Cecily Neville: Mother of Kings

Author(s): Licence Amy

History

Known to be proud, regal and beautiful, Cecily Neville was born in the year of the great English victory at Agincourt and survived long enough to witness the arrival of the future Henry VIII, her great-grandson. Her life spanned most of the fifteenth century. Cecily's marriage to Richard, Duke of York, was successful, even happy, and she travelled with him wherever his career dictated, bearing his children in England, Ireland and France, including the future Edward IV and Richard III. What was the substance behind her claim to be 'queen by right'? Would she indeed have made a good queen during these turbulent times? One of a huge family herself, Cecily would see two of her sons become kings of England but the struggles that tore apart the Houses of Lancaster and York also turned brother against brother. Cecily's life cannot have been easy. Images of her dripping in jewels and holding her own alternative 'court' might belie the terrible heartache of seeing her descendants destroy each other. In attempting to be the family peacemaker, she frequently had to make heart-wrenching choices, yet these did not destroy her. She battled on, outliving her husband, friends, rivals and most of her children, to become one of the era's great survivors.


Product Information

'This insight is so rare and so valuable ... a considered and scholarly account of the matriarch of the House of York' -- Philippa Gregory 'A long overdue biography of one of the most dramatic medieval heroines - vivid, very readable, and wonderfully detailed.' -- Sarah Gristwood, author of Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses

Amy Licence is the author of Royal Babies: A History 1066-2013, In Bed With the Tudors: The Sex Lives of a Dynasty from Elizabeth of York to Elizabeth I ('What really went on in Henry VIII's bedroom' The Daily Express), Elizabeth of York: The Forgotten Tudor Queen and Anne Neville: Richard III's Tragic Queen ('A fascinating story, well told' The Good Book Guide), all published by Amberley. She lives in Canterbury.

General Fields

  • : 9781445644806
  • : Amberley Publishing
  • : Amberley Publishing
  • : July 2015
  • : 198mm X 124mm X 23mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Licence Amy
  • : Paperback
  • : 942.04092
  • : HB
  • : 47