Culture, Morals and Society: The White Queen (2012)

The White Queen (2013)

Horrox, Rosemary, Fifteenth-Century Attitudes: Perceptions of society in late medieval England, Cambridge, Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1994.

In terms of morals, culture and society, I decided to focus mainly on chapter 7, 'Women', in Fifteenth Century Attitudes because The White Queen is very much dominated by women and their roles during the Wars of the Roses. I also wanted to focus on marriage (Chapter 3, 'Aristocracy') as it is a key theme in The White Queen due to Edward IV's and Elizabeth Woodville's secret marriage.

In the book, P.J.P. Goldberg wrote, 'Custom, law and scripture tended to limit the opportunities open to women far more than was true of men. The dominant culture was indeed an essentially patriarchal culture. The political, demographic and economic vicissitudes of the time tended only to reinforce these patriarchal values as the century wore on'. This shows how women were not respected like the men were and also shows how The White Queen has portrayed the hatred for Margaret of Anjou as she ruled through her husband Henry VI, overstepping her territory and what was considered 'right' in the 15th Century. It also shows how women in society changed, especially in powerful positions such as Elizabeth Woodville, who had a lot more say in the way the kingdom was run, examples being the guardian of her first-born son, Edward V, was chosen by her to be her brother, Anthony, positions for her family in the nobility, and, arranged marriages for her sisters to honourable men in the nobility.

In terms of marriage, Kate Mertes wrote, 'Marriage and family were sources of emotional satisfaction, but they were also calculated battlegrounds for the winning of influence and the victorious accumulation of estates'. This helps us to understand why members of the nobility, such as Warwick the Kingmaker, were upset with the secret marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth because of how fragile the throne was at the time as Edward IV had a lot of enemies on the Lancastrian side of England, so his throne would have been stronger if he had married Bona of Savoy and secured foreign alliances, as oppose to marrying a widowed Lancastrian.