5- Jacquetta Woodville- The Duchess (Part 1)

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First, apologies for a long hiatus! And, here's to a brilliant 2020 to all my readers. I hope this new year and the new decade bring a lot of cheer, love, luck, prosperity and everything nice to you all.

Now, let's head back to mediaeval England. Back to Jacquetta's world!

After her marriage to John, Duke of Bedford, Jacquetta and her new husband travelled to England to meet his nephew, King Henry VI. Accompanying them was the Duke's squire, Richard Woodville, a young, charismatic man. Well, we will come to him later....

After her arrival, protocol demanded that Jacquetta meet her new royal family. She was welcomed by all, barring one. Philippa Gregory describes the meeting between Jacquetta and her new sister-in-law, Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, in not so glowing terms. According to Ms Gregory, Eleanor was cold towards Jacquetta whereas it should have been the other way round - Eleanor being a commoner before her marriage to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and Jacquetta being born into the royal family of Luxembourg.

Let's peek into Eleanor's life and her rise to success....

Eleanor was the daughter of Reginald Cobham, 3rd Baron Sterborough, 3rd Lord Cobham and his wife, Eleanor Culpeper. Now, to introduce and groom his daughter into the court life, he managed to secure the position of lady-in-waiting to Jacqueline of Hainault. Citing the destructive behaviour of her husband, John IV, Duke of Brabant, Jacqueline sought an annulment and the protection of King Henry V who readily welcomed her, even making his newborn son's godparent. This was in the year 1421. In 1423, Jacqueline married Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester who was the Lord Protector of his late brother's son, the child king, Henry VI.

(Wikipedia)

The Duke then went to France to take control of his wife's estates at Hainault and on his return in 1425, made his wife's lady-in-waiting his mistress. 1428 saw the annulment of the marriage between Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and Jacqueline of Hainault.

The beautiful and ambitious Eleanor Cobham was now climbing the ladder of success. However, her fall would be even more tragically spectacular than her rise to the dizzying heights of fame. Read on....

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