Edward IV of England

In May 1464, Edward IV secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of a Lancastrian soldier. The couple had ten children together, seven of whom survived him.

In early 1480s, he fell ill and his health deteriorated overtime. He died on April 9, 1483, and was buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

After his death, the marriage was declared illegal by Parliament in 1483. As a result, all his children were deemed illegitimate, thus clearing the way for Richard III to ascend throne.

Edward IV was born on April 28, 1442, at Rouen, Normandy, France, to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and his wife, Cecily Neville. He was the second son of the couple and eldest of the four sons who survived to adulthood.

Edward’s father routed the first battle of the conflict against the Lancastrians which became known as the ‘Wars of the Roses’. His claim to the crown in 1460 was the key escalation of this war and after his death, the claim to the throne of England was passed to his son, Edward.

After the Lancastrians were defeated following a succession of battles, the Yorkish forces captured King Henry VI and held him as a prisoner. Although Henry VI was freed from captivity after several attempts by the Lancastrian forces, they surrendered their remaining legitimacy of the English throne to the Yorkists.

In March 1461, Edward was declared the King of England. Over the years, he strengthened his claim to the throne by nearly smearing out the Lancastrian army.

In 1464, the defeat of the Lancastrians and the obliteration of their army in the ‘Battle of Hexham’ marked the end of their conflict with the Yorks.

Upon ascending the throne, his cousin Richard Neville, The Earl of Warwick, who helped him win the battle against Lancastrians, wanted to rule England through him. Richard, therefore, pushed him to enter into a marital alliance with a major European power by marrying King Louis XI’s daughters.

Edward IV defied him by marrying Elizabeth Woodville, an episode which instigated resentment in Richard and turned his intentions towards treachery. Subsequently, with aid from Edward's disaffected younger brother George, Duke of Clarence, Richard led an army against the King. In July 1469, the King's army was defeated at the ‘Battle of Edgecote Moor’ and Edward was captured.

Thereafter, Richard made an unsuccessful attempt to rule in Edward's name but due to the nobility of many people who held their allegiance towards the King, Richard was forced to release Edward in September 1469.

Edward IV crushed the House of Lancaster and restored law and order in England. His reign was by and large peaceful and kingdom attained prosperity under his rule.