de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The White Queen

The White Queen is a riveting portrayal of one of the most dramatic and turbulent times in English history. A story of love and lust, seduction and deception, betrayal and murder, it is uniquely told through the perspective of three different, yet equally relentless women - Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. In their quest for power, they will scheme, manipulate and seduce their way onto the English throne.
The year is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled the country, and war has been ravaging throughout England over who is the rightful King. It is a bitter dispute between two sides of the same family, The House of York and The House of Lancaster.
The House of York's young and handsome Edward IV is crowned King of England with the help of the master manipulator, Lord Warwick "The Kingmaker." But when Edward falls in love with a beautiful Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick's plan to control the throne comes crashing down.
A violent, high-stakes struggle ensues between Elizabeth, her most fierce adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville, the pawn in her father's power game - each woman vying for the crown.

From the Blog

Anne Boleyn: From Queen to History

I have recently finished watching the BBC series ‘The White Queen’ and thought I would take a moment to write down my thoughts and feelings about the show. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and have to say that I thought it was brilliantly presented. As a lover of Tudor history I was quite sketchy about the ins and outs of what happened before Henry Tudor came to the throne as King. Obviously I knew a little about Elizabeth of York and her mother Elizabeth Woodville. I knew of King Edward IV and his brothers and of course the infamous Lady Margaret Beaufort but the happenings at court, what events and battles lead to Henry Tudor becoming King I was not very familiar with.

This series really opened my eyes and gave me a wonderful lesson about the events of King Edward IV’s life and his legacy. Saying that I realise that a great deal of what happened in the TV show was FICTION – events and details were either made up or embellished. For example: the whole idea that Lady Margaret Beaufort was in love with her brother in law, or that George of Clarence was drowned in a barrel of wine… these are rumours that have been passed down through history and if they are true or not we simply do not know. All we know is that there is no evidence that these events happened. I think many of the details in the show were exaggerated or built upon because quite simply it is a television show designed for ENTERTAINMENT. Personally I think history is fascinating and compelling enough without having to spice up the details, but the TV producers clearly thought that it needed more!

I think – as with watching all shows based on books or history – you have to take the events and then go and explore and research. For me each episode took me about an hour and a half to watch as every few minutes I paused and went off and did some reading and research to see if the person, the action, the event etc. etc. was truth or fiction! A little crazy but I am the type of person that is obsessed with details and I like to know the difference between truth and fiction! This is a TV show designed for entertainment, what we see isn’t always going to be reality and it’s up to the audience to go find out the facts for themselves.

Saying that I thought there was quite a bit of reality in the show and many of the events portrayed did actually happen. I think the show did a wonderful job of bringing this period of history to the forefront and hopefully introduced a wide audience to a fascinating period in history. I hope that people will come away from the show wanting to learn more.

I also thought the show did a marvellous job of bringing to life these men and women that lived and died over five hundred years ago. We often read about them in books or hear about them yet to us in modern times they are just people that existed a long time ago. Yet they were real people, they did live and breathe, they did have thoughts, feelings and emotions. They loved, they laughed, they lost and they grieved. They were very much real and I thought the series did an absolutely amazing job of bringing that to the forefront – to show the humanity of these people and remind us the audience that they were very much real.

What I thoroughly enjoyed was seeing Richard, Duke of Gloucester as a person, a man with emotions, feelings and a heart. I have read a little about Richard III and it has always been in quite a negative light – I felt the series did a great job of showing the type of man that he might have been. We see him at court when his brother Edward IV is King. We see him supporting his brother, falling in love and trying to do what he believes to be right. I noticed that often he was dressed in light coloured clothing or shown with a light on his face, yet as the episodes progressed his clothing darkened and we often saw him in the shadows. It was a very interesting progression to watch him turn from a Duke into Lord Protector and then into King. Honestly I felt a little sad for him when he was killed – right or wrong, he was a man who loved and lost.

Speaking of the costumes and lighting – the costumes and cinematography of the show were absolutely breathtaking and I feel one of the highlights of the series. The costumes were just stunning and although perhaps not necessarily always accurate they were very beautiful and I loved the detail that went into them. The scenery was just spectacular and for me really made this show what it was. From watching the sunset with its orange and yellow tones through the reeds of the river to the stark contrast of the white snow upon the dark ground, every part of this show was just stunning to watch.

I also thought the actors and actresses were brilliant. The men and women of the show were amazingly attractive and let’s just be honest – that certainly helped the watching! It is a shame that the true men and women of the time wouldn’t have been quite attractive – after all they didn’t have the luxuries of modern technology and hygiene to keep them looking so dashing! They all did a magnificent job of bringing each man and woman to the screen and giving life and depth to these people that really did live so many centuries ago. I especially enjoyed Aneurin Barnard's portrayal of Richard III and thought he gave a great depth and warmth to a man that is often seen as quite cruel and harsh.

In regards to who killed the Princes in the Tower... I thought the show did a marvellous job of leading the audience on and then not giving any answers! As in real life we simply do not know how the Princes met their end. We do not know if it was Richard III who ordered their death, or if it was the Duke of Buckingham. It could have been done on Margaret Beafort's orders or even by Henry Tudor - we simply do not know. One side will tell you one thing while another will say the opposite, unfortunatly it is a mystery and until some new piece of evidence arises we may never know. I loved how the show lead us in several directions of who it could be but never really answered the question... very clever!

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I thought it was a wonderfully presented piece of television that gave a real life element to these men and women that lived over five hundred years ago. I found myself laughing, crying and being drawn into the lives of these fascinating people. As most shows there were elements that were made up and I hope that people do not take everything they saw portrayed on the show as absolute fact. I hope that people will have enjoyed the show and take from it an interest and desire to read and learn more about this period of history - I certainly know I have!

Here is the link to the BBC One website: The White Queen