Peter Saccio says Duke Humphrey of Gloucester's wife, Eleanor, dabbled in witchcraft, seeking to learn when Henry VI would die in hopes her husband could yet be king.
But in 1441 she was arrested for using witchcraft to encompass Henry's death and charged with treason, along with some others.
She was imprisoned for the rest of her life, first in various English castles and then on the Isle of Man.
Shakespeare's English Kings, OUP.
Reading 2 Henry VI.
Per Saccio,
Witchcraft was a serious business in the Middle Ages, and Eleanor was certainly guilty of some of the charges brought against her.
Gloucester's opponents did not contrive the whole affair.
No comments:
Post a Comment