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09 Dec 10 - 05:36 AM (#3049448) Subject: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower I am researching (for performance) 'A Courtly New Ballad of the Princely Wooing of the fair maid of London, by King Edward', published as a broadsheet 1684-1686 and found here. The song is about King Edward. The previous Edward to the broadside was Edward VI, reigned 1547-1553, the boy king, so it can't be him. And the next was Edward VII, who was not to reign until 1901, so it's not him. So is the King Edward of the song a literary device, or might it be about the real antics of a European King Edward, married twice and not especially faithful? Or could King Edward be a pseudonym for King Charles II, famously a sexual profligate, making the song a statement that women should keep away from this predatory and unwholesome man? Any suggestions or information would be very welcome. Stower. |
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09 Dec 10 - 07:40 AM (#3049515) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin Could it be allegorical, about the succession of James II&VII? If so I still can't make sense of it - religio-political allegories of the period are often hard to interpret. |
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09 Dec 10 - 07:59 AM (#3049530) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: bubblyrat He was a potato ; his real name was Murphy = Spud = Potato. Being somewhat louche,he was probably the first true "couch pototo". |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:03 AM (#3049533) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Thanks, Jack. No, I probably wouldn't be able to make sense of an allegorical song, if this is one, either. bubblyrat, did you post to the right thread? Any more? |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:32 AM (#3049551) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin I think he means this: http://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/king-edward/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Edward_potato The Wikipedia page says they were introduced in 1902 and named after King Edward I&VII. I was once part of a group of musicians in a play about potato pickers in Midlothian. We formed a band afterwards. One name we considered using was "King Edward and the Pentland Squires". |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:45 AM (#3049556) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST,guest gutcher There certainly is a breed of potato called "King Edward". Unfortunately it only dates from the early 20th C. Probably so named as a joke at the expense of the then King Edward due to his shape and/or his mental capacity. Joe. |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:50 AM (#3049562) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: greg stephens It doesnt have to be about a recent Edward, could have been one of the first four Edwards? The reference in the song to Rosamund and Henry refer to HenryII and his naughty doings in the 12th century. |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:53 AM (#3049563) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower OK, I think we've exhausted the potato debate. Any more on the identity of the Edward in the song? Was there a 17th century European King Edward? I don't think so, but I defer who anyone who knows better. It's probably a sly reference to Charles II, I'm guessing. |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:56 AM (#3049567) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: bubblyrat It might have been Edward The Confuser, who used to bemuddle his enemies by laying a false trail of sliced and sauteed Maris Pipers, or as Nelson said " I see new chips !" |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:07 AM (#3049574) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower bubblyrat, have you anything useful to contribute? Or have you already answered that? |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:09 AM (#3049578) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: greg stephens Edward I seems to be the only one with two wives. Edward II didnt trouble the ladies unduly, Edward III and Edward IV only had one queen apiece if I hacv read Wikipedia correctly.Edward V was a prince in the tower and didnt have time for wives. Edward VI likewise died young. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:15 AM (#3049580) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Thanks, Greg. All of which leads me to believe this was a European Edward of the 17th century or else a 'safe' way of writing a song about Charles II, a serial maker of half-royal bastards, if you'll excuse the (factually correct) language. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:29 AM (#3049589) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin By 1684 nobody would have been making coded satirical songs about Charles II: he was dying, he had made himself at least reasonably acceptable to the majority of the British population, and his heir was the important issue. The accession of James II&VII was hugely controversial, so he was a much more song-worthy subject. If the song encodes something about him (and you had to be circumspect or you'd get the sort of treatment Assange is currently getting), it must predate Monmouth and Argyll's attempted coup, as any satirist would have had to refer to it somehow. I think the underlying message is that Protestant London is personated as the poor-but-honest maid, while James/Edward is shown as trying to seduce her with the excess and finery of Catholicism. Looking at other broadsides by the same authors might help to crack the code. