The Unexpected Legacy of Catherine of Valois

Disclaimer: The content, images, materials, and information provided on this website is only intended to be general summary information to the public. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. It should not be viewed as medical, financial, legal, or professional advice of any sort. We will do our best to confirm the accuracy of all information that appears on our website but cannot guarantee accuracy, reliability, or timeliness. All recommendations are made without guarantee or warranty. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

During the Medieval Period, royal women are often remembered as the “Daughter of…” or the “Mother of…” (because, of course, their value is based on the men in their lives). If we look at Catherine of Valois from that perspective, she is a pretty average royal medieval woman. She was the Daughter of Charles VI, Queen Consort of Henry V, Mother of Henry VI, and Grandmother of Henry VII. On its face, that legacy is very ordinary. It is the details that make her legacy extraordinary.

The Daughter, The Queen Consort, and The Mother

As the Daughter of Charles VI, she was raised by a Mad French King and a reviled Queen during a civil war and an English invasion (a traumatic childhood to say the least). While her reign as Queen Consort to Henry V was very short, Catherine literally made the English aristocracy’s dreams come true by bringing all of France as her dowry AND immediately got pregnant with the heir to the throne. Her time as Queen Mother was toxic (due to turds like Humphrey of Gloucester). While these things would make her an interesting woman to study, it is her final label that takes her legacy to a different level.

The Grandmother Through… The Tudors?

In a normal world, being the Grandmother of Henry VII would be expected. He was named after her husband and son. Plus, as Queen Mother, her grandson was expected to be her son’s heir. Henry VII was one of her son’s heir, but he was Edmund Tudor’s son, not Henry VI’s (cue the dramatic music).

Even though Catherine of Valois was his mother, Edmund Tudor was never in line for the throne. First off, his father, Owen Tudor, was Welsh. Not only was he Welsh, but Owen was the son of a Welsh rebel! Secondly, the marriage between Catherine and Owen was not entirely legal (because Humphrey of Gloucester was a vindictive asshole).

The Perks of Being Half-Brothers to the King

Upon Catherine’s death, no one could have predicted that her second son would be the father of a king. In fact, after Edmund’s own death, the idea that his son would one day be king was laughable. Henry VI and his own son, Edward of Lancaster, were alive and there were countless nobles who were ahead of Henry VII in the line of succession. Not to mention, Henry VII’s only claim to the throne (which was very very thin) was through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, not Edmund. Even though he was half-brother to the English King, Edmund himself was French and Welsh with literally no English royal descent.

The only reason Edmund was able to marry Margaret Beaufort (a rich heiress who was cousin to the king) was because he was Henry VI’s half-brother. While Catherine did not play a significant role in Henry VI’s life once he was removed from her household, Henry VI cared for his mother. He took care of his half-brothers, which led to Edmund’s marriage to Margaret. (That marriage is so fucking gross. She was way too young at 12, even for the time.) Essentially, the only reason why Henry VII existed is because of Catherine’s most scandalous choice: her marriage to Owen Tudor.

Catherine of Valois’s Legacy

One of the only times Catherine took control of her life (which frankly, she had very little agency for most of her life) was when she married Owen Tudor despite the fact that it was illegal. This moment of agency changed the course of history, although, those changes did not come to pass until well after her death. If Owen had married anyone else, Edmund would have not married Margaret and Henry VII would never have been born.

The world would be a very different place today without Catherine of Valois.

Disclaimer: Some links within this website may lead to other sites that we believe may be useful or informative. The Snarky History Nerd Blog does not incorporate any materials appearing in such linked sites by reference. These links to third party sites or information are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as, constituting or implying our endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of the third party information, products, or services found there. We do not maintain or control these sites and accordingly make no guarantee concerning the accuracy, reliability, or currency of the information found there.

Affiliate Link Disclaimer: The Snarky History Nerd Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means that we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.

Sources:

AuthorSource Name
Alison WeirThe War of the Roses. 
Mary McGrigorThe Sister Queens: Isabella & Catherine de Valois
Dan JonesThe War of the Roses:
The Fall of the Plantagenets
and the Rise of the Tudors. 
Lisa HiltonQueens Consort:
England’s Medieval Queens
from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York.
Erin LawlessForgotten Royal Women: The King and I
Dan JonesThe Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens
Who Made England

Catherine of Valois: The KISS Edition

Image Attribution: engraved by W. H. Mote (1803-1871) after an illustration by J.W. Wright, Public domain (PD-US-expired), via Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimer: The content, images, materials, and information provided on this website is only intended to be general summary information to the public. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. It should not be viewed as medical, financial, legal, or professional advice of any sort. We will do our best to confirm the accuracy of all information that appears on our website but cannot guarantee accuracy, reliability, or timeliness. All recommendations are made without guarantee or warranty. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

For the month of April 2022, we are going to be focusing on the spectacular Catherine of Valois (daughter of the French Mad King, mother of the English Mad King, and grandmother to the most famous English dynasty ever AKA the Tudors). We are starting out with the traditional KISS Edition (Keep It Simple Stupid) so that we are all on the same page as we explore the world of Catherine of Valois.

