Birth of a Prince

Wars of the Roses Short Story

by J.P. Reedman

King Henry VI falls ill at Clarendon Palace after learning of great military losses in France. He falls into a catatonic state, unable to speak, let alone rule.

His wife, Margaret of Anjou, is pregnant after eight years of barrenness caused by Henry's innate prudishness in matters of the flesh. After she gives birth to a healthy boy, she must fight for the rights of her son, even as her husband lies insensible in his bedchamber.

Fighting against rumours of the child's parentage, fighting against the dawning hostilities of the Wars of the Roses.

Please note; this is a short story 7000 words long.

Genres: Historical Fiction

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2022

About the author

Born in Canada, J.P. Reedman has been a UK resident for over 30 years. She has been writing since the age of 5, and preferred genres are fantasy and historical (or a mixture of both.) Interests are British history and prehistory, especially the neolithic and bronze ages, archaeology, anthropology and features of the countryside. She is author of the STONEHENGE SAGA a novel that places the legends of King Arthur back into the bronze age, and a number of works about King Richard III, including the epic, I RICHARD PLANTAGENET, which, with both parts combined, is over 250,000 words long and written from Richard's first person perspective. She is also the author of the bestselling medieval novel, MY FAIR LADY, about the little known Queen, Eleanor of Provence which is first in an ongoing series about lesser-known medieval noblewoman. 13 SO FAR!

Reviews

[Becks! · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐'s

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After eight years of marriage, Marguerite of Anjou is pregnant, but angered by the scurrilous rumor that Edmund Beaufort is the father of the child she is carrying. A crisis occurs when her shy, pious husband Henry VI goes into a catatonic state upon hearing of the death of the Earl of Shrewsbury and the loss of all of England’s French possessions except for Calais. When her son is born, Henry isn’t even able to acknowledge him.. Marguerite tries to act to protect her husband and son against what she perceives to be the threat posed by the Duke of York, the next in line to throne. Her desire to become regent is thwarted, however, because of her sex. Not only is she a woman, but a French woman at that. York is chosen to lead the nation during Henry’s incapacity, and he promptly imprisons Marguerite’s favorite, Edmund Beaufort. Henry does recover his wits, Beaufort is freed, and Marguerite plans her revenge on York. An interesting perspective.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birth of a Prince
By J P Reedman
Reviewed May 29, 2022

Birth of a Prince is a short story, only 26 pages long, perfect for a quick read on a summer afternoon while taking a break from cutting the grass. It tells the story of brief period in the life of Margaret of Anjou told in 1st person.

Margaret has been married to King Henry VI for eight years, but so far there have been no children. Then comes the day when she realizes she is, indeed, pregnant. Things should be looking up for the royal couple, bringing some stability to the regime. Unfortunately, bad news arrives from France – all of England’s French lands have been lost (this is the tail end of the Hundred Years War) and the news sends Henry into a catatonic state.

For the better part of a year, Henry is unaware of anything happening around him, even the birth of his son and heir, Edward, and when he finally does regain consciousness things still aren't quite right.

We see Margaret doing her best to protect her son and her husband from the disaffected nobles surrounding her, the the story of a woman trying to make it in a man’s world, a world in which a smart, intelligent, forceful woman is not well thought of.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick story

Nothing new to learn from this very quick read. Told from the pov of Margaret of Anjour it speaks of her ardent desire to have a son and her disillusionment of her marriage to King Henry.

[Grace Peck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quickly re read this as I read lady of the rivers for comparisons.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good short story told from Margarette of France's POV and the problems she had both before and after she gave birth to her son, Prince Edward, heir to Henry VI. Its nice to see her treated sympathetically here, since she usually is used as an antagonist in War of the Rose's stories, but she had plenty of legitimate grievances herself, as we see in this story.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short read but a good one told in her own words Margaret of Anjou after waiting 8yrs of waiting she finally has her son Edward Prince of Wales