Edward IV, King of England

Richard, duke of York, made a serious challenge for the throne of England during the reign of the ineffectual Lancastrian Henry VI but was killed at the battle of Wakefield in December 1460. His cause was taken up by his eldest surviving son Edward, earl of March (b. 1442–d. 1483). Thereafter, Edward made gains against the Lancastrian forces and secured the throne in March 1461, with Richard Neville, earl of Warwick (known as “Warwick the Kingmaker”) as his right-hand man. In 1464 he defied Warwick’s plan for a French dynastic marriage by taking as his bride the widowed mother of two who is generally known by her maiden name, Elizabeth Woodville. She produced a large number of children for her second husband, but they were still young at the time of Edward’s death. Her natal family, on the other hand, took full advantage of her illustrious position, causing much resentment among the men who regarded themselves as the king’s natural counselors. His brother George, duke of Clarence, married Warwick’s daughter Isabel in 1469; together Warwick and Clarence rebelled against Edward’s rule, forcing him to flee to the Low Countries and bringing back Henry VI as their puppet monarch in 1470–1471, the period known as the “readeption.” Edward returned and defeated the rebels at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, Warwick dying at the former. The temporary loss of his kingdom effectively taught Edward how to be a king, and his second reign was characterized by assertions of his power, both at home and against neighboring realms. Edward’s story has been told many times and in various genres, some of which appear here as Reference Works and Overviews. So many relevant Primary Sources exist that it is useful to consult Collections and Guides to them before delving into modern editions, which are here categorized as the Government (and Its Critics) and Letters and Chronicles. The biographical format (Lives and Times) is also popular for telling the story of 15th-century England, necessitating another artificial division, this time between the King himself, Yorkists, and Lancastrians. With regard to the King and His Subjects, the division is between Government, the English Regions, and Wales and Ireland, though in all cases Edward was obliged to rule through magnates and their power bases. Edward’s foreign relations are accounted for in the section on Popes and Princes. Culture is self-explanatory. Studies of all these areas can be found in Collections of Papers and Journals. The final section, Afterlives, is shorter than it would be for Edward’s youngest brother, Richard III, but demonstrates that he has not been immune to the attentions of poets and playwrights.

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