Alice Chaucer | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Suffolk | |
 Alice de la Pole, detail from her effigy inEwelme Church, Oxfordshire | |
| Born | c. 1404 |
| Died | 1475 |
| Buried | St Mary's Church,Ewelme |
| Spouses | SirJohn Phelip Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk |
| Issue | John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk |
| Father | Thomas Chaucer |
| Mother | Matilda Burghersh |
Alice Chaucer, Duchess of SuffolkLG (c. 1404–1475) was a granddaughter of theEnglish poetGeoffrey Chaucer. Married three times, she eventually became a Lady of theMost Noble Order of the Garter, an honour granted rarely to women and marking the friendship between herself and her third husband,William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, withKing Henry VI and his wifeMargaret of Anjou.[1]
She was born as Alice Chaucer, a daughter ofThomas Chaucer by his wife, Matilda Burghersh. Her grandfather was the poetGeoffrey Chaucer, author ofThe Canterbury Tales.
She married three times:
Alice was alady-in-waiting toMargaret of Anjou in 1445, and a patron of the arts.
She ordered the making of a series of tapestries depicting the life ofSt Anne, which were displayed in the room in her house atEwelme inOxfordshire where she greeted visitors. She outlived her husband for a number of years and dwelled at Ewelme as the mistress of the house for a decade (during which times the tapestries were commissioned). She is a rare and important example of an autonomous woman patronising art works depicting empowered historical female characters. St Anne, mother ofVirgin Mary and grandmother ofJesus, was a saint who was enjoying increasing popularity amongst female worshippers and was of particular pertinence to Alice as Anne, like Alice, also had had three marriages and was pregnant later in her life. Images of St Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read were a popular image of Anne at this time, implying perhaps a contemporary reverence for literacy and education for women, though Alice is frequently overlooked as an historical figure of significance because of patriarchal assumptions about the subservience of women in history. Alice was a woman of intelligence and her life reveals information about the late medieval experience of women. She possessed a large library.[4]
Alice Chaucer's library collection was extensive and varied. She owned many French texts, which are believed to be obtained when she went to France with her husband in 1444/5 for an extended time. She also owned many religious service books. Some of the French texts she owned were an originalCharlemagne romance published byCaxton, known asThe Four Sons of Aymon,Christine de Pizan's,Le Livre de la Cité des Dames, a translation of theDe Morali Principis Institutione byDominicanfriarVincent de Beauvais, andJohn Lydgate's translation of Deguileville'sPèlerinage de la Vie Hamaine.[5]
Alice could be both ruthless and acquisitive in pursuit of the inheritance of her son, John de la Pole. In 1437, the Duke constructed theGod's House atEwelme, a reminder of their Catholic devotions. But after her husband's execution she took back many of theNorfolk manors of her friendMargaret Paston, with dubious title deeds. ThePaston family grew to dislike her for this.
In 1450, William de la Pole was impeached by theHouse of Commons in Parliament, butHenry VI intervened to exile his favourite rather than have him tried by theHouse of Lords. On his way across theEnglish Channel his vessel was intercepted byThe Nicholas of the Tower whose crew subjected him to a mock trial, after which he was beheaded and his body thrown overboard. William's remains were recovered from the beach atDover, and Alice had her husband buried at theKingston Charterhouse, founded in 1377 by his grandfather,Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk. After William was killed, his properties, includingWallingford Castle and theHonour of Wallingford and St Valery, passed to Alice. She lent the Crown 3,500 marks whereupon the king spared the family fromattainder of title. She survived many challenges to her position, including a state trial in 1451. Whilst she had benefited fromLancastrian connections, she switched to supporting theHouse of York during theWars of the Roses. In 1455 she was custodian of theHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter atWallingford Castle. She was officiallycastellan atWallingford until at least 1471 and possibly until her death in 1475. In 1472 Alice became custodian ofMargaret of Anjou, her former friend and patron. A wealthy landowner, Alice de la Pole held land in 22 counties, and was a patron of the poetJohn Lydgate.
She died in 1475 and was buried in St Mary's Church,Ewelme, where survives her elaboratecadaver tombmonument.[6][7]
The alabaster monument, almost undamaged by time, consists of achest tomb on top of which is therecumbent effigy of the Duchess, with a canopy of panelled stone above. The space beneath the effigy encloses her sculpted cadaver, which is visible through elaborate reticulated arches.[8]
Her effigy was examined byQueen Victoria's commissioners to discover how a lady should wear theOrder of the Garter, which she wears on her left wrist.[1] The Latin inscription on the monument is:Orate pro Anima Serenissimae Principissae Aliciae Ducissae Suffolciae Huius Ecclesiae Patronae, et Primae Fundatricis Huius Eleemosynariae Quae obit XX Die Mensis Maii Anno 1475[1] ("Pray ye all for the soul of the Most Serene Princess Alice,Duchess of Suffolk,patron of this church, and first founder of this charity, who died on the 20th day of the month of May in the year 1475"). The title of "Most Serene Princess" she probably acquired by her son's royal marriage.[1]
On the monument are sixteen heraldic shields, displaying the arms of Chaucer, theRoyal Arms of England, de la Pole,Montagu quartering Monthermer, and Roet.[9]
Alice's son,John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, marriedElizabeth of York, the second surviving daughter ofRichard of York, 3rd Duke of York andCecily Neville. Elizabeth's brothers included theYorkist kingsEdward IV andRichard III and her othersiblings includedGeorge, Duke of Clarence andMargaret of York (later Duchess of Burgundy).
Three of John de la Pole's four sons by Elizabeth of York - Alice's grandsons - pursued the unsuccessfulYorkist claim to the throne againstHenry VII.
Alice Chaucer is a main character in several ofMargaret Frazer'sDame Frevisse historical mysteries, and is mentioned in several others.[10]
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