The Rise of a Matriarch
- aksmith304
- Dec 20, 2024
- 2 min read
A few blogs ago I wrote about Annie Garthwaite’s 2021 novel, Cecily, which tells the first half of the story of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (1415-1495). The second instalment was published in July, so the adventure continues with The King’s Mother. There is a clue in the title. Following the death of her husband and second son at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, she supports and orchestrates the career of her eldest son, Edward, who takes the crown away from the Lancastrian Henry VI following the devastating battle of Towton in 1461.
Once again, Cecily, and the other important female players of the period take centre stage. The men come and go, fighting battles, being deposed, taking the throne again, as the Wars of the Roses play out around them, but Garthwaite’s Cecily does so much more than wait quietly at home. She is the glue that binds her dynasty together, and while she does do quite a bit of waiting, it is as often to discover the outcome of her own schemes as it is for news of her sons. Here, she is the force behind all the key decisions of the age, the architect of political strategy and the only one who can control the volatile Edward.
The relationship between Cecily and Edward is my favourite part of the novel. His reign lasts for twenty-one years (with a bit of a break halfway through). Every step of the way she is beside him, often sparring with him, as she works at the endless task of damage limitation following his reckless actions. It is easy to empathise with her frustration and her devotion. Cecily’s relationships with her other two sons, the feckless and unstable George of Clarence and the sensible, loyal, anxious Richard of Gloucester, are equally complex and convincing, if less central. Indeed, the theme of mothers and sons is a key focus of the whole novel.
Cecily’s relationships with the other matriarchs of the kingdom are similarly compelling and in each case the bond between mother and son is crucial, echoing Cecily’s own. Marguerite of Anjou leads the country into civil war for her son, Edouard, heir to Henry VI. Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s queen, battles for the birthrights of her sons after her husband’s death until, quietly, Margaret Beaufort steps from the shadows with her triumphant son, Henry Tudor. That’s not a spoiler. Sadly, it did happen…
I love the Wars of the Roses (obviously), so these two novels are right up my street. Garthwaite writes beautifully and pulls the reader into Cecily’s psyche so that we understand her even if we don’t always like her. These stories, told from such a female centric point of view, feel different even though we know the endings. There is a ruthlessness about Cecily that makes her very much a woman of her time, but the mother/son theme remains dynamic. I found myself willing her to be able to change history… oh well, never mind.
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