Elizabeth Woodville | queen of England | Britannica.com queen of England Jane Austen Elizabeth Woodville, (born 1437—died June 7/8, 1492, London ), wife of King Edward IV of England . After Edward’s death popular dislike of her and her court facilitated the usurpation of power by Richard, duke of Gloucester (King Richard III). A woman of great beauty, she was already a widow with two sons when Edward IV married her in May 1464. The match was repugnant to the ruling nobility of the House of York because she was a daughter of the Lancastrians, the traditional enemies of the Yorkists, and because she was not of royal rank. Her penchant for procuring high offices and titles of nobility for her relatives increased her widespread unpopularity. Because Elizabeth bore Edward two surviving sons and five daughters, the Yorkist succession seemed secure. Within three months after the death (on April 9, 1483) of Edward IV, however, Gloucester had defeated Elizabeth’s party and seized the throne from Edward IV’s son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V.

It is not entirely clear why Elizabeth, who had taken sanctuary , surrendered her younger son (on June 16) and later her daughters to Richard III . Soon both sons disappeared from Richard’s custody, presumably murdered. After Henry Tudor became king as Henry VII in 1485, he married Elizabeth’s eldest daughter; but in 1487 Elizabeth was disgraced—probably for treasonable activities—and forced to withdraw to a convent, where she died five years later. Learn More in these related articles: Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492). Biography of Queen Elizabeth Wydville. [Wars of the Roses] Strickland, Agnes. Lives of the Queens of England. London: Bell and Daldy, 1867. 154-165. QUEEN ELIZABETH WOODVILLE or WYDVILLE (1437-1492) Jacquetta of Luxemburg, the fair young widow of the old warlike Duke of Bedford , took for her second spouse his favourite knight, the brave and handsome Sir Richard Woodville , when she came to England in 1435 to claim her dower.

The time of the birth of her eldest child Elizabeth, the issue of marriage kept secret for fear of parliament, probably occurred in 1436. The matter burst out with great scandal the year after. Sir Richard was arrested and imprisoned in 1437; but as the king's mother had married in lower degree to Owen Tudor , the young king was glad to pardon the second lady in his realm, as an excuse for showing mercy to his dying queen-mother. Jacquetta's knight was therefore pardoned and sent home. They settled very happily at Grafton Castle, where they became the parents of a large family of handsome sons and beautiful daughters, among whom Elizabeth was fairest of the fair. The Duchess of Bedford kept the rank of the King's aunt. His royal mother had died miserably in 1437, as shown in her life. Duchess Jacquetta, on occasions of ceremony, was the first lady in the land until the marriage of the king.

Her daughter Elizabeth, took high rank among the maids of honour of Margaret of Anjou , and was the belle of her court, as two letters extant from Richard Duke of York and his friend the Earl of Warwick prove, recommending a Welsh hero, one of their knights-marshal, sir Hugh Johns, as a husband, they dwell on his great love inspired by her beauty and sweet manners; the letters show familiar acquaintance with Elizabeth, but they were of no avail. The court beauty had no fortune but her face, the Welsh champion none but his sword. She made a better match the same year with the heir of lord Ferrers of Groby, John Gray, rich, valiant, and years younger than the rejected Sir Hugh. Lord Ferrers was possessor of the ancient domain of Bradgate, which was afterwards to derive lustre as the birthplace of his descendant, lady Jane Grey . Elizabeth was appointed one of the fourt ladies of the bedchamber to Margaret of Anjou. John Gray held military command in the queen's army. His death left Elizabeth with two infant sons, in 1460.

Rancour so deep pursued the memory of John lord Gray, that his harmless infants, Thomas and Richard, were deprived of their inheritance of Bradgate. Elizabeth herself remained mourning and destitute at Grafton the two first years of Edward IV's reign. Hearing that the young king was hunting in the neighbourhood of her mother's dower castle at Grafton, Elizabeth waited for him beneath a noble tree known in the traditions of Northamptonshire, as "the queen's oak," hold a fatherless boy in either hand; and when Edward, who must have been well acquainted with her previously at the English court, paused to listen to her, she threw herself at his feet, and pleaded for the restoration of her children's lands. Her downcast looks and mournful beauty not only gained her suit, but the heart of the conqueror. He was unwilling to make her his queen, but she left him to settle the question; knowing that he had betrayed others, her affections still clave to the memory of the husband of her youth. Her indifference increased the love of the young king. The struggle ended in his offering her marriage, which took place May 1, 1464.

The marriage gave great offence to the mother of Edward IV . This lady, who, before the fall of her husband, Richard duke of York , at Wakefield , had assumed the state of a queen, had to give place to the daughter of a knight. It was on Michaelmas day, 1464, that Edward IV finally declared to Elizabeth to be his wedded wife, at Reading palace. The queen's eldest daughter, Elizabeth , was born at Westminster palace about five months afterwards. The royal physicians, by means of their foolish studies of astrology, had assured king Edward that his expected child by his queen would prove a prince. The king, who was deep in the same kind of lore, had persuaded himself that his expected infant would wear the crown of England. One of these physicians, Dr. Dominic, obtained leave to station himself in the queen's withdrawing-room, leading to her bed-chamber, in order that he might be the first to carry the tidings of the heir to Edward IV.

Hearing the child cry, he called to one of the queen's ladies, asking, "What her grace had?" The ladies were not in the best humour, being unwilling to answer "only a girl." So one of them replied, "Whatsoever the queen's grace hath here within, sure 'tis a fool that standeth there without." Poor Dr. Dominic, being much confounded by this sharp answer, dared not enter the king's presence. Elizabeth was crowned May 16, 1465, with great solemnity, in Westminster abbey, the young duke of Clarence officiating as high-steward. Elizabeth and Warwick were on friendly terms, as he stood godfather to her eldest daughter. The baptism of this princess for a while conciliated her two grandmothers, Cicely duchess of York, and Jacquetta duchess of Bedford, who were likewise her sponsors. The christening was performend with royal pomp, and the babe received her mother's name of Elizabeth,—a proof that Edward was more inclined to pay a compliment to his wife than to his haughty mother.

As prime-minister, relative, and general of Edward IV, the earl of Warwick had, from 1460 to 1465, borne absolute sway in England; yet Edward at that time so far forgot gratitude and propriety as to offer some personal insult to Isabel, his eldest daughter, who had grown up a beauty. Warwick had certainly been in hopes that, as soon as Isabel was old enough, he would have made her his queen, a speculation for ever disappointed by the exaltation of Elizabeth; so he gave his daughter Isabel in marriage to the duke of Clarence , and England was soon after in a state of insurrection. As popular fury was especially directed against the queen's family, the Woodvilles were advised to retire for a time. The first outbreak of the muttering storm was a rebellion in 1468, in Yorkshire, under a freebooter called Robin of Redesdale, declared by some to have been a noble, outlawed for the cause of the Red rose. The murder of the queen's father and brother followed in 1469.

