#St. Elizabeth Convent

[religious-extremist]

Prayer Paraphernalia

[tomicscomics]

12/15/2023

A Lord by any other Name. ___

JOKE-OGRAPHY: In this cartoon a young Jesus visits John the Baptist, His cousin, and the two greet each other with much joy.  They begin by shouting each other's names, then switch to parodying each other's names back and forth, coming up with a ridiculous list of aliases.  Their mothers, St. Elizabeth and the Blessed Virgin Mary, just watch the naming convention being held before them.

[stonelord1]

THE MYSTERY OF HENRY GREY, DUKE OF SUFFOLK'S HEAD

Henry Grey was the father of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days’ Queen. A great grandson of Elizabeth Woodville, through her son , Thomas, from her first marriage to Sir John Grey, he married Frances Brandon, daughter Henry VIII’s sister, Mary, so their children, three girls named Jane, Katherine and Mary, had a claim to the throne. Henry Grey was prominent in Henry VIII’s court, taking…

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Elizabeth Hesselblad

Elizabeth Hesselblad was a Swedish nurse and nun who transformed her convent into a sanctuary for persecuted Jews during World War II, saving dozens of lives.

Born to a Lutheran family in Sweden in 1870, Elizabeth Hesselblad was the fifth of thirteen children. As a young woman, she moved to the United States for economic opportunity. Elizabeth trained as a nurse and served a population of poor immigrants, many of whom where Catholic. It was her first introduction to the Catholic faith, and she was deeply inspired. She converted to Catholicism, describing the experience as “In an instant the love of God was poured over me.” Elizabeth returned to her home country and became a nun. Inspired by the life of St. Bridget of Sweden, she established a new religious order known as the Bridgettine Sisters. Dedicated to caring for the sick, Elizabeth opened a Bridgettine convent where patients without money were treated with compassion and dignity. 

Charismatic and passionate, Elizabeth inspired many others with her faith and good works. She served as Mother Superior to many other nuns who joined her religious order, and affiliated convents were established in England, Italy and India. 

During World War II, Elizabeth was horrified at the persecution of European Jews, and resolved to do whatever she could to save them. All of the convents she’d created became sanctuaries for Jewish refugees. 

Elizabeth herself settled in Rome, where she served as Mother Superior at the convent there. She personally hid multiple Jewish families, including twelve members of the Piperno-Sed families whom she hid from Dec 1943 until the city’s liberation on June 4, 1944. Years later 87-year-old Piero Piperno remembered, “She saved our lives, but above all, in those dark times, she recognized the dignity of our religion.” It is estimated that at least sixty Jews, and other refugees from German racial oppression, were saved by Elizabeth and other nuns in the religious order she created.

After the war, Elizabeth continued her work helping the poor and sick. She was also known for promoting  interfaith dialogue and respect between Catholics and Protestants, and between Christians and non-Christians.

Elizabeth’s righteousness was recognized by Pope John Paul II, who proclaimed her to be a Venerable Servant of God in 1999. She was beatified the next year, and in 2015 Pope Francis canonized her as a saint. Elizabeth became the first Swede to be sainted since St. Bridget over 600 years earlier. She is known as St. Maria Elizabeth.

Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem honored as Elizabeth Hesselblad as Righteous Among the Nations in 2004. She was praised for never trying to convert the Jews she rescued but, “rather insisting that they say their Hebrew prayers and fulfill other obligations of their religion.” In 2015 one of Elizabeth’s convents was declared a “House of Life” by the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. 

Elizabeth died in Rome in 1957 at age 87. Her final words to her sister nuns were, “Go to Heaven with hands full of love and virtues.”

For her exceptional righteousness and bravery in saving Jews, we honor St. Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[scotianostra]

March 2nd 1316 saw the death of Princess Marjorie Bruce daughter of Robert the Bruce.

Some historians have questioned Marjorie's death, I will deal with that later. This post is also relevant to one I posted earlier.

Marjorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland, was the only child of the 1st marriage of Robert I, The Bruce. She was born probably in December 1296, the same eventful month that Edward I of England, invaded Scotland and laid siege to Berwick.

At the end of June 1306 the nine year old princess, together with her mother and other women of Bruce´s family, were sent for safety to Kildrummy Castle, Aberdeenshire, escorted by Nigel Bruce and the Earl of Atholl. It was intended that they would then take refuge in Orkney until times were easier, but the English army was already at Aberdeen and the royal ladies moved on to Tain, north of Inverness, where they still hoped for a boat. However they were captured by the Earl of Ross at the pilgrimage site of St. Duthac and he sent them to Edward, and from him to Lanercost Priory in Cumberland

Her mother Elizabeth was placed under house arrest at a manor house in Yorkshire as well as the Tower of London. she was also allowed servants (because Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster, her punishment was lighter than the others);

Bruce´s sister Christian was imprisoned at the Ghilbertine nunnery in Lincolnshire; and Marjorie´s aunt Mary Bruce and the Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages, exposed to public view, Mary´s cage at Roxburgh Castle and Countess Isabella´s at Berwick Castle.

For the next four years, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Christina, Mary and Isabella endured solitary confinement, with daily public humiliation for the latter two. A cage was built for Marjorie at the Tower of London, but Edward I reconsidered and instead sent her to the convent in East Yorkshire.

Marjorie was finally set free around 1314, possibly in exchange for English noblemen captured after Bannockburn.

