Secrets of the Tudor Court Boxed Set (43 page)

Guildford, Sir Richard (1450–1506)

Father of Henry and husband of “Mother Guildford,” Sir Richard was deeply in debt at the time of his death in Jerusalem, where he had gone on pilgrimage. The previous year he had lost his post as controller of the king’s household due to poor management of
money and had spent six months in the Fleet before being released by the king’s order. He was pardoned just before he left England.

Henry VII (1457–1509)

From 1471 until 1485, Henry Tudor was in exile in Brittany and France. Little is known of his exact location or his companions before 1483. In 1485, he defeated Richard III to seize the throne of England. He married Elizabeth of York (1465–1503) to strengthen his claim.

Henry VIII (1491–1547)

The second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Henry was Duke of York until the death of his older brother, Arthur. He then became Prince of Wales. He succeeded his father to the throne in 1509 and immediately married Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. In 1514, Henry VIII was twenty-three, stood six feet two inches tall and had a thirty-five-inch waist and a forty-two-inch chest. He was an athletic man, especially fond of tennis and jousting, at which he excelled. He was known to love his younger sister dearly and take great pleasure in her company. He was the first English monarch to adopt the style “Your Majesty” in preference to the traditional “Your Grace.”

Orléans, Louis d’, second duc de Longueville, Marquis of Rothelin, Count of Dunois, and Lord of Beaugency (1480–August 1, 1516)

On the death of his older brother, the first duke, in 1515, Louis d’Orléans inherited the title. At that time he was the captain of one hundred gentlemen of the king’s horse. He had been married for ten years to Jòhanna of Baden-Hochberg (1480–1543) and had four children by her, the youngest born in 1513. Longueville was
captured at the Battle of the Spurs and sent to England as a prisoner of war to wait for his ransom (100,000 crowns) to be paid. While there he took a mistress, Jane Popyncourt. After the death of Queen Anne, he took an active role in negotiating the marriage of Louis XII of France and Henry VIII’s sister Mary, and served as proxy bridegroom at the wedding at Greenwich Palace. The next day, his ransom having been paid, he left for France. He was high in favor with both Louis XII and his successor, Francis I, both of whom were Longueville’s distant kinsmen. He was a combatant at the Battle of Marignano and reportedly lost a brother there. He died of unknown causes at Beaugency on August 1, 1516, having made his will the previous day. Although Jane Popyncourt left England for France in late May 1516, it is not known whether they were reunited. The story that he set her up at the Louvre and lived with her there for many years has no basis in fact. Not only did he die only a few months after she arrived, but in 1516 the Louvre was a ruin. The court, when in Paris, resided at Les Tournelles.

Pole, Eleanor (Lady Verney) (b. c. 1463)

As Lady Verney, wife of Sir Ralph (c. 1452–1528), Eleanor Pole served both Elizabeth of York and Catherine of Aragon. She was one of Elizabeth of York’s favorite ladies. As the daughter of one of Margaret Beaufort’s half sisters, she was also a cousin to Henry VII and his children.

Popyncourt, Jane (d. 1528+)

Records place Jane in England in 1498 as a French-speaking damsel assigned to teach the princesses that language through “daily conversation.” Nothing is known of her background. Some records identify her as French, others as Flemish. During the duc de Longueville’s stay at the English court as a prisoner of war, she
became his mistress. Her name was struck off the list of Mary Tudor’s attendants at the last moment by King Louis XII, who made the comment that she should be “burnt.” She remained at the English court, participating in masques and serving as a maid of honor to Queen Catherine, until May 1516, at which time she received a gift of £100 from King Henry and left England for France. She corresponded with Mary Tudor for some years thereafter and sent gifts to Mary’s children. She is last heard of in 1528, when Mary asked Jane to use her influence at the French court on Mary’s behalf.

Radcliffe, Eleanor (Lady Lovell) (d. 1518)

Both Sir Thomas (1453–1524) and Lady Lovell were at court during the reign of Henry VII and the first part of that of Henry VIII. Lovell was constable of the Tower from 1509 on and one of the leaders of the army that marched north to defend England from Scottish invaders in 1513. He retired from court in 1516.