When the king advanced to suppress these outrages, he was seized by Warwick and his brother Montague, and kept at Warwick castle, where an experiment was tried to shake his affection to Elizabeth by the insinuation that her whole indluence over him proceeded from her mother's skill in witchcraft. The Yorkist king escaped speedily to Windsor, and was soon once more in his metropolis, which was perfectly devoted to him, and where, it appears, his queen had remained in security during these alarming events. Again England was his own; for Warwick and Clarence, in alarm at his escape, betook themselves to their fleet, and fled. Then the queen's brother, Anthony Woodville, intercepted and captured the rebel ships, but not that in which Warwick and Clarence, with their families, were embarked, which escaped with difficulty to the coast of France. The queen was placed by the king in safety in the Tower, before he marched to give battle to the insurgents. She was the mother of three girls but had not borne heirs-male to the house of York. Edward IV narrowly escaped being once more thrown into the power of Warwick, who had returned to England; but being warned by his faithful sergeant of minstrels.

Alexander Carlile, he fled half-dressed from his revolting troops in the dead of night, and embarked at Lynn with a few faithful friends. Elizabeth was thus left alone, with her mother, to bide the storm. She was resident at the Tower, where her party still held Henry VI prisoner. While danger was yet at a distance, the queen's resolutions were remarkably valiant; yet the very day that Warwick and Clarence entered London, she betook herself to her barge, and fled up the Thames to Westminster,—not to her own palace, but to a strong, gloomy building called the Sanctuary , which occupied a space at the end of St. Margaret's churchyard. Here she registered herself, her mother, her three little daughters,—Elizabeth, Mary, and Cicely, with the faithful lady Scrope, her attendant, as sanctuary-women; and in this dismal place, November 1, 1470, the long-hoped-for heir of York was born. The queen was most destitute; but Thomas Milling, abbot of Westminster, sent various conveniences from the abbey close by.

Mother Cobb, resident in the Sanctuary, charitably assisted the distressed queen, and acted as nurse to the little prince. Nor did Elizabeth, in this fearful crisis, want friends; for master Serigo, her physician, attended herself and her son; while a faithful butcher, John Gould, prevented the whole Sanctuary party from being starved into surrender. The little prince was baptized, soon after his birth, in the abbey, with no more ceremony than if he had been a poor man's son. Early in March the queen was cheered by the news that her husband had landed, and soon after, that his brother Clarence had forsaken Warwick. The metropolis opened its gates to Edward IV, who hurried to the Sanctuary to embrace his wife and new-born son. The very morning of this joyful meeting, Elizabeth, accompanied by her royal lord, left Westminster palace, but soon after retired to the Tower of London, while her husband gained the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury . The news of his success had scarcely reached her, before the Tower was threatened with storm by Falconbridge; but her valiant brother, Anthony Woodville being there, she, relying on his aid, stood the danger this time without running away.

After Edward IV had crushed rebellion by almost exterminating his opponents, he turned his attention to rewarding the friends to whom he owed his restoration, and bestowed princely gratuities on those humble friends who had aided "his Elizabeth," as he calls her, in that fearful crisis. When Edward IV fled in the preceding year from England, he landed with a few friends at Sluys, the most distressed company of creatures ever seen; for he pawned his military cloak, lined with marten fur, to pay the master of his ship, and was put on shore in his waistcoat. The lord of Grauthuse received, fed, and clothed him, lending him besides money and ships, without which he would never have been restored to his country and queen. Edward invited his benefactor to England. Lord Hastings received him, and led him to the far side of the quadrangle of Windsor castle, to three chambers. These apartments were very richly hung with cloth of gold arras; and when Grauthuse had spoken with the king in the royal suite, he presented him to the queen's grace, they then ordered the lord chamberlain Hastings to conduct him to his chamber, where supper was ready for him.

After refreshment, the king had him brought immediately to the queen's own withdrawing-room, where she and her ladies were playing with little balls like marbles, and some of her ladies were playing with ninepins. Also king Edward danced with Elizabeth , his eldest daughter. In the morning the king came into the quadrant, the prince also, borne by his chamberlain, called master Vaughan, bade the lord Grauthuse welcome. The innocent little prince, afterwards the unfortunate Edward V, was then only eighteen months old. Then the queen ordered a grand banquet in her own apartments, at which her mother, her eldest daughter, the duchess of Exeter, the king, and the lord of Grauthuse all sat with her at one table. Elizabeth, in January, 1477, presided over the espousals of her second son, Richard duke of York, with Anne Mowbray, the infant heiress of the duchy of Norfolk. St. Stephen's chapel, Westminster, where the ceremony was performed, was splendidly hung with arras of gold on this occasion.

The queen led the little bridegroom, who was not five, and her brother, Earl Rivers , led the baby bride, scarcely three years old. They afterwards all partook of a rich banquet, laid out in the Painted-chamber. Soon after this infant marriage, all England was startled by the strange circumstances attending the death of the duke of Clarence . The queen had been cruelly injured by Clarence. Her father and her brother had been put to death in his name; her brother Anthony, the pride of English chivalry, had narrowly escaped a similar fate: moreover, her mother had been accused of sorcery by his party. She did not soothe her husband's mind when Clarence gave him provocation. In fact, on the first quarrel, his arrest, arraignment, and sentence followed. He was condemned to death, and sent to the Tower. In his dismal prison a butt of malmsey was introduced one night, where he could have access to it. The duke was found dead, with his head hanging over the butt. Gloucester was certainly absent from the scene of action, residing in the north. On St.

George's day succeeding this grotesque but horrible tragedy, the festival of the Garter was celebrated with more than usual pomp; the queen took a decided part in it, and wore the robes as chief lady of the order. Her vanity was inflated excessively by the engagement which the king of France had made for his son with her eldest daughter. In the last years of king Edward's life he gave the queen's place in his affections to the beautiful Jane Shore , a goldsmith's wife in the city, whom he had seduced from her duty. His death was hastened by the pain of mind he felt at the conduct of Louis XI , who broke the engagement he had made to marry the dauphin to the princess Elizabeth of York , but an intermittent fever was the cause. When expiring, he made his favourites, lords Stanley and Hastings, vow reconciliation with the queen and her family. He died with great professions of penitence, at the early age of forty-two, April 9, 1483. Excepting the control of the marriages of his daughters, his will gave no authority to the queen. She was left, in reality, more unprotected in her second than in her first widowhood.

