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Elizabeth Woodville

Queen consort of England

Years: 1437 - 1492

Elizabeth Woodville (also spelled Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile; c. 1437 – June 8, 1492) is Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483.

At the time of her birth, her family is mid-ranked in the English aristocracy.

Her first marriage is to a minor supporter of the House of Lancaster, Sir John Grey of Groby; he dies at the Second Battle of St Albans, leaving Elizabeth a widowed mother of two sons.

Her second marriage, to Edward IV, is a cause célèbre of the day, thanks to Elizabeth's great beauty and lack of great estates.

Edward is only the second king of England since the Norman Conquest to have married one of his subjects, and Elizabeth is the first such consort to be crowned queen.

Her marriage greatly enriches her siblings and children, but their advancement incurs the hostility of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, 'The Kingmaker', and his various alliances with the most senior figures in the increasingly divided royal family.

This hostility turns into open discord between King Edward and Warwick, leading to a battle of wills that finally results in Warwick switching allegiance to the Lancastrian cause.

Elizabeth remains politically influential even after her son, briefly proclaimed King Edward V of England, is deposed by her brother-in-law, Richard III, and she plays an important role in securing the accession of Henry VII to the throne in 1485, which ends the Wars of the Roses.

After 1485, however, she is forced to yield pre-minence to Henry's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and her influence on events in these years, and her eventual departure from court into retirement, remains obscure.

Woodville's twelve children include the Princes in the Tower and Elizabeth of York; by the latter she is maternal grandmother of Henry VIII and great-grandmother of King Edward VI and Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I of England, and the great-great-grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Through her daughter, Elizabeth of York, she is an ancestor of every English monarch since Henry VIII and every Scottish monarch since James V of Scotland.

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Northwest Europe (1468–1479 CE): Dynastic Turmoil and …

Northwest Europe (1468–1479 CE): Dynastic Turmoil and Cultural Renaissance

England: Wars of the Roses and Royal Turmoil

The Wars of the Roses escalated dramatically, driven by shifting allegiances and intermittent conflict. Initially secure, King Edward IV faced substantial setbacks, notably losing his throne briefly in 1470 due to the Lancastrian resurgence orchestrated by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, famously known as the "Kingmaker." Warwick temporarily restored the Lancastrian monarch Henry VI, but Edward IV decisively reclaimed power at the pivotal Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury in 1471, resulting in the deaths of Warwick and Edward of Westminster, Henry VI’s heir. Shortly thereafter, Henry VI himself perished under suspicious circumstances in the Tower of London, consolidating Edward IV’s reign. Yet Edward’s earlier secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville continued to alienate powerful supporters, leaving underlying tensions unresolved.

This period also saw profound cultural advancements with William Caxton, an English merchant and printer, establishing England’s first printing press in 1476 at Westminster. Caxton's press issued its first dated English printed work, Dictes or Sayenges of the Phylosophers (1477), marking a pivotal transformation in the spread and standardization of English literature. Concurrently, Sir Thomas Malory completed his seminal prose romance, Morte Darthur, around 1470, a text that vividly reimagined Arthurian legend and deeply influenced England’s literary culture.

Scotland: Cultural Flourishing Amid Internal Dissent

In Scotland, King James III grappled with ongoing internal dissent exacerbated by his favoritism towards low-born courtiers, causing substantial friction with traditional nobility. Despite political instability, the Scottish Renaissance flourished, driven by significant royal patronage of architecture and the arts. The period saw continued progress in literature and learning, enhancing Scotland’s distinctive cultural identity even amidst political turbulence.

Ireland: Consolidation of Gaelic Power

Gaelic influence significantly strengthened throughout Ireland. Powerful Irish dynasties, notably the Fitzgeralds and O'Neills, maintained substantial autonomy, vigorously opposing English authority beyond The Pale. The era marked a period of considerable cultural output, particularly in poetry and native Irish legal traditions, reinforcing Gaelic identity and pride despite repeated English attempts to assert greater control.