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:39 AM (#3049600) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Jack, that's really helpful, thanks. Unfortunately, none of the broadsides were attributed to authors, so following the trail to an author's particular interests or views isn't possible. If the song is an analogy, I think your interpretation seems very plausible. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:39 AM (#3049602) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: bubblyrat Sorry, Stower, --just trying to inject a little humour into what appears to be a stiflingly boring and extremely tedious , if not actually totally pointless, endeavour. I mean, if there was not, in fact, a King Edward,or not in the British Isles at any rate, in the Seventeenth century, then why ask in the first place ?? However,if you find my attempts at levity distasteful, then I shall, of course, desist from further intrusions !! |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:52 AM (#3049609) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin That one says "Printed for J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger." - usually the author, editor, publisher and printer were the same person for that sort of literature. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:58 AM (#3049613) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower (I have already posted the following and it disappeared - don't know why.) bubbly, if you read my original post you'll see I wasn't asking a question I knew the answer to - that *would* be pointless! Knowing there was no 17th century English King Edward, I was asking if there was a European one who came to England and tried to have his way with English women. Jack's idea of an allegory of James II/VII and England may be nearer the mark - or else it's just a song to sing with no deeper meaning. |
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09 Dec 10 - 09:59 AM (#3049615) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST,leeneia It's posssible that the composer wasn't writing about a certain historic person. It may be that he chose 'Edward' as a name that sounds vaguely royal. It may be that the the average person of the time didn't have enough education to name the real Edwards and when they had lived. This would be similar to songs that use the name of a certain town because it happens to rhyme, rather than because that particular town is important historically. |
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09 Dec 10 - 10:16 AM (#3049638) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin That broadside was aimed at literate Londoners. They certainly would have known the order of the kings of England. Royal succession was an acute political problem of the time, blowing up in a series of civil wars a few years later. The kind of furore over Obama's birth certificate that some people in the US have worked themselves up into is very much like a 17th century English royal legitimacy dispute - imagine trying to make sense of that in 300 years' time. |
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09 Dec 10 - 10:18 AM (#3049641) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Acorn4 Possibly go back to pre 1066 - Edward the Elder(874-924), son of Alfred the Great, married two or possibly three times and had other liaisons. It was common practice for young maidens to resist unwelcome royal advances by taking sanctuary in a nunnery. There doesn't seem to be anything in his Wikipedia entry which means it couldn't be him whereas there does seem to be with all the other suspects! Guilty your Honour? or just circumstantial evidence? |
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09 Dec 10 - 10:56 AM (#3049678) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Wolfhound person Was James II's second name Edward, by any chance - his grandson's certainly was? James II certainly had two wives, and a widely roving eye. "Printed by J. Clarke..... etc - Jeremiah Clarke?? More than you need to know here: http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=james2 wherein it does not give a second name, which seems a mite unlikely given royal habits of accumulating forenames beyond reason. HTH Paws |
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09 Dec 10 - 10:59 AM (#3049682) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Bill D There is a little program for PCs called Simple Family Tree which lets you enter your ancestors....but, as a demo (see that link, part way down), you can download the complex relationships of The Kings of Europe and browse thru it. Fascinating to see all those names with the lines drawn between them. |
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09 Dec 10 - 12:21 PM (#3049731) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST,Allan Con "wherein it does not give a second name, which seems a mite unlikely given royal habits of accumulating forenames beyond reason." According to this biography he was baptised James Stuart. No second names. http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/scotland/stuart2/james7.php |
