At one point, Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, appeared destined to become Queen of England. But accusations of sorcery, heresy and witchcraft eventually led to her downfall, turning her into the centre of one of the most notorious royal scandals in English history.

The case helped pave the way for the Wars of the Roses, a decades-long struggle for the English throne. Centuries later, a new historical novel has brought Eleanor’s controversial story back into the spotlight, raising questions about her ambitions, her alleged involvement in witchcraft and the political forces that brought her down.

Who Was Eleanor Cobham?

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham was the wife of Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester, who was widely regarded as a potential successor to the weak and childless King Henry VI.

Eleanor therefore had a strong possibility of becoming Queen of England. However, as her husband’s influence at the royal court began to decline, allegations emerged that she had turned to witchcraft to secure his succession to the throne.

The accusations resulted in a treason-related witchcraft trial, and Eleanor was convicted. The scandal created an opportunity for rival claimants to strengthen their positions in the struggle for royal power.

Author Philippa Gregory has revisited Eleanor’s life in her historical novel Royal Witch, presenting a new interpretation of a woman remembered for her beauty and ambition, but whose character remains disputed.

Some historians believe Eleanor, regarded as the first and only royal woman in England to be sentenced for witchcraft, was framed and used as a pawn in a political struggle. Gregory, however, portrays her as a ruthless and determined woman who attempted to shape her own destiny.

Gregory argues that Eleanor became consumed by the ambition to use witchcraft to bring about the king’s death and secure the English throne through her husband.

According to the novelist, Eleanor was different from many other women accused of witchcraft because she genuinely practised what was considered sorcery at the time.

Allegations of Witchcraft and a Royal Conspiracy

Even before the scandal erupted, Eleanor had attracted suspicion at court. She had previously served in the household of Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, and was accused of attracting the attention of the countess’s husband.

To her critics, Eleanor was an unscrupulous social climber whose luxurious and conspicuous lifestyle fuelled resentment. Some believed she needed to be reminded of her place in society.

Eleanor and Humphrey also had an interest in the supernatural, reflected in their extensive private library.

Rumours eventually reached the king’s council that Eleanor had conspired to predict the king’s death in the hope of advancing her own position. Other individuals allegedly involved included Margery Jourdemayne, known as the “Witch of Eye”, and the scholar and astrologer Roger Bolingbroke.

These allegations led to treason proceedings against Eleanor.

Were the Charges Fabricated?

Led by Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Humphrey’s uncle and leading political rival, the authorities brought 18 charges against Eleanor involving the summoning of spirits to obtain hidden knowledge, heresy and witchcraft.

The accusations included obtaining magical potions, commissioning astrological predictions about the king’s death and arranging for a wax effigy of the king to be made in an alleged attempt to cause him fatal harm.

Eleanor may have admitted obtaining love and fertility potions from Margery Jourdemayne in an attempt to avoid the more serious treason accusations and present her activities as being confined to private domestic matters.

Many historians believe the charges were fabricated or politically motivated.

In her 2019 book Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville, Gemma Hollman writes that consulting astrologers for predictions to guide important decisions was not unusual, even among royal families.

Hollman also notes that if Eleanor did use love or fertility potions in the hope of having children, she was not necessarily different from many women of her era facing similar circumstances.

Dr Euan Roger, an expert in records held by The National Archives and a historian of the late medieval and Tudor periods, has also argued that Eleanor’s story contains a tragic dimension.

Speaking to the BBC, Roger suggested that Eleanor’s desire to have children may have led her to use practices that were regarded as witchcraft in her time.

According to Roger, the allegation that she had used a love potion gave the royal council a pretext to end her marriage to a man considered a potential heir to the throne. The treason accusations also damaged her husband’s political standing.

Roger described the allegations as part of a character-assassination campaign.

Eleanor was viewed as a weakness in her husband’s political position. Her well-known interest in supernatural practices, Roger argues, was used by members of the council as a means of targeting Humphrey.

He also questioned the reliability of the evidence presented against her.

Much of the evidence came from Roger Bolingbroke’s confession, which may have been publicised to implicate Eleanor. Roger considers it highly likely that Bolingbroke was subjected to torture behind the scenes.

Eleanor Cobham’s Trial: A Different Interpretation

In Royal Witch, Gregory portrays Eleanor not merely as a figure caught up in a conspiracy but as an active force driving events.

In one scene, Eleanor personally carves the king’s likeness into a wax figure and places it alongside clippings of his curly black hair.

Gregory’s novel presents Eleanor as seeking to use magic for more than simply having a child. Her ambitions extend to acquiring a king, saving the country and the royal family, and elevating her own status.

Gregory believes the case against Eleanor was strong. She told the BBC that there was considerable evidence of practices that would have been regarded as witchcraft and possibly devil worship during that period.