The Duke of Gloucester had been very little at court since the restoration. He was now absent in the north, and caused Edward V to be proclaimed at York, writing letters of condolence so full of kindness and submission, that Elizabeth thought she should have a most complying friend in him. Astounding tidings were brought to the queen at midnight, May 3, that the duke of Gloucester had intercepted the young king with an armed force on his progress to London, had seized his person, and arrested her brother, Earl Rivers , and her son, lord Richard Gray. In that moment of agony she, however, remembered, that while she could keep her second son in safety the life of the young king was secure. With the duke of York and her daughters she left Westminster palace for the Sanctuary ; and she, and all her children and company, were registered as Sanctuary persons. Dorset, the queen's eldest son, directly he heard of the arrest of his brother, weakly forsook his trust as constable of the Tower, and came into sanctuary to his mother. The archbishop of York brought her a cheering message, sent him by lord Hastings in the night.

"Ah!" replied Elizabeth, "it is he that goeth about to destroy us." — "Madam," said the archbishop, "be of good comfort; if they crown any other king than your eldest son, whom they have with them, we will on the morrow crown his brother, whom you have with you here. And here is the great seal, which in like wise as your noble husband gave it to me, so I deliver it to you for the use of your son." And therewith he handed to the queen the great seal, and departed from her in the dawning of the day. With the exception of the two beautiful and womanly maidens, Elizabeth and Cicely, the royal family were young children. The queen took with her into sanctuary Elizabeth , seventeen years old at this time, afterwards married to Henry VII . Cicely was in her fifteenth year. These princesses had been the companions of their mother in 1470, when she had formerly sought sanctuary. Richard duke of York, born at Shrewsbury in 1472, was at this time eleven years old. Katherine, born at Eltham about August 1479, then between three and four years old.

Bridget, born at Eltham 1480, Nov. 20th, then only in her third year; she was afterwards professed a nun at Dartford. Gloucester's chief object was to get possession of the duke of York, then safe with the queen. As the archbishop of Canterbury was fearful lest force should be used, he went, with a deputation of temporal peers, to persuade Elizabeth to surrender her son, urging "that the young king required the company of his brother, being melancholy without a playfellow." To this Elizabeth replied, "Troweth the protector—ah! pray God he may prove a protector!—that the king doth lack a playfellow? Can none be found to play with the king but only his brother, which hath no wish to play because of sickness?

as though princes, so young as they be, could not play without their peers—or children could not play without their kindred, with whom (for the most part) they agree worse than with strangers!" According to the natural weakness of her character, she nevertheless yielded to importunity, and taking young Richard by the hand, said, "I here deliver him, and his brother's life with him, and of you I shall require them before God and man. Farewell! mine own sweet son. God send you good keeping! God knoweth when we shall kiss together again!" And therewith she kissed and blessed him, then turned her back and went, leaving the poor innocent child weeping as fast as herself. When the archbishop and the lords had received the young duke, they led him to his uncle, who received him in his arms with these words: "Now welcome, my lord, with all my very heart!" He then took him honourably through the city to the young king, then at Ely house, and the same evening to the Tower out of which they were never seen alive, though preparations went on night and day in the abbey for the coronation of Edward V.

It is possible that Hasting's death had some influence in the imprudent surrender of young York. If Elizabeth had any secret joy in the illegal execution of her brother's rival and enemy, very soon she had to lament a similar fate for that dear brother, and for her son, lord Richard Gray, who were beheaded by sir Richard Radcliffe, June 24th, when the northern army, commanded by that general, commenced its march to London. When the massacre of every friend to the rights of his brother's children was completed, and the approach of 9000 dreaded northern borderers intimidated the Londoners, the false protector entirely took off the mask. Buckingham induced Edward IV's confessor, Dr. Shaw, who was brother to Gloucester's partizan, the lord mayor, to preach a sermon against Edward V's title, on pretence that Edward IV's betrothment with lady Eleanor Butler had never been dissolved by the church. Shaw likewise urged the immediate recognition of the duke of Gloucester as sovereign, putting aside the children of Clarence on pretence of his attainder by parliament.

Faint acclamations of "Long life Richard III" were raised by hired partizans, but the London citizens angrily and sullenly dispersed. Ratcliffe 's forces approached Bishopsgate on the 26th, and Richard III was proclaimed king. The unhappy queen Elizabeth Woodville and her daughters witnessed the proclamation of the usurper from the abbot's house in the abbey. Richard then made his state visit to the Tower and city. Elizabeth and her daughters must perforce have been witnesses of his coronation, July 6, 1483. Soon after, the usurper, his wife, and son, now called Edward prince of Wales, made a grand progress to Warwick castle. The unfortunate sons of Elizabeth meantime were closely imprisoned under the care of sir Robert Brakenbury, one of Richard III's northern commanders, who had been given the lieutenancy, under the notion that he would obey implicitly the usurper's orders. Accordingly, Richard sent one of this gentlemen of the bedchamber, John Greene, ordering him to kill Edward IV's sons forthwith.

Brakenbury returned for answer "he would die first." A midnight consultation took place between Richard III and his master of the horse, Sir James Tyrell , who left Warwick castle August 2, with commands to Brakenbury from king Richard that he was to surrender the keys of the Tower to sir James Tyrell for one night. On his ride from Warwickshire the master of the horse was attended by two retainers, one his squire, Miles Forrest, a northern champion of immense strength, the other his horsebreaker, John Dighton, a big, broad, square knave. Sir James had requested his own brother, Tom Tyrell, a brave gentleman, to aid him, but met with positive refusal, by which, if he lost the usurper's favour, he gained from his country the appellation of "honest Tom Tyrell." The three murderers reached the Tower of London after dark, August 3.

Sir James Tyrell demanded the Tower keys; and in the very dead of the night when sleep weighs heaviest on young eyelids, one of the Tower wardens who waited on the hapless princes, Will Slaughter by name, guided the assassins through the secret passages, which still may be traced, from the lieutenant's house to the portcullis gateway. There is a little dismal bedchamber hidden in the space between that tower and the Wakefield tower, approached with winding stone stairs, and which has leads on the top and an ugly recess in the walls, reaching to the ground and even beneath it. The leads communicated by a door to the Wakefield tower leaded roof, and thence to the water-stairs by a bricked-up doorway, still plainly to be seen. No spot could be more convenient for secret murder. Tradition has pertinaciously clung to it and called this fatal prison lodging the Bloody tower. Sir James Tyrell did not enter the chamber where the poor victims were sleeping, but his strong ruffians crept silently in, and oppressing the princes with their great strength and weight, stifled them with the bed-clothes and pillows.

When the murders were completed Forrest and Dighton laid out the royal corpses on the bed, and invited sir James Tyrell to view their work. Tyrell ordered them to thrust them down the hole in the leads, which they did, and threw heavy stones upon them. Edward IV had lately strengthened that part of the Tower, little thinking the use to be made of it, as a poet born in his time makes him say— "I made the Tower strong; I wist not why— Knew not for whom." When Tyrell returned the keys to the lieutenant Brakenbury, the latter found his young prisoners had vanished. The murderous trio rode back to Warwick castle to report their doings to the head assassing. Richard III approved of everything his unscrupulous favorite and master of horse had done, excepting the disposal of his nephews' corpses. He insisted that they should be raised from that niche and buried in consecrated ground with burial service. The averseness of sir Robert Brakenbury to have aught to do with the murders, threw great difficulty in the way of the usurper's commands, prompted by the first twinge of conscience.

