While Queen or commoner, the lives of women throughout history is a fascinating study. Elizabeth Woodville "The White Queen" manage to make the transition from commoner to Queen and become the apinomy of Medieval heroines. The commoner who married a King. She became the wife of Edward IV. Her actions change the life of her entile family. Vilified by many contemporaries and historians ever since. Her whole family was centered staged by Edward IV and Richard III. Elizabeth Woodville became the ancestress of future Kings and Queens. This is about her sisters. By looking at the men they married, the places they lived, and the events they lived through, we can catch a climps of their lives. 

Each sister has their own story to tell. And they may not have achieve the heights as their sister did but they are all fascinating women. 

Books to do more research on them

There is a TV series I am interested in watching called "The Real White Queen and Her Rivals" based on Philippa Gregory's books. 

Podcast I got this information from

https://youtu.be/eHez5hJWNbI

Website for more research on the Tudor dynasty

Tudorsdynasty.com 

Elizabeth Woodville is the mother of Elizabeth of York and the grandmother of Henry VIII and his siblings. Elizabeth's marriage to King Edward IV happen in the mist of the Wars of the Roses. The politics side is complicated. The social side is easier to understand. The politics are so deep that it would take days to go through it. It began with Henry V. Great Plantagenet king. A good warrior king and then his son the VI grow up to be not such a great king. He wasn't a great ruler. Probably if he could have chosen to not be king, that would have been the decision he would make. He had a young son with his wife Margaret of Anjou and after the birth of his son he went into a stupor. Even today, looking back don't know what was wrong with him. And so at that time he was on able to rule the country. His son was too young to rule the country. His queen Margaret was a female, she fought very strong to rule in place of her husband until her son was old enough. That was not going to happen because she was female. England was not ready for a female ruler at that point. 

And so along comes the Duke of York. This was Edward IV's father. He became protector of the round. From that point on the nobles of the country took sides. It was called the cousins war at the time. Basically from there War of the the Roses began. 

Edward III had many sons. When Henry VI started having his mental problems, everybody was looking at we need a more stable ruler. Duke of York was the descendant to one of Edward III's sons so he thought of himself as he could be the next king. And through all the battles, he ends up being beheaded, his son Edmund ends up dying, that leaves his son Edward. That time was the Earl of March. 

Eventually he becomes Edward IV of England. Because of the Kingmaker. The Kingmaker backs up Edward IV, they had a falling out when Edward didn't want to marry the woman of the Kingmaker's chosen. And instead decide to marry a commoner and that started a whole other issue.   

The Neville family was one of the great noble families of the land. Richard's father Richard Neville was the Kingmaker. His father was the brother of the Duke of York's wife. So they were related as well. Richard Neville the Kingmaker was a huge influence of the York family during that time. He was known as the Kingmaker, he worked at Warwick castle. 

He really helped Edward to gain the throne after the death of the Duke of York. The marriage of Edward and Elizabeth led to them facing at battle. After what I learned about them I am even more interested in them. Elizabeth Woodville intrigues people for centuries. 

She was a commoner, a normal woman that would never have been destine to marry a King. Marriage in those days were arranged for you by their family. Her destiny wouldn't have to marry a King. A rags to riches story.  I would say this is like a true Cinderella story. Her mother was a duchess of Bedford, had come from a noble family but certainty was not royalty status. 

Elizabeth Woodville and her two sons after the death of her first husband John Gray she pleased Edward in help in gaining the inheritress of her two sons. She stand under an oak tree waiting for the King to come by. People don't believe this is a true story and we won't ever ever know how they met. They meet and few months later they have falling in love and she been declared Queen at the castle of wedding much the shock of the whole nation. 

Her parents Sir Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg had a lot of children. About 12. They could have had 16 or 17 children if you count the miscarriages and stillbirths. This chapter will only focus on her sisters because the brothers are always mention. The mother was always traveling, Rivers were under their government of Henry VI. Very important man. Not that important. He was a solider, he went off to France, served under the Duke of Bedford. The Woodville children would be used to having their parents not around. They would have travelled occasionally with them. When they were staying in Southampton, some of the order children get to come with them at the time. 

When Elizabeth was married, their life would have changed dramatically then what they are used to. 

Katherine Woodville

Not her mother but her sister also name Jacquetta 

Couldn't find a picture of this sister. Just the mom. 

