks,
False, Fleeting, Perjur’d Clarence: George, Duke of Clarence, 1449–1478
(Gloucester, 1980). The evidence for Henry Tudor’s movements at Edgecote as described by Richard Corbet can be found in Owen and Blakeway,
History of Shrewsbury
, vol. I, p. 248 and in Westminster Abbey Muniments (WAM) MS 5472 fos. 41v, 43r, 44r, 44v. Margaret’s attempts to reconcile her son to the new regime are in WAM 5472 fos. 45v–47r. The details of Henry’s visit to Westminster are taken from WAM 12183 fos. 19r–19v, 20v–21r, 21v, 22r, while the account of Henry VI’s meeting with Henry Tudor is from Vergil, p. 135.

Chapter 3: Exile

For a detailed account of Edward IV’s return to claim the throne in 1471 see
The Historie of the Arrivall of King Edward IV A.D. 1471
, ed. J. Bruce (London, Camden Society Series 1, 1838). For Somerset’s visit to Margaret Beaufort and Stafford’s actions see Jones and Underwood,
The King’s Mother
, pp. 54–5, and WAM 12183 fo. 50, WAM 12189 fo. 58. Details of the battle at Barnet have been taken from
Great Chronicle of London
, ed. A.H. Thomas and I.D. Thornley (London, 1938), p. 216 and printed in
Three Chronicles of the Reign of Edward IV
, (ed.) K. Dockray (Stroud, 1988), p. 16. Barnet and Tewkesbury are given full treatment in P.W. Hammond,
The Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury
(Gloucester, 1990) and Goodman,
The Wars of the Roses
, pp. 79–83. Sir William Cary’s comments on Prince Edward’s death are in W. Campbell (ed.),
Materials for a History of the Reign of Henry VII
(2 vols., Rolls Series, 1873–7), abbreviated as
Materials
, vol. I, p. 138. For Henry VI’s death see
Warkworth’s Chronicle
, p. 18,
Great Chronicle
, p. 220 and W.J. White, ‘The Death and Burial of Henry VI’,
The Ricardian
VI (1982).

Jasper Tudor’s flight through Wales is recorded in
Leland’s Itinerary in Wales
, (ed.) L.T. Smith (London, 1906), p. 66 and R. Griffiths,
Sir Rhys ap
Thomas and his family: a study in the Wars of the Roses and early Tudor politics
, (University of Wales Press, 1993), p. 179. His and Henry’s arrival in France is covered by Alain Bouchard,
Grandes Chroniques de Bretaigne
, vol. II, p. 420; Vergil, p. 155; Commynes, vol. II, p. 234 (full details below). Sir John Paston’s remarks are in J. Gardiner (ed.),
The Paston Letters 1422–1509
, (6 vols., 1904) vol. III, p. 17. Duke Francis’s reaction to Jasper and Henry’s arrival is in Vergil, pp. 158–9.

Key accounts of Henry’s exile appear only in Polydore Vergil’s
Anglia Historica
, of which the most accessible translation remains
Three Books of Polydore Vergil’s English History
, ed. H. Ellis (Camden Society, 1844). B.A. Pocquet du Haut-Jusse,
Francois II, duc de Bretagne et l’Angleterre
(Paris, 1929), J.L.A. Calmette and G. Perinelle,
Louis XI et l’Angleterre
(Paris, 1930), J. Allanic,
Le Prisonnier de la Tour d’Elven, ou la Jeunesse du Roy Henri VII d’Angleterre
(Vannes, 1909) and H. Marsille,
Vannes au Moyen Age
(Vannes, 1982) are the key French studies. The influence of Henry’s early life is discussed in R.A. Griffiths,
King and Country: England and Wales in the Fifteenth Century
(London, 1991)
chapter 7
and in A.E. Goodman, ‘Henry VII and Christian renewal’,
Studies in Church History
XVII (1981), pp. 115–25.

The Earl of Oxford’s life has recently been explored in J. Ross,
John de Vere, Thirteenth Earl of Oxford (1442–1513): ‘The Foremost Man of the Kingdom’
(Boydell, 2011) but see also C.S. Scofield, ‘The early life of John de Vere, thirteenth Earl of Oxford’,
English Historical Review
XXIX (1914), pp. 228– 45. Richard’s treatment of the earl’s mother is explored in M. Hicks, ‘The Last Days of the Countess of Oxford’,
English Historical Review
CII (1988). Oxford’s movements after Barnet are tracked in the
Paston Letters
, vol. V, pp. 84–5, 101–2, 186, 188, 189. Oxford’s capture of St Michael’s Mount is detailed in
Warkworth’s Chronicle
, pp. 26–7 and
Paston Letters
, vol. V, p. 201. The earl’s attempted suicide is remarked upon in
Paston Letters
, vol. VI, pp. 2–3.

