Margaret of Anjou
Born: 23 March 1429.
Father: Rene, Duke of Anjou and King of Naples and Sicily
Mother: Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. She was the daughter of Charles I, Duke of Lorraine.
Titles: Crowned Queen of England 30 May 1445.
Married: Henry VI
Children: Edward
Died: 25 August 1482, Chateau Dampierre, Anjou. Buried in St Maurice's Cathedral, Angers.
Margaret of Anjou was born in 1429 at Pont-a-Mousson, Lorraine. Her father
was Rene, Duke of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily. He also claimed to be
king of Jerusalem and Hungary. From the moment she was chosen to be the
bride of Henry VI, she was destined to be disliked by her English
subjects. Her marriage was part of an unpopular peace treaty with France,
the terms of which included ceding to the French crown the territories of Anjou
and Maine, which had been won by the English under Henry V.
Margaret was an intelligent but headstrong woman, with very little understanding of her adopted
homeland. From the start she aligned herself openly with the Duke of
Somerset and treated the Duke of York as a threat. She was partly
responsible for the growing rift between York and Somerset, and York's
alienation from the king.
Margaret fought hard and long for the rights of her
husband and son, but made the fatal mistake of aligning herself with the great
enemy, the Scots. The Yorkists were able to use this as propaganda against
the Lancastrian cause, filling the English with terror of the "northern
hordes". In 1471 her son was killed at the battle of Tewkesbury
and she and her husband Henry VI were taken into custody by Edward IV. Margaret
was kept in England until 1476 when she was ransomed by Louis XI and returned to
her father in France. She died in poverty in 1482.
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
"The Kingmaker"
Born: 1428 (?)
Father: Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury.
Mother: Alice Montacute.
Titles: Earl of Salisbury, Earl of Warwick in right of his wife.
Married: Isobel Beauchamp, she was the daughter of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
Children: Isobel, Anne.
Died: Killed at the Battle of Barnet 14 April 1471.
Richard Neville was born in 1428 at Raby Castle. He was the
son of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Alice Montacute. In 1449 he married Elizabeth Beauchamp,
heiress to the earldom of Warwick and vast estates throughout England. (click here
to read about the Beauchamp inheritance)
In 1453 Warwick and his father, the Earl of Salisbury allied
themselves with the Duke of York thus creating a powerful coalition in
opposition to the Queen. Warwick was largely responsible for York’s victory at the 1st Battle of St
Albans and he was granted the post of Captain of Calais.
After Edward and Warwick seized power in 1461, Warwick
probably wielded the real power, but Edward’s growing independence, exacerbated
by his wife’s relatives being provided with high offices, caused Warwick to
fall out with the king. Despite his initial success in alliance with the
Lancastrians, briefly restoring Henry VI to power, Warwick was defeated and
killed by Edward’s troops at the battle of Barnet in 1471.
Elizabeth Woodville
Born: c 1437.
Father: Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers.
Mother: Jacquetta of Luxembourg. She was the daughter of Peter of Luxembourg, Count of St Pol.
She had first been married to the Duke of Bedford, brother to Henry V
Titles: Crowned Queen of England on 26 May 1465.
Married: 1. Sir John Grey of Groby (died 1461), c 1452. 2. Edward IV, 1 May 1464.
Children: Of Grey: Thomas, Richard. Of Edward: Elizabeth, Cecily, Edward, Margaret, Richard, Anne, George,
Katherine,
Bridget.
Died: 8 June 1492 at Bermondsey Abbey. Buried in St George's Chapel.
Elizabeth was born in 1437, the eldest child of Sir Richard
Woodville, later first Earl Rivers, and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Jacquetta was the daughter of the Count of
St Pol, and the widow of the Duke of Bedford, Henry V’s brother.
Elizabeth first married Sir John Grey of Groby and had two
sons, Richard and Thomas (later Marquess of Dorset). Grey’s death fighting for
the Lancastrians at the second battle
of St Albans in 1461 left Elizabeth an impoverished widow, fighting for her
dower rights against her mother-in-law who had recently married Edward IV’s
uncle, Sir John Bourchier.
Elizabeth secretly married Edward IV in April 1464 and was
crowned Queen in May 1465. During
Warwick’s rebellion of 1469-71, Elizabeth went into sanctuary at Westminster,
it was here that she gave birth to Edward V. When Edward IV died in 1483, Elizabeth again went into sanctuary.
After Richard of Gloucester had her marriage
to Edward declared invalid, and took the throne, Elizabeth’s sons disappeared.
Her daughter, also called Elizabeth, married Henry VII after his defeat of
Richard III at the battle of Bosworth.. Elizabeth retired to the convent of Bermondsey Abbey in 1487,
and died there in 1492.
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence
Born: 21 October 1449, Dublin Castle, Ireland.
Father: Richard, Duke of York.
Mother: Cecily Neville, she was the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan
Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt.