She was married in 1450 which was long before Elizabeth even met Edward. Her sisters are always together.  They were never given their own identity when reading about them. When Jacquitta married her husband, she became lady strange. His name was John and his mother was a sister to Eleanor Cobham. Eleanor is a pretty well known name in English history. 

Eleanor started off as the mistress to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester was one of the Uncles of Henry VI. So he was an important man. He was one of the protectors. He was the guy who ruled England when Henry was too young to rule himself. John, Duke of Bedford which was Henry's other Uncle was the person Jacquitta would marry in France. It's very complicated with people having the same names. 

What end up happening to Eleanor is that she ends up being arrested on the charges of witchcraft. Said she predicted in a horoscope that Henry will die. Witchcraft was a weapon used against women back then. Ones you are declared a witch it was hard to prove otherwise. She had at this time she had married Humphrey Duke of Gloucester so she was no longer his mistress. Because of the slander of a witchcraft accusation the woman he loves so much allegedly for him to divorced his wife and then marry he, he step back and let the accusation be brought against her. Nothing to defend her. She was sentence without trial and she spend the rest of her life incarcerated. It didn't matter if it was true or not a lot of women had that thrown at them. It was really hard to defend. And they find themselves in a lot of trouble. 

Elizabeth Woodville's mother Jacquetta of Luxembourg was also tried for witchcraft. Thankfully at that point though, she had a King who was a son in law. The accusation was thrown at her when Edward was having his battles with Richard Neville. Edward was being held captive in Warwick castle at the time so he could at that point could do nothing to defend her. But she stood her ground, she argue her point and when Edward took the throne back again, she still had to stand trial. Edward then bref the juries that she should not be convicted. Though thankfully was able to come out the other side of a witchcraft accusation, not many women in those days are managed to do. 

This is kinda like years later in 1692 Salem. Women and a few men were accused of witchcraft. Some managed to be lucky and gotten away from it while others hang. I am a descendant to two women I guess that were the lucky ones. Jacquetta of Luxembourg was the great grandmother of Henry VIII and a few generations later Mary Sibley in 1692 at the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. 

Lady strange 

She was one of the shadowy ones. With Jacquetta Strange we don't know when she died. There is a bronze pladge dedicated to her in Hilliton church in Middlesex. Which was reacted by her daughter Joan Strange. But it's not believe that it's her final resting place so by the time Elizabeth was married to Edward, Jacquetta was all grown up, married and moved away. We don't know when she died but we do know that her husband took a second wife. She have to had died before him. She just seemed to have that one child. Miscarriages and Stillbirths would never have been written down. But her one daughter Joan le Strange did happen to have married one of the Standley's.  The famous Standley brothers. 

She married George Standley who was the son of Margaret Bedford's husband. The Standley's were famous for chosen a side at the very last minute. That is all about Jacquetta. 

Anne Woodville 

She was the only one to stay at court and serve her sister's ladies in waiting. She married a gentleman called William Bourchier. He was a son of a Bourchier. His father was very active in court. William was one of their minor attendees. They both lived at court for a while. He died when he was quite young. Though she did went on to marry the gray family. She actually married the younger brother of Jane's husband. And they had one son together. She had couple of children with her first husband. 

She was the closest with her sister because she she spend a lot of time with her sister Elizabeth. Therefore was less effective by what happen at court. Certainly their early years, Edward was unsure from 61 up until 69 or 70. She would have been there from when they were married 64, 65. So she was the closest with Elizabeth. She experienced a lot of what Elizabeth did. While the other sisters were able to marry and then move away so they were a distance away. 

Her husband's mother was the elder sister to Duke of York. When you look at the family tree it is so confusing. (I should know. I'll be going on there adding people to their connections. My whole family on my mom side is confusing anyways lol). William's mother was Isabella of Cambridge. She was the elder sister of Richard Plantagenet. It gets so confusing back then because full families intermarried. People were known by different names like for instance Jane Woodville was often known as Joan Woodville. So names never remain the same. In different books or in different documents even in their sources their names change so yes when you start to write down their family tree it can get complicated.  

To follow the war of the roses you have to. There are so many different people, there are so many different characters, some with the same names, even some with exactly the same names, first names and sir names. This is why this is so exciting to me, it's my family tree. They and their respective husbands who often find themselves on different sides of an argument. 