She was not yet eighteen at the time of the battle of Bannockburn, one of the heroes of that battle was her second cousin once removed, Walter Stewart, 6th Lord High Steward, four years her senior, whom she married in the following year. They started living in Renfrew.. Princess Marjorie went out riding near Paisley while heavily pregnant on March 2nd 1316. Her horse, taking fright at something, reared up, Marjorie was thrown violently to the ground and immediately went into premature labour. it used to be thought that Robert was born after this following a caesarean, this however seems unlikely.

She was also supposed to have died after his birth but modern scholarship points to her having survived to see her son and possibly for as long as 18 months afterward. Whatever the truth she died, still, a very young woman. She is buried at Paisley Abbey - where you can still see her tomb, as in the second pic. Pic three is a cairn at the junction of Dundonald road and Renfrew Road in Paisley is said to mark the area where she fell, it reads…..“Near this spot the princess Marjory Bruce was fatally injured by falling from her horse 1316. Her son born posthumously became Robert the second First of the Stewart kings of Scotland”.

[marianadecarlos]

Don Juan José of Austria (1629-1679) Fanart

He is the half-brother of Charles II of Spain and the extramarital son of King Philip IV and the actress María Calderón. He was a Spanish politician and military man. He was named after Don Juan of Austria the Hero of Lepanto. His mother La Calderona was a comedy actress. Duque de Medina las Torres who first called Philip's attention to her. She was beautiful and caught King Philip IV's eye while performing.

They developed a romance, and the King simply could not resist her When Don Juan was born, his mother entered the convent because she followed the etiquette of the Spanish court, which prohibit any woman who had been honored by the king from being honored by any man. He was born on April 7th, 1629, and was baptized two weeks later. He was registered "hijo de la Tierra" (The son of soil) of unknown parents.

He was brought up in a distinct remote from the capital, and his education was put in the hands of a mathematical Jesuit and a theological inquisitor. He could later have been the archbishop of Toledo had not for the Count-Duke of Olivares wished to legitimize his own bastards and prevailed upon Philip to do the same to make his action more respectable. However, at the age of thirteen, Don Juan was recognized by Philip IV and made Grand Prior of St. John with an almost royal household and large income. This rank will be a stepping stone for his career. His rank is to be that of the potentates like the Electoral princes, who were addressed as brothers by kings and Serenity by subjects. Baltazar Carlos refers to him as "my brother Don Juan". (They are the same age btw) They can go to the theater together on the same couch, but they are not allowed to eat together. Elizabeth of France would end her letters to him with "To Don Juan, my son" while Balthazar ended "To Don Juan de Austria, my brother, and my friend" At the age of 15, He was already the Governor of Flanders, and two years later he was given the title the Prince of the Sea, chiefly because his namesake had been victor of Lepanto. His only sea battle was the defeat of a small French boat. Henceforward he was to fight on land, and unfortunately with far less success against far more powerful foes.

In 1663, Don Juan of Austria was named "Captain General of the Conquest of Portugal” and placed in command of twelve thousand infantry and six thousand cavalry. Early success in 1663 was followed by embarrassing losses later that year; it was already clear that the undertaking was headed for disaster. Philip IV recalled Don Juan to Madrid, subjected him to an investigation, and replaced him with the Marquis of Caraçena.

In his youth, he was affable, brave intelligent, and hard-working but the twin enemies of his ambition and his defective birth tended to make him lose those great qualities he possessed and gain many less admirable ones.

In the summer of 1665, When it became clear that his father had few more months of life, He made a proposal that would shock Philip IV and lead him to refuse to see Don Juan on his deathbed. He presented paintings he made, one of these was a miniature representing Saturn contemplating with a smile the incestuous dallyings of his son and daughter, Jupiter and Juno. It was on the occasion of a visit to Aranjuez, that, he had been summoned by Philip to discuss whether he would be preferred to be Archbishop of Toledo or Inquisitor General. When Philip IV saw the painting the intention was clear. The face of Saturn resembles Philip IV, The face of Jupiter resembles Don Juan and the face of Juno resembles Margarita. When he saw this he was enraged and turned his back on him and never saw him again. Mariana of Austria loathed Don Juan for this scandalous act.

Don Juan of Austria had journeyed to Madrid to see his dying father. Philip reportedly stated that “this was a time to die” and insisted that Don Juan leave Madrid at once. Even if the words were apocryphal, Philip IV’s public snub confirmed his intention to exclude Don Juan from the regency government and succession, intentions made public when the testament was read. Philip IV drew his final breath on Thursday, September 17, at 4:15 a.m. Those in surrounding areas entered the royal chamber as the final moments approached.

In Mariana's regency, he overthrew Jose Everardo Nithard and later Fernando de Valenzuela. He and Mariana of Austria were rivals during the regency period. He arranged several coups to overthrow Mariana, which eventually succeeded, forcing Mariana of Austria into exile.

When he gained power, he successfully imposed laws that were beneficial to the country, despite becoming unpopular.

On August 24, 1677, he fell ill but seemed likely to recover. However, it meant a delay, as the king may not have wanted to dismiss Don Juan while he was bedridden. Even on his sickbed, Don Juan must have known that his tenure was about to end. He died four days later and was buried in El Escorial.

The story of Don Juan was incredible and interesting. He may not have always been successful in his plans, but his dedication, intelligence, and charisma made him formidable.

Sources: Carlos, The king who would not die, by John Langdon Davis and Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman by Silvia Z. Mitchell

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[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (St. Ella)

1864-1918

Feast Day: July 5

Saint Elizabeth of Russia was born a German princess and granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. In 1884 she married Grand Duke Sergei of the Russian Imperial Court. She had a happy loving marriage and converted to the Russian Orthodox faith in 1891. In 1905 Sergei was assassinated whereupon she forgave the killer, sold her personal possessions and started the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary in Moscow, that served the poor, suffering and orphans through prayer and action. In 1909 she formed the Sisters of Love and Mercy. In 1918 she and others from the Imperial Family were murdered in a mineshaft with grenades by the Bolsheviks. 

