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You are here: UK History > Royal History > House of York > Edward IV | The War of the Roses and the Start of
The War of the Roses, aka The Cousin’s War was a civil war that was the inspiration behind the ever popular Game of Thrones. It was fought between warring cousins, started by Henry Bolingbroke, the Duke of Lancaster, who usurped the reigning king. Over the following years, Bolingbroke’s descendants had their claim to the throne threatened by the family of the Duke of York, who believed themselves to be the rightful monarchs. One of the central figures was Edward, the Earl of March, who would later be known as Edward IV and Henry VI, who was the reigning king.
Born: 28th April 1442, Roeun, France
Died: 9th April 1483 (aged 40) Westminster
Reign: 4th March 1461 – 3rd October 147...Read More
The War of the Roses, aka The Cousin’s War was a civil war that was the inspiration behind the ever popular Game of Thrones. It was fought between warring cousins, started by Henry Bolingbroke, the Duke of Lancaster, who usurped the reigning king. Over the following years, Bolingbroke’s descendants had their claim to the throne threatened by the family of the Duke of York, who believed themselves to be the rightful monarchs. One of the central figures was Edward, the Earl of March, who would later be known as Edward IV and Henry VI, who was the reigning king.
Born: 28th April 1442, Roeun, France
Died: 9th April 1483 (aged 40) Westminster
Reign: 4th March 1461 – 3rd October 1470 and then again 11th April 1471 – 9th April 1483
Parents: Richard Duke of York and Cecily Neville
Predecessor: Henry VI (cousin)
Successor: Henry VI (cousin, first time), Edward V (son, second time)
Spouse: Elizabeth Woodville
Children: Elizabeth of York; Cecily, Viscountess Welles; Edward V; Richard, Duke of York; Anne, Lady Howard; George, Duke of Bedford; Catherine, Countess of Devon; Arthur, Viscount Lisle (illegitimate).
Royal House: Plantagenet, York branch
Born on 28th April 1442, Edward grew up surrounded by the nobility as a member of the royal family. He was the eldest surviving son of Richard the Duke of York and Cecily Neville, a noble woman, and until inheriting the Dukedom, was known as the Earl of March. Both his parents were direct descendants of Edward III, giving the family a strong claim to the throne. His father was also the cousin of the king – Henry VI. Prior to the birth of Henry’s son, confusingly, also called Edward and known as Edward of Westminster, the Earl of March (this Edward) was in the line of succession as, after the king’s period of mental instability, his father Richard was named Heir Apparent. The birth of Edward of Westminster and the continuing unpopularity of Henry VI caused several nobles to suggest the Yorks as being viable alternatives, something that Edward's father, the Duke of York used to his advantage.
Image: Edward IV
Edward, the Earl of March, was born at Rouen in Normandy and spent his early years there, as his father was the governor. After his father, Richard of York, was replaced as governor, the family relocated to Ludlow Castle, in Shropshire, where the Yorks were the predominant landowner. There was a hint of scandal about the family, with rumours of illegtimacy, as Edward, his brother George (the Duke of Clarence) and his sister Margaret (Duchess of Burgundy) all resembled each other closely, being tall and blonde, while their father on the other hand was short and dark in appearance, as was their youngest brother, who would later become Richard III.
After spending some time in England, Edward's father became the Chief Governor of Ireland and then, when the king suffered an episode of mental ill health, he took over the English government, running the country on behalf of the monarch. It was this that really began the conflict between the York and Lancaster families. The nobles insisted that the Duke of York be named as heir to the throne and many subjects thought York to be a favourable alternative to an increasingly more unstable king. However, the birth of King Henry’s son, Edward of Westminster, changed the line of succession. This caused in-fighting among the nobles, who were concerned that Henry's mental health issues would pass to his son.
A battle broke out, and the Yorks, including the Duke of York, Edward, (as in the future King Edward IV) and another of the York siblings, Edmund, fled to Ireland.
Over the next few years, a series of battles between the various factions of the Royal family took place.
Edward's father, the Duke of York was killed at The Battle of Wakefield, leaving him to inherit the Dukedom, making him the new Duke of York.
Perhaps the worst of the fighting throughout the War of the Roses, was the Battle of Towton. Believed to be one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on English soil, the battle took place in the middle of a violent snow storm, which was somewhat reminiscent of King Henry's own coronation. The battle ended with a Yorkist victory and King Henry being captured and imprisoned. Edward took control of the country, naming himself as Edward IV and assuming the throne.
With Henry in the Tower of London, Edward’s reign began in 1461, lasting until 1470, when Henry was freed and reinstated and then again from 1471 until his death in 1483 after another victory for the Yorks.
Historians describe Edward as an absolute monarch, who ruled without protest from the people, mostly because he didn’t tax them – instead choosing to fund the country from taking money from the Lancastrians that he defeated. His reign was mostly peaceful until 1470 when the former king's wife, Margaret, decided to amass her own army. The battles that ensued saw the Lancastrians victorious, Henry was freed and reinstated as King, while Edward fled the country, taking refuge in Flanders. A year later, with a new army of his own, Edward invaded England and the resulting battle, the Battle of Teksbury, saw Henry's son, Edward of Westminster, dying admist the battle. It is said that it was this that caused King Henry's eventual demise, though another popular theory is that Edward had him killed to avoid any more fights over his right to rule. Henry's death saw Edward being crowned once again, ruling as Edward IV. He spent the next 12 years in relative peace, as the only remaining Lancastrian claiment, a young Henry Tudor, was exiled in France.
