Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England

Let me preface, "Royal Witches" is not about courtly covens, but an introduction into the lives of four, often forgotten, noble women who were accused of witchcraft.

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 show more 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! show less

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.

Fascinating study of very early medieval women. Witchcraft is not very important in this book...it seems to be just a trope that the author added to bring the stories together. Some of the women were barely accused of witchcraft at all, but anyway, it's an interesting book.

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, show more 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. show less

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.