Louis XI’s letter to Francis II is printed in Dom H. Morice,
Mémoire pour server de prévues a l’histoire ecclésiastique et civile de Bretagne
(Paris 1742–-6), vol. III, cols. 266–70. The description of the robe of black damask is found in Les Archives départementales (AD) Loire-Atlantique, serie B, parchemins non classés, dossier Francois II: ‘
A monsr. de Richemont pour robbe longue du don de mondit seigneur [le duc] sept aulnes de veloux noir trespoil, val’ a IIII reaulx l’aune XXXV l., pour doublez le hault des manches demi tierz de noir val’ XXIII d. Et pour le doublez quatre aulnes de taffetas changeant a II realux l’aune, val’ X l. fac[on] de chescun, somme XLV l. XIIIs. IIIId A luy pour ung pourpoint une aulne et demie de Damas noir a IIII l. L’aulne et estoffes I escu, VII l. IIs. Xd
.’ For the financial records concerning Henry’s stay in Brittany, see
M.C.E. Jones, ‘For my Lord of Richmond, a pourpoint … and a palfrey: Brief Remarks on the Financial Evidence for Henry Tudor’s Exile in Brittany, 1471–1484’,
Tant d’Emprises, So Many Undertakings: Essays in Honour
, ed. Livia Visser-Fuchs (
The Ricardian
, XIII, 2003), 283–93.

Edward IV’s treaty at Picquigny and its accompanying festivities recorded in detail in the memoirs of Philippe de Commynes is conveniently translated in
Memoirs of Philippe de Commynes: The Reign of Louis XI, 1461–83
, ed. Michael Jones (Harmondsworth, 1972). Another increasingly important source is the Crowland Chronicle, reprinted in
The Crowland Chronicle Continuations
ed. N. Pronay and J. Cox (full details in the notes to
chapter 4
below).

Henry Tudor’s escape from capture by Edward IV’s agents is principally recorded in Vergil, pp. 163–6. The story of Henry’s fortunate escape has come down solely through the hands of Vergil, writing decades after the event, though a cryptic payment, partially mutilated, survives, shedding further light upon the episode. It is a receipt from Francis ordering for ‘the expenses and costs of the Earl of Richmond’ to be paid to him when ‘he left Brest to go to St-Malo, with two others … for the guard and conduct of the same … for six days when they were at the said place of St-Malo’: Archives départementales (AD) de la Loire-Atlantique B parchemins non classés, dossier Francois II, printed in Jones, ‘Financial Evidence for Henry Tudor’s Exile’, p. 289.

Chapter 4: Usurpation

The key works on Richard III’s reign include C. Ross,
Richard III
(London, 1981) and R. Horrox,
Richard III: A Study of Service
(Cambridge, 1989
). Richard III: A Medieval Kingship
, ed. J.Gillingham (London, 1993) contains important articles. P.W. Hammond and A.E. Sutton,
Richard III: The Road to Bosworth
(London, 1985) provides a narrative of Richard’s life through contemporary documents. Other works include A.J. Pollard,
Richard III and the Princes in the Tower
(Gloucester, 1991), and essays published in P.W. Hammond (ed.),
Richard III: Loyalty, Lordship and Law
(1986) and R. Horrox (ed.),
Richard III and the North
(Hull, 1986), J. Petre (ed.),
Richard III: Crown and People
(1985) and J. Gillingham (ed.)
The Kingship of Richard III
(1993). Richard’s movements during his reign can be found in R. Edwards,
The Itinerary of Richard III
(1983). Richard’s coronation is covered in A.F. Sutton and P.W. Hammond (eds.)
The Coronation of Richard III: the Extant Documents
(Gloucester, 1983).

The principal sources for Richard’s reign include R. Horrox and P. Hammond (eds),
British Library, Harleian Manuscript 433
(4 vols., London, 1979– 83). The Great Chronicle is printed in facsimile in
Great Chronicle of London
, ed. A.H. Thomas and I.D. Thornley (London, 1938). Other key sources for the reign can be found in K. Dockray,
Richard III: a Reader in History
(Gloucester, 1988). The most recent edition of the Crowland Chronicle with parallel Latin-English translation is N. Pronay and J. Cox (eds),
The Crowland Chronicle Continuations 1459–1486
(London, 1986). John Rous’s account of the reign is in
Historia Johannis Rossi Warwicensis de Regibus Anglie
, ed. T. Hearne (1716) with a translation in A. Hanham,
Richard III and His Early Historians, 1483–1535
(Oxford, 1975). For Richard’s usurpation, Dominic Mancini’s account, published as
The Usurpation of Richard III
, ed. C.A.J. Armstrong (2nd edn Oxford, 1969) is a crucial contemporary account, to be supplemented by the Great Chronicle, Vergil and R.F. Green, ‘Historical notes of a London Citizen 1483–88’,
English Historical Review
XCVI (1981). Thomas More’s version of events is published in
The History of King Richard III
, ed. R.S. Sylvester (Newhaven, 1976). Richard’s June letter to the city of York is printed in A. Raine (ed.),
York Civic Records
, Yorkshire Archaelogical Society XCVIII, 1939, vol. I, pp. 73–4.