In contrast to Henry VI, who was deemed to be ineffective and besieged with health issues, Edward was considered to be a competent ruler. His court has been described by historians as being the most splendid in all of Christendom. Not surprising, as he had an eye for style and was known to have a collection of jewels and fine clothes. Edward had an interest in history and scholarship and took to decorating his royal residences with books. In fact, books were so important to him, that it is noted that he had a Yeoman of the Guard simply to look after them. It is thought that at least forty books from his personal library are still in existence and can be found at the British Library in London.
He preferred to spend the majority of his time as King at Eltham Palace, in which he invested heavily. Eltham Palace is thought to have been the family home, where he somewhat unusually, spent a lot of time with his wife and children. Historians believe that unlike many monarchs, and indeed, noble born men of his time, Edward chose a love match rather than an advantageous one. He was supposed to marry Anne of France as a way of legitimising his claim to the English throne, but instead chose to marry Elizabeth Woodville, who was not only the widow of a Lancastrian that had died at the Battle of Towton but had two sons from that marriage. Contemporaries at the time also claimed that she was descended from witches and that she had bewitched Edward into the match. Of course, witchcraft didn't really play a part in their marriage, but her not being of noble birth, unlike his other potential matches did little to garner support for the match.
At the time, it was viewed as an unwise and unusual marriage, though not unheard of, after all, Henry VI’s mother married someone who wasn’t noble. The true reasoning for the marriage continues to be debated, with historians arguing over whether it was one of love or one of cunning by gaining some kinship with the remaining Lancastrians. Either way, the pair went on to have ten children, seven of whom outlived Edward, he also had a number of mistresses and acknowledged several of his illegitimate children, including Elizabeth Plantagenet, Arthur Plantagenet and Grace Plantagenet.
Aside from being a key player in the War of the Roses, Edward IV is remembered for another enduring legacy – the Black Book. During his reign, Edward had his staff create the Black Book, which featured a comprehensive review of government finances, something that remained in use a century later. Much like his father, who had stepped in to help the country’s finances during Henry VI’s periods of illness, Edward was keen to keep the country economically viable. He invested heavily in the city of London and transferred the Duchy of Lancaster into ownership of the crown, where it remains to this day.
Edward died suddenly in April 1483. He had previously named his eldest son, also Edward, his heir. The young prince had been made Prince of Wales at seven months old and had his own household by the age of three, which was supervised by his maternal uncle, Anthony Woodville. He was just 12 at the time of his succession.
Because of his young age, his paternal uncle Richard, the youngest brother of Edward IV, was named Lord Protector. Whether Richard had his nephew's best interests at heart or whether he was planning on furthering his own agenda continues to be a topic of debate. What we do know is that he accompanied the 12 year old Edward to London for his coronation along with several members of the new king's household and a number of Woodville relatives, including his older half brothers. During the journey, Richard, exercising his power as Lord Protector, had two of the men in their group executed on grounds of treason and moved his nephew into the royal rooms at the Tower of London, supposedly for his own protection. It should be noted that the Tower of London at the time was a royal residence and many monarchs spent time there prior to their coronation. Unlike others though, young Edward never left. Once he had been installed in the Tower, Richard had Anthony Woodville arrested, executed other members of the Woodville family and took the new Duke of York, his brother's younger son, also a Richard, then aged 10, with him to London, where he was also deposited in the Tower.
Interestingly, Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of Edward IV, took her remaining children to Westminster, where she claimed sanctuary at the abbey and where they remained for some time. Over the course of the year, Richard moved into his brother's former home and declared the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville to be invalid, something that resulted in all Edward's children being considered illegitimate. This paved the way fot Richard to crown himself king. After being declared illegitimate, the boys in the Tower were moved out of the royal rooms into less comfortable quarters, and were never seen again.
General consensus is that they were killed, either personally by their uncle, or in his orders to eliminate them as potential claiments, though there are several theories as to what actually happened to them. Some believe they were killed on the orders of Henry Tudor, who would go on to usurp the crown from Richard and would have wanted to avoid having to also defend the crown against Edward IV's children. Others believe that one or both boys were smuggled out of the Tower, with at least one of them being sent to live with their aunt, Margaret of Burgandy. There certainly were claiments during Henry Tudor's reign, who were assumed to be the missing princes.
Whatever happened to the princes has never been truly explained, though two bodies of young children, believed to be the Edward V and his brother, were discovered in 1674 when work was being done on the Tower. They have never been proven to be the princes, though King Charles did arrange for them to be buried in the royal vault.
Baynard's Castle London
Edward was declared king here, the site is now known as Baynard's House.
Barnet, London
The Battle of Barnet took place here. There is a monument at Monken Hadley, which is known as the Hadley Highstone.
British Library, London
You can find books from Edward's personal collection here.
Eltham Palace, London
The favoured residence of Edward and his family.
Lead, St Mary's Church, Yorkshire
Within sight of the church, the Battle of Towton took place between Edward and his army and the Lancastrian forces led by the Duke of Somerset.
Middleham Castle, Yorkshire
The home of Richard Neville, also known as the King Maker. He cared for the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, the younger brothers of Edward IV after the death of their father, the Duke of York. Edward was held prisoner there after his second defeat by Henry VI and the Duke of Gloucester, who would become Richard III, met and married his wife there.
Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire
The Battle of Tekesbury which cemented Edward’s claim to the throne took place on the abbey’s doorstep. The abbey’s doorway features a design made from the armour of fallen soldiers.
Tower of London
Edward some time here before his coronation and created 28 new Knights of the Bath, which included his brother Richard at the same time. He had his other brother, George, the Duke of Clarence executed here.
Westminster Abbey, London
Edward had his coronation here in 1461 and his family sought refuge at the sanctuary here after his death.
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