Salinas, Maria de (d. 1539)

Considered Queen Catherine’s closest friend by 1514, Maria de Salinas replaced her cousin, Maria de Rojas, as one of Catherine’s ladies in 1503. She was naturalized in 1516, shortly before her marriage to William, tenth Baron Willoughby d’Eresby. She had one child, Catherine, who became the ward of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, upon Willoughby’s death in 1526. In 1533, after Mary Tudor’s death, Charles Brandon married Catherine Willoughby.

Tudor, Margaret (1489–1541)

The oldest daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Margaret was married off to James IV of Scotland in 1503. She was willing
to marry Louis XII of France, but he wanted her sister. Shortly after that marriage was contracted, Margaret chose her own second husband, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, by whom she had a daughter, Margaret, born in England in early 1516. In May of that year, Queen Margaret was reunited with her brother and a tournament was held in her honor at Greenwich, but their relationship was a prickly one. She did not remain at the English court.

Tudor, Mary (1495–1533)

Younger sister of Henry VIII and Margaret Tudor, the Lady Mary was for some years betrothed to Charles of Castile. She repudiated that marriage in order to wed Louis XII of France. She was eighteen. He was fifty-two. She is said to have been in love with Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, before she left England and to have made her brother promise that she could choose a second husband for herself when Louis died. She may have helped this outcome along by encouraging King Louis to stay up late and join in the revels celebrating their marriage. Once widowed, she married Charles Brandon in Paris sometime before February 20, 1515. They were remarried at Greenwich, with her brother’s blessing, on May 13, 1515. Mary and Jane Popyncourt were lifelong friends and corresponded with each other after Jane left England for France in 1516.

Vaux, Joan (Mother Guildford) (c. 1463–1538)

A protégée of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond (Henry VII’s mother), Joan Vaux married Sir Richard Guildford as his second wife. She was in the household of Elizabeth of York and later became “lady governess” to Mary Tudor. She was again one of Margaret Beaufort’s ladies in 1509. By 1510 she had retired and was living on a small pension in a house in Blackfriars. That same
year she inherited a second house in Southwark from Sir Thomas Brandon and leased it back to Brandon’s principal heir, Charles Brandon. Lady Guildford was called out of retirement to travel to France with Mary Tudor in 1514. Her dismissal by King Louis, along with most of Mary’s English attendants, on the day after the French wedding ceremony, caused a furor. In particular, Mary objected to sending her “Mother Guildford” away. Upon her return to England, Lady Guildford resumed her retirement. She was granted two pensions by the king totaling £60 per annum.

Velville, Sir Rowland (1474–1535)

Contemporary records say nothing of the rumor that Sir Rowland Velville was the illegitimate son of Henry VII by a Breton lady, but his descendants in Wales have always maintained that this was the case. It is certainly possible, and the king’s failure to acknowledge him is not particularly strange given the climate of the times. King Edward IV’s illegitimate son, known as Arthur Wayte during his early years and Arthur Plantagenet only later in life, lived at court under four successive English kings without having his parentage particularly remarked upon. What is certain is that Velville was a mere boy when he accompanied Henry Tudor to England. He lived at court, was knighted in 1497, and was an obsessive jouster. Velville participated in more tournaments than anyone else at the court of Henry VII. He was also known for his short temper. In 1509, he took up his duties as constable of Beaumaris Castle in Wales. His relationship to Jane is my own invention, an attempt to explain why she, of all the girls in France, might have been selected for the honor of teaching French to two English princesses.

READERS CLUB GUIDE

Introduction

Young Jane Popyncourt comes to England from France in 1498 when she is eight years old to be a companion and French tutor to the two daughters of Henry VII. When her mother dies shortly thereafter, Jane becomes a regular member of the royal court.

But all that changes when the duc de Longueville arrives in 1513 as a French prisoner of war. Accompanying the duke is Guy Dunois, a childhood friend of Jane’s who will help her discover the truth about her past and her mother’s mysterious death.

The chemistry between Jane and Longueville is strong and soon leads Jane to become his mistress. Her new intimacy with the duke makes her privy to French political secrets, and King Henry VIII enlists her as a spy. She is hesitant to engage in this kind of deception, but when she learns the duke has only lustful feelings for her, she uses their relationship to return to France to uncover the secrets of her mother’s last days and her reasons for fleeing France when Jane was just a child.