For Henry and Jasper Tudor’s removal to Vannes under the guard of Vincent de la Landelle and Bertrand du Parc see AD Loire-Atlantique E 212 no. 16 fo. 13, no.18 fo.9; BnF Fr. 6982 fo. 326v: ‘Le Comte de Richemont prisonnier a Elven en janvier 1474’, ‘Le Comte de Richemont a Vannes en la garde de Vincent de la Landelle octobre 1476’, ‘Le Comte de Pembrok prisonnier a Josselin avril 1475’, ‘Le Comte de Pembrok prisonnier a Vannes sous Betrand du Parc, novembre 1476’; Dom Morice,
Mémoires
, vol. II, col. 1777; vol. III, cols. 66, 122–3, 144, 238, 271–2, 391, 427–8; AD Loire-Atlantique B5 fo. 144, B6 fos. 46, 53v, 117, 154v, B7 fo. 68, B8 fo.22v, 82, 83, E 141 p. 21, E 214 no. 37; AD Loire-Atlantique 1 J 142, E 212 no. 16 fos. 4v, 13. Jones, ‘Financial Evidence for Henry Tudor’s Exile’, p. 287. For Henry’s movements after 1481 see AD Loire-Atlantique E 133 no. 10, B8 fo. 9v, B 3 fo.7; Dom Morice,
Mémoires
, vol. III, col. 388. Duke Francis’s payments for both Henry and Jasper can be found in AD Loire-Atlantique E 212 no. 15, no.16 fo. 4v; L. Maitre, ‘Le budget’,
Annales de Bretagne
, vol. 5 (1889), pp. 293–319, p. 295; AD Loire-Atlantique 1 J 142; Jones, ‘Financial Evidence for Henry Tudor’s Exile’, ‘Financial Memoranda’, p. 290. Henry’s offerings are recorded in Allanic, p. 38 n.3. Further payments suggestive of Henry and Jasper’s freedom are in AD Loire-Atlantique B, parchemins non classés, dossier François II, printed in Jones, ‘Financial Evidence for Henry Tudor’s Exile’, p.290.
Richard III’s letter to Duke Francis II is printed in Gairdiner,
Letters and Papers
, vol. I, pp. 22–3; Francis’s reply is pp. 37–42.

Chapter 5: Rebellion

The various sightings of the Princes in the Tower are reported in the
Great Chronicle
, p. 234 and Mancini, p. 93. Rumours that both were dead emerge in the
Great Chronicle
, pp.236–7 and C.L. Kingsford (ed.),
Chronicles of London
(Oxford, 1905), p.191. On the possible ‘enterprise’, Richard’s own letter can be found in The National Archives (TNA) C81/1392/1 with the conspiracy referred to in J. Stow,
Annales of England
(London, 1592), p. 459 and Basin,
Histoire de Louis XIII
, vol. III, pp. 234–5. Horrox,
Richard III
, and M.A. Hicks, ‘Unweaving the Web: The plot of July 1483 against Richard III and its wider significance’,
The Ricardian
114 (1991) investigate the charges. Richard’s nervousness in orders of weapons and commissions to investigate treasons are given in
Harleian 433
, vol. II, pp. 7–9 and
CPR 1476–85
, pp. 465–6.

Margaret Beaufort’s dealings with Elizabeth Woodville and the movements of Lewis Caerleon, Christopher Urswick and Reginald Bray are recorded in Vergil, pp. 195–6. For Buckingham’s communication with Henry Tudor see
Crowland Chronicle
(CC), p. 163 and
Rotuli Parliamentorum
(RP), vol. VI, pp. 244–9. Duke Francis II’s offer of aid for Henry’s possible invasion is given in Vergil, p. 197 and proved by AD Loire-Atlantique E 212 no. 18 fos. 17v–19 and British Library (BL) Additional MS 19,398 fo. 33. On Henry Tudor’s journey to England see Vergil and I. Arthurson and N. Kingwell, ‘The proclamation of Henry Tudor as King of England, 3 November 1483’,
Historical Research
63 (1990).

Richard’s stunned reaction to Buckingham’s rebellion is found in his letter, TNA C81/1392/6. Horrox,
Richard III
, contains the best account of the rebellion, but see also Griffiths and Thomas. For Cheyney and Daubeney’s flight, TNA C82/55/6; for Edgecombe, I. Arthuson, ‘A Question of Loyalty’
The Ricardian
VII (1987) p. 404.