Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a key figure in the Wars of the Roses, the longest-reigning Yorkist king, the tallest English monarch at 6'4'' and often cited as the handsomest man ever to sit on the throne. He was a Warrior Prince, a sometimes astute politician who preferred to negotiate with his enemies, was merciful when he could be, and his second reign brought a much-needed period of calm and stability to England. He also really liked to have a good time.
Edward was the oldest son of Richard, Duke of York, the man who led the Yorkist faction against King Henry VI, who was temperamentally unsuited to be king in The Late Middle Ages and whose court was rife with corruption. The Duke of York had his own claim to the throne, which was technically stronger than Henry VI’s, since the latter’s grandfather Henry IV had usurped the throne. Edward, then titled as the Earl of March, joined his father and their cousin Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, in rebellion.
The Duke of York’s determination to press his claim to the throne resulted in his death in battle and the subsequent murder of Edward’s younger brother Edmund. Upon his father’s death, Edward took up the Yorkist claim and with the mentorship of his cousin, Warwick, proved to be a brilliant military commander, despite still being in his teens. Edward was crowned king, and he soundly defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton, to this day still the bloodiest battle fought on English soil.
Edward’s youth and good looks, as well as his prowess in battle, made him a popular king, but his decision to marry in secret and for love alienated many of his former allies, especially Warwick. Warwick had been negotiating a foreign marriage, which would have brought needed wealth and political allies to the crown, and he was infuriated by Edward's actions. The woman, known for her exceptional beauty, was Elizabeth Woodville, a Lancastrian widow six years Edward’s senior and a woman who became an effective advocate for her large, ambitious family, obtaining titles and advantageous marriages for many of them. While Elizabeth's father was a minor English knight, her mother was the far more connected Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who had come to England for a short-lived marriage to the Duke of Bedford and was a friend of Margaret of Anjou, the formidable queen of Henry VI. That friendship might have made it uncomfortable for Edward to back out of a promise to marry an attractive widow made with the goal of getting her into his bed, something Edward was rumored to have done more than once as a young man.
Other historians, however, would argue that Edward choosing Elizabeth and the Woodvilles was instead a calculated choice—as a symbol of reconciling the Lancastrian remnants (as well as counterbalancing the overwhelming Neville influence of his relatives). The fact that Warwick proved himself ultimately disloyal and grasping to be a Dragon-in-Chief (something the young, martial and charismatic king would not stand for) lends credence to this. In any case, Edward seemed happy to be surrounded by his wife's relatives, who depended on him for their status, rather than his various cousins and brothers, who had their own claims to prestige. And he appeared to love his wife, as they had nine children and he resisted any pressure to put her aside, though that didn't stop him from taking plenty of mistresses.
Eventually, Warwick rebelled against Edward, marrying his daughter to Edward’s younger brother George, the Duke of Clarence, and attempted to put George on the throne. At this time, rumors circulated that Edward was not legitimate but rather the product of an affair his mother had with an archer. Most historians do not take this claim seriously, but a few have. Warwick did not manage to depose Edward, but he did capture him and attempt to rule through him. However, the charismatic and clever Edward proved to be a Poisonous Captive, and Warwick eventually released him. Warwick's second attempt at rebellion was more successful. After marrying his other daughter to the Lancastrian heir to the throne, Warwick switched sides and in partnership with Margaret of Anjou, restored Henry VI to the throne.
Edward, along with a small group of supporters that included his youngest brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, fled into exile. This did not last long. With the help of his sister, Margaret of York, Edward managed to convince his brother George, who by then was furious that he was not going to be made king, to return to the Yorkist fold. With George on his side and Richard's growing ability as a military commander, Edward was able to retake the throne, with Warwick dying in battle. Shortly thereafter, Henry VI, who was Edward's prisoner, died under mysterious circumstances. Since Henry's heir had also been killed in battle (or possibly murdered), that left only the obscure Henry Tudor as a Lancastrian claimant. During this time, Edward's wife took sanctuary and gave birth to a son, the future Edward V and the older of the pair of boys who would come to be known as The Princes in the Tower.