As Jane makes her way to France, she discovers the perfidy that
has cost her family their ancestral lands. Now all she has to do is use the skills she honed in the royal court to win over the king of France and persuade him to award her her rightful inheritance.

Discussion Questions

1. Jane learns about her royal connection as an adult, but there are earlier clues to her secret lineage. What are some hints that Jane is “not quite servant, not quite family” (308) to the Tudors?
   
2. Jane confesses, “For some reason the other girls among the children of honor had never taken to me, and I had always felt more comfortable spending my free time with the boys” (76). Do you think the other women at court treat her fairly? Why or why not?
   
3. Secret or mistaken identities abound in the novel, from Perkin Warbeck, the executed “pretender to the throne” (24), to Jane’s own royal lineage. What threat do “royal bastards” (10) and imposters pose to the crown? Do you think that Jane’s mother was murdered because of her royal blood? Why or why not?
   
4. Jane slowly learns the difference between lust and love over the course of the novel. When does it become apparent that her relationship with Longueville is based solely on “a storm of passion” (100)? When does Jane’s love for Guy first come to light?
   
5. “Friendship cannot truly flourish at any court. Neither could love” (352). Are there exceptions to Jane’s statement? Which characters seem to have found love or friendship at court? Do their attachments seem genuine? Why or why not?
   
6. Jane outwits two kings who try to seduce her: Henry VIII and François. Compare Jane’s strategy with each king. How does she sidestep their advances? Which strategy seems more successful?
   
7. What do you think of Longueville’s character? What is his approach to courtly love, sex, and marriage? Is he a villain in the novel? Why or why not?
   
8. “True pleasure combines happiness and contentment with passionate love” (358). How does the Pleasure Palace fail to live up to its name? Where does Jane finally find true pleasure?
   
9. Jane realizes that in the English court, “Everyone around me knew exactly who they were and where they belonged”(92). Do you think a person’s lineage and social standing are as connected today as they were in the Tudor era? Why or why not?
   
10. Almost all of the characters of
    The Pleasure Palace
    were actual members of the Tudor court. Which historical figures especially came to life as you read the novel?
    

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Set the mood at your book club meeting by playing music from the Tudor era. You can find music files at www.tudorhistory.org/topics/music/midi.html.
   
2. Challenge your book club to a match of bowling, Tudor-style! You can use croquet balls or softballs as “bowls,” and a wooden stake as a target, or “mistress.” Whoever throws the bowl closest to the mistress wins the match.
   
3. Using the descriptions of dress in
   The Pleasure Palace
   for inspiration, draw a member of the Tudor court in full costume. Try your hand at sketching Jane in her velvet gown, or Henry VIII in his brocade doublet and jeweled codpiece.
   
4. The Tower of London, “a palace as well as a prison” (85), is a key setting of the novel. Research the Tower’s fascinating history. You can learn about the prisoners, treasures, and folklore of the Tower at www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html.
   

Questions for the Author

1. Why do you think contemporary readers are still fascinated by Tudor England? What is it about that era that captures our imaginations?

The Tudors and their times have always made interesting reading, starting with the gossip-filled dispatches of sixteenth-century foreign ambassadors. Hundreds of books have been written about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, but there were many other people in Tudor England who led remarkable lives. It would be hard
not
to be fascinated by them.

2. Why did you choose to write a novel about Jane Popyncourt, an actual member of the Tudor court? Why not invent a character from scratch, or build a novel around a historical figure with a better-known past?

I’ve had an interest in the real women of the sixteenth century for a long time, particularly those who are not as well known as some of their contemporaries. What drew me to Jane as a character were the mysteries surrounding her. Why was she chosen to come to England and join the royal nursery? Why did King Louis forbid Jane—and only Jane—to accompany Mary Tudor to
France? Why did he say she should be burned? The challenge I gave myself was to work out reasonable fictional answers to those questions while sticking to the facts that
are
known. Inventing a character from scratch would probably have been easier, but not as much fun. Initially, I did consider using Henry VIII’s sister, Mary, as my protagonist. I decided against it for two reasons. First, other novelists have already written her story. Second, there was less scope for invention in her life, since so much of it is well documented.