Edward IV of England Biography

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

Edward’s father routed the first battle of the conflict against the Lancastrians which came to be 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.

When 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 wiping out the Lancastrian army.

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 in 1464.

When Edward ascended the throne, his cousin Richard Neville, The Earl of Warwick, who helped him win the battle against the Lancastrians, wanted to control England by making Edward his puppet. Therefore, Richard pushed Edward to enter a marital alliance with a major European power by marrying King Louis XI’s daughter.

Edward IV defied Richard by marrying Elizabeth Woodville. Edward IV’s marriage instigated resentment in Richard. 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 place of Edward. However, due to the nobility of many people who held their allegiance towards the king, Richard was forced to release Edward in September 1469.

Richard then formed an alliance with the former Lancastrian Queen Margaret of Anjou and King of France Louis XI to start a rebellion against Edward IV. In an accord between the three, Richard agreed to restore Henry VI to the throne of England. Subsequently, Edward’s army was defeated and he was forced to flee.

In 1470, Henry VI was restored to the throne and Edward chose to remain in exile in Flanders. Later, with help from the Duke of Burgundy, Edward's brother-in-law, Edward IV raised an army to win back his kingdom.

Upon returning to England with a relatively small force, Edward avoided arrest and the city of York opened its gates to him after he assured them that he had returned to reclaim his territory.

Edward IV began to gather support as he marched southwards. He then entered London unopposed where he imprisoned Henry VI. Edward IV and his army then overpowered Richard at the ‘Battle of Barnet.’ Edward gradually eliminated the remaining Lancastrian resistance at the ‘Battle of Tewkesbury’ in 1471.

The last significant rebellion ended in March 1474 with the surrender of the Earl of Oxford, who survived to command the Lancastrian army at Bosworth in 1485.

Upon returning to the English throne in 1471, Edward did not face any further insurgence as most of the Lancastrians were smothered to death.

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

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

In the early-1480s, he fell ill and his health deteriorated over a period of time. He died on April 9, 1483, and his mortal remains were buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

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