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09 Dec 10 - 12:42 PM (#3049746) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Snuffy How about Edward IV? According to Wikipedia - Edward had numerous mistresses, the best known of whom was Elizabeth Shore, known as Jane Shore. He reportedly had several illegitimate children: By Lady Eleanor Talbot: Edward de Wigmore (d. 1468). Reportedly died as an infant along with his mother. By Elizabeth Lucy or Elizabeth Waite. Elizabeth Plantagenet. Born circa 1464, married Sir Thomas Lumley in 1477. Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (1460s/1470s – 3 March 1542). By unknown mother: (Recent speculations suggests them as children by Lucy or Waite.) Grace Plantagenet. She is known to have been present at the funeral of her stepmother Elizabeth Woodville in 1492. Mary Plantagenet, married Henry Harman of Ellam, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Harman and widower of Agness. A daughter said to have been the first wife of John Tuchet, 6th Baron Audley. Perkin Warbeck, an impostor claimant to the English throne, who claimed to be Edward's son Richard of Shrewsbury, reportedly resembled Edward. There is unconfirmed speculation that Warbeck could have been another of Edward's illegitimate sons. |
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09 Dec 10 - 12:44 PM (#3049751) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin Looking at some of Passinger's other ballads on that site, this one comes up early in the search, a ballad on Jane Shore, mistress of Edward IV: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/20229/xml I still think it's allegorical, but the allegory may be anchored on her story and that of Edward's other mistresses, which has been recycled for sensation value to the present day ("Hello!" magazine would have loved her). Jane Shore Rowe made a play about her in 1714, at which point Britain had just lost Queen Anne, a politically manipulative dyke who made no friends at all for the royal family, so digging up a 200-year-old scandal about them gave the public just what it wanted. |
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09 Dec 10 - 12:49 PM (#3049755) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin More Passinger: he had another ballad on Henry and Rosamond: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/20235/image so the allusion to that story in the Edward dialogue wwas intended to sell another sheet in his catalogue. Clever marketing. |
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09 Dec 10 - 02:25 PM (#3049815) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: greg stephens Edward IV looks promising. I didn't spot all that stuff in my quick glance. But only one wife, I think. |
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09 Dec 10 - 02:30 PM (#3049819) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST Jack, In ballad selling marketing was very important so you are very likely right. Not all ballads that mention people are about real people, accurate or true. |
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09 Dec 10 - 03:18 PM (#3049853) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST,leeneia Considering how dangerous it could be to criticize the government, I'm not surprised the song refers to a ill-defined and long-dead king not of the current dynasty. I have read something about torture and punishment in those days, and me, I would have named the king Canute, maybe, or Aethelred. |
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09 Dec 10 - 03:46 PM (#3049879) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST Edward lV seems unlikely, as he only married Elizabeth Woodville, and she wasn't from London. I still think Edward the Elder is the main suspect here. |
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09 Dec 10 - 03:51 PM (#3049886) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: EBarnacle Is it possible that there was a Pretender in exile among the French at that time? Also, to throw another spoke in, Jane Shore and her goldsmith husband were quite likely cryptoJudaic, as, even then, there was a tendency among England's Jews to work in the Jewelry trades. |
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09 Dec 10 - 03:51 PM (#3049889) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST,Hilary Is this broadside current news? Couldn't it be historical and refer to a previous Edward? |
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09 Dec 10 - 04:42 PM (#3049921) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Mrs Wickham My guess would be if this is based on an actual monarch it would be Edward IV. Although technically he was only married once there was an alleged pre-contract with Eleanor Talbot, which was regarded as tantamount to marriage at the time. He was notoriously promiscuous, but apparently prided himself on his ability to woo his mistresses rather than force them. However historic ballads, especially royal ones use liberal amounts of poetic licence, political propaganda and down right lies - just look at Queen Eleanor's Confession, absolute twaddle but a great ballad all the same. |