The rest of his reign was relatively uneventful, with the exception of skirmishes with France and Scotland and Edward's decision to have his brother George executed, widely reported have been done via drowning in a vat of malmsey wine
but other historians argue that this was a rumor based on a joke Edward made. Some of the same sources that told the tale of the wine also reported rumors that Elizabeth and Edward were spooked by a prophecy that he would be succeeded by a man whose name started with G, which could have applied to George or Richard of Gloucester.
Historians view Edward's second reign as successful, though Edward's aging frat-boy antics led to a Decadent Court and the once fit and athletic king becoming fat and unhealthy. He died prematurely at age forty, leaving a power vacuum that would have far-reaching consequences.
Edward’s legacy is usually overshadowed by his controversial brother Richard or his iconic grandson Henry VIII, both of whom are portrayed far more often in fiction. Usually, if Edward is portrayed, it is as a supporting character to Richard, although in the mini-series, The White Queen he is a supporting character to his wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Yet he is a fascinating figure in his own right and, much like his more famous grandson, his romantic impulses and personal excesses get far more attention than his political and military accomplishments.
See The House of Plantagenet for more information on Edward's Tangled Family Tree.
Appearances In Media
Literature
- Edward is the main character in Amy Licence's House of York Series and is portrayed as an idealistic young warrior with a weakness for women.
- In the I, Richard Plantagenet Series, Edward is a good king, a good brother and a strong warrior, but his weakness for women is his undoing. He loves Elizabeth Woodville to distraction, but when she thinks his interest might be waning she poisons him so her son can have the throne. It's just too bad for her that Richard obtains proof that Edward married Eleanor Butler first.
- A Song of Ice and Fire: Edward has a couple of analogs in George R. R. Martin's fantasy epic. The dashing prince, Robb Stark, who impulsively marries for love an alienates his key allies resembles a young Edward, while Robert Baratheon, the obese, past-his-prime king with an ambitious, cold wife, seems a lot like the older Edward.
- In Sandra Worth's Rose of York Series Edward is portrayed as a decent king and phenomenal warrior, but his debauchery and obsessive loyalty to Elizabeth Woodville makes him a villain.
- The Sunne in Splendour: Although this novel focuses on Richard it's a Doorstopper that has time to develop Edward into a complex and brilliant character that earns his brother's loyalty. It explores his relationships with all his brothers, especially Richard, but also Edmund and George. His love affairs with Elizabeth Woodville and Jane Shore are also covered, as well as Edward's friendship with Will Hastings. The book makes a good case for Edward's pragmatism having kept him on the throne while Richard's idealism is his undoing.
- The Cousins' War Series: In Phillipa Gregory's novel series focusing off the women of the Wars of the Roses, he is a dashing figure who is passionately in love with Elizabeth Woodville.
- The Virgin Widow: In this novel about the romance between Richard and his wife Anne, Edward is the mentor and Shipper on Deck for his kid brother.
- The Wars Of The Roses Quartet is a series of novels by Eleanor Fairburn from the point of view of Edward's long-suffering, formidable mother Cecily of York, who is proud of her son but also well-aware of her son's self-destructive habits.
Live-Action Television
- The White Queen: Edward is played by Max Irons in the series, based on Phillipa Gregory's series of novels.
- The television adaptation of Martin's Ice and Fire saga, Game of Thrones, features his expies in King-in-the-North Robb Stark (portrayed by Richard Madden) and King Robert I Baratheon (portrayed by Mark Addy). Both were noted to be glorious in battle (with Robert being king precisely because he deposed Aerys II, and Robb winning every on-screen battle he has been part of), but subpar in politics.
Theatre
- He essentially ascends as the main Yorkist character in William Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 3, shown at his prime and conducting the most iconic events of his life (i.e. winning the battles of Towton, Barnet and Tewkesbury—as well as cleaving to the Woodvilles). He later appears briefly (described as sickly and "having kept an evil diet"—although the extent of how this looks depends on production) in Richard III, with his death setting off the action.