Titles: Knight of the Garter 1461. Knight of the Bath 27 June 1461. Created Duke of Clarence
28 June 1461. Created Earl of Salisbury and Warwick in right of his wife 25 March 1472. Attainted on 8
February 1478, and by this Act of Attainder forfeited all his estates and titles.
Married: Isobel. She was the daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
Children: Margaret, Edward, Richard.
Died: February 1478, executed in the Tower of London. He was buried in Tewkesbury Abbey.
George was born in 1449 in Dublin Castle, Ireland. He was the son of Richard Duke of York and
Cecily Neville, brother of Edward IV and Richard III. He was created Duke of Clarence after his brother’s
accession to the throne in 1461. In July 1469, in defiance of his brother, George married the Earl of
Warwick’s eldest daughter, Isobel Neville and joined his father in law in
rebellion in 1469. He fled to France
with Warwick in 1471, but in later in that year, deserted the Lancastrian cause
and was reconciled to his brother. In
1478, for reasons not fully known, Edward had George attainted for treason by
Parliament. He was sent to the tower
where he was secretly executed. (It is said his chosen method of execution was
to be drowned in a butt of Malmsey Wine!)
George and Isobel had two surviving children: Edward, who
was styled Earl of Warwick, who was executed for treason by Henry VII and Margaret,
the Countess of Salisbury, who was executed by Henry VIII.
Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury
Born: 1400 (?)
Father: Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland.
Mother: Joan Beaufort. She was the daughter of John of Gaunt and his third wife, Kathryn Swynford.
Titles: Earl of Salisbury in right of his wife.
Married: Alice Montacute. She was the daughter of Thomas de Montacute, 4th Earl of Salsibury.
Children: Richard,
Thomas, John, George, Joan, Cecil, Alice, Eleanor, Catherine, Margaret
Died: Killed at the Battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460.
Richard Neville was the son of Ralph Neville, 1st
Earl of Westmorland and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt and half
sister of Henry IV. His father had
first been married to Margaret Stafford, with whom he had four children,
however, on his death he left the greater part of his estates to Richard, his
eldest son by Joan. In 1420 Richard
married Alice Montacute, the heiress to the earldom of Salisbury, and for the
next three decades, he worked relentlessly to extend and consolidate the wealth
and power of the Nevilles in the north of England.
This included successfully fighting a challenge by his
half-brother, the disinherited 2nd Earl of Westmorland. By the time his son inherited the earldom of
Warwick in 1450, the Nevilles were “Lords of the North”. This rise to power was assisted by
Salisbury’s kinship to the king, through his Beaufort mother.
When Henry VI suffered his first bout of mental incapacity,
Salisbury supported his brother in law, the Duke of York, in his bid for the
regency. Until this time, the Nevilles had been loyal to the House of
Lancaster, but the at the end of 1452 the king granted the earldom of Richmond
to his half brother, Edmund Tudor. This
title had previously been granted to Salisbury. Salisbury was also unlikely to side with the alternative to York
at that time, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, as his son was in dispute with
him over the Beauchamp inheritance.
The seemingly unlikely alliance between Neville and York
would have far reaching consequences for the future. The backing of the powerful Neville family, both Salisbury and
his son, Warwick, would be instrumental in toppling Henry VI and securing the
throne for Edward IV.
Salisbury was captured and beheaded after the battle of Wakefield in December 1460.
Edward V
Born: November 1470 in sanctuary Westminster Abbey.
Father: Edward IV
Mother: Elizabeth Woodville.
Titles: Created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester June 1471. Duke of Cornwall July 1471. Knight
of the Garter May 1475. Created Earl of Pembroke and March July 1479. King of England 9 April 1483.
Married: Never married.
Children: None.
Died: Perhaps murdered 1483.
Edward, eldest son of Edward IV and his Queen Elizabeth Woodville, was born at Westminster Abbey in November 1470.
At the time his father was in exile in burgundy and his mother was in sanctuary.
When Edward IV returned and reclaimed his crown, prince Edward was made Prince of Wales and sent to live at
Ludlow Castle, on the border of Wales. A council was formed with Anthony Rivers, the Queen's brother, as
governor. Edward IV drew up ordinances which regulated the daily life of the prince and gave strict
instructions on the environment in which his "most desired treasure" was to be brought up: no crude jokes,
no swearing, no fighting, gambling, arguing or adultery.
On his father's death, Edward was proclaimed king Edward V, and plans were drawn up for his coronation. However,
within two months he and his siblings were declared illegitimate and the throne was taken by his uncle, Richard,
Duke of Gloucester.
Edward V and his brother, Richard, Duke of York, disappeared after 1483, probably murdered. (For further
information on the "Princes in the Tower" see my Richard III page.)
Henry VII
Born: 28 January 1457, Pembroke Castle, Wales.
Father: Edmund Tudor. He was the son of Owen Tudor and Katherine of Valois, widow of Henry V.
