Today, in the
21st century, the world loves English royal weddings. Rare, precious, full of pomp and tradition
and ceremony (and fashion), the ceremony marking the union of Prince William
and Kate Middleton drew millions, some say billions, of viewers from around the
world.
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| The most recent English Royal Wedding. |
Seven
centuries ago, the 14th century English court also recognized the
value of such a ceremony. Edward III was
famous for founding the Order of the Garter, with its references to the legendary
court of King Arthur. This was a ruler
who understood the power of myth and spectacle.
So, when I embarked on my books centered on 14th century English
royal weddings, I imagined, they would be similarly grand affairs, celebrated
in the public eye and documented in detail for the ages. After all, what could be more important than
the union of royalty? Usually, such
unions united countries, not just humans.
So there should be a public and well observed commitment, witnessed far
and wide.
The truth was
somewhat different.
Technically,
Edward III and his queen, Philippa, were married by proxy, before she even
arrived in England from her native Hainault (now Belgium) late in 1327. The ceremonial procession into London was a
well-established ritual in these days, and the soon-to-be queen was welcomed with
much “public celebration.” The city of
London even gave her a very expensive set of “plate,” which might have had as
much to do with gratitude for their ongoing trading opportunities with her
homeland as for their joy at welcoming her as queen.
The formal wedding
was held in York, nearly 200 miles to the north, an unusual place for such a
ceremony. But it seemed the archbishop
of Canterbury, in the south, had recently died, so they decided to have the
archbishop of York perform the service. Perhaps
it also presented the advantage of a royal journey to and from there, which
might have helped to establish the position of the newly crowned king and his
bride.
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| York, site of Edward III's wedding |
There are
conflicting reports, however, of how ostentatious the actual ceremony was. The English crown was cash strapped at that
time and Edward’s mother had confiscated Philippa’s dowry and, by some reports,
already spent it. Others suggest that the
wedding celebration was nearly as lavish as Edward’s coronation, the year
before. Silk cloth of gold draped the dais and the throne. Jewels, silver, and
gold were imported from France. In
addition to the ceremony and the feasting, the exchange of gifts between the
bride and the groom was an important part of the pageant. Philippa presented her husband with an
illuminated manuscript. More than a
book, it reportedly contained copies of two pieces of music performed at their
wedding.
Much of the
information we have on these occasions comes not from the chroniclers or from
eye-witness reports, but from royal records and account books, listing clothing
and gifts ordered and received. Indeed,
in many cases, we have more detail on the gifts royal brides and grooms
exchanged than we do on the exact festivities.
Edward and
Philippa had twelve children, eight of whom lived to marry (some of those more
than once). While we cannot describe in
detail the ceremony for every child, we do know enough to know that they were
not all the same.
One, the
unfortunate Joan, died on the way to her wedding to the son of the king of
Castile. But the wedding that had been
planned was of the scale appropriate to the uniting of the children of
kings. Joan’s trousseau alone was
rumored to have needed an entire ship to transport.
We do have a
record of the wedding dress that had been prepared for her, made of rakematiz,
a thick silk shot with threads of gold.
Two other magnificent gowns, one green, one brown, both heavily
embroidered, may have also been intended for wear on the wedding day, when a
bride might be expected to change for various parts of the celebration. (And you thought that was new?)
 |
| Edward, the Black Prince |
You would
expect the wedding of the oldest son and heir to one of the most lavish. In reality, it was a much different
affair. Edward (the son), whom we know
as the Black Prince, married Joan of Kent in a clandestine ceremony, not
sanctioned by the church. (See my post
here: http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2014/06/hea-or-not-edward-black-prince-and-joan.html)
Because their children had to be
sanctioned as legitimate heirs to the throne, such an “unofficial” marriage
could not stand and the Pope had to be called in for special dispensations to
sort out the mess before they could be legally wed. As a result, we have no information on the
first ceremony and the second, official, one was also subdued. The usual round of tournaments that marked
such an affair was dispensed with.
The second
wife of the third son, John of Gaunt, Duck of Lancaster, was Constance, who
claimed the throne of Castile. Because
of her stature, and because John claimed to be king of Castile by marrying her,
I
expected a lavish, public display. Instead,
the wedding took place “off-stage” in France, before he brought her across the
Channel. We have only a date and a place. However, when they returned to England, an
elaborate welcome procession into London was prepared and “Queen” and her
delegation were escorted to John’s magnificent palace on the Thames.
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| Constance of Castile |
So it seems
that in Fourteenth Century England, a public procession served as a suitable
substitute for an ostentatious ceremony.
After all, more people could witness the display, including many who
would never be invited to the wedding itself.
Think of it
as a medieval substitute for CNN or the BBC coverage.
After many years in public relations,
advertising and marketing, Blythe Gifford started writing
seriously after a
corporate layoff. Ten years and one layoff later, she became an overnight
success when she sold her first book to the Harlequin Historical line. Since then, she has published eleven romances
set in England and on the Scottish Borders.
WHISPERS AT COURT, a Royal Wedding story, was a June 2015 release from
the Harlequin Historical line. For more
information, visit www.blythegifford.com
Author photo Jennifer Girard
Photo
credits: York Minster: "YorkMinsterWest"
by Andy Barrett (User:Big Smooth) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via
Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:YorkMinsterWest.jpg#/media/File:YorkMinsterWest.jpg
"Constança
de Castela, Duquesa de Lencastre - The Portuguese Genealogy (Genealogia dos
Reis de Portugal)" by Creator:Antonio de Hollanda - Image taken from The
Portuguese Genealogy / Genealogia dos Reis de Portugal.Originally
published/produced in Portugal (Lisbon), 1530-1534.This file has been provided
by the British Library from its digital collections. Catalogue entry: Add MS
12531 - Online viewer (Info)Deutsch | English | Español | Français | Македонски
| +/−. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constan%C3%A7a_de_Castela,_Duquesa_de_Lencastre_-_The_Portuguese_Genealogy_(Genealogia_dos_Reis_de_Portugal).png#/media/File:Constan%C3%A7a_de_Castela,_Duquesa_de_Lencastre_-_The_Portuguese_Genealogy_(Genealogia_dos_Reis_de_Portugal).png
Royal
Carriage By Robbie Dale (Flickr: Royal Carriage) [CC BY-SA 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
.png#/media/File:Constan%C3%A7a_de_Castela,_Duquesa_de_Lencastre_-_The_Portuguese_Genealogy_(Genealogia_dos_Reis_de_Portugal).png){kind=link}