Queen Katherine's Shade
"She is here. I can feel her presence. I don't know if she wants to aid me or curse me," Queen Anne Boleyn.
Nearly thirty years ago, Queen Katherine rode out to face the Scots. And now her successor or usurper depending on who you asked was now doing the same thing. However, this wasn't just an invasion by an old king trying to do right by his allies. This was an attack that would determine her son's right to rule. Luckily, most of the nobles who would side with King James had already defected or been attained because of the Pilgrimage of Grace.
However, she would be a fool to think things would be easier. As she had done the last time, she had Elizabeth and King Henry moved to somewhere safe. The Duke of Kent, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Duke of Wiltshire led her army, but she made a speech to the soldiers, reminding them that that her late husband had declared Elizabeth and by extension, Henry his true heirs. She then thanked them as a mother and as a queen for fighting to protect her son's inheritance. She assured them that if she could she would fight beside them.
The soldiers cheered her, chanting her name before they left for battle. Anne would later note in her letter to her sister that the men might not fight for her, but they would fight tooth and nail for her son. She also added that while she spoke to the soldiers, she had been struck by a premonition. She didn't know how or why, but she was certain that Queen Katherine of Aragon had been beside her as she made her speech.
The battle of Solway Moss was embarrassingly one-sided. The Scots had inferior weaponry and there was infighting among their commanders. Meanwhile, the Duke of Norfolk had fought several battles and his old age had done little to dim his tactical mind. It helped that several of the Scottish soldiers perished in the bog, unfamiliar with the terrain.
To make matters worse for the Scots, King James fell ill with his wife having given birth to a daughter. Once King James died, his infant daughter became Queen Mary of Scots. And it didn't take long for Anne to smell oppertunity. Perhaps it was time for her son to get a bride.
Nearly thirty years ago, Queen Katherine rode out to face the Scots. And now her successor or usurper depending on who you asked was now doing the same thing. However, this wasn't just an invasion by an old king trying to do right by his allies. This was an attack that would determine her son's right to rule. Luckily, most of the nobles who would side with King James had already defected or been attained because of the Pilgrimage of Grace.
However, she would be a fool to think things would be easier. As she had done the last time, she had Elizabeth and King Henry moved to somewhere safe. The Duke of Kent, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Duke of Wiltshire led her army, but she made a speech to the soldiers, reminding them that that her late husband had declared Elizabeth and by extension, Henry his true heirs. She then thanked them as a mother and as a queen for fighting to protect her son's inheritance. She assured them that if she could she would fight beside them.
The soldiers cheered her, chanting her name before they left for battle. Anne would later note in her letter to her sister that the men might not fight for her, but they would fight tooth and nail for her son. She also added that while she spoke to the soldiers, she had been struck by a premonition. She didn't know how or why, but she was certain that Queen Katherine of Aragon had been beside her as she made her speech.
The battle of Solway Moss was embarrassingly one-sided. The Scots had inferior weaponry and there was infighting among their commanders. Meanwhile, the Duke of Norfolk had fought several battles and his old age had done little to dim his tactical mind. It helped that several of the Scottish soldiers perished in the bog, unfamiliar with the terrain.
To make matters worse for the Scots, King James fell ill with his wife having given birth to a daughter. Once King James died, his infant daughter became Queen Mary of Scots. And it didn't take long for Anne to smell oppertunity. Perhaps it was time for her son to get a bride.
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