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[black-arcana]

POWERWOLF Announces Fall 2025 North American Tour Dates With DRAGONFORCE

It's no secret that German heavy metal juggernaut POWERWOLF has wildly impressed North American audiences with their recent territory-debut tours, and now, the wolves are back for more! The metal mass will take over the USA and Canada once again on a new headline tour, beginning September 17, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Featuring label mates and power metal giants DRAGONFORCE as special guest support, the tour will make stops in major markets such as Detroit, Michigan; Vancouver, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington and many more.

This run will also see POWERWOLF performing at major festivals such as Louder Than Life and Aftershock for the very first time.

Tickets for POWERWOLF's newly announced North American headline tour dates will go on sale this Friday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time, with individual presales beginning as early as today.

Don't miss your chance to witness the legendary and unforgettable metal mass — featuring the utmost in production quality and cinematic performance — with this unprecedented lineup! For more information, visit www.powerwolf.net/live.

POWERWOLF 2025 North American tour dates with DRAGONFORCE:

Sep. 17 - Toronto, ON @ Rebel Sep. 18 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Sep. 19 - Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Sep. 20 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant Sep. 22 - Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live Sep. 23 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom Sep. 24 - St Paul, MN @ Myth Live Sep. 26 - Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Convention Centre Sep. 27 - Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Sep. 29 - Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sep. 30 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre Oct. 01 - Portland, OR @ The Keller Auditorium Oct. 04 - Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival

POWERWOLF's latest studio album, "Wake Up The Wicked", came out in July 2024 via Napalm Records. The hfollow-up to the extremely successful "Call Of The Wild" (2021) was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and marked a new benchmark and undisputed career highlight for the band. The album washard, surprising and full of variety. While staying true to their established, loved sound, POWERWOLF went one step further and showcased a different facet of their deft musical and technical skills. This is evident, for example, on the outstanding single "1589", which is based on a true story from the 16th century.

21 years after their formation in 2004, POWERWOLF are expanding their repertoire with the highest quality and adding many future live hits to their extraordinary discography. "Wake Up The Wicked" is yet another statement cementing the status of the band as a leading force in the world of heavy metal.

The first single from "Wake Up The Wicked", "1589" tells the story of Peter Stump, who lived near Cologne, Germany in the 16th century and is known today as the Werewolf Of Bedburg. After being defamed as a werewolf, the farmer confessed to several murders under torture and was cruelly executed on October 31, 1589. This morbid story has fascinated people all over the world ever since and has been picked up by National Geographic, among others.

For the video for "1589", POWERWOLF traveled to England to stage Stump's fate in the dark woods in a cinematic way. With carefully selected locations, countless actors and crew members, and impressive special effects, it marks the most elaborate music video production in the band's history to date.

POWERWOLF are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple No. 1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold-out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In 20 years of band history, POWERWOLF has made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.

POWERWOLF has conquered countless stages at the world's biggest summer festivals, and their "Wolfsnächte" headline tours (2019, 2022),as well as their North American debut in early 2023, were almost completely sold out — resulting in a massive triumph. They have performed headlining sets at Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze, as well as held premium slots at genre festival giants such as Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting, Masters Of Rock and many more, captivating enormous audiences. No other German metal band has been able to write a success story even remotely comparable in recent years.

The story of the frontrunners of today's German metal scene, POWERWOLF, began in 2004 and only knows one direction: ever upwards. Their trajectory may seem like something out of a fairytale, but it is the result of the band embodying the highest quality of heavy metal in the universe. Outstanding album production, bombastic live shows and a tireless drive for perfection on and behind the stage are what this exceptional band is known for around the world.

Over the course of their career, the band has not only fascinated metal fans, but has also won over international press and critics. Countless cover stories in the most important magazines, critics' awards such as the Metal Hammer Award, and effusive album and concert reviews underpin POWERWOLF's outstanding international status.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - vocals Falk Maria Schlegel - organ Charles Greywolf - guitar Matthew Greywolf - guitar Roel van Helden - drums

Photo credit: VDPictures

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday, August 6, 2024

july 14_august 6

THE HOLY MARTYRS NOBLEBORN PRINCES BORIS AND GLEB, IN HOLY BAPTISM �� ROMAN AND DAVID (+ 1015)

Via St Elizabeth Convent

On 15 May, we commemorate at our churches the venerable princes Boris and Gleb, slain in 1015. They were the first saints of the Russian saints. An ancient chronicler thus describes the nature of their exploit: "They allowed themselves to be murdered by their older brother Svyatopolk vying for the princely throne. They suffered, but did not lay their hand on their brother, earning themselves the crown of eternal glory." They died but did not take upon themselves an act of fratricide. They acted with remarkable humility and obedience to their father, Great Prince Vladimir, from whom their older brother Svyatopolk inherited the throne.

Indirectly, they obeyed the commandment of our Lord: “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20, 12). Shortly before his martyrdom, Boris said: "I will not raise my hand to my older brother: my father is dead, so I will honour him as my father." He continues: "If he, my brother Svyatopolk sheds my blood and dares to slay me, so I will be a martyr before my Lord. I will not resist, for the Lord says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5). Boris and his brother Gleb did not shed the blood of their older brother for the sake of worldly glory, power or other finite gains. They both likened themselves to Christ, emulating His meekness and humility, and earned glory in heaven. They chose not to hold on to their life on this earth at any cost, but to live in eternity, and become an example for Christians of all generations.