It is from the confession of sir James Tyrell, put to death twenty years after for conspiring with the de la Poles, that these particulars are gathered, but he could not say where the poor children were ultimately buried: all he heard was that Richard III's orders had been issued to the priest of the Tower, who had in the dead of night taken the bodies whither no one knew, as the old man died two or three days after. The secret was not guessed for two centuries; but when in 1674 King Charles II altered the White tower into a record office, under the flight of stairs leading up to the beautiful Norman chapel, was discovered a chest containing the bones of two children of the age of the murdered heirs of York. The orders of the usurper being fulfilled to the letter, the ground was consecrated as pertaining to the sacred place above; and deeply secret the interment was. Charles II had the poor remains of the heirs of York buried among their ancestors in Westminster abbey, where our young readers may remark the monument and inscription near Henry VII's chapel.

We must now return to the life of their unfortunate mother, Elizabeth Woodville, who being in sanctuary, early heard when and where her sons were murdered, which, says sir Thomas More , struck to her heart like the sharp dart of death: she swooned, and fell to the ground, where she lay long insensible. After she was revived and came to her memory again, with pitiful cries she filled the whole mansion. Her breast she beat, her fair hair she tore, and calling by name her sweet babes, accounted herself mad when she delivered her younger son out of sanctuary, for his uncle to put him to death. She kneeled down and cried to God to take vengeance; and when Richard unexpectedly lost his only son, for whose advancement he had steeped his soul in crime, Englishmen declared that the agonized mother's prayer had been heard. The wretched queen's health sank under the anguish inflicted by these murders, which had been preceded by the illegal execution of her son, lord Richard Gray, and of her brother, at Pontefract. She was visited in sanctuary by a priest-physician, Dr.

Lewis, who likewise attended Margaret Beaufort , mother to Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond , then an exile in Bretagne. The plan of uniting the princess Elizabeth with this last scion of the house of Lancaster, was first suggested to the desolate queen by Dr. Lewis. She eagerly embraced the proposition. The duke of Buckingham, having been disgusted by Richard, his partner in crime, rose in arms; but after the utter failure of his insurrection, Elizabeth was reduced to despair, and finally was forced to leave sanctuary, and surrender herself and daughters into the hands of the usurper, in March. She was then closely confined, with her daughters, in obscure apartments in the palace of Westminster. From thence she wrote to her son Dorset at Paris to put an end immediately to the treaty of marriage between Richmond and the princess Elizabeth. The friends who had projected the marriage were greatly incensed; but these steps were the evident result of the personal restraing the queen was then enduring.

The successful termination of the expedition undertaken by the earl of Richmond, to obtain his promised bride and the crown of England, at once avenged the widowed queen and her family on the usurper, and restored her to liberty after the battle of Bosworth . Instead of the despotic control of Richard III's swuire Nesfield, the queen, restored to royal rank, joyfully welcomed her eldest daughter, who was brought to her at Westminster from Sheriff-Hutton, remaining with her till the January following the battle of Bosworth, when she saw her united in marriage to Henry of Richmond, the acknowledged king of England. One of Henry VII 's first acts was to invest the mother of his queen with the privileges befitting the widow of an English sovereign. Unfortunately Elizabeth had not been dowered on the lands anciently appropriated to the queens of England, but on those of the duchy of Lancaster. However, a month after the marriage of her daughter to Henry VII she received possession of some of the dower-palaces, among which Farnham, of 102l. per annum, was by her son-in-law added to help her income.

The Parliamentary Act, whereby she was deprived of her dower in the preceding reign, was ordered by the judges to be burnt. Much is said of her ill-treatment by Henry VII. However, at the very time she is declared to be in disgrace for patronizing the impostor who personated the young earl of Warwick, she was chosen by the king, in preference to his own beloved mother, as sponsor to his dearly-prized heir, prince Arthur. The last time the queen-dowager appeared in public was in a situation of the highest dignity. At the close of the year 1489 she received the French ambassador in great state; the next year Henry VII presented her with an annuity of 400l. Soon after she retired to the royal apartments at Bermondsey abbey. Elizabeth Woodville expired the Friday before Whitsuntide, 1492. Her will shows that she died destitute of personal property; but no wonder, for the great possessions of the house of York were chiefly in the grasp of the old avaricious duchess Cicely of York, who survived her hated daughter-in-law several years.

Edward IV had endowed his proud mother as if she were a queen-dowager; while his wife was dowered on property to which he possessed no real title. On Whit Sunday the queen dowager's corpse was conveyed by water to Windsor, and thence privately, as she requested, through the little part, conducted unto the castle. Her three daughters, the lady Anne, the lady Katharine, and the lady Bridget [the nun-princess] from Dartford, came by way of the Thames, with many ladies. And her son lord Dorset, who kneeled at the head of the hearse, paid the cost of the funeral. In St. George's chapel, north aisle, is the tomb of Edward IV. On a flat stone at the foot of this monument are engraven, in old English characters, the words— King Edward and his Queen, Elizabeth Widville. Excerpted from: Strickland, Agnes. Lives of the Queens of England. London: Bell and Daldy, 1867. 154-165.

Other Local Resources: Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen - Amazing Women In History Amazing Women In History Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen January 22, 2014 6 32 In the 1400s Britain was embroiled in a civil war known as the Cousins War, or the Wars of the Roses. Most people remember the Kings and the many battles… but behind the scenes Elizabeth Woodville was always there, pulling strings to keep her children from harm and to bring them to greatness. With every turn she faced betrayal and danger as England’s White Queen. At around 1436 Jacquetta Woodville, wife to the Earl of Rivers, gave birth to a daughter named Elizabeth. Jacquetta was from the royal house of Burgundy and was close allies with King Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou. She was a determined woman who wanted to make sure that her children had a powerful future ahead of them. When her daughter Elizabeth, the first of 14 children, was old enough she was sent to live with Lady Grey to learn how to become a lady and manage her own household.

In 1452 when Elizabeth was 15 she was married to the Grey’s oldest son, John. A year after the wedding Elizabeth gave birth to a son named Thomas, and then to her second son Richard in 1457. Despite the happy start to Sir John and Elizabeth’s marriage it would not last long. The country was at war with the Lancastrians (the reds) and the Yorks (the whites) fighting against each other for the crown. Both the Woodville family and the Greys were on the side of the Lancastrians—the reds. In the battle of St Albans in 1461 there was a white victory, where Elizabeth’s father and brother had to plead for a pardon off the new King Edward IV. But her husband Sir John had died in battle. The Yorks took away Elizabeth’s dower lands, leaving her sons with no inheritance, and Elizabeth was forced to move back to the family home in Grafton. Elizabeth Woodville’s husband, King Edward IV of England (courtesy Wikimedia Commons ) Elizabeth was determined and strong willed—she was not going down without a fight.

