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.

Katherine Howard, the 5th wife of Henry Viii, was beheaded for treason and adultery at the Tower of London. She now spends eternity running down the gallery screaming for Henry as she was being chased down and arrested.

She was born somewhere between 1518 and 1524. The exact date is unknown. She was born into an aristocratic family. Her father was the younger brother of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk and her cousin was none other than Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife.

When Katherine was around aged 10 to 12, her mother died and they sent Katherine off to her step-grandmother, Agnes, the dowager duchess of Norfolk’s home. Katherine had grown up with a dominant mother and a hen-pecked father. She was both pampered by her father and controlled by her mother. At the dowager duchess’s, she found herself in a room that looked more like a room set up in an orphanage. She was in a room with several other girls, and they had little to no supervision. Because of this, Katherine and her friends were a tad bit wild.

The relationship between Katherine and Henry Mannox (her music teacher) was put to an end by the Duchess. Katherine was approximately 15 years old. Later, both would say that their relationship had never been consummated. That same year, Katherine had a love relationship with Francis Dereham. They referred to each other as husband and wife, even though they were never legally or religiously married. They put their relationship on hold when Francis headed over to Ireland to make his fortune before coming back to her. Unfortunately for Francis, Katherine’s father died, and they moved her into the custody of her uncle Thomas Howard, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk.

Her uncle then arranged for her to become a lady-in-waiting for Anne of Cleves, the king’s current wife. A wife that Henry Viii wanted to get rid of, but her being a princess from another land, he couldn’t do to Anne of Cleves what he had done to Anne Boleyn. This is where Henry, who was over 30 years older than Katherine, took notice of her. 

Anne of Cleves, in fear for her life, agreed to her marriage being annulled, but as an intelligent woman, she made sure her parting package included her own Castle, lands, and income. 

Nineteen days after the annulment, on a hot summer day, Henry married the sixteen-year-old Katherine Howard.

By the time winter came around, not only had Katherine become the queen, but it also put her into the same social circle as her cousin and eventual lover, the charming Thomas Culpepper.

Spring came in with a rush of rumors circulating around the court about Katherine and Culpepper. This prompts Thomas Cranmer to investigate and over the summer months, he builds a case against her. 

November came and Cramner used every piece of information available to inform the king about Katherine’s past, with Maddox, Dereham, and currently Culpepper.

By the end of the month, they have stripped Katherine of her Queenship and sent off to Syon Abbey. Katherine would never see her husband again. It was then that Katherine ran through the gallery screaming for Henry. A sight that would repeat every year in the gallery. Katherine’s screaming ghost would terrify anyone who heard her.

They executed Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham at Tyburn that December. They executed Francis by hanging, drawing, and quartering him. Thomas, a favorite of the king, got off with a simple beheading.

They convicted Katherine with the law of attainer in January. So they convicted her without a trial. Henry didn’t want to repeat the trials of both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.

On Friday, February 10th, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, took Katherine to the Tower of London to await her execution. She requested they bring the block into her room on the evening of the 12th so she could practice putting her head on it.

The next morning, along with Jane Boleyn, the lady Rochford, and Anne’s sister-in-law, Katherine lost her head. She was somewhere between 18 and 20 years old.

Henry spent the next day out hunting and celebrating St. Valentine’s day.

I wasn’t supposed to be there. I couldn’t let her go through this alone, so I found myself in a servant’s uniform and the rest is history.

We were in the queen’s lodgings at The Tower of London. It was just barely half four in the morning and surrounded by her ladies. They were Elizabeth Boleyn; Queen Anne’s aunt, Anne Shelton; Mary Kingston, the wife of Sir William Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower; Margaret Coffin, the wife of Queen Anne’s Master of the Horse; and Elizabeth Stoner, wife of the King’s Sargeant of Arms. They were there, all of them to spy on Anne and none of them, save for Mrs. Kingston, gave her much sympathy. As Anne listened to the Mass, her face softened and for a brief second; it looked like she was beginning to glow. She was at peace. Whether it was because she truly believed that Henry, the king, would go through with it, or because she truly was innocent of wrongdoing. She was going to die, the death of the innocent. 

It was just after that Anne was given her last sacrament by her almoner John Skip. The most gentlemanly of the gentlemen. 

Anne looked up and noticed me. I gave her a look that told her that I was on her side. A softness came over her face. Someone who loved her was there and filled with peace. She was ready to die. I had heard her earlier tell one of her ladies that she hoped that there were no more delays unless, of course, the King came to stop the whole thing. We believed he would. Certainly, all the delays meant something.

It was around 7 in the morning and I brought in a platter with cheese, bread, and cold chicken. There was not a sign of the fruit and berries that Anne was fond of eating, as well as apples. We all knew that this was deliberate, even though the food supplied was of top quality. Anne and her ladies barely picked at the food.

The quiet calm was slowly turning to anxiety when the queen suddenly stood up and announced that it was time to be dressed in the outfit she chose the night before.