For instance Katherine Woodville was married Harry, Duke of Buckinham. Their rumors of course. You can never know what goes on in a marriage now these days. All those hundreds of years ago but it was rumored that they didn't have a happy marriage. But they had several children together. Perhaps they had a certain of respect between them.  Of course Harry, Duke of Bunckinham took Richard III side after the death of Harry IV when Edward V, when their son should have taking the throne. Richard III comes along and we all know the story. What happens there. 

We have Harry, Duke of Buckinham who sided with Richard III, who's the princes have disappear into the tower At this point immediately Katherine feel for her sister, feel for her nephews. Harry is siding with their enemy. 

Margaret Woodville

Her husband was Thomas mile Travis, he again like the Standley brothers managed to associate himself with whoever is in power. He rive through life. He wasn't going to stand up and disagree with whoever is on the throne at that point. Again with who Elizabeth Woodville had as enemies. There must have been some intermarriage arguments. Debates, whether you stick with your husband or whether you sided with your sister. A lot of that went on in the War of the Roses. 

Elizabeth's husband got executed in 1483. Later the third Duke is executed as well. Harry Buckingham was primarrly motivated by money and titles and he felt that he had more claimed to the throne. Henry IV side line him a little bit. He seems to learn to live with that. His grand son was executed by Henry VIII. 

People should be more like the Standley's and Margaret's husband and keep your mouth shut. You have to respect whoever is on the throne at the time. The youngsters at court felt like they should step up and take on that fight. Defending their family, defending their lineage. 

Mary Woodville

She became countess of Pembroke and for Tudor fans you probably recognized Pembroke from Catherine Parr's sister who married the Earl of Pembroke. Mary married William. He was the Earl of Pembroke's son. The Earl of Pembroke was an important man in Wales, he kept law and order in Wales. He was very powerful magnet. William, his son was described as academic. He didn't seem much interested in soildering as his father was. Mary married him when she was either ten or eleven and he was fifteen and the family home was in Windsor castle in Wales. At the castle as the time was a young Henry Tudor who again complicates politics and everything but he found himself award with the Earl of Pembroke and he was living as Mary would have learned him for a few years. They would have been both teenagers, she would never have dreamed that one day he would be King of England. 

Mary was happy to settle there. They had a daughter, Elizabeth who, when Mary died because she died in 1481, William after her death never really had any association with the court through her, his importance was achieved. So after her death, he lived a sort of quite life. He did marry Katherine Plantagenet after Mary had died which is Richard III bastered daughter. That marriage was arranged because Richard III wanted to keep him as an ally in Wales. He remained in his side. He himself died in 1490 and his daughter was still young so she became the ward of court. 

Mary died around 1481. Her memorial, curtisy of Thomas Cumbswell and a little from Henry VIII was practically destroyed so her memorial is no longer there. As far as anyone know they are berried there.  She was married at Windsor castle at 1466. It's a historic place and it is known as the place where the Queen lives. 

Only time is separated us from them and it's amazing. 

Margaret would have had a happiest marriage. Thomas was a devoted husband. This is just assumption because we can never know how they truly felt about each other. Out of all the sisters, when she died, he didn't remarried. A lot of men remarried very quickly after when their wives dying. He lived another 30 years or so before his death. Sad and romantic. 

Jane or Joan Woodville

Couldn't find a picture for her. 

She is another one of those shadowy sisters. Her first husband was Anthony Gray. Married about 1466, she would have been 11. His younger brother was George Gray who was born around 1455. They would have lived in Bedfordshair. Restpark in Bedfordshair would have been the Gray's family estate. So Jane really wasn't attending court much. She lead a very quite life. There is an assumption that she had no children. Between them they had no children. When Princess Mary died, Jane did attended her funeral and mourn her. Also in the records reference a lady by the name of Catherine Gray. Catherine Gray also attended the funeral of Elizabeth Woodville in 1492. It's very possible this Jane Gray is Catherine's daughter.  It's also possible she wasn't. But she would have been of similar age to Princess Mary. Anthony, her husband died young. Jane wasn't considered important enough in finding a new husband for her. She was given his estates so it is possible that she retired as a widow at these estates. 