In early 1464 Elizabeth went out with her sons and sat under an oak tree she knew the King would pass. When he did, Elizabeth stopped him and pleaded to have her lands back. The King was enchanted by Elizabeth’s beauty, and became besotted with her. In their negotiations to regain Elizabeth’s land, Elizabeth refused to become the King’s mistress. But King Edward was passionate about Elizabeth so he proposed. Elizabeth, also in love with Edward, accepted. Edward and Elizabeth married in 1464 not long after they first met, but it was not a grand occasion. In fact, the only people in attendance were a priest, Elizabeth’s mother Jacquetta, and two ladies maids; no one else knew the marriage had taken place. It was only when Edward’s closest advisor, Lord Warwick, suggested a proposal he had made with a French Princess that it was revealed Edward was married. Elizabeth was crowned 26 May 1465 as Queen of England. The marriage was not well perceived by many. One person who hated the marriage was the King’s mother, who hated Elizabeth as she was a Lancastrian commoner and not of her choosing.

Lord Warwick also despised the marriage, having been publicly embarrassed when he had sought out a marriage contract on behalf of the French princess and was was then told that the King was already married. He also felt betrayed by the King as he thought Edward had complete loyalty to him after Lord Warwick made Edward king. Rumors started to circulate about the new Queen. Elizabeth was a direct descendant of house of Luxemburg. It was said that Melusina, a water goddess, married Elizabeth’s ancestor Count Siegfried, and that their female descendants had magic powers. The people whispered that Elizabeth had cast a spell on Edward to make him fall in love with her. Despite all the controversy, Elizabeth’s marriage to Edward was going well, and they were happy together. However, Elizabeth had borne three daughters. Although all were alive and healthy, they needed a son to be heir. So when Elizabeth became pregnant for a fourth time, she was praying for a boy. Meanwhile, Lord Warwick had resurfaced after a time away from court, trying to oust Edward by allying with the Lancastrian forces. The Lancastrians were winning, and Edward was forced to flee abroad, leaving a heavily pregnant Elizabeth in London.

Elizabeth fled with her children to Westminster Abbey. It was there in sanctuary that Elizabeth gave birth to a son, who she named Edward after his father. In 1470, Edward returned to quash the Lancastrian forces, killing Warwick in battle. The Lancastrian King and and Queen were captured and King Henry VI was murdered in the Tower of London. Elizabeth and Edward’s rule was happy from then on, until King Edward died suddenly of pneumonia in April 1483. The new King Edward was young and so his father’s brother Richard was placed as Lord Protector. Richard feared the Elizabeth’s family would seize power, so he arrested Elizabeth’s brother, Anthony, and her son Richard Grey. He then placed the new King in the Tower of London. Elizabeth, fearing for her family’s safety, sought sanctuary with her remaining children. Richard, crowning himself King Richard III, started to become paranoid that Elizabeth wanted to destroy him. He declared Elizabeth’s sons illegitimate, hiding them away in the Tower of London where they were never seen again. Richard then secured his throne by executing Elizabeth’s brother, Anthony Woodville, and her younger son Richard Grey. Elizabeth was furious when she heard of the executions.

She immediately entered into an alliance with Margaret Beaufort, the mother to the only Lancastrian heir Henry Tudor. They agreed that Elizabeth would help get Henry on the throne if Henry would marry Elizabeth’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York. In 1485, Henry Tudor invaded England and defeated Richard III in battle. He was soon crowned King Henry VII, and the infamous Tudor dynasty was born. Henry married Elizabeth’s daughter as promised, and Elizabeth was given her full title and honours back. In 1487 Elizabeth retired to life in an Abbey. Elizabeth managed to live to see the Tudor line secured through the rule of two of her descendants before her death in April 1483. Elizabeth Woodville was a key figure in British history. Every tactful move Elizabeth made affected the outcome of the Wars of the Roses. She is a pivotal person, but one who is often forgotten about. Featured image of Elizabeth Woodville courtesy Wikimedia Commons . Recommended Reading Elizabeth Woodville Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com Elizabeth Woodville was the wife of King Edward IV of England . She was the mother of King Edward V of England .

She was also the mother of Elizabeth of York , the queen consort of King Henry VII of England . [1] Elizabeth was born some time around the year 1437, at Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire. Her parents were Sir Richard Woodville and his wife, Jacquetta of Luxembourg , a foreign noblewoman who had first been married to the Duke of Bedford. After her first husband died, Jacquetta fell in love with Sir Richard, who was not very rich or important even though he was a knight. Jacquetta's friends and family felt that it was an unsuitable marriage and that he was not good enough for her. They had fourteen children altogether. When Elizabeth first met Edward, she was a widow. Elizabeth and her first husband, Lord Grey, had two sons, Thomas and Richard. Then Lord Grey was killed in battle, fighting on the opposite side to King Edward. Because she was a widow who already had children, and because her family had supported King Edward's enemies, she was thought to be an unsuitable wife for the king. Elizabeth and Edward were married in secret, because the king did not want to quarrel with his great friend the Earl of Warwick , who wanted Edward to marry a princess.

At the time of their marriage, Edward was 22 and Elizabeth a few years older. When the Earl of Warwick discovered that the young king had married Elizabeth without his permission, he was furious. Although he was forced to accept the marriage, he became angry at the way Elizabeth's family grew powerful as a result of her becoming queen. A few years later, he turned against Edward and tried to put his rival, King Henry VI of England , back on the throne. While Edward was fighting to get his throne back, Elizabeth went to Westminster Abbey to find sanctuary; this meant that, because the abbey was a holy place, she could not be captured by her enemies as long as she remained there. While there, she gave birth to her first son, who was named Edward after his father. After a while, her husband returned and rescued her and her children, defeating the Earl of Warwick in battle and killing him. Elizabeth and Edward had ten children altogether. Their eldest son, Edward, should have become king when his father died. However, King Edward died suddenly, and his own younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester , snatched the throne.

Richard hated the Woodville family, and killed Elizabeth's brother Anthony, who had been the guardian of her son Edward. Both Edward and Elizabeth's younger son, Richard, were placed in the Tower of London (which was then a royal palace). After a few months, they disappeared, and it was thought that King Richard had killed them. This rumour made the new king unpopular with many of his people, and two years later, Henry Tudor took the throne from him in battle and became King Henry VII of England . Henry VII married Elizabeth's eldest daughter, who was also called Elizabeth. Elizabeth Woodville herself died a few years later at Bermondsey Abbey. References ↑ David Baldwin, Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower. Stroud, 2002. [[Category:People from Northamptonshir Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England Born: c. 1437 Southwark, London, England (Age c. 55) Elizabeth in History The Woodville family represents a prime example of a family advancing its fortunes through marriage.

