Uncrowned Queen by Nicola Tallis

Author:Nicola Tallis [TALLIS, NICOLA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2020-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

MARGARET WAS NOT THE ONLY one to benefit as a result of her son’s accession. In grateful thanks for their loyalty, Henry soon began to reward his supporters. Margaret’s cousin, Charles Beaufort—a bastard son of Henry, Duke of Somerset—was high in the king’s favour, and in the first year of Henry’s reign his surname was changed to Somerset in a rather interesting twist.21 Reginald Bray also received generous grants. After his long and loyal (and sometimes perilous) service to Margaret, he would go on to become an integral part of Henry’s government and one of the most influential men in the realm. Christopher Urswick, Margaret and Henry’s faithful go-between, and Edward Wydeville were also rewarded with lands and positions, as was Dr Lewis of Caerleon, who had aided Margaret’s attempts to arrange a marriage between Henry and Elizabeth of York and who would later become her physician.22 Even Gilbert Gilpyn, Margaret’s steward at Woking, was remembered, being granted ‘the office of the swans, and master of the game on the Thames and its streams and creeks’.23 Similarly, David Owen—Henry’s illegitimate uncle—was knighted.24 On 6 March 1486, John Morton was created Chancellor of England and later became Archbishop of Canterbury: he would play a leading role in Henry’s government for many years, and thus he and Margaret saw one another regularly. Indeed, many of the men she had trusted, befriended and employed eventually found their way into Henry VII’s circle, undoubtedly as a result of Margaret’s influence.

The greatest recognitions, though, were reserved for Henry’s family. William Stanley, who had come to his rescue on the battlefield, was made the king’s chamberlain and the following year would be appointed to the role of ‘office of justice’ in North Wales.25 Margaret’s husband was well rewarded, too: he already had his fair share of war trophies, for following Bosworth he had been given permission to take the hangings from Richard III’s tent. These were put on display at Knowsley in a proud declaration of the role the family had played in Richard’s fall. In further recognition of ‘his labours and expenses for the king and as in time past and recently in the conflict of England’, Thomas Stanley was awarded with grants of land, and ‘the king’s father’ was given the ‘offices of master forester and steward of all the king’s game north of Trent’.26 Early the following year he would become Constable of England and Chief Steward of the duchy of Lancaster. And there were greater rewards to come.

While mother and son enjoyed time together at Woking, the pair had almost certainly discussed the king’s promise to wed Elizabeth of York and his forthcoming coronation. Before the former could take place, it was essential that Titulus Regius—through which Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate—be repealed, and in any case Henry was eager to establish himself firmly as king in his own right first. Many still believed that his claims to the throne were dubious.

On 28 October, Henry took up residence at the Tower in

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