Stillington's exact part
Stillington's exact part
2011-05-18 20:13:37
Ann:
I have been looking at the comments about the part Stillington played in 1483, and something is not clear to me.
Did he in fact perform a marriage ceremony? Did he witness a de futuro promise? Or, when informed that there had been a clandestine de futuro promise plus sex, did he inform Parliament of the canonical consequences of two sequential clandestine marriages, without ever meeting Eleanor Talbot Butler?
L.P.H.,
Ann
I have been looking at the comments about the part Stillington played in 1483, and something is not clear to me.
Did he in fact perform a marriage ceremony? Did he witness a de futuro promise? Or, when informed that there had been a clandestine de futuro promise plus sex, did he inform Parliament of the canonical consequences of two sequential clandestine marriages, without ever meeting Eleanor Talbot Butler?
L.P.H.,
Ann
Re: Stillington's exact part
2011-05-19 15:05:55
Let me start the ball rolling by saying that the answer is we just don't know. We have one source that says (in translation) "The bishop revealed to the duke of Gloucester that King Edward, being very enamoured of a certain English lady, promised to marry her, provided that he could sleep with her first, and she consented. The bishop said that he had married them when only he and they were present." One of these days I must find time to look at how accurate this translation is.
The writer, Philippe de Commynes, a highly placed courtier and politician at the courts of France and Burgundy, stated this in his memoirs. He was someone who kept himself VERY well informed, although this doesn't mean that we should accept the above as a precise description of what happened. But it covers enough ground to indicate that Commynes's sources told him at the very least a promise was made and the relationship was consummated. Maybe the sacrament of marriage was performed by Stillington, maybe that was an embellishment.
The memoirs continue with the information that Stillington kept the matter quiet and Edward subsequently fell in love again and married Elizabeth Woodville. At the time of Stillington's revelation (i.e. upon the death of Edward IV), he "told the duke of Gloucester all about this affair and helped him a great deal in the execution of his evil plan" of having his nephews murdered and making himself king.
Later in his memoirs Commynes returned to the story: "The bishop said that King Edward had promised to marry an English lady (whom he named) because he was in love with her, in order to get his own way with her, and that he had made this promise in the bishop's presence. And having done so he slept with her; and he made the promise only to deceive her."
Did Stillington inform Parliament? Well, not before 1484. The crucial time of his revelation was May/June 1483, which was when the protectorate discovered that the legitimacy of the offspring of Edward IV had been compromised by Edward's earlier clandestine marriage ("the precontract"). After Henry Tudor came to the throne, he pursued Stillington the length and breadth of the country and eventually clapped him in prison. It was subsequently placed on record, by the Lords in Parliament and Justices in the Exchequer, that Stillington was responsible for drafting the Act known as Titulus Regius. This can be interpreted to mean that his hand was behind the petition by which Richard was invited to take the throne, which formed the basis of Titulus Regius. At this point, had Henry Tudor believed the precontract was a tissue of lies, he could have called Stillington to account to the justices for his story. Instead, he quietly issued a pardon.
A lot may be inferred from other sources and from Stillington's career. However, I believe the above is an accurate summary of what we DO know. Best to start at this point, I think.
Regards, Annette
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharp, Ann (GT&D)
To: ''
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:13 PM
Subject: Stillington's exact part
Ann:
I have been looking at the comments about the part Stillington played in 1483, and something is not clear to me.
Did he in fact perform a marriage ceremony? Did he witness a de futuro promise? Or, when informed that there had been a clandestine de futuro promise plus sex, did he inform Parliament of the canonical consequences of two sequential clandestine marriages, without ever meeting Eleanor Talbot Butler?
L.P.H.,
Ann
The writer, Philippe de Commynes, a highly placed courtier and politician at the courts of France and Burgundy, stated this in his memoirs. He was someone who kept himself VERY well informed, although this doesn't mean that we should accept the above as a precise description of what happened. But it covers enough ground to indicate that Commynes's sources told him at the very least a promise was made and the relationship was consummated. Maybe the sacrament of marriage was performed by Stillington, maybe that was an embellishment.
The memoirs continue with the information that Stillington kept the matter quiet and Edward subsequently fell in love again and married Elizabeth Woodville. At the time of Stillington's revelation (i.e. upon the death of Edward IV), he "told the duke of Gloucester all about this affair and helped him a great deal in the execution of his evil plan" of having his nephews murdered and making himself king.
Later in his memoirs Commynes returned to the story: "The bishop said that King Edward had promised to marry an English lady (whom he named) because he was in love with her, in order to get his own way with her, and that he had made this promise in the bishop's presence. And having done so he slept with her; and he made the promise only to deceive her."
Did Stillington inform Parliament? Well, not before 1484. The crucial time of his revelation was May/June 1483, which was when the protectorate discovered that the legitimacy of the offspring of Edward IV had been compromised by Edward's earlier clandestine marriage ("the precontract"). After Henry Tudor came to the throne, he pursued Stillington the length and breadth of the country and eventually clapped him in prison. It was subsequently placed on record, by the Lords in Parliament and Justices in the Exchequer, that Stillington was responsible for drafting the Act known as Titulus Regius. This can be interpreted to mean that his hand was behind the petition by which Richard was invited to take the throne, which formed the basis of Titulus Regius. At this point, had Henry Tudor believed the precontract was a tissue of lies, he could have called Stillington to account to the justices for his story. Instead, he quietly issued a pardon.
A lot may be inferred from other sources and from Stillington's career. However, I believe the above is an accurate summary of what we DO know. Best to start at this point, I think.
Regards, Annette
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharp, Ann (GT&D)
To: ''
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:13 PM
Subject: Stillington's exact part
Ann:
I have been looking at the comments about the part Stillington played in 1483, and something is not clear to me.
Did he in fact perform a marriage ceremony? Did he witness a de futuro promise? Or, when informed that there had been a clandestine de futuro promise plus sex, did he inform Parliament of the canonical consequences of two sequential clandestine marriages, without ever meeting Eleanor Talbot Butler?
L.P.H.,
Ann
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