For a review of the Hundred Years War, use this link to read my blog post “Hundred Years War: The Gift That Keeps On Giving”.

For more information about the War of the Roses, use this link to read my blog post “The War of the Roses: The KISS Edition”.

Baby French Princess

Growing up as a French princess may seem like a dream come true, but for Catherine of Valois, it was, in many ways, a living nightmare. France, to put it simply, was a hot mess. There was a civil war between the Burgundians and the Armangacs. England took advantage of the chaos and restarted the Hundred Years War. On top of all of this, her father, Charles VI, suffered from bouts of insanity, which not only made him extremely violent but also unable to consistently rule France. Isabeau of Bavaria, her mother, ended up having to step in and rule as his regent. She was (un-fucking-fairly) blamed for all of the chaos and suffering (which was actually the fault of power hungry men like Henry V and John the Fearless of Burgundy). She joined Marie Antoinette, and Catherine de’ Medici as one of the worst Queens of France in history.

The Shining New Queen of England

Probably the only normal thing about Catherine’s early life was that her marriage was a political move. A desperate political that completely backfired in every way, but a political move none the less. In an effort to end the Hundred Years War, Charles VI signed the Treaty of Troyes, which named Henry V of England as his heir once he married Catherine of Valois. His enemies claimed that Charles VI and Isabeau essentially sold off France and their daughter (conveniently forgetting the destruction that the English was raining down on the French countryside).

Of course, the English loved it and celebrated their new queen for the simple fact that she brought France as her dowry. It definitely helped that she got pregnant almost immediately, and the future looked bright for the new Queen of England; however, within two years, that future was in ashes at her feet.

Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Suspicious Queen Mother

Henry V died suddenly from dysentery (diarrhea that will literally kill you), leaving his only son, Henry VI, as the new king of England before his first birthday. The same people who looked at Catherine with reverence now looked at her with suspicion. Their heroic king was dead. Catherine was a French princess and could not be trusted. Any power that she had was gone in an instant.

Henry V’s brothers essentially ran the country until Henry VI was old enough to rule on his own. Catherine was allowed to raise Henry VI while he was young, but he was soon put in the care of tutors to help prepare him to rule England (without Catherine’s nasty French influence). For the most part, Catherine was left to her own devices, as long as she did not make any waves.

The Rebel Wife

So naturally, Catherine made waves. For the most part, Catherine was the consummate Queen Mother, but she wanted to be more. She was raised to be a wife and mother and she was barely given the chance to be either. So, she began a courtship with Edmund Beaufort. Because her brothers-in-law were control freaks and jackasses, they passed an act that essentially declared that she could not marry without permission from the king; otherwise, her husband would lose his lands. At this point, Henry VI was still too young to give his permission, which effectively cock-blocked her.

Edmund Beaufort decided that he had too much to lose to risk marrying Catherine, so once again, she was alone. She then set her eyes on Owen Tudor, a Welsh knight with nothing to lose. They married in secret, basically giving the regency council the middle finger. While she was slapped on the wrist, she was essentially able to live a happy life with Tudor. She had three children with him before she died. Her descendants would create the infamous Tudor dynasty.

Catherine of Valois took her own happiness into her own hands and effectively changed the course of history in the process, embodying the spirit of an absolute badass.

Disclaimer: Some links within this website may lead to other sites that we believe may be useful or informative. The Snarky History Nerd Blog does not incorporate any materials appearing in such linked sites by reference. These links to third party sites or information are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as, constituting or implying our endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of the third party information, products, or services found there. We do not maintain or control these sites and accordingly make no guarantee concerning the accuracy, reliability, or currency of the information found there.

Affiliate Link Disclaimer: The Snarky History Nerd Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means that we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.

Sources

AuthorSource NameLinks Per Type
Alison WeirThe War of the Roses. 
Kindle Edition

Audible Edition

Paperback Edition
Mary McGrigorThe Sister Queens: Isabella & Catherine de Valois
Kindle Edition

Paperback Edition

Hardcover Edition
Dan JonesThe War of the Roses:
The Fall of the Plantagenets
and the Rise of the Tudors. 

