Lord Montague

Lord Montague is Margaret Pole’s son, a member of an extensively intermarried Plantagenet family, and a nobleman whose position at Henry VIII’s side does not determine where his loyalty lies. As the king’s conflict with Queen Katherine and Princess Mary Tudor widens into a struggle over the Church and the succession, Montague moves from guarded dissent to a plan for coordinated resistance. His story shows how kinship could serve as both a political resource and a reason for royal suspicion.

Identity and Family Position

Montague belongs to a network of cousins and in-laws bound together through marriage, shared households, and political allegiance. Margaret describes the Plantagenets as spread throughout England, while the family’s many ties make it a powerful collective presence. Montague himself is married to a daughter of George Neville; his sister Ursula is married to the duke’s son. His sons were raised in the household of George Neville, whose daughter is Montague’s wife. These connections join land, wealth, and influence, but the same interdependence can be recast by hostile observers as evidence of faction or conspiracy.

The family’s political significance is established early through the contrast between Plantagenet service and Tudor rule. Edmund de la Pole is presented as a loyal Plantagenet at the heart of the royal circle, while Margaret later identifies Montague among the relatives who could be drawn into the court’s increasingly dangerous conflicts. The family’s breadth gives it potential influence beyond any single household; it also makes each member’s choices consequential to the others.

Position at Court and Divided Loyalty

Montague travels with Henry VIII and holds a place at the king’s side, yet Margaret says that his loyalty remains with Queen Katherine. His public service and private allegiance therefore pull in different directions. That tension becomes acute as the king’s efforts to annul his marriage threaten Katherine’s position and Princess Mary Tudor’s inheritance.

When Lord Thomas Darcy asks whether Montague and Geoffrey will speak against the proposed effort to bring the marriage case before Parliament and disinherit the princess, Margaret admits that she agrees with Darcy but is afraid to let her sons speak out. Montague’s political caution is not indifference: it is the danger attached to making opposition visible. Later, however, he tells Margaret that he is commanded to go with the king and that the family must act. The movement from silence to action follows the deepening threat to the queen and princess.

Montague also explains the political forces shaping the king’s choices. He believes Henry VIII is drawn to Anne Boleyn’s isolation and perceived difference, and he sees the public advancement of Henry FitzRoy as a sign that the king may set Princess Mary Tudor aside. In his account, the question is not merely personal or marital: the king’s conduct threatens both the queen and the established succession.

A Plan to Appeal Beyond the Court

Montague proposes using his journey with the king to create a channel of communication with Reginald Pole. Geoffrey would travel in Montague’s household to Calais, then slip away to meet his brother. From there, he could report on supporters and kinsmen in England, carry a message to the Pope, and deliver a letter for Queen Katherine to her nephew, the King of Spain. Montague hopes a decisive papal ruling against Henry VIII would compel the king to take Katherine back and halt the crisis.

The plan rests on coordinated action rather than a solitary challenge. Montague argues that Geoffrey cannot accomplish the mission alone, but that they can act together as the Plantagenet family. He casts their effort as an attempt to bring the king back to what he regards as his proper course, not simply to oppose the monarch. Margaret’s personal history with Henry VIII reinforces the conflict: she once taught him to walk and feels bound by affection and promises to protect his family, even as she believes his decisions are destroying his inheritance and honor.

Montague’s proposed coalition is extensive, but the account distinguishes expectation from settled allegiance. He lists the Courtenays and supporters in the west, Arthur Plantagenet in Calais, the Staffords and Nevilles, possible support from Charles Brandon, church lands and their tenants, Wales, the north, Kent, and the Percys. He also names Lord Thomas Darcy, Lord John Hussey, and the old Warwick affinity. Montague says he has taken care in approaching potential allies: he has spoken to Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle, and reports that other people have come to him or spoken with the Spanish ambassador. These are signs of a developing network, not proof that every person or region has committed to a rising.

Church, Succession, and Political Consequences

Montague’s account of the Church’s submission to Henry VIII marks a decisive change in the conflict. He tells Margaret and Princess Mary Tudor that the Church has surrendered, that the Pope is to be disregarded in England, and that the king will rule the Church himself. He also reports that Thomas More has resigned as Lord Chancellor and returned the seal of office. Princess Mary Tudor understands the news as a seizure of the Church’s wealth, laws, and courts, and Montague does not contradict her. His report makes plain that the dispute has expanded beyond the queen’s marriage into a contest over who holds authority in England.

The oath of succession brings that conflict into a personal test. At Westminster Palace, Thomas Cromwell administers the oath to the nobility, while Margaret recalls that the Pope has ruled Queen Katherine’s marriage valid. Henry VIII nevertheless claims authority to define his marriage, Anne Boleyn’s status, and the princess’s standing. Montague’s earlier efforts to protect Katherine and Mary thus meet a political order in which royal declarations and parliamentary action increasingly challenge the authority of Rome and individual conscience.

Montague’s importance lies in the combination of his position and his choices: he is close enough to the king to travel in his company, connected enough to imagine a broad alliance, and loyal enough to Katherine and Mary to risk turning family ties into political opposition. The evidence ends with this resistance taking shape—through reports, proposed messages, and appeals for collective action—without establishing the outcome of Montague’s plan.