Scandinavia: Continued Kalmar Union Frictions

In Scandinavia, the Kalmar Union under Christian I faced persistent internal challenges, particularly from Sweden, which frequently contested Danish hegemony. Christian’s authority remained precarious, maintained primarily through diplomacy, marriage alliances, and occasional military actions to quell rebellions. The ongoing tensions within the union underscored its inherent fragility and presaged future conflicts.

Iceland: Cultural Preservation in Isolation

Iceland remained committed to preserving its unique literary heritage despite political marginalization and geographic isolation. Icelanders continued their diligent preservation of sagas and poetry, maintaining a vibrant cultural legacy central to their national identity. Manuscript production flourished, significantly contributing to the historical and literary richness of the region.

Cultural and Artistic Achievements

Northwest Europe experienced considerable artistic and intellectual advancement during this era. English composers, notably influenced by John Dunstaple, further refined polyphonic music through sophisticated harmonies, while ecclesiastical architecture, exemplified by developments at York Minster, increasingly reflected the distinctive Perpendicular Gothic style. This period also saw the proliferation of literary and poetic works, bolstered by the transformative impact of Caxton’s printing press, fundamentally changing literary dissemination and accessibility.

Legacy of the Era

By 1479 CE, Northwest Europe was deeply shaped by ongoing dynastic conflicts, significant cultural advancements, and enduring regional tensions. Edward IV temporarily stabilized England, Scotland advanced culturally amid internal discord, Ireland saw enhanced Gaelic authority, and the Kalmar Union navigated persistent internal challenges. These diverse dynamics collectively defined the social, political, and cultural landscapes of Northwest Europe, laying foundations that would profoundly influence subsequent historical developments.

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Edward IV and Warwick have fallen out, …

Edward IV and Warwick have fallen out, eight years after the great Yorkists' victory in battle of Towton, in which the Kingmaker had taken crucial part.

No longer exercising any control or even influence over his cousin, the King, in political matters, Warwick has by 1469 formed an alliance with Edward's jealous and treacherous brother George, who marries Isabel Neville in defiance of Edward's wishes in Calais.

The Duke of Clarence is heir to the English throne while the king has no male offspring.

Small rebellions in the North send the King on a slow march in that direction.

With the King's back turned, Warwick's agents spread rumors stating that the King had been bastard-born and that Clarence is York's true heir.

In the North, one of Warwick's captains, calling himself Robin of Redesdale (probably a trusted Neville captain, Sir William Conyers) starts a new rebellion.

When Edward hears of this he believes the rebellion will easily be put down and musters only a few of his men.

He soon learns that the rebels in fact outnumber his own small force, and starts a retreat towards Nottingham to gather more recruits.

Unfortunately the King lacks the popularity he once had and reinforcements are few.

Edward decides to wait in Nottingham for the Earls of Pembroke and Devon, arriving with an army from the south.

Warwick and Clarence on July 12 declare their support for the rebels.

Warwick leaves London on the 18th at the head of a large army to reinforce the rebels.

The rebels hurry south to meet with Warwick, bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor.

The two armies become aware of each other on July 25 and join in battle early in the morning of the 26th.

The beginning is a rather one-sided affair as the Earl of Devon and his Welsh archers are some miles away, having stayed the night in a neighboring village.

The rebels attack across the river, forcing Pembroke to retreat and pull his men back some distance.

Pembroke is attacked again in his new position, but he puts up a brave defense while awaiting Devon.

At one o'clock the Earl receives the news he has been waiting for: Devon is rapidly advancing with all his men.

However, at the same time the advance guard of Warwick's army arrives upon the field.

Rebel morale is instantly boosted.

Seeing Warwick's livery among the enemy, Pembroke's men presume his whole force of expert soldiers is upon them.

The royal army breaks and flees the field, possibly before Devon could even reinforce them.

The Earl of Pembroke and his brother Sir Richard Herbert are captured and executed the following day on Warwick’s order.

The Earl of Devon suffers a similar fate a few days later, captured by a mob at Bridgwater in Somerset, and executed on August 17.

The victory has been by no means bloodless; the rebels have lost Henry Neville, the eldest son and heir of George Neville, 1st Baron Latimer, Sir James Conyers, the son of their general (presumably "Robin of Redesdale"), Sir Oliver Dudley, the youngest son of John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, another of the Neville family group, and many more.