Elizabeth Woodville
The lovely lady was on a mission. Elizabeth knew where and when the King would be hunting. She intercepted him with the express purpose of addressing her sons' inheritance.
Elizabeth (c. 1437-1492), had married Sir John Grey, probably in 1452. The union produced two sons.
John Grey fought on the side of the Lancastrians at the Second Battle of St. Albans on 17 February 1461, a devastating defeat for the future King Edward IV and his Yorkist allies. The unfortunate Sir John Grey lost his life in battle. A month later, at the 29 March 1461 Battle of Towton, Edward and the Yorkists regained the upper hand. Edward IV deprived Elizabeth's two boys of Bargate, the landholdings they should have inherited upon their father's death.
Never one to deny an attractive young woman, Edward IV paid close attention to her concerns. The charming widow, five years Edward's senior, played her hand well. Edward wanted Elizabeth to be his mistress. She refused and held out for marriage. On 1 May 1464, the couple secretly married. On Michaelmas Day, 29 October 1464, the newlyweds announced their matrimony to the world. Edward's mother, Cecily Neville, was not pleased, nor was his older cousin and supporter, Richard Neville (1428-1471), Earl of Warwick.
Elizabeth's two boys from her first marriage received their inheritance and their titles.
Warwick, the Kingmaker
Edward IV ruled England from mid-1461 through 1470, and then again from 1471 until his death in 1483. During Edward's early years, his older cousin, Richard, Earl of Warwick, was the power behind the throne. "Warwick the Kingmaker" was a sobriquet Richard did nothing to dispel. As Edward matured, he gained public support for his reign, built friendships, and asserted his independence from Warwick’s influence. At that time time Edward wed the lovely widow, Catherine Woodville, to the consternation of "the Kingmaker.” Margaret of Anjou, Queen Margaret, however, was not done, nor was the affronted Earl of Warwick. After the Lancaster defeat at Towton, Margaret, Henry VI, and their son retreated to Scotland. Margaret soon returned to France, where she instigated a failed French invasion of England in 1463. In 1465, once again thee Yorkists captured hapless Henry VI, and returned him to the Tower of London.
Battle of Edgecote Moor 26 July 1469
Edward lost faith in Warwick, his cousin; the Earl of Warwick lost his influence with the Royal Court. Edward's disaffected younger brother, George (1449-1478), Duke of Clarence, joined forces with the Earl of Warwick in an attempt to overthrow Edward IV. At the 1469 Battle of Edgecote Moor, the army of Warwick and Clarence defeated Edward's forces and captured the King. The Earl of Warwick attempted to rule in Edward IV's name as he had done in the beginning. That would not last. Edward regained his freedom in October 1469. The Earl of Warwick fled to France; there, he assembled a French force and invaded England with some success in September 1470.
Battle of Barnet 14 April 1471
Edward, and his youngest brother, Richard (1452-1485), Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III, fled to the Netherlands. For approximately six months, from September 1470 until March 1471, Warwick had Henry VI reinstated as King of England, with Warwick holding power in Henry's name. Margaret returned from France, gathered her Lancaster forces in an attempt to retake the Throne in Henry's name. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, returned to England and attacked the Lancaster forces commanded by the Earl of Warwick. The Duke of Gloucester and the Yorkist troops prevailed, Warwick lost his life in battle, and Henry was carried back to the Tower of London. Ironically, Margaret returned to England on 14 April 1471, the same day the Yorkists killed Warwick, and returned her husband to captivity at the Tower of London.
Battle of Tewksbury 4 May 1471
The Lancastrian defeat at Barnet and the death of Warwick weighed heavily on Queen Margaret. Were it not for the determination of her son, eighteen-year-old Edward, Prince of Wales, Margaret might have returned to France. Margaret paid a heavy price for her decision to continue. The Duke of Gloucester, with his brother, Edward IV, engaged Margaret's Lancaster forces a month later, on 4 May 1471. The Yorkist victory put an end to Lancastrian rule, once and for all. Prominent Lancastrian leaders either died in the conflict or were captured and executed shortly thereafter. The young Prince of Wales (Henry VI’s and Margaret's son) either died in battle at the hand of a murderer.
With Henry's heir apparent to the Throne eliminated, Henry was assassinated that night while he knelt in prayer at the Tower of London. Edward's rule, from his reinstatement in 1471 until his death in 1483, faced no serious political opposition. There was, however, one lingering issue Edward needed to address, the betrayal by his brother, George, Duke of Clarence. On 18 February 1478, quietly, and without fanfare, Edward had his brother executed at the Tower of London.
Edward stabilized the country that had been rocked by fifteen years of civil war. Edward adopted the motto modus et ordo, meaning method and order. He attended to the never-ending problem of royal finance. The King became more financially astute than previous rulers. He instituted a policy of law and order along the rebellious Welsh border. Edward became a respected businessman.
Next up: Edward IV - Part 3: All In The Family, sort of...
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