Edward, the son of Richard,
duke of York and Cicely Neville, was born in Rouen, France, in 1442.
Richard, Duke of York was killed during the Wars
of the Roses, so when Henry
VI and his forces
were defeated in 1461, Edward was crowned king. With the support of
his cousin, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Edward defeated the
Lancastrians at Towton.
Edward had difficulty keeping
the support of his nobles. They were particularly upset by his decision
to marry Elizabeth Woodville without
first seeking their advice. The nobles objected to Elizabeth because
she did not have royal blood and was the widow of a Lancastrian knight.
In 1470 the Earl of Warwick
forced Edward into exile and put Henry
VI back on the
throne. The following year Edward returned and in April, Edward defeated
and killed the Earl of Warwick at Barnet. He destroyed the remaining
Lancastrian forces at Tewkesbury in May, 1471.
Once back in power, Edward
IV had Henry executed at the Tower of London.
Now firmly in control, Edward began to introduce a series of reforms.
Law and order were restored and corrupt local officials were punished.
Edward was determined to cut government expenditure and he gained
the support of Parliament when
he did not ask for any new taxes for several years.
Edward was also a patron
of the arts and gave considerable support and encouragement to the
first English book publisher, William Caxton.
Edward died in 1483. His son, Edward,
was only a child and it
was therefore decided that Richard,
Edward IV's brother, should became Protector of England, until Edward
was old enough to become king.
Elizabeth Woodville did
not trust Richard and called for a Regency Council to run the country.
Richard reacted by persuading Parliament that Edward
IV had not been legally married to Elizabeth
Woodville, and therefore Prince Edward was not the true heir to
the throne. As Edward IV's only surviving brother, Richard claimed
the throne for himself.
Richard had Edward and
his younger brother, Richard, taken into custody. Soon rumours began
to circulate that Richard had arranged for his two nephews to be murdered.
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