The House of Tudor Read Online Free PDF

brothers, John Bourchier, John Cheyney and Thomas Arundel were among those who were able to cross the Channel and join the Tudors in exile. On Christmas Day 1483, at the cathedral of Rennes, Henry swore a solemn oath in the presence of his supporters that ‘so soon as he should be King he would marry Elizabeth, King Edward’s daughter’; after which they in turn swore homage ‘as though he had been already created king’.

Anglo-Breton relations had naturally been somewhat strained after the previous autumn’s fiasco but now Richard, who (according to Polydore Vergil) was leading a miserable life, tormented with fear of Henry’s return, made up his mind to arrange another truce and rid himself of ‘this inward grief. His chance came early in June. Duke Francis was an elderly man, becoming feeble ‘by reason of sore and daily sickness’. The reins of government passed temporarily into the hands of the Treasurer, Peter Landois, and it was Landois who received King Richard’s ambassadors. They offered the annual revenues of the earldom of Richmond together with those of all the other English nobles who had taken refuge in Brittany in exchange for the surrender of Henry Tudor. Landois, ‘a man of sharp wit and great authority’ and consequently highly unpopular among his fellow-countrymen, saw an opportunity of gaining a useful foreign ally and it was apparently for this reason that he agreed to betray his master’s protégé.
    It was John Morton in Flanders who got to hear of this amiable scheme and sent a warning to Henry by Christopher Urswick, ‘ an honest, approved and serviceable priest’, who had just come out from England. Henry was at Vannes when Morton’s messenger reached him and he at once sent Urswick to France for permission to cross the border. As soon as this had been obtained, an escape plan organized on classic lines went smoothly into operation. It was arranged that Jasper should escort the English nobles to call on Duke Francis, whose retreat happened to be close to the frontier, their pretext being the need to discuss Henry’s affairs. Instead, they were to turn aside and get themselves into France at the first opportunity. Henry himself left Vannes with only five attendants, saying that he was going to visit a friend who had a manor nearby. No immediate suspicion was aroused because of the large number of English left in the town, and the innocent-looking little party ambled peacefully out of Vannes unchallenged. But after they had covered about five miles, they left the road and Henry changed into ‘serving man’s apparel’ in the shelter of a convenient wood. Thus disguised he rode the rest of the way behind one of his own servants, who guided him by the quickest route over the border into Anjou. They were only just in time, for Landois had been alerted and his men were riding hard in pursuit. Henry Tudor reached the safety of French soil with barely an hour’s margin.
    Thanks to John Morton and his own cool head, Henry had saved his own life by a whisker. He had also saved the most valuable of his supporters and was later able to salvage the rest. When Duke Francis recovered, he was much displeased with Peter Landois and gave orders that the English marooned in Vannes were to be allowed to leave for France with their travelling expenses paid.
    The Tudor cause had suffered a serious set-back but on the whole the political situation in France was favourable. Louis XI had died the previous August, to be succeeded by his thirteen-year-old son, Charles, and the regency was disposed to be friendly to the exiles. At least, it was disposed to make use of them to embarrass King Richard and prevent him from sending military aid to Brittany - France was just then making preparations to swallow the last of her independent duchies. But it all meant delay, while the new government coped with more pressing matters, and Henry could not afford too much delay. Many of his followers were disgruntled