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09 Dec 10 - 06:15 PM (#3049958) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Steve Gardham Let us not also forget that because this printing is the one that survived doesn't mean that it was the first printing. It could even have come from an earlier manuscript. Meanwhile a few more Edward ballads (Not to mention Percy's concoction of that name) Roxburghe has 'A New Ballad of King Edward (IV) and Jane Shore' already alluded to. Well-known is '(Dialogue between) King Edward the Fourth and the Tanner of Tamworth' 'King Edward's Ghost, or The King and the Cobler' See Bodleian, Harding B3(4) I think this make's your Edward IV favourite. During the height of 'historical' ballad making, i.e., 15th-16th centuries, many new ballads were based loosely on old legends, e.g., most of the Robin Hood ballads. Why should this be any different? |
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09 Dec 10 - 06:58 PM (#3049987) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Wow, thank you. And especially, thank you, Jack. I think we have both our man and a potential motivation for using him as an allegorical device. |
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09 Dec 10 - 07:12 PM (#3049992) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: McGrath of Harlow I'd imagine Edward IV (born 1442, died 1483) would have been the most likely, being the most recent, with a fair number of mistresses and bastards both acknowledged and rumoured. |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:41 PM (#3050058) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Lynn W There was a 1659 printing of this ballad, according to a Percy society reprint of 1840 which is available in full on the internet archive - Early English poetry, ballads, and popular literature of the Middle Ages ; (1840) http://www.archive.org/stream/earlyenglishpoet15perc/earlyenglishpoet15perc_djvu.txt It's in the section "The Crown Garland of Golden Roses, Part II". As this date was even before the restoration, it's unlikely the ballad was referring to James II. |
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09 Dec 10 - 08:45 PM (#3050061) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin It probably was when it got reprinted. Imagine what a present-day revival of a pro-slavery song praising the assassination of Abraham Lincoln would mean. It wouldn't just be about Lincoln, would it? |
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09 Dec 10 - 10:23 PM (#3050110) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: katlaughing Great thread! I am enjoying reading along and learning. |
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10 Dec 10 - 04:36 AM (#3050201) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Lynn W, thanks for your contribution. I have looked at your link to "The Crown Garland of Golden Roses, Part II", but can't find a reference to a 1659 printing date. It does look to be exactly the same as the 1684-1686 one I linked to on the first posting. |
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10 Dec 10 - 10:15 AM (#3050357) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: greg stephens Well I'm now inclining to Edward III as a possible contender. According to that well-known source of historical accuracy the Guardian(one of its free leaflets on the Kings and Queens of England): Edward III was notoriously fond of his wife Phillippa, but went off the rails a bit after his death. Including, allegedly, a gleesome threesome with Alice Perrers and her daughter. And I see this line in the ballad in question: Tw]o Ladies now lately have decked my bed: Suggestive, possibly? Mind you, he only seems to have had the one actual wife. |
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10 Dec 10 - 10:22 AM (#3050364) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: greg stephens On the other hand, there is a line in the second half of the song that seems possibly to be an allegorical allusion to London changing hands in the Wars of the Roses(which would put it firmly in the Edward IV era. My colour is changed since thou seest me last My favour is vanish't my beauty is past, The rosie red blushes that sat in my cheecks, To paleness is turned, which all men dislikes. All very intriguing eh? I think we all need some expert 14th/15th century historians here. |
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10 Dec 10 - 11:24 AM (#3050405) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Crowhugger I'm also enjoying this thread tremendously! |
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10 Dec 10 - 12:14 PM (#3050439) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: theleveller Well, Edward lV seems to have been a jovial enough fellow if the Ballad of King Edward the Fourth and the Tanner of Tamworth (Child: 273) is anything to go by. Child 273 |
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10 Dec 10 - 01:04 PM (#3050458) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Lynn W Hi Stower, the reference to the date is in the introduction to the Crown Garland section, have copied it below - Early editions of popular Garlands are so rarely to be found, that it has been thought desirable to reprint, by way of appendix to the " Crown Garland" of 1612, the additional ballads contained in the almost equally rare edition of 1659. Although many of the ballads are to be found in comparatively modern collections, the present copies seemed deserving of republication, as in most cases they afford the earliest authority for the text. An edition of the " Crown Garland," printed in 1692, is in the British Museum, and another, the date of which is cut off, is preserved in the Pepysian Library. The edition of 1692 corresponds in its contents with that of 1659, now reprinted, and for the loan of which the Percy Society are indebted to the liberality of Mr. J. Payne Collier. |