Richard Woodville, Elizabeth's father, had married Jacquetta, a member of the prestigious House of Luxembourg and the widow of John, Duke of Bedford, a younger brother of King Henry V. Although several marriages were proposed for Elizabeth, she ended up marrying one Sir John Grey, a moderately wealthy knight, in 1456. Unfortunately, the marriage came at a point where the two primary royal houses of England, those of Lancaster (supporters of King Henry VI) and York (those loyal to the Duke of York) were at odds, and Sir Grey was killed at the second Battle of St Albans, fighting for the Lancastrians, in 1461. Although Grey and Elizabeth had two children together, Thomas and Richard, their inheritance was awarded to Grey's mother, who had already remarried after her husband's death in 1457. Elizabeth, who now had no way of providing for her family, was forced to directly ask Edward IV, who had become king after his victory at Towton, forcing the Lancastrians to flee England, for help. The events that happened next are not altogether clear, but, by 1464, Edward and Elizabeth were married.

Many people within the royal family (including the king's mother and brothers) were angry with the fact that the king would choose a woman of relatively low birth for his wife, especially when several other marriage proposals, including one to Bonne of Savoy, sister-in-law to the French King Louis XI (a marriage that would have brought peace between the two nations), were more advantageous. Contemporaries and historians alike have not been able to make sense of the marriage, and many will say that the king made Elizabeth his wife merely because she would not consider being his mistress. This seems plausible considering Edward's lust for women, but one cannot help but think that he may not have been completely satisfied with the marriage after he had lain with his new wife, and he most certainly had a number of mistresses, the most famous of which was Jane Shore. Despite the king's infidelities, the marriage did prove to be a fruitful one and produced ten children, including two sons, Edward and Richard, to secure the succession. Another issue that angered those at Edward IV's court was that of the new queen's many relatives who were now hungry to take advantage of their new position as in-laws to the king.

Indeed, the king rewarded many of the Woodvilles: Elizabeth's father was created an earl; her brother Anthony, Earl Rivers, was made a Knight of the Garter; and her two sons from Lord Grey and many of her siblings were married off to wealthy heiresses. This handing out of favors from the king seems to have been the final step in the alienation process of the Earl of Warwick, a powerful northern lord who had been instrumental in putting Edward on the throne. Warwick, in turn, joined forces with the Lancastrians, deposed the king and forced him to flee England and reinstated Henry VI. Elizabeth fled to sanctuary in Westminster where she gave birth to her son Edward. Thankfully, the Lancastrian readeption would not last long. Edward IV returned and finished off the Lancastrians with two decisive victories at Barnet and Tewksbury to secure his throne for good. The second portion of Edward IV's reign would not be nearly as tenuous as the first. One event involving Elizabeth that is worth noting during this period is the downfall and execution of the king's brother George, Duke of Clarence.

Clarence had already turned against the king once when he joined Warwick's rebellion, which had resulted in the death of several Woodvilles, including the queen's father and one of her brothers. When Clarence once again stirred up trouble, the queen and her relatives took the opportunity to bring him down. Clarence was arrested, convicted of treason and, ultimately, executed. It is widely believed that the Woodvilles were the party responsible most directly in the execution. In this, they had garnered the hatred of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the king's youngest brother. Although the Woodvilles had been allies of Gloucester's in the past against Clarence (helping him to obtain the Neville inheritance), he seems to have been genuinely distressed after his execution. The feud between Gloucester and the Woodvilles was not a large issue while Edward IV lived, but when the king suddenly died in 1483, a power struggle erupted on who should take control of the new under-aged King Edward V. Elizabeth urged that her son should be crowned as soon as possible to avoid a minority council that would be headed by Gloucester, who likely would have served in the role of protector - or quite possibly regent.

As can be imagined, this would have severely hindered the power and influence of the Woodville family. Gloucester, on the other hand, likely had little interest in a royal council run by his brother's haughty in-laws. The queen's brother, Earl Rivers, was assigned to bring the king to London for the ceremony, but Gloucester intercepted the procession and confiscated his young nephew. In turn, Rivers and Elizabeth's son Richard were arrested and imprisoned. The remaining Woodvilles fled England, and Elizabeth took her younger son (the Duke of York) and her daughters into sanctuary. Despite claims Gloucester only meant the best for the king, it was clear that he had ideas of usurping the throne for himself. He eventually excavated young York from sanctuary (supposedly to witness his brother's coronation ceremony) and immediately started spreading rumors that the two boys were illegitimate due to their father's being betrothed to another woman at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth. After throwing his two nephews in the tower (where they would never be seen again) and executing Earl Rivers and Lord Grey, Gloucester had himself crowned king as Richard III.

It became increasingly obvious that the princes had been disposed of somehow, and Elizabeth, who was still in sanctuary, considered supporting the rebellion of the Duke of Buckingham in favor of placing Henry Tudor (a Lancastrian claimant) on the throne. Unfortunately, Buckingham was captured and executed and Elizabeth was forced to submit to the king. Although it seems she lived comfortably for the remainder of Richard III's short reign, she was looked at as a disgraced woman, even if she did show signs of cooperating with the new king. Rumors started to spread that the king intended to marry Elizabeth's eldest daughter (of the same name) after his wife Anne died in 1485, but this never happened, and Tudor invaded England later that year and defeated and killed the king, crowning himself as King Henry VII. In turn, the new king married princess Elizabeth in order to unite the houses of Lancaster and York and add strength to his claim to the throne. Elizabeth seems to have been content with this and lived quietly and frugally until her death in 1492.

In the end, she could call herself a queen consort and the mother of both a king and a queen consort, a resume that is to be admired from a mere "common woman." Elizabeth in Shakespeare Appears in: Henry VI, Part 3; Richard III Elizabeth first appears in 3 Henry VI when she pleads to Edward IV for help after her husband's death in battle. The king is immediately infatuated with her and wants to make her his mistress. After she refuses, Edward offers to make her his queen, which she ultimately agrees to. The move, however, angers the king's brothers and the Earl of Warwick, who had already chosen a bride for him. This results in Warwick and Clarence joining the Lancastrians in rebellion against Edward. By the play's end, the Yorkists are victorious, and Elizabeth gives birth to the future Edward V. In Richard III, Elizabeth is portrayed as a broken woman after the death of Edward IV. After the king's death, Gloucester (the future Richard III) has both her brother and three of her sons executed (or murdered) and claims that her marriage to the king was never legitimate because of his betrothal to another woman.