I was sent into her dressing chamber to tell her that Sir Kingston was heading towards them. Anne was dressed in a black damask night robe that was lined in fur, underneath she donned a brilliant red kirtle. I helped her pin her netted headpiece in place. It was believed that this would keep her hair from wrapping around thesword, preventing a clean death.

Anne walked towards the door to meet Sir Kingston, looking ethereal in her calmness. I couldn’t hear the whole conversation because I was staying out of my aunt in law’s notice.

“My lady, the hour approaches. I beseech you to make ready.” Kingston said.

  “Acquit yourself of your charge,” she softly chides,  “For I have been long prepared.” 

Kingston gave Anne an apologetic look. “You have a little while before we must depart. Dodo with what you must with your ladies and your priest.”   

 Anne stepped forward and asked if Mister Skip will be allowed to accompany her.

  “Indeed he will, Madam,” Kingston told her. “As I say, there is time, but I must remain with you until the hour.”  

At this point, Anne thanked him profusely for the kindness and respect he had offered her since she was brought to the tower. 

Clearly, Sir Kingston was uncomfortable with her compliments because he was aware of what was going on behind the scenes. This, however, we will leave for a different time.

He handed Anne a velvet purse that contained twenty pounds for alms for the poor. Anne passed the coins to Lady Bolyen, my executed husband’s aunt. Anne’s aunt. 

Anne asked if there was a purse for the swordsman.

“That has already been taken care of.” Kingston assured her.

Without another word, Sir Kingston led her out of the luxurious apartments of a queen to the scaffold that would give her a traitor’s death. Her only solace was the ermine lined cloak that was put over her shoulders. Ermine was only worn by queens, and Anne knew that she was rightfully one.

There is so much more to this story, and at another time, I will give you more of the story. But right now, my tea has gone cold and I want to toss some crockery at a certain duke’s head. Being a ghost does have it’s perks.

Grab a mug of mead and sit, and I will fill you in.  

There was a 19-year-old domestic servant named Elizabeth Barton, who predicted the future. Her followers referred her to as the Nun of Kent or the Holy Maid of London. And she had many. Elizabeth would go before groups of commoners. She would go before the commoners and give them a divine message. She would tell these predictions to the people. One of her first predictions, was that a baby would die, and with the infant mortality rates, the fact that the baby died shouldn’t have been a shock, but it was. 

News of her soothsaying spread around and she began to climb up the social ladder. Elizabeth was on her way to becoming a wealthy woman in her own right.

It was when Cardinal Worsley took notice of her that Elizabeth’s life took a rapid and drastic turn. As her practice picked up, Worsley became more and more impressed with her, so much so that he eventually introduced her to the king. Elizabeth felt the need to be dramatic when she was in a trance. She would flail around and act strangely, and the king loved it, especially since her predictions suited him, his wants, his needs, and his political beliefs. 

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Barton made the mistake of prophesying that if Henry Viii married Anne Boleyn, he the king, would be dead within months. 

We all know that didn’t go well. The Nun of Kent suddenly became known as the Mad Maid of Kent. So as events unfolded within the Tudor dynasty, Elizabeth was arrested, tried, and convicted of giving false prophecies and conspiracy to kill the king. They hung her at Tyburn on April 20th, 1534.

Rumor has it she was hung, drawn, and quartered as a witch. But was she?

1) There is no origin story for the word witch.

There is no record of the first usage of the word. It’s believed it could have come from the word “wicce”. Wicce means “female sorceress”. Wicce is the basis of the word Wiccan. It makes sense.

2)Witches didn’t wear pointy hats.

In 1215, Pope Innocent III decreed all Jews must wear a peaked hat. This caused rampant anti-Semitism. I equated the Jewish people with demons and heretics. In the 1700s, the image of the Jews wearing this hat became the image of an old hag, with a crooked nose and a witches’ hat. Rude!

3) Witches did “Fly “on broomsticks, although, not the way you’re thinking.

Witches were herbalists. They experimented with a lot of plants and flowers. The herb and potions they created for rituals contained mandrake. Mandrake contains chemicals that cause feelings of euphoria. In higher doses, it causes hallucinations.

The ointment was used in rituals that required the witch to be astride a broom. This would create a pleasant feeling that gave the witches the feeling of flying. I’ll let you use your imagination on that one.

4) Not all witches were wicked.

There were good witches that practiced “white magic” as it’s called. These were herbalists, healers, and therapists. One of Booktubes’ favorite good witches is Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches. The books, written by Deborah Harkness, show witches as well in a few words, nice, caring, and gracious.

5) There are entire books dedicated to the art of witch-hunting.

Zen and the Art of Witch Hunting? Witch Hunting for Soccer Moms? Probably not.

In 1486, a German priest, Heinrich Kramer, wrote a book called “Malleus Maleficarum”. This translates to “Hammer of Witches”. This book elevates witchcraft to the criminal status of heresy.

The Royal Court in the 16th and 17th centuries used this book. The “Malleus Maleficarum” led to increased brutality towards witches.