She also points out that Roger Bolingbroke never withdrew his confession and argues that the accused did not strongly enough protest their innocence.

For Gregory, Eleanor’s trial was not an ordinary witchcraft case. Eleanor was at the height of her success: a royal duchess who enjoyed the king’s favour and stood close to the line of succession.

Gregory argues that Eleanor possessed extraordinary power and influence, and that someone would have needed compelling evidence to take action against her.

In her novel, Eleanor is portrayed as a decisive woman with formidable ambitions who built her own life.

One passage presents her as wanting a title, wealth and land of her own, rather than relying on a man to secure them for her. Although she would prefer to share that success with a man she loved, she did not want him to be responsible for achieving it on her behalf.

The novel depicts Eleanor, described by a 15th-century chronicler as exceptionally beautiful and charming, as someone who used her influence over men while concealing her intelligence when it suited her.

In one scene, she goes riding to attract the attention of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, deliberately presenting herself as less capable than she really is.

Eleanor explains that although she is an accomplished horsewoman, appearing delicate and vulnerable can encourage men to display their chivalry and offer assistance.

According to Gregory, Eleanor adopted a similar strategy during her trial, presenting herself as a frightened woman who was as innocent as a young girl.

The novel also portrays Eleanor as a driving force behind her husband's political ambitions.

This characterisation recalls William Shakespeare’s historical play Henry VI, Part II, in which Eleanor encourages Humphrey to reach for the crown and pursue royal power.

An Ambitious Woman Brought Down by Politics

Some historians argue that Eleanor’s ambition and achievements do not rule out the possibility that she was framed.

In his influential 1969 article, The Trial of Eleanor Cobham, medieval historian Ralph Griffiths argued that Eleanor’s ambitions ultimately contributed to her destruction. Her interest in witchcraft and necromancy became politically dangerous when combined with her desire for power, allowing her opponents to portray those interests as acts of treason.

Dr Euan Roger appears to share this interpretation, suggesting that the case was largely about bringing down an ambitious woman.

He also points to later examples involving Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, who were surrounded by similar rumours of witchcraft.

In Roger’s view, such accusations had increasingly become an effective political weapon against aristocratic women.

Public Humiliation and Brutal Punishments

If Eleanor’s trial was indeed fabricated, the punishments imposed during the scandal were particularly harsh and humiliating.

Roger Bolingbroke was brought onto a public stage, where he was made to wear a paper crown. Seated among the supposedly magical instruments he had allegedly used in his practices, he was forced to repent publicly for his “erroneous beliefs”.

A few months later, he was hanged. After his death, his body was dismembered, and his head was displayed on London Bridge.

Margery Jourdemayne was burned alive.

The Church, which worked alongside the royal council in Eleanor’s prosecution, also sought to make an example of the duchess.

Before being sentenced to life imprisonment, Eleanor was forced to undergo three days of public penance.

Barefoot, wearing only a light garment and carrying a candle, she was made to walk through London’s busiest marketplaces during peak hours. The public humiliation was intended to disgrace her and serve as a warning to others.

Despite the degrading treatment she endured, Gregory does not portray Eleanor simply as a helpless victim. In her novel, Eleanor’s intelligence and courage continue to impress readers even during her imprisonment.

Gregory argues that the familiar image of women as powerless and silent victims is not necessarily historically accurate. She believes Victorian-era ideas about women have often been projected onto the entire past, overlooking countless women who were active, ambitious and influential.

How Eleanor Cobham’s Trial Shaped English History

Whether Eleanor genuinely practised witchcraft or her activities were deliberately exaggerated, the case played a role in shaping English political history.

The extraordinary prosecution of an aristocratic woman highlighted the potential for legal proceedings to be used against powerful individuals. The case also became part of the historical background of legal developments that were later used against Anne Boleyn to facilitate Henry VIII’s remarriage.

The accusations against Eleanor, and the damage they caused to Humphrey’s reputation, weakened the House of Lancaster. This strengthened the rival House of York and helped create the conditions that eventually led to the Wars of the Roses.

The conflict lasted around three decades and became a bloody civil war fought over control of the English throne.

Gregory admits that she feels some regret that Eleanor’s political ambitions were never realised.

The novelist believes Eleanor might have made a good queen, pointing to her ability to manage her public image and her experience of international disputes.

Although Gregory describes Eleanor as self-centred and excessively confident, she suggests that such qualities may have been necessary for a woman seeking to become a queen in the medieval world.

In the closing note of Royal Witch, Gregory writes that she admires a woman who can confront the darkness within herself without fearing it or apologising for it.

Eleanor Cobham’s story therefore remains a compelling mixture of ambition, power, alleged witchcraft and political intrigue. More than five centuries later, the debate continues over whether she was a dangerous conspirator, a woman ahead of her time, or an ambitious royal figure destroyed by those who feared her influence.