The White Rose

An Unloved Empress

The room was almost entirely empty. There were two ladies in waiting to Elizabeth von Hapsburg of York. Aside from these persons and their monarch, there was no-one in the private chambers of the Holy Roman Empress. The consort of the Emperor was 30. For six years she had lived in Germany and she thoroughly hated it. 

The doors opened, revealing the Lady Tudor (an Englishwoman from East Anglia). She brought along with her the young Kronprinz, Karl von Hapsburg. The boy was two years of age.

"Your Majesty! Your son has spoken!"

Elizabeth's face lit up with a sort of joy which had been sorely lacking in recent times. 

"What did he say!"

"I was taking away his breakfast and he hit the table. He then said "I want!"."

The Empress smiled in pride. 

"That's good. It's the language of a monarch. Teach him how to speak. I want him to learn how to say Majesty and Highness. He should not be an ordinary boy; I don't need him calling me 'mother'. He ought to learn his prayers, including those of St Edward and of St Edmund of East Anglia. My son belongs to England as much as he does to the Germans."

The Lady Tudor nodded happily. 

"Give me my son, my lady," said the Empress. "It is not any day that I see my precious boy."

The sound of boots in the hallway caused Elizabeth's focus to shift elsewhere. Lady Tudor gave her the child. A retainer of the Wittelsbach family entered. 

"My lady! The Earl of Northampton, Sir Robert Stafford."

Robert Stafford, clad in the livery of the House of Stafford, entered and knelt.  After a brief moment, he rose and smiled.

"My Lady."

"Cousin." replied Elizabeth (through one of his ancestors, Thomas of Woodstock, Robert was a distant cousin). "You may leave us." she said to her ladies in waiting. 

Lady Tudor and the two others left, leaving the Earl of Northampton, Kronprinz Karl, and the Holy Roman Empress alone. 

"Who is the young lady with the red hair?" asked Robert.

"She's the Earl of Richmond's wife. Pity he never took Father up on the offer of the duchy of Somerset and came home. That royal pardon was genuine. In any case, how was your voyage?"

"Awful, my lady. Horrific; an absolute tempest. At one stage, I thought we would sink so I began to confess my sins. We got to port before I finished; I'll have plenty more for my return."

Elizabeth giggled.

"My lady," Robert went on. "I have come to the conclusion that Margaret Howard will soon become known as Margaret the Whore."

The Empress stopped laughing; her smiling ceased as well. 

"You mean that--"

"What we suspected the last time you were in England is true. I'm certain now. Moreover, my cousins are almost certainly in on it. Catherine, most definitely. Anne is complicit at best, if not an outright participant." Robert explained.

"Where are they conducting these affairs?" Elizabeth asked, growing increasingly red in the face.

"The Red House. Your brother's cottage and apartments outside of the city walls near Smithfield."

"How do you think they are doing it?"

"I don't know." Robert confessed. "But I have heard laughing from that tower. They say they are at prayer. I know of no prayer that involves amusement."

"If this is true, cousin" Elizabeth said, piping with anger. "I shall not tolerate it. My family will not be made an object of ridicule."

"The barons will laugh before the servants do." Robert replied.

There was a long and awkward silence before Elizabeth spoke again.

"Have you spoken to my father, King Edward?"

"I have been out of favor at court for some time." Robert responded. "Ever since I lost my lawsuit against my aunt Matilda."

"Ah...." Elizabeth said. "Then one could be forgiven for thinking that you are motivated by vengeance."

"Of course I'm motivated by vengeance!" Robert cut her off. "That bitch stole my inheritance; by rights I ought to be the richest baron in England!"

During this discussion, neither of the two participants noticed that the Kronprinz had escaped from his mother's lap and had crawled across the floor to the feet of the 6'4" English lord. Indeed, Robert only noticed him when the child grabbed his boot.

"Ah! This is the little Kronprinz of the Empire!" he said, picking the child up.

"He spoke his first words today. Karl!" Elizabeth exclaimed: for the child had pulled at the red beard of the Earl of Northampton. 

"It is of no concern" Robert said reassuringly. "He's a fighter, just like his mother. I wonder if he'll grow to have any of his father's hobbies. Does the Emperor still like masonry?"

Elizabeth seethed, and Robert knew he'd made a mistake.

"It's not the masonry he likes. He prefers the wives of the masons or, at the very least, the masons themselves."

Robert bowed his head in apology and the Empress went on.

"I thought I'd seen the last of it when the Elector of Saxony cut Erhard Jeshonnek's fucking head off. But I was mistaken. He simply took the man's wife into his bed. Ever since then I've had to endure humiliation after humiliation."

Robert's head returned to normal level.

"I could please you, if you wish."

"Robert..."

"Elizabeth, I think that you'd---"

"No Robert. If I did that, then I would a hypocrite for accusing my sisters-in-law."

Robert nodded in agreement.

"I shall provide several purses to help you. Send a messenger to Vienna when you know who these men who dishonor my family are." Elizabeth went on.  "Lady Tudor will give you them this evening. Thank you cousin." 

"Oh, one other thing, Majesty." Robert said. "The sentencing of the leadership of the Brothers of the Sword will begin within a fortnight. Your godfather, James Green, was stubborn and there are fears that your father will put him to death. Your uncle the Duke of Clarence wishes for you to join him in pleading mercy on behalf of the old man."

Elizabeth nodded.

"I shall write the letter tonight. Good afternoon, cousin. I shall see you in England."

Robert picked up the little Karl and placed him in his mother's lap. He then knelt and kissed the ring of the Empress. Rising, he left the room. The ramifications of  this meeting cannot be overstated. Neither of these two realized that by their actions on this morning in March of 1494, they would be instigators in the first of a series of events which would lead to a war between England and the Holy Roman Empire. It was a war that would last for more than a century.