Elizabeth Woodville

She had two sons from her first marriage with Sir John Grey and three sons including Edward V and seven daughters with King Edward IV of England.

On June 8, 1492 she died at Bermondsey Abbey and her funeral ceremony was held on June 12, 1492 at Windsor Castle. She lay to rest in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in the same chantry as Edward IV.

Elizabeth Woodville was born sometime around 1437, presumably in October in Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire as first born child of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

The secret marriage of her parents considered unequal socially with her father being a mere knight from a genteel family background and her mother a wealthy childless widow of John, Duke of Bedford, younger brother of King Henry V who ruled England till his death on August 31, 1422 , disparaged the court of England.

Although her parents were fined £1000, it was later remitted and on May 9, 1448, her father was created Baron Rivers by King Henry VI.

Elizabeth was married to Lancastrian knight and heir to Barony Ferrers of Groby Sir John Grey in 1452. He died in 1461 fighting at the Second Battle of St Albans.

March 29, 1461, witnessed the Battle of Towton during the English Wars of the Roses that resulted in the decisive victory of the Yorkists over the Lancastrians leading to the ascension of Edward, Duke of York as King Edward IV displacing King Henry VI.

Although the exact date of Elizabeth’s secret marriage with Edward IV is not known, it is conventionally regarded to have happened on May 1, 1964, in her Northamptonshire family house in the presence of her mother and two other ladies. On May 26, 1465, she was crowned the Queen.

Edward IV’s choice of marrying Elizabeth was however not taken well by the Privy Council and particularly by his cousin Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick whose support played an instrumental role in initial years of the former’s reign.

Secret marriage of Edward IV to a Lancastrian as also a commoner came as an embarrassment to Warwick who was meanwhile trying to negotiate an alliance with France to prevent such move by wife of Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, by planning Edward IV’s marriage with a French princess.

Elizabeth’s position as Queen Consort greatly aided her relatives in gaining high offices and titles. Her sister Catherine Woodville married Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, the 11 year old ward of King Edward IV, while three of her other sisters married sons of the earls of Essex, Pembroke and Kent.

With the death of Edward IV on April 9, 1483 and ascension of her 12-year old son Edward V to the throne, Elizabeth became queen dowager while Edward IV’s brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester became the Lord Protector.

The 86-day reign of the uncrowned Edward V was dominated by the influence of Gloucester who in pursuit of restricting power of Woodvilles arrested Elizabeth’s son Richard Grey and brother Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and later executed them.

An ardent Yorkist William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG who remained a close friend and significant courtier of late King Edward IV and who initially backed actions of Gloucester was summarily executed by Gloucester on June 13, 1483, with accusations of treason planned with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth meanwhile sought sanctuary with her daughters and younger son while Edward V was transferred to the Tower of London.

The ‘Titulus Regius’ act declared marriage of Edward IV and Elizabeth invalid and their children illegitimate thus barring them from throne. Gloucester was offered the throne who then replaced Edward V as King Richard III on June 26, 1483.