Passion-bearers are righteous Christians who faced their death in a Christ-like manner. Saint Andrey Bogolubsky, Prince Mikhail of Tver and Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich are some other notable examples of Russian passion-bearers. The last Russian Tsar Nicholas II was also glorified by the Russian Church as a passion bearer. Their virtue was not in dying without guilt, but in facing their killers with dignity, serenity and calm, and submitting themselves unreservedly to God's Holy and Righteous will. They died as Christ did on the Cross. He had all the means to stop his execution, but He took death from His killers.

God's truth and His eternal justice do not rule out the use of force on earth. When Yaroslav - later named the wise and glorified by the Church - went to war with the murderous Svyatopolk to bring him his rightful retribution, he was also obeying the will of God. He received glory in heaven for doing so. God wills some to become passion-bearers, but it is not His will that evil would reign in our world. Evil-doers must know that they may begin to pay for their deeds in this life, even before they are condemned to eternal torment in hell.

Hieromonk Silouan (Mezhinsky) of Optina Pustyn

Astrakhan (1667) VENERABLE BOGOLEP CHILD SCHEMAMONK OF BLACK RAVINE NEAR ASTRAKHAN (1667)

The Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. He was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24).

Ushakov was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. He was known for his integrity. From infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing.

In 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. The parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales.

Once during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. The angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. The holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” The parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”).

On the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. But on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. (This church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child.

The Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732.

Icons of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region.

In 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar.

The bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. By the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. Finally, in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. The small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga.

This disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers.

The simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16).

We pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

1 CORINTHIANS 6:20-7:12

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.

MATTHEW 14:1-13

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." 3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." 9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Fredi Washington

Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington (December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American stage and film actress, civil rights activist, performer, and writer. Washington was of African American descent. She was one of the first Black Americans to gain recognition for film and stage work in the 1920s and 1930s. Washington was active in the Harlem Renaissance, her best known role being Peola in the 1934 film version of Imitation of Life, where she plays a young light-skinned Black woman who decides to pass as white. Her last film role was in One Mile from Heaven (1937), after which she left Hollywood and returned to New York to work in theatre and civil rights activism.

Fredi Washington was born in 1903 in Savannah, Georgia, to Robert T. Washington, a postal worker, and Harriet "Hattie" Walker Ward, a dancer. Both were of African American and European ancestry. Washington was the second of their five children. Her mother died when Fredi was 11 years old. As the oldest girl in her family, she helped raise her younger siblings, Isabel, Rosebud, and Robert, with the help of their grandmother. After their mother's death, Fredi and her sister Isabel were sent to the St. Elizabeth's Convent School for Colored Girls in Cornwells Heights, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

While still in school in Philadelphia, Washington's family moved north to Harlem, New York. Washington graduated from Julia Richman High School in New York City.

Washington's entertainment career began in 1921 as a chorus girl in the Broadway musical Shuffle Along. She was hired by dancer Josephine Baker as a member of the "Happy Honeysuckles," a cabaret group. Baker became a friend and mentor to her. Washington's collaboration with Baker led to her being discovered by producer Lee Shubert. In 1926, she was recommended for a co-starring role on the Broadway stage with Paul Robeson in the play Black Boy. She quickly became a popular, featured dancer, and toured internationally with her dancing partner, Al Moiret.

Washington turned to acting in the late 1920s. Her first movie role was in Black and Tan (1929), in which she played a Cotton Club dancer who was dying. She acted in a small role in The Emperor Jones (1933) starring Robeson. In 1933, Washington married Lawrence Brown, the trombonist in Duke Ellington's jazz orchestra. That marriage ended in divorce. Washington also played Cab Calloway's love interest in the musical short Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (1934).

Her best-known role was in the 1934 movie Imitation of Life. Washington played a young light-skinned Black woman who chose to pass as white to seek more opportunities in a society restricted by legal and social racial segregation. As Washington had visible European ancestry, the role was considered perfect for her, but it led to her being typecast by filmmakers. Moviegoers sometimes assumed from Washington's appearance—her blue-gray eyes, pale complexion, and light brown hair—that she might have passed in real life. In 1934, she said the role did not reflect her off-screen life, but "If I made Peola seem real enough to merit such statements, I consider such statements compliments and makes me feel I've done my job fairly well." She told reporters in 1949 that she identified as Black "...because I'm honest, firstly, and secondly, you don't have to be white to be good. I've spent most of my life trying to prove to those who think otherwise ... I am a Negro and I am proud of it."[7] Imitation of Life was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, but it did not win. Years later, in 2007, Time magazine ranked it as among "The 25 Most Important Films on Race."

Washington's experiences in the film industry and theater led her to become a civil rights activist. In an effort to help other Black actors and actresses find more opportunities, in 1937 Washington co-founded the Negro Actors Guild of America, with Noble Sissle, W. C. Handy, Paul Robeson, and Ethel Waters. The organization's mission included speaking out against stereotyping and advocating for a wider range of roles. Washington served as the organization's first executive secretary. She was also heavily involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, widely known as the NAACP. While working with the NAACP, Fredi fought for more representation and better treatment of Black actors in Hollywood because she was one of the few Black actors in Hollywood who had some influence with white studio executives. Aside from working with those organizations to fight for the rights of Black actors, Washington also advocated for the federal protection of Black Americans and was a lobbyist for the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, which the NAACP supported.