In the end, Elizabeth agrees to throw her support behind the Earl of Richmond (the future Henry VII) and that, as a peace offering, her eldest daughter will be married to the earl when he becomes king. Richmond is successful and is crowned King of England at the play's finish, with the younger Elizabeth as his queen, uniting the houses of Lancaster and York. References Hicks, Michael. ‘Elizabeth (c.1437–1492)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2008 [ accessed 25 Jan 2010] Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England | Unofficial Royalty Unofficial Royalty The Site for Royal News and Discussion Menu Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England by Susan Flantzer Credit – Wikipedia The wife of King Edward IV of England , Elizabeth Woodville was born around 1437 at the family home in Grafton Regis, Northaptonshire, England. She was the eldest of the 13 children of Sir Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg , daughter of Peter I of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Conversano and Brienne .

Jacquetta was the widow of John, 1st Duke of Bedford , son of King Henry IV of England . Elizabeth had 13 siblings: Lewis Woodville (c. 1438), died in childhood Margaret Woodville (c. 1450 – 1490/1), married Thomas Fitzalan, 17th Earl of Arundel , had issue Martha Woodville (d. c. 1500), married Sir John Bromley Catherine Woodville (c. 1458 – 1497), married (2) Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham , had issue; (2) Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford , no issue; (3) Sir Richard Wingfield , no issue As a young girl, Elizabeth was a maid of honor to Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI of England . Elizabeth married Sir John Grey of Groby , a Lancastrian knight around 1452. In 1461, Sir John was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans .

Elizabeth and Sir John had two sons: Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset (1455 – 1501), married (1) Anne Holland, no issue; (2) Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington and 2nd Baroness Bonville , had 14 children; Thomas and Cecily are the great grandparents of Lady Jane Grey Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 1483), unmarried, executed by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (future King Richard III) The widow Dame Elizabeth Grey first came to the attention of King Edward IV when she petitioned him for the restoration of her husband’s forfeited land. Traditionally, the wedding is said to have taken place at Elizabeth’s family home in Northamptonshire on May 1, 1464. Elizabeth was crowned queen in Westminster Abbey on May 26, 1465.

Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, from the illuminated manuscript Anciennes Chroniques d’Angleterre by Jean de Wavrin; Credit – Wikipedia Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV had ten children: Bridget of York (1480 – 1517); became a nun King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia The favors given to the Woodville family and the excellent marriages arranged for Elizabeth’s siblings caused much resentment at court. In particular, the king’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) had great resentment and showed his dislike for Elizabeth at every opportunity. From October 1470 – April 1471, when the Lancastrian King Henry VI regained power, Elizabeth and her children sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth’ son, the future, but short-lived, King Edward V, was born there. On April 9, 1483, King Edward IV died, several weeks before his 41st birthday, and his eldest son Edward became king with his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester as his Lord Protector. Richard feared that the Woodvilles would attempt to take control of the young king.

Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, the young king’s maternal uncle, and Sir Richard Grey, the young king’s half brother, were arrested and executed. The Duke of Gloucester had his nephew brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483 to await his coronation, which never happened. Elizabeth and her children once again sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions. Cardinal Thomas Bouchier, Archbishop of Canterbury persuaded Elizabeth to let her second son, Richard, Duke of York, leave sanctuary and join his brother, who was lonely, at the Tower of London. Richard joined his brother on June 16, 1483. The two boys were seen less and less until the end of the summer of 1483, when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown. Richard, Duke of Gloucester was informed by an unknown clergyman, probably Robert Stillington, the Bishop of Bath and Wells , that Edward IV’s marriage was invalid because he had previously contracted to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, who was living when the marriage to Elizabeth took place. This made Edward IV and Elizabeth’s children illegitimate and upheld Richard’s claim to the throne.

The citizens of London drew up a petition asking Richard to assume the throne, which he agreed to on June 26, 1483. On July 6, 1483, Richard and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey. The Titulus Regius , enacted by Parliament in 1484, officially declared Edward IV’s children illegitimate. The Lancastrian heir, Henry Tudor had been in exile for 13 years. Lady Margaret Beaufort , Henry Tudor’s mother, despite being married to a Yorkist, Thomas Stanley , was actively promoting her son as an alternative to King Richard III. Elizabeth Woodville and Henry’s mother made a secret agreement that their children should marry. On Christmas Day in 1483, still in exile in France, Henry Tudor pledged to marry King Edward IV’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York , who was also Edward IV’s heir since the presumed deaths of her brothers, King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York. In 1485, having gained the support of the Woodvilles, the in-laws of the late King Edward IV, Henry Tudor sailed to Wales with a small French and Scottish force.

On August 7, 1485, they landed in Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales, close to Henry’s birthplace. Henry Tudor then marched towards England accompanied by his uncle Jasper Tudor and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford . On August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field , the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the last king of the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty, 32-year-old King Richard III of England, lost his life and his crown. The battle was a decisive victory for the House of Lancaster, whose leader 28-year-old Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became the first monarch of the House of Tudor. One of his first acts was to have the Titulus Regius repealed. King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and reinstated his mother-in-law as Queen Dowager. Double Portrait of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII; Credit – Wikipedia In 1587, Elizabeth Woodville retired to Bermondsey Abbey , where she lived the rest of her life.

She was present at the birth of her granddaughter Margaret at Westminster Palace in November 1489 and at the birth of her grandson, the future Henry VIII , at Greenwich Palace in June 1491. Elizabeth died at Bermondsey Abbey on June 8, 1492 at the age of 55. With the exception her daughter Elizabeth, who was awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and her daughter Cecily, her other daughters, Anne, Catherine and Bridget attended her funeral at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth Woodville was buried with her husband King Edward IV of England. Tomb of King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville BBC One - The White Queen - Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville House York (Was Lancaster) Elizabeth was married to Sir John Grey, who died at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461 fighting for the Lancastrian king, Henry VI. Elizabeth’s father, Baron Rivers, also supports the House of Lancaster. Her mother Jacquetta is a relation to both Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou.

One morning Elizabeth begs the new York king, Edward IV , for mercy and to have her late husband’s land returned to her and her two sons. Edward – who has a reputation as a bit of a playboy – falls for her instantly. Edward wants Elizabeth to be his mistress, but she refuses. She even puts a knife to her own neck to ward off his advances. Edward goes to battle and Elizabeth misses him terribly. When he returns he asks her to marry her and she agrees. They have a secret wedding, and Edward announces their marriage to a shocked court and a furious Warwick . When Warwick convinces George to fight for his brother's crown, the country is at war again. Elizabeth's father and brothers fight for the King and are executed by Warwick. Elizabeth and her mother are heartbroken and vengeful. Jacquetta, who dabbles in witchcraft, helps Elizabeth curse Warwick and George. Warwick is killed in battle when he tries to dethrone Edward again - this time with the support of the Lancastrian queen - he is killed in battle and Elizabeth's curse is almost fulfilled.

