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| Notes for William Gardynyr | ||||||||||
| William Gardiner actually signed his name 'William Gardynyr' which may indicate that he was of Welch origin. Why William Gardiner was allowed to marry into the Royal family remains unclear, but historians have hinted that it was because of his aid to Henry VIII, then Earl of Richmond, in defeating Richard III, in the Battle of Bosworth Field, near Leicester on 22 August 1485. Jean Molinet, a Chronicler from Burgundy, covering the battle, described the scene in this manner. (Taken from the book 'The Making of the Tudor Dynasty, by Roger Thomas) "During the vigorous hand-to-hand fighting with axe, sword and pike, both Richard III and Henry Tudor, each surrounded by a vanguard, watched from the side lines, a safe distance apart. Richard, so confident of victory that he was wearing his crown, could observe from a higher level along the hillside, that his own personal vanguard was superior to Henry's and decided to end the battle quickly by slaying Henry Tudor. Sir William Stanley was standing by with an uncommitted force of 3,000 men, ready to rout the losing side. Richard III spurred his horse and in quick time, with his vanguard, engaged Henry in combat. As Richard went for Henry to deliver his mortal blow, one of Henry's men, a Welsh halberdier, intervened, knocking off Richard's Crown, then giving one mighty swing, smashed Richard's helmet into his skull. Seeing that their leader was slain, his vanguard began to withdraw and immediately Sir William Stanley ordered his men after Richard's fleeing troops, thus ending the Battle in Henry's favor'. Richard's Crown was recovered from a thornbush and later placed on the head of Henry Tudor who then proclaimed himself King of England. This act of slaying Henry's adversary in an otherwise losing situation was the most important single effort in the making of the Tudor dynasty, and thus allowed the marriage of William Gardiner, believed to be the Welsh halberdier, to Helen Tudor a few months later. (SOURCE: Gardiner Generations & Relations, Vol. I, by Richard Thomas Gardiner.) | ||||||||||
| Notes for Helen (Spouse 1) | ||||||||||
| Helen Tudor, according to Burke's Peerage, was the daughter of Jasper Tudor which would make her first cousin of Henry VII. Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, was listed as brother of Jasper. (SOURCE: Gardiner Generations & Relations, Vol. 1 Gardiner Generations, by Thomas Richard Gardiner, page xix.) | ||||||||||
| Last Modified 22 Oct 2000 | Created 5 Sep 2005 by Charles Lee Mudd, Jr. using Reunion for Mac |