Despite receiving critical acclaim, she was unable to find much work in the Hollywood of the 1930s and 1940s; Black actresses were expected to have dark skin, and were usually typecast as maids. Directors were concerned about casting a light-skinned Black actress in a romantic role with a white leading man; the film production code prohibited suggestions of miscegenation. Hollywood directors did not offer her any romantic roles. As one modern critic explained, Fredi Washington was "...too beautiful and not dark enough to play maids, but rather too light to act in all-Black movies..."

Washington was a theater writer, and the entertainment editor for The People's Voice (1942–1948), a newspaper for African Americans founded by Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a Baptist minister and politician in New York City who was married to her sister Isabel Washington Powell. She was outspoken about racism faced by African Americans and worked closely with Walter White, then president of the NAACP, to address pressing issues facing Black people in America.

In 1952, Washington married a Stamford dentist, Hugh Anthony Bell, and moved to Greenwich, Connecticut.

Fredi Washington Bell died, aged 90, on June 28, 1994. She died from pneumonia following a series of strokes at St. Joseph Medical Center in Stamford, Connecticut.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (November 17)

On November 17, the Catholic Church celebrates the life and example of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a medieval noblewoman who responded to personal tragedy by embracing St. Francis' ideals of poverty and service.

A patron of secular Franciscans, she is especially beloved to Germans as well as the faithful of her native Hungary.

Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as Elisabeth of Thuringia, was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary and the landgravine of Thuringia.

As the daughter of the Hungarian King Andrew II, Elizabeth had the responsibilities of royalty thrust upon her almost as soon as her short life began on 7 July 1207.

While she was still very young, Elizabeth's father arranged for her to be married to a German nobleman, Ludwig of Thuringia.

The plan forced Elizabeth to separate from her parents while still a child.

Adding to this sorrow was the murder of Elizabeth's mother Gertrude in 1213, which history ascribes to a conflict between her own German people and the Hungarian nobles.

Elizabeth took a solemn view of life and death from that point on, and found consolation in prayer. Both tendencies drew some ire from her royal peers.

For a time, beginning in 1221, she was happily married.

Ludwig, who had advanced to become one of the rulers of Thuringia, supported Elizabeth's efforts to live out the principles of the Gospel even within the royal court.

She met with friars of the nascent Franciscan Order during its founder's own lifetime, resolving to use her position as queen to advance their mission of charity.

Remarkably, Ludwig agreed with his wife's resolution, and the politically powerful couple embraced a life of remarkable generosity toward the poor.

They had three children, two of whom went on to live as as members of the nobility, although one of them – her only son – died relatively young.

The third eventually entered religious life and became abbess of a German convent.

In 1226, while Ludwig was attending to political affairs in Italy, Elizabeth took charge of distributing aid to victims of disease and flooding that struck Thuringia.

She took charge of caring for the afflicted, even when this required giving up the royal family's own clothes and goods.

Elizabeth arranged for a hospital to be built and is said to have provided for the needs of nearly a thousand desperately poor people on a daily basis.

The next year, however, would put Elizabeth's faith to the test.

Her husband had promised to assist the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sixth Crusade, but he died of illness en route to Jerusalem.

Devastated by Ludwig's death, Elizabeth vowed never to remarry. Her children were sent away, and relatives heavily pressured her to break the vow.

Undeterred, Elizabeth used her remaining money to build another hospital, where she personally attended to the sick almost constantly.

Sending away her servants, she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, seeking to emulate the example of its founder as closely as her responsibilities would allow.

Near the end of her life, she lived in a small hut and spun her own clothes.

Working continually with the severely ill, Elizabeth became sick herself, dying of an illness on 17 November 1231 at the age of 24.

After she died, miraculous healings soon began to occur at her grave near the hospital.

She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 24 May 1235.

Pope Benedict XVI has praised her as a “model for those in authority,” noting the continuity between her personal love for God and her public work on behalf of the poor and sick.

—

Patronage: Bakers; beggars; brides; charitable societies; charitable workers; charities; countesses; death of children; exiles; falsely accused people; hoboes; homeless people; hospitals; in-law problems; lacemakers; lace workers; nursing homes; nursing services; people in exile; people ridiculed for their piety; Sisters of Mercy; tertiaries; Teutonic Knights; toothache; tramps; widows.

Representation: A queen distributing alms; woman wearing a crown and tending to beggars; woman wearing a crown, carrying a load of roses in her apron or mantle.

[stonelord1]

MORE ON ELIZABETH WOODVILLE'S LOST CHAPEL, LITTLE ANNE MOWBRAY AND THE WOMEN OF THE MINORIES

While researching my novel on Anne Mowbray, the child bride of Richard of Shrewsbury, younger of the two Princes in the Tower, I found out several things I was previously unaware of. I knew, of course that young Anne’s burial was accidentally discovered in a crypt under a London bombsite that had disappeared. It was a famous and controversial find, and paved the way for modern archaeology to save…

[wishesofeternity]

"A queen's position privileged her relationship with the church hierarchy. This allowed  visible material expression of her personal devotion, and Elizabeth Woodville, though hardly  renowned today for her piety, was a case in point. Some of her requests were for very  private purposes, for example (in 1474) to have a portable altar. Others applied outside  the court. In 1477 she gained, at her own petition, an indult to enter Carthusian houses of  royal foundation, with eight to ten women servants, to hear masses and other divine offices; two years later she and the king were granted a licence to hear services within the Carthusian house at Sheen. Crawford (1985) uses this evidence to credit Elizabeth with a piety "beyond the purely conventional", but does not show how these actions prove it, given that the queen, any queen, had a far greater range of resources and opportunities to express piety than most women. Crawford also shies away from reconciling this comment with her earlier assertion that "many of Elizabeth's actions show her to have been grasping and totally lacking in scruple"  