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10 Dec 10 - 01:50 PM (#3050496) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin There seem to be enough songs about Edward IV and his amorous exploits that it looks like he'd become a stereotype Merry Monarch by the 17th century. I wonder if anybody's made a systematic study of the folklore images of British royalty? There are some with interesting stories that have no songs about them I know of (Wlliam Rufus, or Stephen and Matilda). Are there even any pre-Shakespeare songs that demonize Richard III? |
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10 Dec 10 - 02:57 PM (#3050533) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Thanks, Lynn. Now I see. I can't see a reference on the page to say whether the ballad in question is part of the "Crown Garland" of 1612 or one of "additional ballads" from the earlier edition of 1659. It's fantastic to have those more historically informed than I make contributions and suggestions as to the meaning of the whole ballad or of individual verses. The Edward III reference is interesting, Greg. It seems either he or IV are good candidates, and it does seem to me that some details in verses must be references the audience were expected to recognise. |
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10 Dec 10 - 05:53 PM (#3050624) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Ged Fox King Stephen is mentioned in ballad. "Take thy old cloak about thee" has a line like "King Stephen was a worthy loun, he bought his shoes for half a crown." Sorry for the diversion. |
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10 Dec 10 - 06:32 PM (#3050650) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: The Sandman its EDWARD THE FOURTH. Edward second was homosexual, edward third was busy trying to conquer france, and the rest of the edwards, apart from no 4 were nonenties. whats all this squit about james and charles, they are about as relevant as elisabeth 1, or james [the old sow, another fellow who was more interested in men] |
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10 Dec 10 - 07:18 PM (#3050670) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Jack Campin Edward I was not exactly a nonentity, was he? The point about Charles II and James II/VII is that songs that catch the public imagination are always saying something about the present day, no matter what time they may appear to be talking about. This one seems to date from the reign of James I/VI or earlier and to evoke a time 100 years before that, but if people were buying it and singing it in the 1680s they had a reason. |
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11 Dec 10 - 07:20 AM (#3050875) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: The Sandman Edward I was a tall man for his era, hence the nickname "Longshanks". He was also temperamental, and this, along with his height, made him an intimidating man, and he often instilled fear in his contemporaries. Nevertheless, he held the respect of his subjects for the way in which he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, as a soldier, an administrator and a man of faith. Modern historians have been more divided on their assessment of the king; while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude to his nobility. Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often criticised for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, by which the Jews were expelled from England. The Edict remained in effect for the rest of the Middle Ages, and it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned in 1656. pretty unlikely he was a philanderer. |
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11 Dec 10 - 08:17 AM (#3050893) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower GSS, are you trying to stir it? "apart from no 4 were nonenties." A king is a nonentity? That's rather overstating it. "whats all this squit" ... squit? I thought we were having a reasoned and informed discussion. I'm not sure "squit" is a word used in reasoned and informed discussion about others' contributions ... "about james and charles, they are about as relevant as elisabeth 1, or james [the old sow, another fellow who was more interested in men]." No one has mentioned Elizabeth as the subject of the ballad. James was an "old sow"? Does this characterisation help us understand the subtleties of history, his personality, or the ballad which is the subject of this thread? I'd think you more likely to make a useful contribution if I didn't know that this site is where you went to copy the information you posted into your offering above. |
