Secrets of the Tudor Court Boxed Set

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Jane Popyncourt was a real person. She was French, or perhaps Flemish. She was in England by 1498, in the royal household at Eltham and teaching French to the two princesses, Margaret and Mary Tudor, through daily conversation. In 1513–14, when the duc de Longueville was awaiting payment of his ransom in England, comfortably lodged at court, Jane became his mistress. When King Louis XII of France struck Jane’s name off the list of Mary Tudor’s gentlewomen, he declared that she should be burnt. Why he thought so is not clear. At some point Jane was one of Catherine of Aragon’s maids of honor. She finally left England in May 1516, taking with her a gift of £100 from Henry VIII. After the duc de Longueville’s death later that same year, she remained in France and corresponded regularly with her former mistress, Mary Tudor, who had by then married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. As late as 1528, Jane was still alive, still living in France, and apparently had influential friends at the French court.

Everything else I have written about Jane Popyncourt is my own invention and an attempt to explain the mysteries that surround her. I have portrayed other real people in this novel with as much accuracy as I could. They may not have had the same relationship with Jane that I have given them, but their interaction with other historical figures agrees with what modern scholars know of them.

For those who want to read more about the court and courtiers at the time of Henry VII and Henry VIII, I suggest Mary Louise Bruce’s The Making of Henry VIII and Alison Weir’s Henry VIII and His Court. Both books were invaluable to me in writing this novel, as was Simon Thurley’s The Royal Palaces of Tudor England. For a complete bibliography of my sources, please consult my website at www.KateEmersonHistoricals.com.

I did fudge two historical facts. One is the date of the French raid on Brighton. Most sources say only that it occurred in the spring of 1514, but I did find one that specified it took place in May. For dramatic purposes I needed to have the French attack before May Day. The other is the amount spent on the duc de Longueville’s upkeep in the Tower of London. An account of royal expenses indicates that holding the duke and six others cost £13 65. 8d. but does not specify how long a period was paid for with that amount. I hope I may be forgiven for taking these small liberties with historical accuracy.

I’ve also used a bit of poetic license in writing about the Valentine’s Day lottery. A description of a later Valentine’s Day at court indicates that the men drew the names, not the women, and that gifts were given by both parties. The gifts did, however, include such items as spaniels, caged birds, embroidered sleeves, smocks, lace, and artificial flowers.

Some purists may object that Jane’s vocabulary sounds too “modern” and contains anachronistic words. For this I make no apology. The real language of early Tudor England would be littered with annoying period words like “’tis” (the contraction “it’s” was not yet in use), while lacking the richness of later sixteenth-century speech. And, of course, much of the dialogue would be in French. Consider The Pleasure Palace my translation of Jane Popyncourt’s memoirs.