Elizabeth Woodville's devotion to the Feast of the Visitation (also adduced by  Crawford) had complex implications. The main objective of her 1480 petition to the pope regarding this feast was that the people of England, including herself, not be deprived of the papal indulgences associated with its celebration; this was an issue because the date of the newly instituted feast conflicted with some traditional English ones. The pope declared an arrangement whereby neither observance would be lost. Elizabeth displayed even more of a sense of mission in requesting extra indulgences for practitioners of the Salutation of the Virgin, apparently wishing "the devotion of the faithful of the realm for the said Salutation to be increased more and more". But however important this was for contemporary English piety, and however useful for a broader understanding of Elizabeth Woodville, it does not  seem to take us far "beyond the purely conventional". More thought-provoking, perhaps, is the queen's surrender of her parts of two Worcestershire manors in 1479, which she granted to the monastery of St. Peter's, Westminster, with specific, detailed instructions for the observances she desired on behalf of the royal family. The same year she granted the  monastery of Jesus of Bethlehem 48 acres of land out of her manor of Sheen. One  wonders why Elizabeth undertook almost all her religious projects within a brief period, 1477-80. Had the necessary resources finally come her way, or was there a more personal reason - for example, the death of her first royal son, George, at the age of two, early in 1479?

It is safe to assume that for any powerful woman of the fifteenth century, piety and patronage were unavoidably related. One of Elizabeth Woodville's first acts of intercession, in 1466, was to gain a royal licence for the founding of a London priestly fraternity. Despite Crawford's contrary assertion, at least one of Elizabeth Woodville's household clerics  became a bishop: her confessor Edward Storey, later bishop of Carlisle. The queen  maintained this ecclesiastical connection, later appealing to the pope on Storey's behalf. As for Elizabeth of York, her "singular devotion" for the Cistercian monastery of St Mary,  Woborn, led her, toward the end of her life, to send the pope a "most instant request" for the  union of that house to the parish church of Salisbury, but her wish was accompanied by those  of the bishop, the dean, the archdeacon of Buckingham and the chapter of the church, all by  the "will" of the king. This may indicate that the queen's word by itself would not have guaranteed the success of the petition.  

Queenly patronage might still be much more direct than this. Elizabeth Woodville was granted the right of presentation to the hospital or free chapel of St. Anthony, London, in 1468. In 1499 Elizabeth of York wrote to the prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, asking  for a literal carte blanche of presentation to the highly desirable, centrally located living of All Hallows, Gracechurch Street, London, for which Elizabeth Woodville and her husband had also wanted preferment. The prior was to leave a blank on the certificate which the queen would fill in with the name of her candidate (Richard Southayke received the benefice). Both queens were granted rights of presentation to canonries and prebends in the royal chapel of St. Stephen, Westminster, but these were often shared, e.g. Elizabeth of York's grants of 1486 with the bishop of Ely, or of 1487 with four others. They might also be carefully qualified, applying only to the next vacancy, or to "become void after the king, or some one by his grant, has presented to one canonry and prebend in the same chapel". And even a queen could have competition; in 1500 the university of Oxford received letters from Elizabeth of York, the prince of Wales, and the king's mother recommending three  different candidates to the same position.  

The queen was not restricted to court or high-profile appointments, and she might exercise her influence even over livings to which she had no legal claim. In 1469 John Paston II informed his son that the "free chapell in Caster", a Paston property, was to be given to a chaplain of Elizabeth Woodville, "Master John Yotton", "at the speciall request of the Qwen and othere especiall good lordes of myn". This seems to have been contrary to  Paston's original intentions for the living; moreover, the queen expected a higher stipend for her candidate than Paston was willing to provide. Whatever salary was agreed on was evidently not enough to keep Yotton at his post, since before long "a prest to syng in Caster" was again needed; John Paston III advised his father that "now thys parlement tyme ... I thynk  [Yotton] shalbe awaytyng on the Qwen." Elizabeth of York claimed to be the exclusive patron, as queen, of the hospital of St Katherine-by-the-Tower, and attempted at least twice to obtain a plenary indulgence for it. [...]

Naturally, a queen's ecclesiastical patronage could have less spiritual motives, whether personal or political. In 1479 Elizabeth Woodville's brother Lionel was granted a papal dispensation to hold four simultaneous benefices, though this was at the petition of both king  and queen.  The papal "relaxation" she obtained for those visiting St. Augustine's Church, Huntingdon, is also open to cynical interpretation, since one of the conditions is that the visitors "give alms for the maintenance of its buildings and ornaments". It is less obvious why, in 1488, a papal inhibition of "disturbances in the matter of the right of succession, etc." among Irish ecclesiastics, was said to originate in the concern of both Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, though we should note that the queen's chancellor was an Irish peer. Elizabeth Woodville's record of "protectyng and defendyng the libertes and ffrauncheses" of Westminster Abbey, and her "bounteous" donations for its repairs, stood her in good stead when she wished to lease a house there.  

Pious patronage might extend to literary patronage, and the prime example of this for our purposes is William Caxton. The dedication to Caxton's printing of the Fifteen Oes of St.  Bridget of Sweden states that the book was printed at the joint commandment of Elizabeth of York and the king’s mother. The reason for this patronage is unclear, since there is nothing especially queenly or even feminine about the content of these prayers. Of course, Lady Margaret's active piety is well known, and it has been suggested that the queen was her protegee in the patronage of devotional literature. In 1477 Caxton had dedicated his Boke of the histories of Jason to the prince of Wales "by [the king's] licence and congye [and] by the supportacion of... the Quene", Elizabeth Woodville; his reference to the new translation also formally acknowledges both king and queen. Contrary to what one might suppose, the reference to the queen is probably more meaningful than that to the king; Woodville patronage had been important in Caxton's early career on his return to England, and his connection to Elizabeth was probably the critical one.