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11 Dec 10 - 04:15 PM (#3051181) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Lynn W It looks as though it may have been Edward IV - here's a google search result on this ballad - ZUR GESCHICHTE DER BLACK-LETTER BROADSIDE BALLAD. Translate this page by E SCHAUBERT - 1926 - Cited by 1 - Related articles Broadsides" "Edward IV's wooing of the Fair Maid of London" kurz erwähnte, folgte offenbar Ebsworth, der Eduard IV. in ... www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/angl.1926.1926.50.1 Unfortunately it links to one of those academic sites where the plebs are not allowed to read past the first page, so I cannot check further. http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/10.1515/angl.1926.1926.50.1 However the first page is interesting enough, it tells us that a ballad with a similar title was entered on the stationers' register 1st March 1599/1600. There was a play called "The Fair Maid of London", since lost, performed in 1598 so I did wonder if this song was written for the play. I agree with Jack's point that old songs may be reprinted for politcal reasons, but I think the 1659 printing is more interesting in this respect - it is a collection composed mainly of songs about monarchs, it was printed the year after Cromwell died, the year Richard Cromwell resigned, the year before the restoration, when lots of power struggles were going on. Some connection? Thanks for posting this Stower, it has provided more entertainment than a whole book of crossword puzzles! |
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12 Dec 10 - 12:21 PM (#3051825) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: The Sandman edward the fourth[imo] is fairly likely. |
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12 Dec 10 - 01:30 PM (#3051868) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: GUEST Intriguing. The ballad wasn't in the "Crown Garland" of 1612 but was introduced in the edition of 1659. I'm with Lynn that the date must be a significant. The country was in turmoil following the collapse of the Commonwealth and the Protectorate with talk of the restoration. So, if The Fair Maid of London represents the crown of England, who were the other two wives? Charles had been made Prince of Wales at the age of eight and technically became and remained King of Scotland after his father's death and was crowned as such in 1651. Will that do? Perhaps it is the reuse of an old song with "The fair maid of Londons Answer" added on. |
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12 Dec 10 - 01:32 PM (#3051872) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: TheSnail Stope eating my cookie. Above Guest was me. |
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12 Dec 10 - 01:39 PM (#3051879) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: TheSnail And on a side issue - greg stephens Edward II didnt trouble the ladies unduly and Good Soldier Schweik Edward second was homosexual He fathered at least five children by two women (including Edward III) by two different women so he must have had at least a passing interest. |
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12 Dec 10 - 01:44 PM (#3051886) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: McGrath of Harlow They were more flexible about those kind of things in those days - it was seen more as a matter of activity rather than identity. As in the old expression "played for both sides". |
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12 Dec 10 - 02:44 PM (#3051926) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: The Sandman well the poor fellow[edward2] ended up with a red hot poker up his khyber pass, a most unpleasant way to die. |
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12 Dec 10 - 07:42 PM (#3052118) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Tootler Historians now suggest there is much doubt about both the manner and date of Edward II's death. The popular story from the time is that he was suffocated. One of the first acts of Edward III on reaching his majority in 1330 was to have Mortimer, Queen Isabella's lover, executed for treason citing, among other things the murder of his (ie Edward III's) father, so it is possible that he died in 1327, the year of his abdication though the manner of his death is in dispute. The earliest version of the story of the poker dates from after 1350's some 25 years after the date of Edward's supposed death and it did not really start to circulate until the 1430's, 100 years after Edward's death and it seems to have been circulated for political reasons to discredit the descendants of Mortimer. There is a theory that Edward went into exile and died in Italy around 1341, but many historians dispute this. |
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13 Dec 10 - 09:49 AM (#3052445) Subject: RE: Origins: Who was King Edward of 17th century? From: Stower Thank you to all who have contributed with your insights. Here I have found a verbatim copy of A Courtly New Ballad as it was printed J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger in 1684-1686, also verbatm as it appeared in Richard Johnson's second edition of The crown garland of golden roses in 1659. This one is dated 1601-1640, "Printed for Henry Gosson" of London. This does seem to change everything: well before Charles II and all the issues of succession. Not a single word is changed from c.1601 to c.1686 to take account of politics or add in any allegory or reference to the times. So it does appear to be purely an entertainment piece based on history, probably Edward IV. Unless you know different ... |