On This Day In 1466 and 1503: The Birth And Death of Elisabeth Of York

 

On this day, February 11th, 1466, the first child of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV was born: a daughter, named Elisabeth. The firstborn of many children, Elisabeth was the sister of the infamous Princes In The Tower: Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, who disappeared in the care of their uncle, King Richard III. From historical records, we know that Elisabeth loved dancing, was a jovial child, and was at one time the center of a peace treaty with France. 

Elisabeth's official portrait

In 1483, Elisabeth became betrothed to Henry Tudor, the exiled heir to the House of Lancaster. The deal was brokered by both persons' mothers; some see it as an act of defiance, others as a plea that Henry might've returned safely home now that Edward IV was dead. Two years later, however, Richard III tried to nullify the agreement by engaging his niece to Manuel of Portugal, in a double marriage that would have seen his sister, Joanna, become Queen of England. However, after Juana publicly refused Richard, the agreement was off. 

In 1485, upon the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor became king, and the engagement to Elisabeth was not only on, but vital to his reign, as his claim to England was flimsy at best. Elisabeth's blood ties to the House of York gave him the footing he needed to claim the throne, and in January of 1486, they wed. The couple welcomed their first child, Arthur, in September; whether the child was premature, or the marriage consummated before the ceremony is unclear. Henry and Elisabeth would go onto have 7 more children; many of them growing up to be massive political figures, specifically her son, who would grow up to become King Henry VIII of England. It is believed she taught her children equally how to read and write, and it is believed her tutorage is the origin of the unique-ness of Henry VIII's handwriting. In all of her writings, she spelled her name the name: Elisabeth with an "s," as per the French spelling.

Elisabeth's final pregnancy came at the age of 37, a year or so after the sudden death of her firstborn. The child- a girl- was born at the Tower of London, yet the child failed to thrive. The baby was named Katherine, and predeceased her mother. Elisabeth herself would catch childbed fever and on her birthday in 1503, she would draw her last breath. The funeral for her was elaborate, yet Henry was shattered by her passing. He would join her in their joint tomb at Westminster a scant 6 years later. 

A depiction of the aftermath of her death

Elisabeth of York was the mother, wife, daughter, niece, and sister of kings. Her reign brought an end to the Wars of The Roses, and she herself paved the way for how queens of England needed to act in the future. Truly a remarkable woman! 

The History Behind The Baby Of Macon II: The Tragedy of Junilla

 

Julia Ormond as "The Sister"

When people talk about what makes The Baby Of Macon disturbing, nearly everyone mentions the sexual assault scene from the near end of the movie. At face value, this sort of plot seems very modern; merely added for shock value and to disturb audiences. Yet, this portion of the story has real life ties to an actual trial in Ancient Rome.

SPOILERS FOR THE BABY OF MACON AHEAD

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For a bit of background to this portion of The Baby Of Macon; after the child is born, he is exploited by two family members: the Father (played by Tony Vogel, who is best known for his role as Lomard in the 1998 Les Miserables) and the Sister (played by Julia Ormond of Walking Dead fame). The father tries to sell remedies for the city's impotence, as he is the only person to have sired a child in years, and is a drunken, lecherous apothecary. The sister plays off of the disbelief that the child was born to her mother, who is deformed and much too old to be bearing children. When it comes to showing off the miracle child to the people, the Sister passes him off as her own child, conceived immaculately, and presents him as a Christ-like figure. A cult develops around the Child, who is revealed to have the gift of prophecy and speech.  As his sister sits with him and tries to teach him what to say to the masses, the Child tells her that both of them shall meet a terrible fate. The sister tries to brush off his ominous words.

As the story progresses, the Sister begins to fall for the Bishop's Son (played by Ralph Fiennes of Harry Potter fame), and she tries to tell him the truth of the child's parentage, but he does not believe her nor the claims of immaculate conception. When she does win him over, the Child has him killed by the holy cow presented to him at his birth, as the Sister's virginity is tied to his mysticism. When the town finds the Bishop's Son murdered and the Sister covered in his blood, the Child is removed from her care and placed into the care of the church. Yet, in despair, the Sister breaks into the Vatican and smothers her brother with his pillow. Once caught, the Vatican cannot execute the Sister, since she is a virgin. Cosimo (who is the subject of my previous post) suggests that, according to Biblical numerology, that the Sister must be sexually assaulted 208 times in order to take away her virginity, so she can be executed. The Vatican, willing to commit such a heinous punishment, brings in the army to do the deed. She ends up dying during the assault. 

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END OF SPOILERS FOR THE BABY OF MACON

Unfortunately for most casual viewers of The Baby Of Macon, the real life parallels between the sister and history are usually lost. The story, and ultimately her tragic end, are paralleled in Roman history, specifically in the tragically short life and brutal death of Junilla. 

Author's Note: 

I will warn you, the life and death of Junilla is a very heavy topic, and contains mention of sexual assault and murder. It is a very emotional, very touchy story that is held in classical history as an intense wrongdoing. If these topics are something that you feel you cannot handle at this time, please save this post and come back to it when you feel you are ready. I will completely understand: when I read her story, I was horrified. 

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Aelia Junilla was the daughter of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, who served as confidant to Emperor Tiberius. Sejanus was well known for his military reforms, as well as his rise in status to politician. In AD 26, Sejanus got a break in his political career when Tiberius secluded himself to Capri, and he was left in charge of the government as consul. Yet, after a failed coup d'état, Sejanus was arrested on charges of conspiracy, and riots broke out in Rome. Anyone with ties to Sejanus were murdered in the streets, no matter who they were. 

The suspicious death of Drusus

The first person besides Sejanus himself to die was his son, Strabo, who was executed for his father's crimes. Upon learning of her son's death, Sejanus' widow, Apicata committed suicide, but not before writing to Tiberius about the suspicious death of Drusus, Tiberius' heir. Tiberius, enraged, ordered for more of Sejanus' family to be killed. Livilla, Sejanus' other wife, was starved to death by her mother, leaving a teenaged Junilla and her older brother, Aelianus to fend for themselves. 

When Junilla was captured, the courts of Rome found a hang up: Junilla was a virgin, and to execute a virgin was illegal under protections for vestigial virgins, who often found themselves in trouble, yet were sacred to Rome. Yet, the public outcry was so intense that the powers that were had to find a way to satiate their blood lust. We do not know who came up with the idea, but that the decision was made, and carried out.

On the day of her death, Junilla and Aelianus were brought to the Gemonian Stairs, Aelianus was hanged first, cut down, and his body thrown to the people. Per tradition, a noose was placed around Junilla's neck before the executioner was tasked to assault her in order to discard of her virginity. Junilla, in the aftermath of her assault, was then hanged and her body thrown to the people as well.

Although the death of Junilla must have felt good at the moment, Romans eventually did see her death as a black mark on their history, and her story was later rehabilitated as that of a tragedy rather than justice. Today, although there is not much written about her, her tragic end lives on in the story of The Baby Of Macon, although it is tragic that those who promote that part of the movie do not take the time to learn about the real girl behind the scene. Unlike the Sister, Junilla committed no crime, other than by being the daughter of someone who was hated by the Roman people. Maybe, as a society, we can restore her story, and learn a thing or two from it.