James I of England (the guy that took over after Elizabeth 1 died.) wrote a book called “Daemonologie” in 1597. This book let the people know that witch hunters had the King’s full support and how to hunt witches.

These books are still available on Amazon. Don’t hunt any witches, ok?

6) Pope Innocent VIII confirmed witches exist.

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull, recognizing the existence of witches. He deemed them a threat to the Catholic Church and its followers. The Pope read the “Malleus Maleficarum” which confirmed all his fears. Because of the papal bull (a public notice), Kramer and Sprenger, the authors of the book carte blanch to handle witches as they saw fit.

7) Witchcraft laws were in place until the mid-20th century.

Yep. But then again, there are also some strange laws that are still on the books. In 1944, they found Jane Rebecca Yorke guilty of witchcraft. This was because the Witchcraft Act of 1735 was still in effect. It’s believed that they actually arrested her for defrauding people. They finally took this law off the books in 1951.

8) Witch hunters targeted everyone, not only women.

It’s true. Witch hunters arrested, tried, and executed men, women, cats and birds as being witches. Cat’s especially, were the prime targets of witch hunters. It didn’t matter. If they thought it to be a witch, it was a witch.

9) They needed no evidence to arrest, convict, and execute suspected witches.

Who knew? <—that’s actually extreme sarcasm. It is unfortunate that this is true. People were being accused of witchcraft for the simplest of reasons. Your cow dies, three days after Goody Whatever looks at you strangely in church. She’s a witch. They have cursed you and that is why your cow died.

10) They did not burn witches at the stake.

When thinking about the executions of witches, we can’t help but imagine the guilty person on a burning pyre. During the Salem Witch Trials, they burned no one at the stake. Actually, no one was executed by burning at the stake in the American colonies. There was one man, Giles Corey, that was pressed to death by court order. History has given us a lot of gory, horrific execution stories of witches. They mostly hung the convicted witches.

Volume 6

As you all know, Henry VIII was a lech, a libertine, and the worst example of what a king should be. We know this because of his past relationships. Henry divorced his wife, Catherine of Aragon, after 23 years of marriage. His reasoning? She could not deliver him a son. Their only living child was the future Mary I. A girl, which was unacceptable to him. Catherine of Aragon died alone and destitute. This treatment of her mother warped Mary’s young mind. Yet, a story for another Jangles.

His second wife, Anne Boleyn, is the sister of the disgraced Mary Boleyn, one of Henry’s mistresses. The poor girl is referred to as the “Great Whore” by her fellow courtiers. Unlike her sister, Anne refused to be the king’s mistress. I mean, can you blame her? To marry Anne, Henry VIII broke with the Vatican and created the Church of England. Not only did he upend the country’s religious beliefs, but he also beheaded half of his friends. All because he believed Anne would give him the son he wanted.

Anne gave him a healthy baby girl, whom she named Elizabeth. The child that would grow up to be one of England’s greatest queens was a disappointment to Henry.

After Elizabeth was born, Henry and Anne tried for sons. Anne miscarried a boy and Henry VIII convinced himself that Anne was the problem. So he took matters into his own hands and had her arrested for adultery. Anne, her brother George, and four other men were found guilty of treason and executed.

Yet less than a day later, Henry VIII announces his betrothal to Jane Seymour. A simple woman from a family with a high fertility rate was exactly what Henry wanted. Sure enough, Jane gave him the long-awaited son but died within a week of his birth from childbed sickness.

For the first time in Henry’s life, it devastated him. And became angry when his courtiers were nagging at him to marry again. After all, the king needed an heir and a spare. Mary and Elizabeth were both declared illegitimate and could not sit on the throne.

This left Henry looking for his fourth wife. He sent his ministers and painters to various royal houses looking for a new queen. Unfortunately for him, his reputation preceded him. Potential brides turned him down left and right. Can you blame them?

One of the most famous refusals came from the 16-year-old Christina of Denmark. Before we can talk about her humorous reply to the king’s proposal, we need to talk about her.

Christina of Denmark’s father was having trouble holding onto his kingdoms. Soon he lost Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and before Christina was two, he had lost his throne. By the time she was 4 years old, Christina would lose her 24-year-old mother. As a result, her brother, sister, and herself were sent to live in the court of Mary of Hungary, their aunt.

Christina grew up in courts where women ruled.

Under the guidance of her aunt, Christina learned to rule and make important decisions. Her devout Catholicism was a matter of pride and family loyalty. Henry’s Church of England was not a good fit.

She already had many reasons to tell Henry to bugger off.

What she said when presented with the proposal will go down in history as one of the best retorts to come out of the Tudor Era.

Christina spoke these words to the King’s emissaries.

“If I had two heads, one should be at the King of England’s disposal!”

Unlike the women of England, Christina of Denmark was in charge of her own destiny.

Just more Jangles from the Court of Henry VIII

Cheers,

Jane Boleyn The Lady Rochford.