KING EDWARD IV OF ENGLAND Part II
Edward has taken the crown of England from the weak and feeble King Henry VI, and has him locked in the Tower of London.
Taking the crown was one thing.
Making anyone listen to you was another.
For the most part, England’s nobility stayed neutral, although many were still loyal to Henry.
Edward had a hard time running his kingdom at first, luckily Edward had his closest friend and ally Richard Neville the Earl of Warwick, that he could rely on.
Warwick was known as The Kingmaker, and one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. However, Edward would soon learn that your most powerful ally, can also become your most dangerous enemy.
Warwick was keen to make an alliance with France, and suggested that Edward take himself a French Princess as his queen.
But little did he know, while Warwick was out making French marriage deals, Edward was keeping an enormous secret….
Edward had already married in secret – to Elizabeth Woodville.
Elizabeth was not only a widow with two sons, but even worse, she was considered a commoner!
Warwick saw this as an unbelievable betrayal.
It was said, that Elizabeth Woodville was the most beautiful woman in all of Great Britain.
Even more, she was allegedly charming and intelligent.
She was like a medieval Helen of Troy, and while her face may not have launched a thousand ships, it nearly cost Edward IV everything.
Edward, though tall, handsome, and capable, was also something of a spoiled brat.
He had gotten what he wanted for his entire life.
He loved being the most powerful man in the room.
By marrying Elizabeth, he had tied a string to her entire family.
The Woodvilles needed Edward IV, and he likely loved that.
But was it worth the price?
Edward was used to getting what he wanted, but even he knew that marrying Elizabeth Woodville would be controversial.
Edward was right to keep the wedding a secret.
Once word got out, the consequences were immediate.
The King and the Kingmaker were officially at odds, and Warwick soon found someone else to team up with.
Someone from Edward’s own family….
Edward IV was Richard of York’s eldest son, but there were two other York boys on the scene.
George-Duke of Clarence and Richard-Duke of Gloucester.
After the Woodville fiasco, Warwick formed an alliance with Edward’s brother George – who wasn’t at all happy with his older brother taking all the glory.
To solidify the partnership, Warwick proposed a marriage between George and his daughter, Isabel.
When Edward got word of this, he was less than enthused.
Edward saw that his brother and ex-friend teaming up was bad news.
He blocked the marriage proposal, but he was in for a rude awakening.
George went through with the marriage anyway, and they all sailed off to Calais.
Next, they announced that they were assembling an army to remove Edward’s “evil councilors” the Woodvilles, from power.
For a while, it seemed like George and Warwick would succeed.
They defeated the royal army in battle, imprisoned Edward in Middleham Castle, and had Elizabeth Woodville’s father and brother both exEcuted.
They were probably feeling pretty good about themselves, but this is about when everything fell apart.
Many in England were ready to put the Wars of the Roses behind them, and no further support for George and Warwick’s alliance materialized.
Warwick was forced to release Edward after just a couple of months, and at that point, they realised they were in trouble.
Tensions continued to simmer, and George and Warwick fled to France.
This is when a fascinating new opportunity presented itself.
Remember Margaret of Anjou?
Henry VI’s ruthless wife?
She had been in France all this time, raising her son and plotting her revenge……
When the French King heard that Edward IV’s brother and the Kingmaker had landed on his shores, he had an idea.
What if they teamed up with their old enemy and got the Wars of the Roses started up again.
The only thing was, Margaret was a proud woman, and she was going to need some convincing.
Warwick had personally helped tear Margaret of Anjou’s husband off the throne, and now he was offering to help put him back on it.
Margaret knew an opportunity when she saw it, but she was proud, and she couldn’t let Warwick off the hook completely.
Before agreeing to an alliance, she made him kneel in front of her in silence…for 15 minutes.
Once he rose, the alliance became real, and Edward had a serious problem on his hands.
Margaret of Anjou and Warwick agreed to a marriage between their children Edward of Westminster, heir to the throne, and Anne Neville.
By September 1470, Warwick returned to England and announced his intention to free Henry VI still imprisoned in the Tower of London, and restore him to the throne.
Warwick couldn’t have picked a better time.
Some people were still not sold on the new Yorkist regime, and within a matter of weeks, Warwick had assembled an army of over 30,000.
Edward was starting to sweat.
Then one final betrayal made him realize he was finished.
Edward knew that facing Margaret of Anjou and Warwick’s army was going to be a near-impossible task, and he was running out of allies.
When he heard the news that Warwick’s younger brother John, Lord Montagu, had switched sides as well, Edward realized he didn’t have a shot.
Edward had grown up on the battlefield, and he knew when it was time to retreat.
Swallowing his pride, King Edward fled his kingdom to seek asylum in Bruges.
He was down – but you’d better believe he was not out!
Margaret of Anjou and Warwick achieved what had once felt impossible.
They restored Henry VI to the throne, however, they immediately realised that they might have made a terrible mistake.
Henry was still the same old feeble King and there was also the fact that Warwick had fought for York for many years, and many of his new Lancastrian allies still hated his guts.
They wouldn’t get long to enjoy their victory.
Within just a few months, Edward was already planning for his triumphant return……
👑 Max Irons as Edward IV and Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville in ‘The White Queen’ 2013
