Funeral Effigies

For almost all of the early Plantagenets we have very little to go on in the way of portraiture.  Pictures of the Kings and Queens and their family were often stylized illuminations in manuscripts, or elaborate tomb carvings.  Neither of which was likely accurate in terms of how they looked.  However, there may be another clue in the carved wooden effigies used at their funerals.

State funerals for monarchs and members of royalty were even more elaborate in Medieval times than they are now, and a much more drawn out process.  A deceased person would have to be transported from where they died to their intended burial spot, then would like in state several days or even weeks while masses were said for their soul.  At that time, lying in state meant exactly that, a body or representation of a body lying on a bier with candles burning around them.  In the era before modern embalming techniques and depending on the condition of the corpse, a body could break down and begin to decay and stink quite rapidly after death.  What to do?

As part of the elaborate preparations made for such funerals, a wooden effigy of the deceased would be carved and laid over the casket containing the remains, or the bier if the casket and physical body weren't present.  These effigies could be made of either wood or wax.  However, wax in the presence of a number of wax candles burning could present a problem.  The effigy would be carved and painted to resemble the deceased, and either clothed in that person's garments and robes of state, or a portion of the clothing carved into the likeness.  Crowns or other jewelry could be added as needed.  Once the funeral was over and the coffin properly buried in the crypt, the effigy was sometimes saved for additional memorials later.  And, some of these effigies have managed to withstand the test of time and come down to us.

The most striking thing about these wooden effigies is how lifelike they look.  No doubt, the carvers tended to present the deceased in the best light possible.  Edward III died at age 64, but his effigy is hardly that of an old geezer, but a middle aged man.  Anne of Bohemia, Catherine of Valois and Elizabeth of York all look much younger.  And they were, even for those days.  Anne of Bohemia, whose wooden head has been preserved, was only 28 when she died.  Catherine of Valois, who survives as a nearly intact full-length image, was 35.  Elizabeth of York, whose head and partial torso remain intact, was 37.  Aside from a forensic reconstruction of their skulls, this is the closest we can come face to face with them today. 

Queen: Anne of Bohemia

Foreign brides faced an uphill battle with their husband's subjects.  They were expected to learn the customs of their new country and preside over court life while winning the hearts and minds of their new people, often while facing suspicion and disdain for being foreign.  Many of these women succeeded in their quest to win the respect and affection of their subjects, even if their husbands did not.

Anne of Bohemia (1366-1394) was born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now Czech Republic.  Her father was the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.  For many people, marriage with a daughter of such a powerful ruler would seem like a great prize, but the English were less than impressed when she was sought as a bride for the young king Richard II (1367-1400).  Her father's domains were too far away from England to make Bohemia a viable trading partner and Anne did not come with a dowry of money or land.  In fact, her father required Richard to pay for the honor of marrying her.  When Anne arrived in December, 1381, she was viewed with outright distaste by many contemporary chroniclers, one calling her a 'tiny scrap of humanity'.  She and Richard were married in Westminster Abbey in 1382, one of the last royal weddings to be held there for centuries, in part because it was seen as an ill-omened place to be married. 

Despite the misgivings, Richard and Anne fell in love with one another and were devoted to each others.  Prague was a fashionable place, at the height of a style of art and architecture known now as International Gothic.  Richard was known as a patron of the arts, including literature and architecture, and some of this influence may have been due to Anne.  They were married for 12 years before Anne's death at Sheen Palace in June, 1394.  During that time, Anne had become "good Queen Anne" to her subjects because of her frequent intercession with the King for criminals sentenced to do death for various offenses.  Only rarely was she refused when she interceded, often publicly, for someone's life.  She was also known for her charity to the poor, particularly pregnant women, since she apparently couldn't have children of her own for reasons unknown now.  Much of the troubles of Richard's reign happened after her death, indicating that she may have been a stabilizing influence on her husband.  He would marry again, but in 1400, when Richard died, he was buried next to Anne, their effigies carved so as to appear to be holding hands. 

A number of royal women are credited with bringing sidesaddle riding into England, including Katherine of Aragon, herself a Plantagenet descendant.  Anne is also believed to have introduced the practice of sidesaddle, or pillion riding into the country.  She also started a craze for the pointed hats that became a staple of storybook princesses everywhere, and to have introduced a type of carriage into England that was more comfortable for riding.  Artifacts connected with her include a crown now in the possession of the Wittelsbach family of Bavaria, and a wooden head that was part of her effigy during her funeral.