Lady Eleanor Talbot facts for kids

Lady Eleanor Talbot (born around 1436 – died June 1468) was an English noblewoman. She was also known as Eleanor Butler after her marriage. Eleanor was the daughter of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, an important figure in England.

After King Edward IV of England died in 1483, a big secret was revealed. A bishop named Robert Stillington claimed that Eleanor had been secretly married to King Edward before he married Elizabeth Woodville. This secret marriage, called a "precontract," would mean that Edward's later marriage to Elizabeth was not valid.

If the precontract was real, it meant that Edward's sons, the Princes in the Tower, were not the rightful heirs to the throne. Instead, Edward's brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, would be the true king. Richard took the crown and became King Richard III. He then put Edward's sons in the Tower of London, and they were never seen again.

Later, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard and became king, he said that the precontract story was a lie. He claimed it was made up by Richard to become king and hide what happened to the princes. Some historians agree with Henry VII. However, others who support Richard believe the precontract was true and that it made him the rightful king.

Eleanor's Life and Marriage

In 1449, when Eleanor was about 13 years old, she married Sir Thomas Butler. Sir Thomas was the son of Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley.

Sir Thomas died sometime before March 1461. This was when King Edward IV took the throne from the House of Lancaster. Eleanor's father-in-law, Lord Sudeley, took back some land he had given to Eleanor and her husband when they married. King Edward later took control of both properties after he became king.

Eleanor died in June 1468. She was buried on June 30 in a place called Norwich.

The Royal Marriage Secret

Edward IV, who was said to have secretly promised to marry Eleanor Talbot

After King Edward IV died in 1483, his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made the protector of the young King Edward V. Richard soon put Edward V and his younger brother in the Tower of London. He then announced that they were not legitimate heirs to the throne.

A French writer named Philippe de Commines said that Richard had help from Robert Stillington, the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Bishop Stillington had been in trouble with King Edward IV before. Commines later wrote about the bishop's story:

The bishop told the Duke of Gloucester that King Edward had once loved a beautiful young lady. He had promised to marry her if they could be together. The lady agreed, and the bishop said he married them when only the three of them were present. Because his job depended on the king, the bishop kept it a secret. He also convinced the lady to keep it quiet, and so it remained a secret.

Richard then convinced the English Parliament to pass a law called Titulus Regius. This law said that Edward V could not be king and made Richard the new King Richard III. On January 23, 1484, the Parliament officially declared that King Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was not legal. The document stated:

And also, at the time of the agreement for this supposed marriage, and before and long after, the said King Edward was married and had promised to marry a woman named Dame Eleanor Butteler. She was the daughter of the old Earl of Shrewsbury. King Edward had made a secret marriage promise with her long before he made the supposed marriage with Elizabeth Grey.

People who were against Richard said that this secret marriage story was not true. Richard's main enemy, Henry Tudor, joined forces with Elizabeth Woodville. He promised to make her children legitimate again if Richard was overthrown. After Henry's army defeated and killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, Henry became King Henry VII. He ordered that all copies of Titulus Regius be destroyed. However, one copy was later found.

Bishop Stillington later joined a rebellion against King Henry VII in 1487. He was arrested and kept in the Tower of London until he died in 1491.

A Possible Child

Some people have suggested that Eleanor might have had a child. It was thought that this child might have been fathered by King Edward IV, shortly before Eleanor died.