A 500-year-old letter discovered in the National Archives has revealed that the “White Queen” Elizabeth Woodville, the grandmother of Henry VIII, may have died of the plague. The letter, dated July 1511, sees the ambassador, Andrea Badoer, state that “the Queen-Widow, mother of King Edward, has died of plague, and the King is disturbed”. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The line in the 1511 letter by Andrea Badoer, stating that Elizabeth Woodville had died of plague. “If we accept that Elizabeth Woodville died from plague, it makes sense that she had been buried as soon as was possible, and there was therefore no body available for dressing,” writes Roger. The Venetian ambassadors to England regularly commented in their letters home about the plague, with Badoer making “constant” requests for a replacement to be sent.

Source: The Guardian April 25, 2019 11:26 UTC