It is reasonable to suppose that in an age when learning was still so strongly connected to the church, a queen's educational benefactions might fall under the rubric of pious good works. We lack any other substantiated motive for Elizabeth Woodville's patronage of Queens' College, Cambridge, which is first explicitly mentioned in 1465, even before her coronation. Elizabeth's main accomplishment, in 1473, was to give the college its  statutes (never provided by the original foundress, Margaret of Anjou), in which she  described herself as vera fundatrix and stated in part "the duties of our royal prerogative  require, piety suggests, natural reason demands, that we should be especially solicitous  concerning those matters whereby the safety of souls and the public good are concerned, and  poor scholars ... are assisted". The queen shared in the power to alter or rescind any of the provisions of these statutes. Unfortunately no records remain of any further direct benefaction to the college from Elizabeth Woodville; her daughter's involvement is even more obscure except for a fragmentary "mandate for selecting ... Billington to a fellowship or scholarship" Elizabeth Woodville apparently also gave "large sums" to Eton College, probably after 1477 (when Henry Bost, the provost who allegedly influenced her, was elected).  

Queens could, of course, be involved in more overtly worldly patronage, often in an intercessory role. A well-documented example is the involvement of the Mercers' Company of London with Elizabeth Woodville in the late 1470s. The queen first interceded for the  merchants in 1478, regarding a "fraye" between the king's servants and some London  citizens. By December 1479 the company had a much more serious problem; it owed the king an onerous sum for non-payment of its subsidy, and for its alleviation it looked to both Elizabeth and the king's chamberlain (William, Lord Hastings). From the beginning the queen's abilities were recognized as exceptional, not only by the company but by Hastings, who encouraged the merchants to cultivate her rather than himself. In January 1480, after the  merchants had given "grete lawde & thanke" to their court connections, including Thomas Grey and "the lord Ryvers", they reported that Hastings had cautioned them "to be more  secrete of theyre frendes and that non avaunt be made who that is frendly and laboureth for us  Except the quenes good grace oonly, whiche that is, & always hath ben, oure verrey good &  gracious lady in the said mater & c." Evidently dealing with the queen alone would get  the company into less political trouble than open lobbying of her relatives -- an indication,  perhaps, that Elizabeth was not considered one and the same with "the Woodvilles".  

By 8 January 1480, the queen had managed to convince Edward to forgive 500 marks (£333 6s. lOd.) of the fine, and the company decided that she was their most promising option; four days later the fine was further reduced by the same amount. Although this left the company still owing 3000 marks (£2000), which the king made clear was his final offer, the difference was significant enough to earn Elizabeth the merchants' gratitude. This episode helps to explain Elizabeth Woodville's membership in two London fraternities connected to the Skinners' Company. She was the fifth queen consort to belong to the Fraternity of Corpus Christi, and the book of the Fraternity of Our Lady's Assumption contains a painting of her in her coronation robes. Presumably this company had learned in the past that queenly connections were worth maintaining, and reasoned that to honour Elizabeth twice would be even more effective in keeping it in her good graces.  

The queen's intervention was not limited to the business sector. In June 1467, Elizabeth Woodville wrote a sharply worded letter to the earl of Oxford when he failed to restore Simon Blyant to a disputed manor. Her involvement did not end with this gesture, for we know that the archbishop of York was to speak with her about it in August even though she had taken her chamber. Another landowner, Catesby of Hopsford, eventually appealed to the queen in a matter involving a number of lands, though we do not know the outcome. Where families were concerned, the queen's influence might help to undo a marriage as well as to arrange one. From October 1471 until at least April 1473 Elizabeth Woodville and her council were involved, at John Paston's request, in trying to cancel his engagement to Anne Hawte. Difficulties might arise when an individual had no such convenient connection to the queen; the prior of Bromholm asked John Paston for help because he did not know how properly to make his appeal to Elizabeth Woodville for "certeyn  tymber".

The queen's contact with cities was not defined solely by ceremonies of entry. In December 1467 the city of Coventry voted Elizabeth Woodville a gift of 100 marks (£66 13s.  4d.). Even if this was merely a New Year's gift, and not in response to any special situation, it may represent the city's recognition that it could be in their interest to pay tribute to the queen. For her part, Elizabeth made a gift of twelve bucks to Coventry in September 1474, not long after her visit there with the prince of Wales. The queen's dealings with Coventry were not a matter of mere courtesies. Three months later she wrote to the corporation to express her regret for the disturbance caused by one of the king's servants there. Elizabeth promised that the offender would be dealt with appropriately, and thanked the city for its recent kindness to her and the royal children. The point to take from this is that the relationship a queen might develop with a city could be quite independent of her husband, though useful to him. It was more effective for Elizabeth to communicate with Coventry even though the situation she addressed had nothing to do with her. Here we see queenly intercession operating, as it were, in reverse."

— Derek Neal, The Queen’s Grace: English Queenship, 1464-1503 (MA Thesis, McMaster University, 1996)

[scotianostra]

22nd February 1540 saw Marie de Guise crowned Queen Consort of Scotland at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

A member of the prominent Guise family, Mary (known as Mary of Guise, Marie de Guise, and Mary di Guise depending on the source) was born into a house of prominent players in sixteenth-century French politics.

