She was a 14th Century “It Girl” and her descendants still don the crown. Elizabeth Woodville, the White Rose of York, married the Lancastrian Edward IV, The Red Rose of Lancaster. They created the Tudor Dynasty, a royal line that passed down for centuries, to King Charles III, as well as Princes: William and Harry. 

Elizabeth Woodville was so much more than accusations against her. It’s been said that she used spells to win the heart of Edward IV, to protect her children from harm, as well as to help her family stay in power. As with all the other women we talked about: there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. She married Edward IV and together they had ten children. Including Edward V and Richard III. You know where this is going, don’t you?

Like the others, Elizabeth was wealthy in her own right. She owned several estates, when she wasn’t running the royal household, and running after her ten children, she carved out time to be a patron of both art and literature.

She wasn’t actually formally tried for witchcraft. However, she was accused of practicing witchcraft on several occasions. It wasn’t until the death of her beloved Edward died that the accusations reached their peak. Realizing that she and her children were in imminent danger, she was forced to flee the country.

To add insult to injury, it was suggested that she be executed for her witchcraft in her new country. There is no evidence to support the claim. Wow, it’s still flabbergasting to me that one lie, misrepresentation, and gossip could mean death for a woman. Two of her sons disappeared in the Tower of London, while under the care of their uncle, Richard III. All of this horribleness all because of a case of sibling rivalry.  

I overheard the historians saying that she was never executed, but she lived in exile in France until her death in 1492. I’m thinking that France was not a bad place to start a new life.

• The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
• Elizabeth Woodville: The True Story of the White Queen by Alison Weir
• The Lives of the Queens of England by Agnes Strickland

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. And stay tuned for more hauntedly historic gossip.

Jane Boleyn: The Lady Rochford

Jacquetta of Luxembourg was at her peak as far as wealth, power and position went. She was the Jackie O of the 14th Century. She was a great influencer, but she put her husband, Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers, and her children, one of them being the queen of Edward IV. There will be another post about her, and I’m telling you, she really went through it. Now back Jacquetta.

Jaquetta, like all working what is now called working royals, was a patron of the arts, especially literature. She worked tirelessly, running the castles, doing what was required for her duchy, and estates. She also was involved in the running of the Earldom of Rivers.

When you can’t find anything wrong with a Dutchess who conducts herself as one, you accuse them of witchcraft. Am I wrong? 

But again the irony was that a witch (Joan Waterden) testified that she saw Jacquetta with a wax effigy of King Henry VI. She told the court that she saw for herself.  Jacquetta was chanting as she stuck pins into the wax doll. Don’t hold candles on the way to church ladies.

Based on that claim, Jacquetta was sent to the Tower for several months before her release. Jacquetta was tried by a commission of bishops and nobles. She was found not guilty of witchcraft, but she was found guilty of treason for supporting her son-in-law, Edward IV. She was sentenced to life in prison, but as before, she was out again in four months.

This deeply affected Jacquetta. Once released, she chose to live in obscurity, unable to leave the castle, she spent the rest of her life caring for her children and grandchildren. Not realizing that she played a major role in creating the monarchy we see today.

Her story is also a reminder of the political power of witchcraft accusations. In Jacquetta’s case, the allegations were likely used to discredit her son-in-law, Edward IV, and remove him from power. Do you think Jacquetta’s life was hard? Her daughter Elizabeth’s life was a true nightmare.

Here are a number of sources I used to learn more about Jacquetta of Luxembourg. 

• The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
• Jacquetta of Luxembourg: The Mother of the Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
• The Lives of the Queens of England by Agnes Strickland

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about Jacquetta of Luxembourg and her witchcraft.

Queens weren’t the only ones being accused of witchcraft, Duchesses were also accused, arrested, and imprisoned.

Eleanor Cobham was a powerful woman in fifteenth-century England. She was the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and the uncle of King Henry VI. 

In 1441, Eleanor was accused of using witchcraft to kill the king. The accusations were based on the testimony of a witch named Margery Jourdemayne, who claimed that Eleanor had tried to use a wax effigy to kill the king. Eleanor was also accused of consulting with astrologers and other practitioners of magic. Her main crime was that it was rumored that the queen made a poppet, a wax effigy of the king. It is said that she burned the wax figure and chanted a spell as it melted down to nothing. She chanted spells to curse the king. What she was really doing was holding a candle as she headed into the chapel for service, praying the whole way. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London, awaiting her trial. Because of the lies of Margery Jourdemayne, which were of course taken as fact. Sounds like the internet these days.

Her husband Humphrey was a powerful figure who had fallen out of favor with the king. It is possible that the accusations against Eleanor were a way of discrediting her husband and removing him from power. Most likely.

Eleanor was born in 1400. Her parents were Sir Reginald Cobham and Margaret Beauchamp. She became the Duchess of Gloucester in 1428 when she married Humphrey. There were no children between them.

She was a wealthy and powerful woman. She owned several estates and was involved in the running of the Duchy of Gloucester. She was also a patron of the arts and literature. She did her job as a duchess and died an innocent death in the Tower of London. She was exonerated only after her death. 

If you want to read more about her, I have provided my sources below. 

