Windsor Castle, Autumn 1423
Windsor Castle, Autumn
MY LADY AND her new husband announce their marriage in a series of proclamations.
First to the baby king; then they write to Humphrey’s brother, Duke John, who has made his own marriage to Anne, the sister of Philip of Burgundy, hoping to bolt Burgundy on the side of the English and against the Dauphin of France.
Nobody remarks that Duke John has married our ally’s sister and Duke Humphrey has married our ally’s enemy – but everyone sees the crack that could become a rift.
All of Duke Humphrey’s well-wishers congratulate him on the match which gives him such huge lands and such a great fortune – if he can win them – and they call him Duke of Hainault and Gloucester.
His new title does him no good with the lords in parliament, who continue to side with his uncle Bishop Beaufort.
In October, they go so far as to rule that Duke Humphrey may not represent the baby king at the opening of parliament: the baby – not yet two years old – has more authority than his uncle.
It serves them right that the spoiled child refuses to leave the palace but screams loudly, throws himself on the ground, drumming his little heels, and everyone has to wait while his nurse, Elizabeth Ryman, picks him up.
She carries him in, with his fat little arms and legs flailing, and the queen declares that they have upset her darling; he is too distressed to go today, but we will try again tomorrow.
‘They’d have done better to let your husband, Duke Humphrey, open parliament on his own,’ I remark to Jacqueline.
‘They would,’ she agrees.