Edward IV
(1442-1483)
BIRTH
April 28, 1442
PLACE
Rouen, France
NAME
Edward of York
DEATH
April 9, 1483
PLACE
Westminster, England
FAMILY
FATHER
Richard of York
(1411-1460)
MOTHER
Cecily Neville
(1415-1495)
BROTHER
Richard III
(1452-1485)
WIFE
Elizabeth Woodville
(c. 1437-1492)
CHILDREN
Elizabeth of York
(1466-1503)
CHILDREN
Edward V
(1470-c. 1483)
HOMES
RELIGIOUS VIEWS
RELIGION NOT DOCUMENTED
DENOMINATION NOT DOCUMENTED
MEMBERSHIPS
AWARDS
Edward IV was the first Yorkist king of England, who seized the throne in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, lost it briefly in 1470, and regained it in 1471 with victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury. He was tall and handsome and was trained in arms from a young age. On March 29, 1461, he won the decisive Battle of Towton. He was a patron of the printer William Caxton. He died at Westminster on April 9, 1483, leaving his young sons, the Princes in the Tower.
EARLY LIFE
Edward was born on April 28, 1442, at Rouen, in Normandy, the eldest surviving son of Richard, Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. He spent much of his childhood at Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marches. He was tall and handsome and was trained in arms from a young age. As Earl of March he joined his father's struggle against the government of Henry VI. When his father was killed at Wakefield in December 1460, Edward, then eighteen, became head of the Yorkist cause.
Edward IV secured the Yorkist crown through military success during the Wars of the Roses. After his father Richard, Duke of York, was killed in 1460, Edward inherited the family's claim against Henry VI. He was proclaimed king in March 1461 and defeated the Lancastrian army at Towton later that month. Victory secured the throne, but northern resistance continued and he depended on nobles.
His secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464 disrupted diplomatic plans and contributed to tension with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. The growing influence of the queen's relatives sharpened the dispute. Warwick allied with Edward's brother George, Duke of Clarence, and eventually with the Lancastrians. In 1470 Edward fled to the Low Countries as Warwick restored Henry VI. Returning the following spring, he recovered London and won decisive victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury. Warwick and Henry VI's son were killed, and Henry himself died in captivity soon afterward.
During his restored reign Edward strengthened royal finances through closer management of estates and revenues, commercial activity, and political control over officeholders. He cultivated merchants and pursued trading agreements, reducing some of his dependence on parliamentary subsidies. In 1475 he led an expedition to France but accepted the Treaty of Picquigny with Louis XI, obtaining substantial payments instead of undertaking a long campaign. He combined military reputation with an interest in revenue and diplomacy.
Edward invested in royal display and culture. He patronized illuminated manuscripts and printing, developed royal residences, and began the rebuilding of St. George's Chapel at Windsor. Relations within his own dynasty remained dangerous: Clarence was executed in 1478 after renewed conflict. Edward died in 1483, leaving his twelve-year-old son Edward V as heir. That succession collapsed under Richard of Gloucester, exposing the later reign's dependence on Edward's personal authority.
CAREER
DEATH
Edward's health began to fail, and he became subject to an increasing number of ailments; his physicians attributed this in part to a habitual use of emetics, which allowed him to gorge himself at meals, then return after vomiting to start again. He fell fatally ill at Easter 1483, but survived long enough to add codicils to his will, the most important naming his brother as Protector after his death. He died on 9 April 1483 and was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. His twelve-year-old son, Edward V, was never crowned, Gloucester becoming King Richard III in July. The cause of Edward's death is uncertain; allegations of poison were common in an era when lack of medical knowledge meant death often had no obvious explanation. Other suggestions include pneumonia or malaria, although both were well-known and easy to describe. One contemporary attributed it to apoplexy brought on by excess, which fits with what is known of his physical habits. Another theory is that Edward died of syphilis. While the War of the Roses has been documented by numerous historians, Edward as an individual is less well known; 19th century historians like William Stubbs generally dismissed him as a bloodthirsty nonentity. The most comprehensive modern biography was written by Charles Ross in 1974, who concluded the peace and stability of his later reign was squandered in short-term aggrandisement.
St. George's Chapel
2 The Cloisters, Windsor SL4 1NJ, United Kingdom
GRAVE
POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
1. Edward IV — Charles Ross. Find on Amazon
2. Edward IV — Michael Hicks. Find on Amazon
3. Edward IV: The Summer Sun of Glorious York — A. J. Pollard. Find on Amazon
4. Edward IV: A Source Book — Keith Dockray. [Biographical study with primary sources] Find on Amazon
5. Edward IV: Glorious Son of York — Jeffrey James. Find on Amazon
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