From the ages of six until fourteen, Mary lived in a French convent with her grandmother, Philippa of Guelders, before being removed by her uncle Antoine, Duke of Lorraine and his wife Renee of Bourbon, to prepare her for life at the French court. She made her first appearance there in in 1531 at the marriage of King Francis I and Eleanor of Austria.

At the age of eighteen, Mary became a duchess when she married Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville on 4 August 1534 at Chateau du Louvre. The happy union produced two sons, but Mary was left a widowed single mother, less than three years after exchanging vows when Louis died on 9 June 1537.

Late in the same year, Mary received offers of marriage from both James V of Scotland and Henry VIII of England. Henry’s offer was primarily to prevent James from securing a French alliance through his marriage, and Mary refused on the grounds that she did not fancy the idea of meeting a similar fate to Henry’s previous wives.

King Francis I of France accepted James’s offer on Mary’s behalf and offered James a dowry equal to what Mary would have been granted as a royal princess. The marriage contract was finalised in January 1538, and the wedding between James and Mary was held by proxy on 18 May 1538 at Notre Dame de Paris, with Lord Maxwell standing proxy for the absent King James V who was still in Scotland.

Mary landed in Scotland on 10 June 1538 and was formally received by her new husband a few days later as part of a larger pageant and celebration put on in her honour. A second marriage ceremony then took place at St Andrews and Mary was crowned at Holyrood Abbey on 22 February 1540.

The couple had three children – sons James, Duke of Rothesay and Robert, Duke of Albany both died before they were a year old and daughter, Mary. Mary, born 8 December 1542, just six days before her father’s death, became Queen Regent of Scotland before she was a week old. Six years later she was sent to France to be raised with her husband-to-be, the Dauphin Francis.

With her daughter on the continent, Mary served as Regent of Scotland in her daughter’s name. Mary’s regency was heavily influenced by her Guise brothers in France – Francis, Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine – who she frequently consulted, meaning that the Scots and the French were allied in foreign affairs and approaches.

Her greatest threat during this time was the growing influence of the Scottish Protestants under John Knox whose hopes were stirred in 1558 when Protestant Queen Elizabeth came to the English throne.

Mary became seriously ill in 1560 while fortifying Edinburgh Castle against the advancing English and died of dropsy (known now as ‘Edema’) on 10 June 1560.

There's a whole load more on this powerful woman here on the excellent Marie-Stuart web page.

[richmond-rex]

Do you think Edward IV would be satisfied with Henry VII?as son-in-law and successor

Hello! Sorry for taking so long to get to this ask! In part I've had little time to sit and write a reply, but this question is also quite difficult to answer because it's so speculative in nature. As a successor, Edward IV would've obviously liked one of his sons much better. I doubt he would've preferred his brother Richard to Henry, though, considering how he dealt with his other brother George when the latter was accused of conspiring against his and the Prince of Wales (later Edward V)'s life. Edward would not have hesitated in bringing about Richard's punishment either, and a king as his son-in-law with his daughter on the throne would, imo, be more amenable to him if we take in consideration the times he offered Elizabeth to the Nevilles and Prince Edward of Lancaster before his son Edward was born.

In matters of administration Henry VII followed his example and even improved on his innovations, so I think he would be rather satisfied with his policies — Edward IV like Henry VII by the end of his life, was also accused of avarice whilst strengthening the crown's revenues and authority. In the ideological and dynastical plan he would be for sure disappointed and/or vexed at the rehabilitation of Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and the attainted Lancastrian lords. In his first parliament, Henry VII said the act against his uncle ('the most famous prince of blessed memory') was done 'against all righteousness, honour, nature, and duty', and that he was attainted 'contrary to due allegiance and all due order'. In the same vein, Edward IV attempted to put a stop to the cult of his rival, whilst Henry VII lent great support to the cult of Holy King Henry and even petitioned three popes to have his uncle canonised.

At the same time, Henry called Richard III's bigamy allegations against his brother 'false and malicious imaginations, against all good and true disposition', rescuing his reputation in that regard at least. Henry would only ever refer to his father-in-law in terms such 'our father, the most famous prince of blessed memory' and even when, like in the case of the restoration of Henry VI, he went against Edward's interests, Edward was not officially blamed. Some of Edward's actions, such as Henry VI's murder, were even pinned on his brother Richard instead. Edward's memory would be honoured in other ways as well, as when Henry continued Edward's foundation of a convent for the Greyfriars in Greenwich, the Yorkist roof bosses added to St George's chapel completed by Henry, or the Mortimer heir trappings given to Prince Arthur as Prince of Wales.

To sum up, it's difficult to say. Edward IV would probably not want to see his work against the Lancastrians — necessarily degraded so that his line could be safely boosted — undone. On the other hand, Edward would certainly not be satisfied with his brother on the throne given how he had hurt his children and slandered his own reputation in the process of usurpation. In that sense, Henry VII's ascension was more beneficial to his memory and the perpetuation of his direct descendants.

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (St. Ella)

1864-1918

Feast Day: July 5

Saint Elizabeth of Russia (St. Ella) was born a German princess and granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. In 1884 she married Grand Duke Sergei of the Russian Imperial Court. She had a happy loving marriage and converted to the Russian Orthodox faith in 1891. In 1905 Sergei was assassinated whereupon she forgave the killer, sold her personal possessions and started the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary in Moscow, which served the poor, suffering and orphans through prayer and action. In 1909 she formed the Sisters of Love and Mercy. In 1918 she and others from the Imperial Family were murdered in a mineshaft with grenades by the Bolsheviks. 

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)