Peace is restored to England once more but George becomes frustrated and tries to cause trouble yet again - accusing Elizabeth of cursing him and murdering his wife Isabel. He is tried for treason and found guilty. Elizabeth regrets her decision to curse George - even though he executed her father - and merely wishes for peace. However Edward must not appear weak and George chooses to be executed by being drowned by Malmsey Wine - Elizabeth's favourite. Elizabeth Woodville: Edward IV's Controversial Queen By Jone Johnson Lewis Updated December 22, 2016. Known for: role in the Wars of the Roses and in the succession between the Plantagenets and Tudors; character in Shakespeare's Richard III (Queen Elizabeth); title character in 2013 television series The White Queen Occupation: Queen Consort to Edward IV Dates: about 1437 - June 7 or 8, 1492 Also known as: Lady Grey, Elizabeth Grey, Elizabeth Wydevill For a list of her children and other family members, see below the biography.

Elizabeth Woodville (about 1437 - June 7 or 8, 1492) Most sources stress that Elizabeth Woodville, who married a king, was herself a commoner or minor noble, but it is worth noting that her mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg , was the daughter of a Count and a descendant of Simon de Montfort and his wife, Eleanor, daughter of England's King John . Jacquetta was the wealthy and childless widow of the Duke of Bedford, brother of Henry V , when she married Sir Richard Woodville. Her sister-in-law Catherine of Valois also married a man of lower station after she was widowed. continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Two generations later, Catherine's grandson Henry Tudor married Jacquetta's granddaughter, Elizabeth of York . Elizabeth Woodville was the eldest of the children of Richard Woodville and Jacquetta, of whom there were at least ten. Maid of honor to Margaret of Anjou , Elizabeth married Sir John Grey in 1452. Grey was killed at St. Albans in 1461, fighting for the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses.

Elizabeth petitioned Lord Hastings, Edward's uncle, in a controversy over land with her mother-in-law. She arranged a marriage between one of her sons and one of Hasting's daughters. How Elizabeth met Edward is not known for certain, though an early legend has her petitioning him by waiting with her sons beneath an oak tree. Another story circulated that she was a sorceress who bewitched him. She may have simply known him from court. Legend has her giving Edward, a known womanizer, an ultimatum that they had to be married or she would not submit to his advances. On May 1, 1464, Elizabeth and Edward married secretly. Edward's mother, Cecily Neville , Duchess of York, and Cecily's nephew, the Earl of Warwick who had been an ally of Edward IV in winning the crown, were arranging a marriage for Edward with the French king. When Warwick found out about Edward's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick turned against Edward and helped restore Henry VI briefly to power. Warwick was killed in battle, Henry and his son killed, and Edward returned to power. Elizabeth Woodville was crowned Queen in Westminster Abbey on May 26, 1465.

Both her parents were present for the ceremony. Elizabeth and Edward had two sons and five daughters who survived infancy. Elizabeth also had two sons by her first husband. One was an ancestor of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey . Her extensive and, by all accounts, ambitious family was favored heavily after Edward took the throne. Her eldest son from her first marriage, Thomas Grey, was created Marquis Dorset in 1475. Elizabeth promoted the fortunes and advancement of her relatives, even at the cost of her popularity with the nobles. In one of the most scandalous incidents, Elizabeth may have been behind the marriage of her brother, 19 years old, to the widowed Katherine Neville , the wealthy Duchess of Norfolk, 80 years old. But the "grasping" reputation was enhanced—or created—first by Warwick in 1469 and later Richard III, who each had his own reasons for wanting Elizabeth's and her family's reputation to be diminished. Among her other activities, Elizabeth continued her predecessor's support of Queen's College. When Edward IV died suddenly on April 9 , 1483, Elizabeth's fortunes changed suddenly.

Her husband's brother, Richard of Gloucester, was appointed Lord Protector, since Edward's eldest son, Edward V, was a minor. Richard moved quickly to seize power, claiming—apparently with support of his mother, Cecily Neville —that the children of Elizabeth and Edward were illegitimate, because Edward had been previously formally betrothed to someone else. Richard took the throne as Richard III , imprisoning Edward V (never crowned) and then his younger brother, Richard. Elizabeth took sanctuary. Richard III then demanded that Elizabeth also turn over custody of her daughters, and she complied. Richard attempted to marry first his son, then himself, to Edward and Elizabeth's oldest daughter, known as Elizabeth of York , hoping to make his claim to the throne more solid. Elizabeth's sons by John Grey joined in the battle to overthrow Richard. One son, Richard Grey, was beheaded by king Richard's forces; Thomas joined Henry Tudor's forces. After Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field and was crowned Henry VII, he married Elizabeth of York—a marriage arranged with the support of Elizabeth Woodville and also of Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort.

The marriage took place in January 1486, uniting the factions at the end of the Wars of the Roses and making the claim to the throne more certain for the heirs of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The fate of the two sons of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, the " Princes in the Tower ," is not certain. That Richard imprisoned them in the Tower is known. That Elizabeth worked to arrange the marriage of her daughter to Henry Tudor may mean that she knew, or at least suspected, that the princes were already dead. Richard III is generally believed to have been responsible for removing the possible claimants to the throne, but some theorize that Henry VII was responsible. Some have even suggested Elizabeth Woodville was complicit. Henry VII re-proclaimed the legitimacy of the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Elizabeth was the godmother of the first child of Henry VII and her daughter Elizabeth, Arthur. In 1487, Elizabeth Woodville was suspected of plotting against Henry VII, her son-in-law, and her dowry was seized and she was sent to Bermondsey Abbey. She died there in June, 1492. She was buried in St.

George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, near her husband. In 1503, James Tyrell was executed for the deaths of the two princes, sons of Edward IV, and the claim was that Richard III was responsible. Some later historians have pointed their fingers at Henry VI instead. The truth is that there is not now any sure evidence of when, where, or by what hands the princes died. Sir John Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1452-1461 Edward IV, 1464-1483 1470-1483? Edward V, briefly King of England (not crowned) 1472-1472 Margaret 1473-1483?

Richard, Duke of York 1475-1511 Anne 1477-1479 George, Duke of Bedford 1479-1527 Catherine 1000+ images about Woodville on Pinterest | Mothers, Grandmothers and Philippa gregory Forward Queen of Hearts- Elizabeth Woodville (EPQ Documentary) - YouTube (For my Extended Project Qualification, I produced a documentary on the life of Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth was a young, gentry woman in the 15th century who ended up marrying the King Edward IV. Her story is not well-known even though it happened against the back-drop of the War of the Roses. I came across her through reading Philippa Gregory's book "The White Queen") See more

Question: Elizabeth Woodville was the wife of which English King?
Answer: EDWARD IV