Free The Other Tudors by Philippa Jones Page A

of England came here … and so last night the King was here, passing almost the whole night in dancing with the damsels.’ 14 The one firm piece of evidence for an affair is a letter, dated 17 August 1514. It is written in French, and starts with the information that the lady concerned sends a bird and some roots ‘of considerable value’ to Henry. The reference to roots might seem a trifle odd for a lady to send a king, but Henry had an interest in medicinal plants. The letter then reads on:
    ‘When Madame [Margaret of Austria] went to see the Emperor her father and you at Lille, you named me your page, and you called me by no other name and you told me many beautiful things … about marriage and other things, and when we parted at Tournay you told me, when I married, to let you know and it should be worth to me 10,000 crowns, or rather angels. As it has now pleased my father to have me married, I send the bearer, an old servant of my grandfather, to remind you. In your house at Marnoy, near to Besenson [Besançon, eastern France].
    Your most very humble servant, G (?) La Baume’.
    The French historian, Père Anselme, suggested that the ‘G’ of the signature could be an ‘E’. He linked this to Etionette de la Baume, who married Ferdinand de Neufchatel, seigneur de Marnay, on 18 October 1514. 15
    Etionette was the daughter of Marc de la Baume, seigneur de Chateauvillain and comte de Montrevel. Her husband, Ferdinand, was born somewhere around 1452, so he would have been about 60 at the time of their marriage. He had had two previous wives, Magdalena von Vinstingen (married in 1468) and Claude de Vergy (married in 1497). Although Ferdinand had no son, he did have six daughters born between 1469 and 1500. Each of his first two wives gave him three daughters; Etionette, despite eight years of marriage, did not have any children, so there can be no suggestion that Henry VIII had a child by Mlle de la Baume. 16
    If Etionette caught Henry’s fancy, she would have been young, probably in her mid-teens, fair haired, extremely pretty and lively. She would have been an excellent dancer, played a musical instrument, sung like a bird, been well read and a good rider. The fact that she had been the mistress, however briefly, to a king would not have harmed her marriage prospects. As well as her connections to the Imperial Court, she came from a noble family and she also had Henry’s monetary wedding gift. Ferdinand de Neufchatel would have found her as charming as the English king had done.
JANE POPINCOURT
    Etionette de la Baume is referred to as the King’s Flemish Mistress (since Henry met her in Flanders). A second lady, Jane Popincourt, is also given this title, possibly as her family had connections with the Flanders region that covered southern Holland, Belgium and northern France at this time. The title ‘Flemish’ is a misnomer as, in fact, both were French.
    The earliest reference to Jane comes from the Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York in 1498. At the time of the death of Prince Edmund in 1500, all the courtiers at Eltham, home to the royal children, were provided with black cloth for mourning garments, including Jane Popincourt. In June 1502, Robert Ragdale was hired to make and repair clothes for Elizabeth of York, her daughters Margaret (‘the Queen of Scots’) and Mary. The sum of 7d was spent on ‘mending of two gowns for Johanne Popyncote.’ 17 She must have started in the household of Elizabeth of York, but she was attached to the staff of the Princess Mary almost from the time of the Princess’s birth in 1496. Jane’s main responsibility was to teach her French. In 1509 Jane was still with Mary. Amongst court expenses are 50s paid to ‘Jane Popyncote.’ 18
    At the Christmas festivities of 1514, a masque was held in which four ladies danced in the character of Ladies of Savoy and four gentlemen as Portuguese. The ladies were Lady Margaret Guildford, Lady Elizabeth Carew, Lady Fellinger and