But there is also rumored of a second marriage of her with a gentleman called Edward Greenfield. Greenfield was the brother of Richard Greenfield.  Richard Greenfield ends up being Catherine Woodville's third husband. Catherine Woodviled actually chose him as a husband. But they have falling off the rada. We have no idea when she died. There's a connection with Jane Woodville to Edward Greenfield. They could have know each other and got married. She is one of the most shadowy sisters. If she was a widow maybe she had control of her finances and had a life most well lived. 

Wikipedia isn't always right and you shouldn't use it as a source. You should use videos of British history documentaries, podcasts, and books. Jane isn't even listed in the Wikipedia as one of Elizabeth's sisters. These research works I been doing is to help me research these people in history that so happens to be my ancestors. My own roots. 

Martha Woodville

There was doubt if she was an actual Woodville sister or not. She have been married to a John Bromley. If she didn't existed or she existed but she wasn't a Woodville's daughter. Her age absolutely no clue. She was one of the youngest. In order for her to be the youngest then she would have to be born after Catherine Woodville. Which means when Elizabeth married Edward, she would have been five years old. So at that point she would have been gone off to court with Catherine. And her alleged husband was a Lancastrian. More possible, she would be one of the elder girls since she wouldn't have married a Lancastrian at that time. Which put her to the age of Anthony and Elizabeth Woodville. 

John Bradley seems to have been married to a Joanna Haxbour which was still alive in 1470. There was a court case that the pair checked in together suing three men for their land. So if she was still alive in 1470, Martha could not have been in the same boat as Jacquetta. If they did have a relationship then maybe they had a inlisted relationship. A Thomas Brummy is noted in some documents as the son of John Brummy and Martha Woodville. We know nothing about her. The fact that she may have existed. 

Martha was one of the eldest daughters. Perhaps a young Lancaster knight named John Brummy, of course before Edward married Elizabeth, his father was a Lancaster supporter. Perhaps in the early 1460's and young Lancastrian John Brummy, he and Martha began their relationship and even at that point she became pregnant. After when Elizabeth and Edward was married and after when all the sisters have been married off, she wouldn't have been attracted to if she was a mother of a inlisted child. Attracted to any families. No one would want to take her on so she would have ended up in a nunnery. It's litterly all assumptions all we can go by is her name and with the fact there was this Thomas Brummy who was the son of Martha Woodville and John Brummy. 

I'm a little bias when I say that Elizabeth is my favorite Woodville sister because she's the one I am directly descendant to and I love her story with Edward IV. I started getting interested in European history when I was roommates with Rachel at Salem State. Before I have always only cared about American history. In particular black history. Rachel would have me watch documentaries and other videos with her. I already knew a little about King Henry VIII and his first two wives but then because of Rachel I learned about his other wives. I watched Reign which is a drama about Mary, queen of Scots and she would have me watch a documentary about her in her room when I was sleeping over one weekend so I'll know more about Mary, Queen of Scots and how much truth that are in the series that lasted 4 seasons. I then watched The Tudors which is another drama series and it's about King Henry VIII and his wives. It was more historical accurate then Reign. 

And then now finding out that I am descendant to King Henry VIII and one of his mistresses makes me want to learn more and as I go up that part of my family tree I get to learn more about British history all the way up to William the Conqueror. And now I been doing research and taking notes on the videos I watched about these people in my family tree so someday maybe I could trace my own roots to the places they ones lived and write my own book of my family tree. If I could go back in time to a moment in history, I would want to go back to the time of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville and see their love story unfold as well as how great Edward was. I would love to meet my ancestors and get to know them intimately. I'm glad that I am doing this because I have learn so much about where I come from. I feel very closed to Edward and Elizabeth on a whole different level then anyone else I have done research on. 

My favorite wife of Henry VIII always change because they are all fascinating. I used to favor Anne Boylan because I knew her the most but as I gotten to know his other wives I liked all of them for different reasons. I love that Catherine Parr survived. 

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived! 

I hope one of these days I'll buy a while bunch of books that are about these historical people including the books I have mentioned here so I can learn more and gain a better insight on them as individual people that at one time existed and breathed and had families. They are so much more then names and dates. 

I love genealogy. It has always been one of my passions because of my Grandpa and Alex Haley and it has only grown with time.  

Jasmine Dyer

Jasmine Sibley 

Jasmine Tudor

Jasmine Woodville