Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century Englandby Gemma Hollman
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Although this is far from a bad book, the title is a little misleading, in that it's more of an examination of the court politics of the Wars of the Roses from the perspective of the "witches" of the title, particularly Edward IV's wife Elizabeth Woodville. The point here is that eminent women were in a precarious position, particularly if they didn't have an esteemed pedigree backing up their position, so accusations of witchcraft were believable, as what eminent man would marry a woman who was beneath his social status if witchcraft had not been involved; never mind the woman's own quality and character. In the 15th century, if there was a rich woman whose wealth you craved, you accused her of witchcraft. Powerful woman in the way of your advancement? Accuse her of witchcraft. Powerful man who you want brought down? Accuse his wife of witchcraft. None of these women were witches, although one did admit to seeking out a wise woman for a charm to help her conceive. What they were, were powerful, rich women who stood in the way of powerful men. Witchcraft was an easy accusation to make, since it’s impossible to prove one didn’t do it. Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, and Elizabeth Woodville are the women this book examines. The author gives the first two each a section of their own; Jacquetta and Elizabeth, being mother and daughter, share the last half of the book. I have to admit; Woodville was the only one I was familiar with. I had never even heard of Cobham. Turns out that they were fairly important to the War of the Roses and how it turned out, yet historians have ignored them. I found parts of the book riveting, and others lost me. Part of the problem is the fact that so many people had the same names- Henry, Richard, Joan, Elizabeth- that I would have trouble keeping them all straight in my mind. The writing was uneven, too; parts seemed like they could have used a good editor to smooth them out. The strange part, however, is that the book is basically biographies of the four women, and of the men they were attached to, rather than concentrating on the witchcraft aspect. The witchcraft trials are a very small percentage of the book. I give the book four stars. I am really tired of monographs fluffed up into books. The amount of actual information about magic and witchcraft during the 15th century and the attitudes toward it, is miniscule. The very little information about the lives of these women in padded out with endless speculation about their emotions along the lines of -- "with her husband gone to war and her children around her X must have felt great anxiety." The author also makes a point of one of her subjects believing in the Trinity--she was a Roman Catholic--of course she believed in the Trinity. That is basis Church doctrine. Why would you throw this random fact into the mix. Disappointing. no reviews | add a review
The stories of four royal women, their lives intertwined by family and bound by persecution, unravel the history of witchcraft in fifteenth-century England. Until the mass hysteria of the seventeenth century, accusations of witchcraft in England were rare. However, four royal women, related in family and in court ties-Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Elizabeth Woodville-were accused of practicing witchcraft in order to kill or influence the king. Some of these women may have turned to the "dark arts" in order to divine the future or obtain healing potions, but the purpose of the accusations was purely political. Despite their status, these women were vulnerable because of their gender, as the men around them moved them like pawns for political gains. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives and the cases of these so-called witches, placing them in the historical context of fifteenth-century England, a setting rife with political upheaval and war. In a time when the line between science and magic was blurred, these trials offer a tantalizing insight into how malicious magic would be used and would later cause such mass hysteria in centuries to come. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)133.430820941Philosophy and Psychology Parapsychology And Occultism Specific Topics Witchcraft - Sorcery Witchcraft and Magickal PracticeLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
First is Joan of Navarre, Queen Dowager of England. Fascinating woman. She is accused of witchcraft by her step-son Henry V. She is not imprisoned, but rather has her lands and assets seized to help pay for his war in France. She continues to live in comfort under house arrest, and then released upon his death.
Next is Eleanor Cobham, who has an adulterous affair with Joan's stepson Humphrey, eventually becoming his wife! But in 1431, Roger Bolingbroke, a clerk in Eleanor's household, is on trial for "witchcraft on Eleanor's orders." She's charged by Humphrey's enemies as a witch and co-conspirator to murder Henry VI. She isn't executed, but her fate is heartbreaking.
Finally there's Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Eleanor's sister-in-law and her daughter Elizabeth Woodville. Jacquetta had scandalously married Richard Woodville and in turn, Elizabeth shockingly marries the new Edward IV. But in a deadly game of thrones, Richard killed, Edward captured, Elizabeth put under house arrest and Jacquetta is accused of witchcraft. Of course, the most terrifying enemy of all would turn out to be Richard III.
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. It's got all the royal drama you'd expect combined with the political machinations of the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses. It definitely rekindled my love for the subject! ( )