Kindle Edition

Audible Edition

Hardcover Edition

Paperback Edition
Lisa HiltonQueens Consort:
England’s Medieval Queens
from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York.

Kindle Edition

Paperback Edition
Erin LawlessForgotten Royal Women: The King and I
Kindle Edition

Paperback Edition
Dan JonesThe Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens
Who Made England

Kindle Edition

Audible Edition

Paperback Edition

Hardcover Edition

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The Hundred Years War: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

image Attribution: British Library, Public domain, (PD-US-expired) via Wikimedia Commons

Disclaimers

The content, images, materials, and information provided on this website is only intended to be general summary information to the public. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. It should not be viewed as medical, financial, legal, or professional advice of any sort. We will do our best to confirm the accuracy of all information that appears on our website but cannot guarantee accuracy, reliability, or timeliness. All recommendations are made without guarantee or warranty. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Some links within this website may lead to other sites that we believe may be useful or informative. The Snarky History Nerd Blog does not incorporate any materials appearing in such linked sites by reference. These links to third party sites or information are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as, constituting or implying our endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of the third party information, products, or services found there. We do not maintain or control these sites and accordingly make no guarantee concerning the accuracy, reliability, or currency of the information found there.

While the War of the Roses was essentially a Civil War (with other countries occasionally poking the bear for shits and giggles), much of the strife leading up to the conflict was due to another war entirely: the Hundred Years War between England and France. 

England Vs. France

Since the Norman Conquest in 1066, England and France has had a dysfunctional (to put it mildly) relationship. Despite gaining the English crown, William the Conqueror remained the Duke of Normandy, which gave him significant holdings in France. This meant that William was equal to the French King AND his vassal (aka had to pay taxes and answer to the French King) , which as a King, is a really shitty place to be. Over the next few centuries, the English and the French fought over the English lands in France. Sometimes, England had more power, such as when Eleanor of Aquitaine divorced the King of France to marry Henry II of England (which was such a badass move) and spent decades solidifying the Angevin Empire. Other times, the French monarchs had the upper hand, such as when Eleanor’s useless son, King John (yes, that King John), lost pretty much the entire Angevin Empire.

And Here Comes Edward III…

These conflicts reached a new level of crazy in what is known as the Hundred’s Years War (it was actually a 116 years but whatever). The catalyst was the fall of that House of Capet. The final Capetian King of France, Charles VI, died with no male heirs. His closest male relative was Edward III, the King of England, as Edward III’s mother was Isabella of France (another total badass). As you can imagine, the French were like “yeah… no… fuck off” to Edward III and put Charles IV’s cousin, Philip VI (who founded the House of Valois) on the throne. 

Edward III responded by basically saying “yeah… well… I didn’t want the fucking throne anyway…” (AKA he accepted their decision but refused to pay taxes on the remaining English holdings in France). Philip VI gave him a few years to cool off before he confiscated the English holdings for not paying their taxes. This totally blew up in Philip VI’s face as Edward III used this as an excuse to invade France. He decimated the French during his lifetime but with his heir’s death, the conquest of France stalled. 

Like Great-Grandfather, like Great-Grandson

The war reignited once again under Henry V, who, like his great-grandfather Edward III, kicked major French ass. He coerced the Mad French King, Charles VI, into agreeing to make him his heir and marry Catherine of Valois, one of Charles VI’s daughter. In all likelihood, Henry V would have taken over France and claimed the throne when Charles VI died a few years later, but Henry V died first by contracting dysentery (aka shitting himself to death). This left his infant son, Henry VI, as his only heir at less than a year old. 

Baby Kings Struggle to Win Wars. Shocker, I know.

Henry V’s brothers, the regents, attempted to maintain Henry V’s conquest of France but they were slowly losing ground. Once Henry VI reached adulthood, the English were losing the war and Henry VI wanted to end it (war was really not his thing). Unfortunately, the English nobles generally wanted to hold onto the English lands in France, at the very least, since England had been hemorrhaging money for a century to gain the French throne. Henry VI ended up losing pretty much everything in France, except for Calais. This loss was a major contribution to the War of the Roses.

Sources

Charles River Editors. Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56157716-medieval-england

Dan Jones. The War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13844539.Dan_Jones

Alison Weir. The War of the Roses.  http://www.alisonweir.org.uk/

Stephon Batchelor. Medieval History for Dummies. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8247199-medieval-history-for-dummies

Sean Long. British History for Dummies. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/327532.British_History_for_Dummies

Hourly History. The Hundred Years War: A History from Beginning to End. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50888975-the-hundred-years-war

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