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Waaaayyy Too Many Villians…
There are many candidates for who played the most villainy role in Catherine of Valois’s life. Her father, the Mad King, could be considered (due to his violent outbursts), as could her husband, Henry V, for 1) taking her brother’s birthright and fighting a war against him or 2) not giving her a prominent role in court after his death. (I mean, he did arrange for pretty much everything else). It might be her mother, who was hated by pretty much everyone (although, probably unfairly). These, of course, are some of the most well-known historical figures in her life. The REAL villain, however, is… (drumroll, please)… HUMPHREY, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER.
The Giant Turd
Humphrey was, to put it nicely, a turd. He married his first wife, Jacqueline of Hainaut, for her inheritance (which to be fair was normal for the time). BUT, then he had a very public affair with one of Jacqueline’s ladies in waiting, Eleanor Cobham, dumped his wife once it was clear that he was not going to get a piece of her inheritance and married Eleanor. He was so disliked that Eleanor was accused of witchcraft by his enemies (literally everyone) just to take a shot at him. And the king (his nephew) went along with it because… (shocker)… he hated Humphrey, too. John of Bedford, his own brother, did not trust him with the role that Henry V gave to him on his death bed (Protector of the Realm) so he manipulated it so that Humphrey could not make any big decisions without John or the rest of Parliament.
Inexplicable Grudge Against Catherine
Aside from his general dickishness, he was especially vindictive towards Catherine. No one entirely knows why. Maybe it was because she sided with Jacqueline in the messy annulment. Maybe it was because she was French. Or, maybe it was because she was an easy target. It was likely a mixture of all three. Either way, once her son, Henry VI, became more involved with politics and was removed from her household, Humphrey went out of his way to make her life difficult. He ensured that she was unable to remarry during her courtship with Edmund Beaufort and made court unbearable by spreading vicious rumors about her. No one was surprised when she quietly retired from court.
It was expected that she would have retired to nunnery or into a quiet life on her estates, but Catherine had a different plan (because she was a badass). She left public life to marry Owen Tudor and live a quiet life with him and their children on her estates. And, she did… for a few years, at least. But, once Humphrey discovered what she had done, he had her arrested while she was very pregnant with her final child. Catherine died soon after her arrest, giving birth to her only daughter. Her last act was to create a will, begging her son to protect her husband and children. Many at the time, including Henry VI, blamed Humphrey for Catherine’s death, given his cruel treatment of her during the last months of her pregnancy (which was a very very dangerous time for a woman).
Humphrey, however, was not satisfied with basically hounding Catherine to death. Behind the king’s back, after Catherine passed, Humphrey had Owen Tudor arrested and jailed in the worst English prison. Owen was only released when Henry VI discovered his uncle’s deceit and freed him.
Too Little, Too Late
Out of all of the things that Humphrey did during his life, arresting Catherine and Owen was likely his downfall. Henry VI blamed him solely for the death of his mother and his treatment of his stepfather was just the icing on the cake. While he did not move against Humphrey until later, Humphrey lost much of his power and influence. The grudge against Humphrey ensured that when there were mere rumors that Humphrey’s wife Eleanor was using witchcraft to assassinate the king, Henry VI believed them and took quit action to exile Eleanor and remove all power from Humphrey.
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Sources:
| Author | Source Name |
| Alison Weir | The War of the Roses. |
| Mary McGrigor | The Sister Queens: Isabella & Catherine de Valois |
| Dan Jones | The War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors. |
| Lisa Hilton | Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York. |
| Erin Lawless | Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I |
| Dan Jones | The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England |