Meet The White Queen

Ever heard of the first commoner to marry into the royal family of England?

Lay down that weapon Lady! Elizabeth Woodville threatens the Edward IV of England that she will cut herown throat if he forces himself on her. 

A tasteful serving for all historical-fiction nuts such as myself : Our favorite part in English history comes to life with the screen adaptation of Philippa Gregory's bestselling series - The Cousin's War, a histo-fiction account of the Wars of the Roses from the point of view of women who played important roles in its midst.  The series is set in the 1400's when England plunges into a civil war : the supporters of the two opposing houses of the Plantagenet Dynasty symbolized by roses- White for York and Red for Lancaster battle it out for the crown.

The Women of the Wars of Roses: Queen Elizabeth, Anne Neville and Margaret Beaufort

King Edward IV of the House of York defends the throne that was once occupied by his cousin Henry VI of the House of Lancaster. The battles are endless however, as no side is willing to give up. In the midst of
Edward's pursuit to keep the crown in his head, he meets and falls in love with a commoner, whose husband died fighting for the Lancastrian cause.

Lady Elizabeth Grey (nee Woodville) stood on the side of the road with her two sons waiting for King Edward to pass so that she could appeal for the return of the lands that were taken when her husband died. It turned out she wouldn't just get the lands back but also the King's heart as he fell in love with her.

It's a family thing.

But wait, how come Lady Grey has drawn a knife to her own throat as shown in the photo? Well, Edward (who was reputedly a hunk and had lots of women) attempted to make her a mistress and tried forcing himself on her. And although she has fallen for the king as well, she stood her ground and she was like, 'Do it or I die.' A stunned Edward leaves and vows that they shall never see each other again.

This is King Edward IV as played by Max Irons. You'd be retard if you wouldn't want to see him again.
Image source: www.insidemediatrack.com

But men, men as they are. Of course he sees her again. And of course he couldn't go to a war when he hadn't slept well in two weeks thinking about the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. So he does the unthinkable. Yes, we are in the Kate Middleton era and princes or kings can now marry non-royal girls as is socially acceptable but that was the 15th century fellas and an unequal marriage was probably the biggest 'WTF' moment. Think of all the women, who had the names,titles and riches to boot, but were overlooked by that marriage. :) 

And the common Lascastrian girl becomes the White Queen of York (and England). And from that point on, more complication.

Seems like it has all the ingredients for a perfect fairy tale . And no.  It all goes down to history and the whole Wars of the Roses story is far from a fairy tale and if you want to read more you will find out how tragic it was. But,we're at it and The White Queen takes center stage in this story. If you do watch, prepare to be transported to another time and just enjoy the castles,the palaces, the clothes, the battles of swords, the battles of wits, the lovemaking, the magic and the history.

Personally, as an admirer of the books, I am glad that everything has come to life and I know for the sake of entertainment that not everything would be historically accurate. But I love how it allows me to slide through time. And I love this Edward and Elizabeth.

Edward and Elizabeth

And also, feel free to drool at this lovely pair.

XO,

Cassie, The Yorkist :)

*No copyright infringement intended. All photos used are property of BBC One and www.insidemediatrack.com