Mother: Margaret Beaufort. She was the daughter of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset
(grandson to John of Gaunt) and Margaret Beauchamp.
Titles: Earl of Richmond from birth, but deprived of this title in August 1462. King of England 22 August, 1485. Crowned in Westminster Abbey 30 October 1485.
Married: Elizabeth, 18 January 1486.
Children: Arthur, Margaret, Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Mary, Edmund, Edward, Katherine.
Died: 21 April 1509 at Richmond Palace. Buried in Westminster Abbey.
Henry VII's claim to the throne was through the Beaufort family. It was
certainly an inferior claim to that of the man he had deposed. In order to
try to overcome this obstacle, Henry married Elizabeth of York, daughter of
Edward IV, although it appears he never admitted she had a better claim to the
throne than he. He claimed the right of conquest and crowned her his queen
years after they were married.
Henry had spent most of his childhood in Wales,
where he had been born. But after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury in
1471 he was sent to France. Here Henry lead a somewhat hazardous
existence, and was to remain a suspicious man all his life, probably due to
these uncertain years.
Richard III's usurpation of the throne caused
disruption in England and gave Henry his chance to invade England. He had
French backing, and at a crucial moment in the battle was able to convince
several nobles to turn to his side. This won the battle for him and,
according to legend, a crown worn by Richard was found under a hawthorn bush and
placed on Henry's head. The Yorkist "resistance" continued
throughout Henry's reign, and several rebellions were carried out in the name of
the missing princes.
Elizabeth of York
Born: 11 February 1466, Palace of Westminster.
Father: Edward IV.
Mother: Elizabeth Woodville
Titles: Crown Queen of England 25 November5 1487.
Married: Henry VII, 18 January 1486
Children: Arthur, Margaret, Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Mary, Edmund, Edward, Katherine.
Died: 11 February 1503, Tower of London. Buried at Westminster Abbey.
As the eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth became a pawn in dynastic politics. Her value as a marriage prize can be seen not only in her marriage, but in her history prior to this. During the reademption, Edward had offered the hand of his eldest daughter to John Marquess of Montague's son George, who he had created Duke of Bedford, thereby hoping to keep his loyalty through self-interest. When Montague joined his brother Warwick in rebellion against Edward, the plan was dropped. Later, by the Treaty of Picquiny in 1475 Elizabeth was betrothed to the Dauphin of France, but Louis XI reneged on this agreement in 1483, just before Edward IV's death.
After the death of her father, Elizabeth joined her mother in sanctuary. When they came out of sanctuary, Elizabeth was given precedence by Richard III: at the Christmas festivities in 1484 Elizabeth wore the same clothes as Queen Anne. There is some speculation that Richard III intended to marry Elizabeth after the death of his wife, and that he was courted eagerly by his niece. There is no evidence to support this, however.
On Christmas Day 1483 Henry Tudor took an oath in Rennes Catheral that he would marry Elizabeth as soon as he became king. This was the culmination of negotiations undertaken by the mothers of the pair, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort. While Henry may have intitially hinted that he would rule jointly with Elizabeth, he rejected the idea in August 1485, and the promised marriage did not take place until January 1486. Elizabeth had to wait for two years, after the birth of their first son, Arthur, for her coronation.
Elizabeth died in childbed on her 37th birthday. She was daughter, sister, niece, wife and mother of kings.
Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Born: c 1454
Father: Humphrey, Earl of Stafford, great-great grandson of Edward III, through Thomas of Woodstock.
Mother: Margaret Beaufort, daughter of Edmund, Duke of Somerset.
Titles: Duke of Buckingham 1460.
Married: Katherine Woodville, sister of Elizabeth Woodville, 1466.
Children: Edward, Henry, Humphrey, Anne, Elizabeth
Died: Executed, 2 November 1483.
Buckingham was excluded from almost all public activity during the reign of Edward IV (it is possible that Edward IV saw him as unstable and lacking political judgement). Upon Edward's death, Buckingham moved immediately to help Richard of Gloucester usurp the throne. Buckingham was with Gloucester at Stony Stratford and entered into London with him and Edward V. He publicly denied the legitimacy of Edward IV's heirs and exhorted the people to make Gloucester their king.
After Richard's coronation, Buckingham was showered with rewards: control of Wales, of the north Midlands and parts of southern England. He was also promised half of the earldom of Hereford that had been in crown hands since Henry IV married one of the coheiresses. Thomas of Gloucester, Buckingham's great-great grandfather had married the other.
However, in October 1483, only two months into the new reign, Buckingham began to plot with Lancastrians to overthrow Richard III. The plan included putting Henry Tudor on the throne, but it is possible that Buckingham may have intended to seize the throne for himself. It is also possible that around this time he was responsible for the murder of the sons of Edward IV. Buckingham's rebellion against Richard III failed and he was captured and beheaded.