• The Life and Times of Eleanor Cobham by Christine Carpenter
• Eleanor Cobham: The Witch of Eye by Anne O’Brien
• The Duchess of Gloucester: A Study in Political Witchcraft by Alison Weir

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about Eleanor Cobham and her witchcraft. Stay tuned for our next blog post about Jacquetta of Luxembourg. 

As I mentioned before, Joan of Navarre was the second wife of Henry IV of England. In 1419, after her husband’s death, she was immediately accused of practicing witchcraft. Like she didn’t have enough to deal with. Unfortunately for the women of the 15th century, women were merely child-bearers or decorations for the men in power. If you were intelligent, brave, and had power on your own, you must be a witch. Wait, I still get called a witch, but I chose to take it as a compliment. Ok back to Joan, and her life.

She was seen as a threat to the new king. Henry V. Charges were dropped and she was released from prison after several years. Despite there being no evidence that she was actually a witch, they couldn’t even make stuff up

The accusations were based on the testimony of her confessor, Brother John Randolph, who claimed that she tried to use sorcery to kill the king. However, Randolph’s later retracted, and it is believed that he made the accusations under duress. We already know that torture was a thing back then, except for the Iron Maiden. I’ve been haunting the tower on and off for centuries, and I can attest that the only Iron Maidens I’ve ever seen were on the sheaves of young scholars.

It is more likely that Joan of Navarre was accused of witchcraft because she was a powerful woman who had influence in court. Is anyone else shocked by this? No, me either. In the fifteenth century, women who were seen as being too powerful were often accused of witchcraft. This was a way of controlling them and keeping them in their place. Has it changed?

Joan was able to escape the executioner’s blade, but her every move was scrutinized, leaving her vulnerable and in danger.

Seems that women weren’t safe doing anything during that period in history. If you would like to do some further research, check out the sources below. Don’t take my word for it. I’ve been floating around without my body for centuries.

• Joan of Navarre: Queen of England and Witch by Anne O’Brien
• The History of Witchcraft in England by Jeffrey B. Russell
• The Witchcraft Trials of Joan of Navarre by Christine Peters

Stay tuned, as we will be discussing Eleanor Cobham, the Duchess of Gloucester, next time on Jangles with Jane.

Jane, The Lady Rochford.

While floating around the castle, I overheard a group of historians discussing queens and witches. “Oooh, finally,” I said to myself. “Whose a witch? Tell me immediately.”

I admit I was snooping around and reading their papers over their shoulders. Being dead has its upside. However, he turned the pages so dreadfully slow.

So what I gathered, is there were queens that were in fact practicing witches. So let’s spill the beans on these wicked and wondrous women. The historians kept referring to a tome called “Royal Witches” by someone named Gemma Hollman. Apparently, four queens were arrested and accused of witchcraft. “Get ready to hear the juiciest jangles you’ve ever heard.”

Let’s get into it, shall we?

well, Picture it, England 15th Century.

The political climate is abuzz with fear, and women are on edge. There were witches everywhere, well according to people in power. They want queens to conduct themselves as queens, yet they accuse them of witchcraft when they do. Typical really.

So Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, and even Elizabeth Woodville, the woman at the heart of the War of the Roses were all accused of witchcraft.

Let’s look at them as individuals.  

Joan of Navarre was the wife of Henry IV. Shortly after his death in 1419, she was arrested for witchcraft. The accusations were based solely on the fact that she was the Queen Mother to the new king, Henry V. Suddenly found herself in a position where she was no longer respected. She was an obstacle to getting to the new king and sharing her views. They had to get the boy away from his mother, who held influence over him. She was imprisoned for several years but got released when she was no longer a threat to those who advised the king. But was she a witch? 

Eleanor Cobham, the most likely innocent wife of Humphrey the Duke of Gloucester. Humphrey fell out of favor with the king and we all know how that goes. This probably won’t make sense to any of you because I’m knackered trying to justify any of this. In the year of our Lord, 1441, a witch by the name of Margery Jourdemayne claimed that Eleanor had tried to kill the king. But did she, really? Again, a queen was imprisoned. Are we seeing a trend here?

Jaquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville’s mother, was accused of witchcraft in 1459 after her son-in-law, Edward IV, was deposed. The testimony of a witch named Joan Waterden sent her to prison for several months. Joan claimed that Jaquette used unnatural means to help Edward claim the throne. The question I have is, how come the witches accusing other witches of being witches didn’t end up in prison themselves?

Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s wife, was also accused of being a witch in 1485 after her husband was killed in battle. A witch (no surprise here) named Alice Kyteler claimed that Elizabeth had tried to kill her husband. Elizabeth was never imprisoned, but was forced to flee the country after the Battle of Bosworth. She was the Yorkist (the white part) of the Tudor Rose.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Stay tuned, as we go more in-depth on these incredible women.

If you want to learn the facts behind these jangles. Check out the sources down below. After all, gossip is usually based on facts, a misinterpretation or embellishmentfacts,he facts but they are facts, nonetheless.

• Royal Witches by Gemma Hollman
• The Folklore Podcast episode on Royal Witches
• The History Press website on Royal Witches

Stay tuned for more about these Witchy Queens

Jane, The Lady Rochford.